![]() ![]() When I work on a copy stand I’m usually able to get the lights above (and therefore behind) the lens to minimize flare. One important step when lighting copy work is to prevent lens flare from ruining the shot. If you’re only using a single light source, even farther away would be helpful. A three-foot-wide painting would want lights at least nine feet away to minimize falloff. To make even illumination, move the lights back at least three times the longest dimension of the artwork if possible. The closer the light, the more pronounced the falloff will be. You can imagine how a light placed close to the subject will be very bright at the edge of the painting closest to the light source, and considerably darker on the opposite side of the frame. For a poster-sized piece of art hanging on the wall, positioning each light at least 8 or 10 feet from the subject will help minimize falloff. It’s also helpful to keep lights fairly far from the artwork. You can check this evenness with a handheld incident light meter. This is known as feathering the light, which will look more even across the frame. Aim each light past the far edge of the artwork in order to compensate for falloff and minimize hot spots. Whether you’re using hot lights or strobes, it’s best to create the most even lighting possible. I work without them unless necessary, as the increased contrast from a polarizer may not be ideal. If you’re dealing with a particularly tricky subject in terms of reflections, a polarizer on the lens-and even polarized gels on the lights-can eliminate stubborn reflections from many surfaces. It’s best to move the lights far enough so that reflections disappear, but no farther. Move the lights too far and you may start to see shadows from texture or a frame. This is to keep light from creating visible reflections on the surface of the artwork. ![]() When it comes to lighting, whether the subject is hung on a wall or laid on a copy stand, the traditional approach is to use two lights placed on each side of the camera and moved beyond 45 degrees from the lens axis. A reading of 10/10/10 represents a dark black pixel without any color shift in the shadows, and a reading of 125/125/125 represents a nicely neutral middle gray. correct white balance and neutral whites in the highlight areas. A reading of 245/245/245 indicates a bright white without any color shift-i.e. If a tone is truly neutral, each of the values will be about the same. Remember how we examined Red, Green and Blue values as a method for determining brightness? The difference in those values is a great way to measure neutrality as well. While you’re in the Info Palette, you can check something else equally important without moving the eyedropper at all. When I shoot on a copy stand, I tether my camera to a laptop to see what’s going on through the virtual viewfinder rather than trying to get my eye up and over the camera in that impractical position. It’s a great way to copy small items quickly, accurately and efficiently. The copy stand turns the wall setup on its ear, placing the artwork on a table and suspending the camera perpendicularly above it. If you’re dealing with an image not much larger than 11×14, there’s no reason not to use a copy stand if it’s available. There is a simpler way to copy flat work without hanging it on a wall, and that’s to use a copy stand. When it does, the camera angle is perfectly perpendicular to the wall. That sets me up for a straight line connecting the two marks to measure 5 feet long. In practice, I mark the base of the wall below the center of my artwork and measure along the baseboard three feet, then (from the center position again) I measure out toward my camera four feet. The 3-4-5 rule says that if a triangle measures 3 feet on one side and 4 feet on the next, then the third side must measure 5 feet for the triangle to produce a 90-degree right angle. ![]()
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