TOPICS:
1)
Identifying Daguerreotypes and tintypes
2) Making 35mm pinhole photographs
3) Digital focal length equivalents
4) Infrared photography
5) Digital camera accessories
Q: I’ve got an old photograph on metal. Can you help me identify the photographic process that was used to make the image and its approximate date?
A: Two forms of photography produced images on metal plates; the daguerreotype and the tintype. Luckily they are easy to tell apart. Daguerreotypes are images on highly polished metal plates while Tintypes are images on black-painted metal.
If your photograph has a mirror-like surface and changes from positive to negative with different viewing angles, then you have a daguerreotype. If the image doesn’t shift tones and the plate is a dull black or brown it is likely a tintype.
The original Daguerreotype is generally credited with popularizing photography in the 1840's. The process originally consisted of fuming copper plates with light-sensitive silver iodide, exposing them for 10 to 20 minutes, and then developing them over heated mercury. Daguerreotypes were produced from 1839 to roughly 1900, but their popularity decreased rapidly after 1850.
The metals used and the chemistry were expensive, so photographers continued to search for less expensive methods of photography. One, the Ambrotype, consisted of binding a very thin, under-exposed collodion glass-plate negative in front of a dark background, typically black velvet, in a special case. The negative silver image reflecting light against this black background then appeared as a positive.
In the early 1850s, a method based upon the Ambrotype was developed that, instead of glass and black velvet, used steel or metal plates coated with black lacquer as a base for the silver emulsion. Although popularly known as the Tintype, the original name for this method was the "Melainotype," meaning "cheap metal" - there actually was no tin in the plate. The name may have derived from the tin shears used to cut and trim the images. Nevertheless, the method became extremely popular in America. Being quite durable, tintypes could be sent by mail, and many enterprising tintypists built a vigorous trade during the Civil War, visiting military encampments and setting up itinerant studios in wagons and even on riverboats.
Extremely popular for a generation, tintypes eventually were superseded by gelatin emulsion dry plates in the 1880s. Nevertheless, street photographers in some parts of the world continued to use this metal plate process even until the 1950s.
See pages 5 and 10 for more information.
Q: Is there an easy way to make pinhole photographs with my 35mm SLR camera?
A: Pinhole cameras are fun to play with and are easily made. If you have an interchangeable lens SLR type camera, simply replace the lens with a pinhole! This could be a hole drilled into a body cap or piece of black paper. For longer focal lengths-- pinhole telephoto anyone-- devise a paper tube that can be mounted in place of the usual camera lens.
See the feature box on pages 48 and 49 for the complete rundown on pinhole photography and a sample photo. Page 48 also features a table that lists the best needle sizes for various focal lengths and their corresponding lens openings. Expect exposures in the range of one to two seconds in bright sunlight. Bracket the exposure widely.
Q: My digital camera has a zoom lens that ranges from 9 to 36 mm in focal length, yet the instruction manual says it is the equivalent of a 35-140mm lens on a 35 mm camera. What’s happening?
A: Remember that the field of view of a lens is dependent on two factors, focal length and film size. For example, a 80mm lens would be considered roughly a “normal” lens on a 120-film size (2 _ x 2 1/4" inch film size,) but would be a telephoto lens on a 35mm film size camera. Your digital camera has a sensor that is much smaller than a frame of 35mm film, thus for easy comparison the focal length can be considered 4 times longer. For example, if your digital camera lens is set at 12 mm multiple this focal length by 4 to find the equivalent field of view on a 35-mm film size camera. 4 x 12mm=48mm, or about a normal focal length for a 35mm film size camera. Film size and focal length is explained in detail on pages 66-68.
Note that different digital cameras use different sizes of sensors, but nearly all are smaller than a frame of film. Depending on brand and model of digital camera your equivalent lens multiplication factor could range from 1.5 to 6 times. See your instruction book for the specific factor.
Q: I like the misty look of photographs made with black-and-white infrared film. Iis there a way to get this look digitally?
A: Yes, infrared images do have an appealing, otherworldly, quality. (There is an example of IR photography on page 350.) This look can be approximated in Photoshop with filters and careful Channel Mixing. Search the web with the terms “Photoshop” and “infrared” to find helpful tips and pre-written Photoshop actions.
Secondly, infrared photographs can also be taken with most digital cameras. Just by an appropriately sized infrared cutoff filter R-72. Again, a web search for “digital infrared” will turn up helpful hints.
Q: What important accessories should I consider to help me get the most from my new digital camera?
