How Do I Take Digital Pictures Of Prints?

Question

I have thousands of old family pictures that I'd like to copy with my digital camera. I would like to mount the camera on a stand pointing down onto a surface that holds the pictures. Is there a cheap way of building the stand that also allows me to raise and lower the camera? I'd also appreciate any suggestions on how to hold down the pictures, especially pictures that have curled up over the years.

Answer 1

Scanning is really the best way to get decent quality digital images of prints.  I don't care how good the set up is, simply taking a photo of your print will greatly diminish it's quality.

EDIT:

Unless there was something seriously wrong with the scanner or your settings, there is no way that the scanned image was of lower quality than a photo of that image.  Your camera may be 10 MP, but you cannot create extra pixels in a printed photo(it is what it is) by taking a photo of it with another camera.  I put together photo montages set to music.  It would be much, much faster for me to take take photos of the prints rather than scanning them one at a time, but at the sacrifice of quality.  I have 2 10 MP cameras (a Sony and a Canon) and a $99.00 scanner.  Scanning is definitely the way to go, you may just have not used the right settings.

Answer 2

i agree, scanning the photo is the best way. get a good scanner that has good scanning sharpness. and is easier to save

Answer 3

Well, if you simply want a digital copy, I would suggest scanning.

Taking a picture with a digital camera would not result in the same image quality -- a photo of photo paper has a bad affect.

In addition, when you take the photo, lighting could be an issue.  It could reflect off the print and onto the camera, creating an undesirable affect.  Taking a photo allows all forms of light and natural wear to reach the camera lens, which is already inaccurate.  On the other hand, a scanner puts it in an environment without light and creates a copy that is guaranteed to have been from a flat angle.

All in all, better results.

You'd be much better off scanning.  I've done the same many times with old family photos, or prints of images I received from family members.

If for some reason you want them directly on the camera, I'd still suggest scanning them, THEN transferring them to the camera.  If that's the case, just a reminder -- you'll need an SD card or a micro/mini SD, possibly a USB drive or whatever else optional storage method your camera has, to house all of them.

If you do decide to take photos, I'd instead suggest using a tripod and hanging them on a surface such as a wall -- just as you'd hang them for decoration.  This would reduce the chance of a shadow appearaning on the image because of the camera over it, without forcing you to resort to methods that will make it too dark.  That's also what I'd suggest if the prints are too large to scan.

As for holding them down, a clear sheet of glass over them could be beneficial but may result in a glare, especially if you're using flash.  Scanning would keep them down automatically, though.

It sounds as if many of the photos are old enough to be depleted in quality to the point at which they're no longer easy to distinguish -- if so, I'd like to mention that a good editing program has options that would allow you to increase their quality a bit.

EDIT:  Okay, here's what I'd suggest for using the camera.

Ultimately, you won't want too much light to hit the images.  You will of course want enough to give you good image quality, however, the lights of an average room are uneven.  One side of the photo would be better than another.

So, if you could, I'd get a large cardboard box and paint it either white or black on the inside.  

For the stand, that can be diffcult.  I honestly can't think of much, but I'll offer what I can think of:

You could do something as simple as creating a makeshift table with a hole for the camera lense, and placing the photos under it, varying their height with the help of books underneath instead of the camera's height.

Or, something else that comes to mind is getting a plastic pipe, and using wood to create a stand along the bottom that would allow it to stay up, then placing a board over it with a hole cut out for the camera lens.  You could cut holes through the pipe, and place a "stick" of some sort through it.  Think of how some excercize equipment works -- there's a pin you stick into a bar that defines how much of the weight to put on.

If I were doing this project, I would get a small board and alter it (holes and such) to accomodate the camera, then use a good string or rope to suspend it from the ceiling.  It would work the way a dumbwaiter would, allowing you to simply pull the rope to alter its height, then possibly tie it to something.  Depending on how heavy the result is, it might require you to steady it, but ultimately it would work okay, I think.

To hold the images down, you could use a sheet of very clear glass over them, but you'd need to be careful of potential glares.  

Otherwise, a "putty" of some sort can help.  There's a product sold at Walmart that allows you to attach photos and such to the wall without worrying about damaging it.  On photos, you'd need to be cautious of the material.  But it could help.

If you have the time, you could flatten them, though.  I think my copies of the Bible have been more beneficial to me as a book to put photos between the pages, which flattens them over the course of an hour to a day.

On a side note, hanging them it still something to consider.  You wouldn't need to worry about a stand, and uneven lighting wouldn't be much of a problem as long as there are no high or low lights directly near where they're hung or where you're shooting from.

Good luck =)

Answer 4

If you're adverse to using a scanner, just use a  good tripod (one with a base that can move up/down/sideways) and a piece of flat cardboard or styrofoam on a coffee table....?

A little DIY ingenuity and you should be able to figure it out.

You can flatten your pictures with a few push pins, just make sure you don't pierce the photograph, use the head of the push pin to fold your pictures down, not the needle.  You can crop out the slight push pin mark later with your photo editor.

You could also flatten the pictures with a piece of non reflective glass (as mentioned above), but it seems like a bit of a paint in the ... :)

You can probably find a piece (of non reflective glass) at a decent framing place.

Answer 5

You can actually buy a cheap copy stand (used works too) and with a couple of same power flashes mounted at 45 degree angles to your prints you can copy all your pics.  Your pictures should go between untreated glass, [NO PUSH PINS, PLEASE!] clean, dry and then dust with an air gun.  That will hold them flattest, and ease up on any creases or wrinkles already in the older photos.  The easiest and cheapest way that I have found is to mount your hinged pieces of glass holding photo to be copied to the wall, mount your camera on a tripod, then you can move the camera to and fro for the right crop.  This has worked better for me, since I like to be able to see thru the lens first to check crop and for reflections.  For lights, you'll need two of the same power or wattage, you can use flash or bulb lights - I've even used Reveal lights for great color balance - at 45 degrees to the photo.  Look for reflections in the glass; you don't want to have light coming from behind you to be reflected.  I mark off distances with tape on the floor.

I used duct tape to hinge the two pieces of glass together.