Hello Joel

This is much like photographing paintings and other works of art. It's 
important to have the art to be photographed parallel to the plane of the 
film or digital sensor. Place a mirror in contact with the LP jacket, then 
adjust the camera's position until the reflected image of the camera's lens 
is centered in the viewfinder. A pair of lights will help provide even 
illumination across the jacket. Place one to the left, the other to the 
right, at a 45-degree angle to the LP jacket. If you're using a digital SLR 
(the best choice) you'll quickly ascertain the correct exposure. Best 
aperture for this sort of photography is f8 - f16, depending on the lens. 
The smaller the aperture, the greater the depth of field, of course. For 
shooting works of art I use a macro lens, since most other lenses result in 
distorted images. If you're going to be moving from place to place, 
portability will be a significant issue. I recommend a carbon-fiber tripod. 
Mine was made by Velbon. It's remarkably light and might not seem to be 
sufficiently substantial for the task at hand, but it comes with a 
triangular canvas tray which attaches to the three legs, so that one can 
stabilise it with a few stones.

David Lewiston


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joel Bresler" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: February 06, 2006 7:30 PM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Camera and camera stand to capture LP covers?


> Dear friends:
>
> I'm likely going to be researching commercial recordings at institutions 
> where there there won't be a scanner available to capture the cover 
> artwork. Has anyone successfully used a digital camera and lightweight 
> portable camera stand to capture decent quality pictures of LP jackets 
> (and CD booklets) and accompanying documentation? Any suggestions on 
> cameras, stands, technique etc. would be welcome. I will likely have to 
> move quickly, in other words, setting up for 15 minutes per perfect shot 
> is not feasible.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Joel
>
>
>
> Joel Bresler
> 250 E. Emerson Rd.
> Lexington, MA 02420
> USA
>
> 781-862-4104 (Telephone & FAX)
> [log in to unmask]
> back-up email: joelbresler-at-gmail.com
>
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