In answering a question about copying manipulated SX-70 prints for enlarging, it ocurred to me that this information might be useful to others out there. So here are a few thoughts in doing copy work-

1. Copy to a medium format negative for enlargements larger than 8x10.

2. Lights of equal power and equal distance should be positioned at 45 degree angles to the copy subject. Meter the light in a grid of nine; top left, top middle, top right; then middle left, middle center, and middle right; then bottom left, bottom center, bottom right. If approaching a half stop difference move your lights back (still at 45 degree angle) and meter again.

3. Ideally, you should place a sheet of polarizing filter in front of each light source on the same axis (marked on the filter) and then use a polarizing filter on your camera.

4. Place a shiny object in front of the item to be copied. I use a shiny coin. Turn the polarizing filter on your camera until the shiny object turns black. You will now get truer colors without stray light reflections.If you are copying artwork with metallic paint (silver/gold/etc.) or artwork with graphite pencil this technique should not be used.

5. I hang a kodak color separation guide on one side of the art and a step guide for density on the other side. By the way, I don't put anything behind glass. Artists hate that.

6. Use a tripod. This next point is very important! Align the camera so that the lens is exactly perpendicular to the plane of the subject to be copied.

6a. Adjust the tripod and camera angle so that you are shooting a little wider than the subject. After centered, pan the camera slightly and align one edge of the subject with the edge of the frame inside the camera. Then pan to the opposite edge and see if it lines up with the other side of the camera frame. If not, you have converging lines meaning that you need to adjust the tripod higher or lower. Think about shooting a tall building; when you tilt the camera up, the building gets smaller toward the top.

6b. Make small adjustments.

6c. Repeat this process to align the top and bottom edges (by moving the tripod slight left/right; physically move it, not just pan the head).

6d. This sounds like more work than it actually is but the payoff is that when you enlarge from this "squared" negative, you will now have a 16x20 print instead of a print that measures 16 on one side and 14 1/2 on the opposite side. Think about the problems this could cause you later.

7. By the way, a commercial lab can do all of this for you but it is likely that they will copy onto 4x5 film requring you to have 4x5 printing capability or send out for custom prints. If you copy onto medium format or even 35mm, you can have machine prints made.

-- Rick Stiles (rstiles@ghg.net), September 11, 1999

Answers

I use a tripod and do my copying on a cloudy windless day outdoors with the ol' pictures scotched taped on an ol' whatchmacallit. I like "Natural Light"(the beer's ok also), no glare on a cloudy day.

-- John L. Blue (bluescreek@hotmail.com), September 11, 1999.