🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <93007.215927LMACC@CUNYVM.BITNET>, Len Alshan <LMACC@CUNYVM.BITNET> writes:
> Would appreciate any information regarding photographing fractal images.
> Am working on a PS/2 Model 80 with 8514A video and have good photo
> equipment. Not interested in professional grade photos or slides.  This is
> purely a for fun project.
> Thanks

I'm no professional either, but I obtained useful color slides just
using the built in light meter of my slr camera.

It seems to me the most important thing is to eliminate the
video monitor's flicker. That happens at about the power frequency
or half that (60 or 30 Hz). So make sure the shutter remains open
for long enough.

Darken the room (preferably completely) to eliminate reflection
from the screen.

Definitely use a tripod.

Try a lens of length 100-110 mm, more or less the same as for
full face photography, to keep the distortion down. (That is if
you want a "flat" picture. I suppose a fish-eye can give interesting
effects, but you can attain them simply by using another projection
when plotting.) Move the camera to fill the viewer with the picture.

Play with the intensity and contrast settings of the monitor to get
the background as black as you like it and the colors as saturated
(after your eyes have become adapted to low light levels).

If the resultant shutter speeds are acceptable, use one or two stops
down from you lens's largest f/stop (to play down possible optical
imperfections).

Usually the colors are arbitrary, so a slight change in rendering
from monitor to film shouldn't bother you.

I had Ektachrome 200 handy (you could use a finer grain (slower film),
but you can't do better than the pixels). I set my 35-200 mm zoom
on 100mm at f/3.5. Various images with different colors measured
at between 1/15 s and 1/2 s. I bracketed by over and underexposing
two stops, but in the end the light meter's suggestion was the best
each time. The result was acceptable, but they of course look just
what they are: photographs of a video display.

Hendrik

-- 
                         Hendrik F.V. Boshoff                              
    Dept E&E Ingenieurswese             Dept E&E Engineering               
    Universiteit van Stellenbosch       University of Stellenbosch         
    SUID-AFRIKA                         SOUTH AFRICA                       
                      email boshoff@firga.sun.ac.za