Copy Photography Tips
Copy Photography Help 
This information is meant to supplement the annual photography session. This session is usually taught in late September or early October.
Buying a Camera
Copy Photography Help
This information is meant to supplement the annual photography session. This session is usually taught in late September or early October.
For classroom slide presentations, the easiest film choice is to purchase an E6 process film such as Ektachrome or Fujichrome with a daylight color balance. In simple terms, this is daylight Ektachrome or daylight Fujichrome. The film can be purchsed in 24 or 36 exposure rolls. If you plan to hand-hold the camera, buy a higher speed film like 200 or 400 ISO. If you are only interested in making slides for a class presentation and you do not plan to use tungsten lights, do not read any further. Return to Index
The film type must be balanced to the color temperature of the light source. Daylight is approximately 5500 degrees Kelvin. At sunset, the atmosphere filters the rays of the sun and the color temperature drops; this accounts for the reddish light of the sunset. A regular light bulb is around 2900 degrees Kelvin. Photo Bulbs and tungsten films come in two color temperatures 3400 (type A) and 3200 (type B). Filters can be used to bridge the difference between the color temperature of the light source and the color balance of the film.
A. Daylight 5500 degrees Kelvin
B. Tungsten Light 3400 degrees Kelvin (TYPE A)
C. Tungsten Light 3200 degrees Kelvin (TYPE B)
Using black and white slide film for student presentations is neither cost effective nor a good use of time. Most photography labs will not process black and white slide film.
The main differences between black and white films is one of contrast. Continuous tone film will copy the various shades of gray. High contrast films will reduce the gray tones to black and white. High contrast film can be an ortho film which means is sensitive only to light in the blue area of the spectrum. This film can not be used to copy color images. A pan film is sensitive to the entire color spectrum and can be used to photograph color copy.
A black and white negative film with good contrast and a fairly low ISO number, such as Kodak TMax 100 film, is good for making black and white negatives.
As with color slide film, there are daylight and tungsten films. The designation changes. Daylight film is Type S. Tungsten film (3200 degrees Kelvin) is Type L. For disertations, photographs can be made from slides with the reversal process. There is no need for an "interneg". Photographs from slides tend to be higher contrast but these photos are more stable and will last longer.
Cameras with automatic exposure systems can make copy photography more difficult. If these systems exist on the camera, it is important to make sure it is easy to "override" these systems. Simple is easier.
Attention should be paid to the viewer. Images taken with the best cameras will be exactly the same as what was seen in the viewing screen. Many camera viewing screens show less than the camera lens sees. Some viewers are misaligned. Since copy photography is usually close up photography, the viewer alignment can make a great difference in the quality of your work. Many camera stores will allow you to shoot a test roll. Photographing a rectangle, carefully aligned in the viewer, will quickly show whether the camera viewer is satisfactory.
Interchangeable viewing and focusing screens can be advantageous in copy work. Unfortunately, only the most expensive cameras provide this feature.
Loading Film
Take the film out of the canister and insert it in the camera on the left side. Push the rewind knob down to secure it in place. Pull the film that is sticking out (the leader) toward the takeup spool on the right. Insert the film leader into one of the slots in the film takeup spool. Slowly rotate the takeup spool inwards (toward the left) with your thumb while making sure the film in the slot engages the first or second perforation along the side of the film leader. Wind the film advance lever to advance film onto the takeup spool. Wind the film advance lever and depress the shutter release button until the film sprockets engage the perforations on the edge of the film. Make sure you wind the lever filly until it comes to a stop. Close the camera back until it snaps shut.
Press the shutter release button and wind the film advance lever until the frame counter reaches frame one. As you wind the lever, make sure the arrow on the film rewind knob rotates counterclockwise Opposite direction of the little arrow).
It is important to set the speed of the film you are using on the camera.
The film speed (ISO) of the film you are using should be set on the camera. The film speed ring is located on the shutter speed knob on the right side of the camera. Lift the knob and set the correct speed.
The Art Library provides a copy stand for student use. Students, who are using daylight film, prefer to use the copy stand in the morning or early afternoon when there is the most direct sunlight. The copy stand can be placed on the floor in the natural light.
General student practice has been to avoid tungsten lights because they are costly and time consuming. If you are using tungsten bulbs, make sure the color temperature matches your film balance. One light should be placed on each side of the copy stand, equidistant from the copy and at an approximately forty-five degree angle.
The copy stand is fairly easy to use. There are two knobs that you will be manipulating and that's it. To attach the camera, there is a small knob attached to the vertical post. Turn the knob that will release it and remove it. Attach this tube to the camera by screwing it into the corresponding hole on the bottom of the camera. Then reinsert the tube (with camera attached) onto the copy stand and tighten the knob. If you are using the copy stand lights, attach the one-piece lighting component to the vertical post.
In order for the image on the slide to be rectangular and not an irregular trapazoid, the copy must be parallel with the film plane inside the camera. In simpler terms, if you level the camera on the copy stand, and you level the copy, you will get rectangular images on your slides. If you are photography a book, a general rule is that the book is more important. Do not destroy the book to get a good slide. The slide is a temporary resource.
Place your book on the copy stand and center the image. Loosten the knob on the vertical post that allows the camera to move up and down. It is helpful to loosen the knob only enough to easily raise and lower the camera; do not loosen all the way. Keep focusing the camera on your image while the camera is being raised and lowered to make the image the correct size. Remember to tighten the knob when everything is set. Try to bring the camera close enough so the image fills the screen; this also will reduce the masking that will be needed later.
Once your image is centered and in focus, it is time to set your exposure.
A properly exposed image is the result of a few variables: the speed of your film, the amount of light on the subject (in this case, your copy), and two variables on the camera: speed and aperature opening. The first two variables will be set by the time you reach this step. It is time to control the camera.
The shutter speed is manipulated by the knob on the near right side of the camera with the numbers on top. these numbers represent fractions of a second and in are fact denominators, with one being the numerator. The aperature control is found on the lens. The smaller the number, the smaller the hole.
Do not take a reading off the copy, especially if it is a white page. For the best results, a Kodak gray card should be used; in place of this card, a medium gray book cover or material can be used to take the exposure. Looking into the viewer, turn the shutter speed dial and/or the aperature knob until the light meter displays the the symbol for a correct exposure (a little circle). Remember the film advance lever needs to be engaged (away from the body of the camera) for the meter to work. For fine tuning, the aperature opening can be set between stops; never set the speed knob between stops.
Since you are using a copy stand, the speed knob is not crucial. However, very long exposures will be tedious. Copy work is close up photography and so the aperature opening should be closed to about f8 to f16. Then the speed knob could be turned until the red circle is visible in the viewer.
After your first exposure, you will find that the rest of your exposures will be the same or close. The distance of the camera from the copy stand will determine whether you need to make adjustments.
Once you have taken your slides, remove the camera from the stand, remember to place any books from the library on the sorting shelves and return the stand. To remove your film from the camera, press the silver film rewind button on the bottom of the camera. (It is the button that can be pushed). Rewind the film by turning the crank clockwise as the arrow shows. Do not turn in the opposite direction or the knob will unscrew! Once the film has rewound fully, there will be a slight tug on the film and a slight snapping sound. Remove the film from the camera using the same procedure as in loading. Advance the shutter all the way and press shutter release button; press the advance lever back against the body of the camera.
Take your film to be processed. There are a number of local places that do overnight processing.
For general photography, the important issue is that the aperature opening should be closed down (i.e. use a higher f stop number) when photographing close objects as one does in copy work. The aperature opening is unimportant when photographing distant objects.