A: 1) Memory Cards. Most new digital cameras include only a modest memory card when purchased. As you can afford it, purchase additional, higher-capacity memory cards to hold many more images at the highest resolution your camera allows.
2) Power Cells. The use of the image sensor, LCD viewer, built-in flash, power film advance, and power zoom and focus controls cause digital cameras to devour a lot of battery power. Choosing the right batteries and carrying spares will avoid frequent low-power warnings and give you better images. Your new digital camera usually comes with disposable low-end alkaline batteries that are quickly exhausted. Switch to rechargeable Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) or lithium-ion cells for general use and carry disposable high power alkaline or, better, lithium-ion batteries for backup in the field. We recommend three sets of rechargeables -- one in the camera, one fully charged in the camera bag, and one back home in the charger.
3) Supplementary Lenses. Wide-angle and telephoto adapters for your camera can be as useful with digital cameras as with film cameras. Your camera's digital zoom feature actually only magnifies the captured image, somewhat like an enlarger. Enlarging the captured image results in loss of detail, contrast, and color. A telephoto adapter, on the other hand, enlarges the image optically before it is captured, producing a superior image. Note that supplementary lenses often obstruct the built-in flash. If so, disable the built-in flash or use a supplementary flash when using a supplementary lens.
4) Filters. Because digital cameras and imaging software provide excellent color control, the filters most useful for digital photography are those that provide control over the quality of image forming light that reaches the sensor. A polarizing filter is useful for eliminating glare, thus improving highlight detail, contrast, and color saturation. A polarizer can also deepen the color of the sky. A neutral density filter is useful for reducing the brightness of the image forming light while retaining color balance. The filter is useful for shooting bright scenes when a slower shutter or wider aperture is preferred. Many photographers also prefer to use an ultra-violet or Skylight filter to protect the lens surface from accidental bumps and scratches.
5) LCD Hood. An LCD hood is used to block stray light from the surface of the LCD view screen. Under many conditions, ambient light falling on the LCD screen can make it difficult to compose an image, view an image during playback, or navigate the camera's menus.
6) Camera Bag. Be sure the camera bag you choose provides sufficient space to store and protect your camera and the accessories you carry with you.
7) Tripod. A tripod is an essential tool for providing a stable platform for the camera during low-light and telephoto photography. Even the slightest camera movement while using a slow shutter or large image magnification can ruin a shot. Be sure the tripod is sufficiently light to carry with you, that it collapses to a convenient size, and provides an adjustable head that allows you to position the camera the way you wish.
Q: How can I protect my photographs from other people copying or publishing them without my permission?
A: The 1976 Copyright Law prevents publishing, distributing, or photocopying a copyrighted work without the creator(s) permission. A photograph is automatically copyrighted from the moment it is captured on film or in a digital storage medium. However, the protections and benefits of the 1976 copyright act can only be claimed if you register your copyright.
The photographer usually has the right to register a photograph's copyright. There are exceptions. If the photographer is employed or is working for hire, the employer MAY own the work under an employment or work for hire agreement, but only if the photographer relinquishes ownership of the work under an agreement signed BEFORE the image is captured. In such cases, the employer is the owner and has the right to register the copyright; otherwise, the photographer retains ownership.
If someone infringes your unregistered works, the infringer has broken the law. However, prosecuting such infringement is costly and risky. Without registration, the owner bears the burden of proving ownership and damages. And there is no provision for punitive damages without registration.
If the copyright is registered, however, the law is set up to compensate the copyright holder for legal fees and punitive damages of up to $150,000.00 per image infringed. Registration of copyright is a stunningly powerful tool when prosecuting an infringement or negotiating a settlement.
It is a good idea to place a copyright notice on your work. An infringer who removes such a notice from the image is subject to additional damages for it demonstrates willfulness on the part of the infringer.
Your copyright registration must be properly completed and received by the copyright office before the work is infringed for the registration to be claimed. You can register your copyright as a collection of unpublished work, or as published works. To register your unpublished work, submit the following:
1. A correctly completed application form;
2. A $30 non-refundable filing fee for each application; and
3. A non-returnable deposit of the work to be registered.
Most photographers submit "collections," since an unlimited number of images can be registered with a single application and filing fee. Note that two or more unpublished photographs may be registered as a collection if:
1. The elements are assembled in an orderly form (usually in the form of proof pages, contact sheets, or copies of transparency pages created digitally or in the darkroom); or
2. The combined elements bear a single title identifying the collection as a whole;
3. The copyright claimant in all of the elements and in the collection as a whole is the same; and
4. All of the elements are by the same author, or, if they are by different authors, at least one of the authors has contributed copyrightable authorship to each of the elements.