Acquiring Video Biography Images On The Road!

Acquiring Video Biography Images On The Road - New York - With "Big Apple" I started my business in the video business more than 35 years ago. After doing two interviews and taking some stills for an old video project, I recently came back to New York. And even though the outside temperature was cold and cold, the bagels were hot and the memories were warm.

Before heading east, I decided: how should I get still images that I had to include in the final video? I usually prefer to scan pictures in my office with one of my flatbed scanners. It gives me maximum control over the quality and size of the image and allows me to name the scanned files, no matter how they are organized. However, old photos, albums and documents are often too fragile or unique for delivery. In this case, it is necessary to scan and / or shoot them instead of the customer. And that was the case with this project. My favorite tools for this type of work are my Canon LIDE 210 and my Canon 60D DSLR.

LIDE 210 is ideal for traveling. With a width of 9.9 inches, 14.4 inches in length and 1.6 inches in depth. It is barely wider and longer than a piece of legal paper and fits easily in my travel bag. The scanner does not need a power supply; A USB cable connects LIDE to my laptop and provides the scanner with power. Compared to my larger office scanners, LIDE is somewhat limited in ppi (pixels per inch), but overall, I think it's a great scanner.

Of course, if you are using a flatbed scanner, the scanned material should be flat. And for items that are not that easy to scan (such as cropped images or images), my Canon 60D is good for counting. On this trip I knew that I had seen many stills in different forms (free pictures, photos from books, framed pictures and old, decaying notes). Also, I have to sort the available images, decide what to take, and then do it, it's limited to one day. Given these circumstances, I've decided that my DSLR camera gives me both the flexibility and the ability to work fast. So I brought the 60D with me and left the scanner at home.

In the end it was the right decision. In the time I had, I took a lot more photos with DSLR than with the scanner. Of course, photos need a little more Photoshop work than if they were scanned. And I could not name the files when I left. I just wrote notes when I filmed listing the order and motives of the pictures. I will give them the appropriate filenames when I photoshop them

If you are in a situation where only the DSLR is used to attach images that adorn your customer's biography, here are some tips:

Hold the camera as close as possible to the picture.

In this way, you can make the image as flat as possible and save some Photoshop work later. It also helps to focus the entire picture. I was able to take a lot of pictures, put them on the table and shoot at them, although some had to lean against a vertical surface.

Be careful when using the flash.

Direct flash can produce hotspots or even rinse the captured image. Turn on the ambient light when you can, or soften the flash by bouncing off it.

Watch the reflections.

This can be difficult when painting pictures with frame glass. You can minimize or eliminate reflections by placing the image on a dark, preferably black, cloth and leaning the frame against a vertical surface. The idea is to break the glass and the camera so that the black fabric becomes the only reflection of the glass.

Check the focus.

After capturing a picture, look at the camera monitor and zoom in to check the fine details. Today's small camera monitors can make you believe that the shot is sharp, if that's not the case.

Write down.

Make a list of pictures you take while you work. You do not want to scratch your head and guess who is who or what is when you return home.

backup files

If you own a laptop, copy the files from the camera card into it. For security reasons, it does not hurt to save your files in multiple places.

Keep your eyes open.

You can find something at the location of your customer that you did not expect. For example, when I finished the day, I saw three portraits of my client's children hanging in the hallway.