Articles by Stephen Cornfield on ArticleSnatch.com

Scanning Film Negatives vs Scanning Prints

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

One of the questions that I am quite often asked is the following: Which is better to scan, film negatives or prints? It is always best to scan the original negatives, provided that they are in good shape and the colors have not faded. The reasons for this are explained below. To begin with, you have to realize that a photograph is merely a copy of the original, processed negative. In most cases, a copy is never as good as the original. Typically, photographs are printed out at 240-300 dpi when done at your local photo lab. That means that a 4x6 print is, at most, 1200x1800 dpi. This is why prints are typically scanned at 300 dpi as scanning at a higher resolution does not bring out any further detail other than what is on the original print. The only time that scanning a photograph at 600 dpi, or greater, would be if the original was either very small or if it is going to be edited at a later date. The size of a typical 35mm negative is 24mm x 36mm or, roughly, 1.0in x 1.5in. **End Summary** Topics: slide]]> scanning]]> film]]> negative]]> negatives]]> photographic]]> photograph]]> 35mm]]> slides]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Stephen Cornfield is a photographer who has several years experience photographing weddings, sporting and informal events. His company, Photo Field Imaging, www.photofieldimaging.com , also provides photo editing, restoration and scanning services for all types of photographs, film and slides.

Water Falls of Grey County, Hoggs Falls, Flesherton Ontario

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Within the Beaver Valley area of Grey County is one of its best kept secrets. Located just east of the village of Flesherton Ontario is Hoggs Falls. Located on the Boyne River, Hoggs Falls plunges over 7 meters, or 22 feet, to the river basin below. Quietly located in a beautiful wooded area, Hoggs Falls provides wonderful photographic opportunities for those that are so inclined. Hoggs Falls is named after William Hogg. It was at this site that he built a sawmill during the late 1870s. The remnants of this sawmill can still be seen at the site. William Hogg himself referred to these falls as Little Falls in a newspaper advertisement in 1882. The sawmill itself burnt down in 1888. Upon this event, William Hogg then turned his attention to the much bigger falls in the area, Eugenia Falls, for another development project. Since the burning down of the sawmill much of the land has since been reclaimed by the forest with only pieces of the concrete foundation still remaining visible today. The site is now protected as a forest reserve managed by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. **End Summary** Topics: Hoggs]]> Falls]]> Flesherton]]> Ontario]]> waterfalls]]> water]]> falls]]> photograph]]> photography]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Stephen Cornfield is a photographer who has several years experience photographing weddings, sporting and informal events.

Creating Your Own Tabletop Photo Studio

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0400

The creation of your own tabletop photo studio is much easier and cheaper than what you might think. Through its creation you will find it much easier and convenient to take photos of indoor flowers and other smaller objects that you may have around your home. The real advantage of using a tabletop studio is that you can avoid the elements of nature which you would otherwise be facing if you were to be photographing similar subject matter outdoors. To create a tabletop studio you really only need three items. They are a camera, a tripod and a reflector. But there are other items that need to be considered as well. These are the supporting surface, lighting, background and the subject. We will look at each of these to see what is needed. The camera. Pretty much any digital camera will do. If it has macro capabilities then all the better. Having macro capabilities will provide more flexibility when photographing flowers or other smaller objects. **End Summary** Topics: tabletop]]> studio]]> camera]]> subject]]> tripod]]> surface]]> reflector]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Stephen Cornfield is a photographer who has several years experience photographing weddings, sporting and informal events.

Arcsoft PhotoStudio 5.5 - Input File Size Limitations

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Before I start this quick note I must preface this by saying that I am a Photoshop guy. I have used various versions starting with exposure to Photoshop v5.0 right up to CS2. I do plan on upgrading to CS3 in the near future. I have always been amazed at its capabilities and with what it enables me to do. I recently did a scanning project of about 200 slides for a client. They wanted all slides to be scanned at 4000DPI, which is the maximum resolution that my Nikon scanners can do, and to have the files saved in both full size JPG and TIFF formats. This created JPG file sizes ranging from 12.5MB to 28MB in size with black and whites being 32MB in size. The TIFF files were about 64MB in size. The client wanted the items scanned this way because they were planning on editing the files with their own software at a later date. Their software that they were to be using, as I found out later, was Arcsoft Photostudio v5.5. Up until this time I have never used this software. **End Summary** Topics: Arcsoft]]> Photostudio]]> Photoshop]]> Nikon]]> Slides]]> 35mm]]> Film]]> Scanning]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Stephen Cornfield has several years experience as a photographer and scanning slides and film to digital images.

