Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ulowell!tegra!vail
From: vail@tegra.UUCP (Johnathan Vail)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Photographing PC Screens
Message-ID: <428@atlas.tegra.UUCP>
Date: 2 Mar 89 15:25:12 GMT
References: <3779@peora.ccur.com> <1891@holos0.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: Tegra, Inc., Billerica, MA
Lines: 34
In-reply-to: lbr@holos0.UUCP's message of 1 Mar 89 19:18:22 GMT


In article <3779@peora.ccur.com> joel@peora.UUCP writes:
>I just got a VGA compatible board for my PC and I was looking for
>some advice on how to photograph the screen either with a 35mm
>or a Poloroid camera. My previous experiences were not that
>successful....

I worked on the firmware for a new terminal deign once and spent a day
at a commercial photographer's studio.  I was there to "put stuff on
the screen" for the shoot.  I learned a lot as commercial photography
is a lot different from amateur or news-type photography.

The tecnique he used for shooting the terminal was to set everything
up then turn out the lights in the studio.  The calculated exposure
was made by counting the number of manaul strobe flashes.  Several
different exposures were made of each shot that bracketed the
calculated optimum values to provide different contrasts.  For each
exposure thought the shutter was left open in the dark studio for a
few minutes, with just the text of the terminal exposing the film.

This same tecnique can be used with most SLR 35mm cameras on the 'B'
setting.   As a previous poster pointed out, the key is to have an
exposure longer than the scan time.  An exposure of several seconds at
least with a darkened room and a tripod should give good results.  I
would also recommend trying different exposures for each shot.

Hope this helps...

"Everything that gives us pleasure gives us pain to measure it by."
    -- The Residents, GOD IN THREE PERSONS
 _____
|     | Johnathan Vail  | tegra!N1DXG@ulowell.edu
|Tegra| (508) 663-7435  | N1DXG @ 145.110-, 444.2+, 448.625-
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