photographing olf computers/parts

From: Pete Turnbull <pete_at_dunnington.u-net.com>
Date: Fri Jan 29 15:42:25 1999

On Jan 29, 9:58, Philip.Belben_at_pgen.com wrote:
> Subject: Re: photographing olf computers/parts

> Use the longest focal length you can

That's sound advice.

> The slower 35mm films are pretty good with a decent lens, but if you can
> get the required magnification with the polaroid, it may be worth
> considering since it is likely to be a less grainy process, and a larger
> film area (i.e. lower resolution per inch <= same resolution across whole
> picture)

Actually, modern 35mm film is likely to be better. Don't use too slow a
film; for technical reasons, the slower the film, the more contrasty it's
likely to be. Too much contrast loses detail.

> I have little experience with lighting computer stuff, but I imagine
(say)
> a board full of chips might require several light sources to avoid the
> chips casting strange shadows.

Mechanic/electrical artefacts tend to have a lot of reflections, and it's
usually better to use one main (preferably diffuse) light source with a big
reflector on the other side of the subject, to fil in the shadows. A big
white board, or a bedsheet will do admirably. If you do want highlights
off the shiny parts, you can always add a small light once you have the
main lighting adjusted.

If you're using artificial light, even for colour negatives, you'll get
better results if you use a colour correction filter on the camera.

-- 
Pete						Peter Turnbull
						Dept. of Computer Science
						University of York
Received on Fri Jan 29 1999 - 15:42:25 GMT

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