Basic Photography Tips from Photo Field Imaging

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0400

As a photographer in Newmarket Ontario, I have found that no matter where you are, there is a seemingly endless amount of subjects to shoot. All you have to do at times is to open your eyes and go find them. Sometimes when I go out I do not know what I will find. Often, though, I will have an idea of what I would like to shoot, but finding the exact subject and location for my idea do not always come together. In the Newmarket area there are many outdoor places that can provide you with photographic opportunities. Fairy Lake (my favourite) and the trail systems are just a couple. You can also shoot indoors at "The Tannery" once a permit has been attained. As you go around and talk to photographers you will find that some love landscapes, for others it is wildlife but for me it is people. Does that mean that I do not occasionally go and intentionally shoot landscapes or wildlife? Of course I do, when the opportunity arises. I love shooting people in both formal and informal settings. **End Summary** Topics: photography]]> tips]]> lighting]]> background]]> subject]]> Stephen]]> Cornfield]]> Newmarket]]> Ontario]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Stephen Cornfield is a photographer who has several years experience photographing weddings, sporting and informal events. His company, 'Photo Field Imaging', www.photofieldimaging.com , also provides photo editing, restoration and scanning services for all types of photographs, film and slides.

Background, Background, Background

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0400

Do you remember the old Saturday Night Live skit where Steve Martin and Bill Murray are standing there looking at something, which is off-camera, and they keep repeating "What the hell is that?". Have you ever looked at someone else's photographs, or even, god forbid, one of your own, and asked "What the hell is that?". There have been more than few occasions where I have taken, what I thought was an absolutely beautiful picture only to sit down and look at it later, then see something in the background that causes me to say 'What the hell is that?'. As a photographer this is not what I want to have happen. Backgrounds have the potential to make or break a shot. For some subject matter, though, you do not have much control over the background. Such things would include sporting events. For example, I do about 99.99% of the photography for my sons soccer games. Some soccer pitches are perfectly even and beautifully landscaped in wonderful park like settings. Others seem to slope heavily to one side, as the players just disappear over the horizon. Some are simply left exposed to the elements. **End Summary** Topics: Newmarket]]> photography]]> background]]> focus]]> diffused]]> Stephen]]> Cornfield]]> Photo]]> Field]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Stephen Cornfield is a photographer who has several years experience photographing weddings, sporting and informal events.

Tips for a Wedding DVD Slide Show

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0400

Creating a DVD Slide Show that you can enjoy for years can be difficult. Through careful planning a slide show can be both memorable and entertaining. Here are some lessons that we've learned at Photo Field Imaging while creating our slide shows. 1. Know who your audience is. Try not to show just pictures of the happy couple but also pictures of their families, extended families and friends. Also, if you intend to use humor in your slide show, make sure that you get a second or third opinion to verify that it is both tasteful and appropriate. We recommend that you get permission from the intended target too, just to make sure. 2. Shorter is sometimes better. Most people have a limited attention span and, as with most weddings, there will be parents in the audience with children in tow. It has been our experience that video slide shows that are between 8 - 12 minutes in length are ideal for most occasions, including wedding receptions. This usually works out to about 3 songs and 75-100 pictures. While you can certainly display more photos during your slide show, you want to be careful not to overdo it. 3. **End Summary** Topics: wedding]]> dvd]]> slide]]> show]]> slideshow]]> tips]]> slideshows]]> shows]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Stephen Cornfield is a photographer who has several years experience photographing weddings, sporting and informal events.