posted on February 13, 2006 12:56:34 PM new
how can I take pictures of pictures that are already framed w/glass without there being a reflection? It's not the camera flash but everything else that is reflecting - no matter where I move it to. And no - I can't take them out of the frame.
I've got 6 pictures and I thought maybe I could take a picture of each one and then photomerge them to show them as a set.
posted on February 13, 2006 01:12:56 PM new
Lay them flat on the groung so the only thing they have to refect is the ceiling. Then try not to lean over them to take the pic and get yourself in the refection. You can fix the slight distortion of the shape in Photoshop is you want.
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posted on February 13, 2006 01:40:44 PM new
Place the picture on the floor in the center of a large room away from furniture or anything that might cast a shadow. (You can always drape dark sheets over any furniture to hide them - old photographer's trick.) Position your tripod slightly off-center of perpendicular to the pictures (so it isn't reflected in the glass). A linear or circular polarizing filter can minimize any remaining reflections.
Use the self-timer on your camera to minimize camera shake, and set the ISO to 50 or 100 for optimal image quality, and if possible step down your aperture to increase depth of field (check the camera manual to see if possible). You need maximum depth of field as digital cameras will auto focus on the glass in front and not the picture behind it.
Use Macro (it's the flower symbol on your digital camera) for closeup shots. Use optical zoom to frame the object in the viewfinder. Don't use digital zoom as Photoshop does a much better job, and as fenix mentioned can also correct any slight distortion or parallax.
Here's my basic overhead document copy setup:
Mostly used for flat artwork. The clamp attaches to any piece of furniture e.g. chair, table, etc., but breaks down to fit inside a pocket or purse.
posted on February 13, 2006 02:17:12 PM new
agitprop's is the best, I'm sure. What works for me is what my photographer son in law told me to try:
Darken the room, prop picture up against something, take a flash from slightly to left or right of picture. Hard to focus in the dark, but take a few and you'll get one that's okay to use.
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it's a REALLY nice program for fixing photos. I just have the trial version for 30 days but if I had to fix the perspective or fisheye more often I would definately buy it. It was SO EASY.
posted on February 15, 2006 05:39:21 AM new
I use a version of JASC PaintShop Pro that does that, and would be glad to get rid of the program (which is used only for this purpose; I use Photoshop Elements for everything else). So, I downloaded a trial.
A note of warning about this technique: since the original photo is from an angle, the perspective-adjusted copy will sometimes look screwy if the angle was severe. This usually happens if the frame is thick (when corrected, the frame shows its sides, which it wouldn't really do if you took photo from head on). Also, I sold some Rizzi's (Urban Primitive Artist Extraordinaire! HAH!), which have cutouts that line up when photographed from head on, but look screwy when photo'd from the side).
Your items, which are close to 2-dimensional to begin with, don't seem to suffer.
Anyway, it's a great technique, but it's not a cureall. Also, be sure to use maximum resolution settings when taking photo, as you lose something when correcting perspective.
