Slide Photography Basics

If you've shot slides before, you know you have choices to make from start to finish. We will go over all of this stuff in a demo, but this can be your reference for the future.

Film Types:

For Color Slides: best films are Kodak Ektachrome 64 Pro T OR Fujichrome 64 Pro T, but you can choose a film up to 200 ISO without regretting it.

FYI:

• Film labeled ...chrome means it is a slide film (or positive film)
• The "64" refers to the film speed or ISO, the lower this number, the slower the film, and the finer the grain.
• The "T" stands for tungsten balanced film- the best kind for copystand flood lights.
• The "pro" means professional, meaning you will pay a lot for this film.
It can be purchased at professional dealers and Photo Services.

Lighting Outdoors

Shoot your work against a neutral background on an overcast day or in full sunlight. Make sure there is a minimum amount of shadow or reflection on/off the artwork. Open shade will make the work look blue. Before duplicating, it may necessary to mask out extraneous information around the paintings. Use silver photo tape (Scotch polyester film tape) to do this. This tape can be applied to the slide itself and then the slide can be remounted.

Lighting Indoors

You can also shoot the artwork indoors using daylight balanced lights or tungsten hot lights. Be careful. Use a hand held light meter to determine exposure setting. Bracket exposures.

You'll want to turn out or block out any other light source. Use hand held light meter to determine exposure settings. Photograph artwork at the predetermined setting and bracket 1 full f-stop up and down from that setting. Don't even try to use florescent light.

Hints

1. Match film type to lighting.
2. The lower the ASA, the finer the grain- your enlargements will be sharper.
3. Always bracket your exposures. It takes more film, but it will save you time.
4. Photograph in a neutral location, preferably against a white wall with no architectural distractions.
5. Screen your slides with a projector before selecting which ones to duplicate.
6. Never give your originals away- mark them as originals and store them separately from your doops.
7. Keep processed slides in a closed container away from light, dust, and heat. Project slides only for short periods of time.
8. For enlargements: you can get color copies from slides, prints from jpegs, or shoot a roll of color negative film. Always overexpose color negative materials for more saturated color prints.
9. Work with a friend, it's much faster with help. Shoot an entire roll and develop it. Select the best exposure by screening with a slide projector. Duplicate at least five copies of each slide. The greater number you duplicate at one time, the cheaper the cost. Mark your original slides as originals and store them separately from your duplicates- never give the originals away.

The Copystand

The copystand is used to photograph 2D artworks that are smaller than 16 by 20 inches. For larger format works, please read the section below, Photographing Large Format Works

Set Up

1. Load film into camera and set the ASA/ISO before proceeding. Tuck the "leader" into the slot, advance twice with the back open, then close and advance to " 0". Use the 80 A filter if your film is daylight balanced (the label has a "D" not a "T"). No filter is needed for tungsten or black and white slide film.
2. Using the threaded mount on the bottom of the camera, mount camera to copystand as you would a tripod. DO NOT OVER-TIGHTEN!!!!!!
3. Attach cable release and black mask (if your work is under glass). For best results, copy work smaller than 16"x20".
4. Set lens aperture to f/8 or f/11- the lens is sharpest in the middle.
5. Set the lights at 45 degree angles to the base board and adjust barn doors . Be careful not to touch the bulbs with your fingers! Bulbs get super hot!
6. Set exposure with incident light meter or using the cameras' meter and a gray card. To do this, place gray card on copystand base and compose viewfinder so the card roughly fills the frame. Adjust the shutter speed for the appropriate exposure. Note: this will NOT work if you did not set the camera the to correct film speed! Exposure fine-tuning can be done by going between f-stop #'s on the lens.

To Shoot

1. Adjust the camera to frame the object... first loosen the black tension screw before moving camera to desired height, then tighten enough to keep the camera in place. Keep a little space around the image, as the slide mount will crop the frame slightly. Please take your time in framing your artwork, look around the edge and maintain an even distance from the edge of the artwork to the edge of the frame - and MAKE SURE THE ARTWORK IS STRAIGHT!!!
2. Focus and re-adjust camera height as necessary.
3. By placing black/white paper or cloth under the object, you can save yourself from having to mask later.
4. Bracket exposures: This means that once you have determined proper exposure, re-photograph the copy work by: overexposing 1/2-1 f-stop, and underexposing 1/2-1 f-stop. This gives you a range of exposures, assuring you of a useful final image.
5. After your film has been exposed, take the camera off the copystand and rewind:

• Hold in small silver button on the bottom of the camera.
• Wind knob on the top of camera in the direction of the arrow until tension ceases and you hear a click. Pull down silver tab on the rear right side of camera... this will open the back and you can remove your film.
• Do not open the camera until film has been fully rewound.

Photographing Large Format Works:

After using the copystand, you already have a basic understanding of how to document 2D artworks. Some additional tips are outlined below:

1. Just as with copy work, you want your lighting to match your film type.
If you are using hotlights, you'll use tungsten film. If you use daylight, or daylight balanced lights, you will need daylight (D) slide film.
2. Put your artwork on the wall in a space where you'll have room to move back from it. You can put a black, white, or gray cloth/paper behind it to eliminate the need for masking later, or to set off drawings/prints from the background. Whatever you use, be consistent.
3. Set up your tripod by extending legs (larger sections first) and center column. Place tripod at 90 degrees to the artwork and attach camera. The center of the lens should be parallel to the plane of the artwork. Center artwork in the viewfinder. During the slide duplication process, the image of the artwork can be slightly enlarged. Keep that in mind when framing up the image, don't crop the edges of the artwork in the camera's viewfinder, and do not over-tighten screws on the quick release plate attachment- this can damage the camera body and cause light leaks.

4. For documenting jewelry and 3D works, a white background is recommended. Many think that black backgrounds add drama but take away attention away from the object.
5. You should also consider diffusing your lighting, which can be done in a variety of ways we will discuss. The simplest and most cost effective is to make a "tent" that your artwork will sit inside, with the light coming through the material on both sides. Use rip stop nylon to light like a pro.
6. Set the lights at a 45 degree angle from the artwork. Lights should be about 6 feet back from the artwork.
7. If your painting has visible brushstrokes, you will want to mimic the lighting conditions you painted it under; this may mean turning it on its side. This will allow the light to appear to fall from the top, as you would see it lit with track lights.
8. To prevent barrel distortion, use a level and a tape measure to make sure the camera is square, straight and level. You will also want the lens centered on the artwork.

To Shoot:

1. Meter your work with a hand held incident light meter in every corner, the center, and everywhere in between to ensure an even light across your artwork.
2. Use a normal lens or mild telephoto for best results.
3. Use f/11 as your baseline for 2D artworks- f/8 if you need the extra light.
4. Do not go slower than 1/15 of a second- under any circumstances!!!
5. For itty-bitty artworks: Use the macro lens and a gray card, and keep the aperture at f/16or f/11 at the biggest- otherwise you will have to contend with an itty-bitty depth of field. You absolutely must use a tripod and a cable release.