Taking Photos from the TV Screen
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|---|---|
| Title: | Taking Photos from the TV Screen |
| Creator: | Sheila Clark |
| Date(s): | April 1978 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek TOS |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Taking Photos from the TV Screen is a 1978 how-to essay by Sheila Clark,
It was published in Star Trek Action Group newsletter #28.
The subject was telepics.
The Essay
1, number of people have asked us how to go ab(ut doing this, as sometimes it's the only way to get photos of your favourite shows. I am no expert on the subject, I know very little about photography. However, I've managed to get reasonably satisfactory photos from TV, so here goes. First of all, using flash - one's first instinct in order to improve clarity - completely obliterates the picture, since what you are taking is merely a pattern of light on a screen. I find it best to darken the room completely, If it's daylight, put as thick curtains as possible over the window; at night, put out the light. The intensity of electric light doesn't do much harm to the clarity of the i'hoto, but you'll most probably get a little image of the light somewhere in the picture, reflected off the screen. With the light off, all you get is the picture. For steadiness, it's better to put your camera on a tripod and operate the shutter by a remote control, if possible, unfortunately, the average household camera often doesn't take a remote control wire. My camera takes the remote control, but won't sit on a tripod... so I have to hand-hold it. Place your camera so that the screen just fills the viewfinder. Holding it, I find it better to sit back a little so that the outlinG of tho screen comes into the pic- ture as WGll, otherwise it's easy to tilt the camero. too high or too low. If it's 0. quick shot, there's a risk of that anyway, and you daren't take too long to focus or the scene might change. (I have ono interosting telepic that was taken just as tho scone changed: thG resulting picture shows both images••• ) Obviously, turn tho film on immediately you've taken a shot, in readiness for tho next. Quality of result seems to vary from day to day. Whether this is due to fluct- uations in the power,supply:, I don't know, but I have some very different rGsults using the same film, camera speed and exposure, so it must be some external force at work, surely. I use 1,gfa 18 din film (but any other fast film 1V0uld do, the faster the better) at the slowest speed and Widest aperture the camera has; that is 1/30 seoond at 2.8 on a telephoto lens or 2 on an ordinary lens. The telephoto lens does enable me to sit further back from the screen, but the results from either are much the same for quality. However, Viith an ordinary household camera, Instamatic or anything like that, you can't adjust your speed and aperture the same and must 8it as close to the screen as the viewfinder requires. Where there is adjustment for bright or dull, set for dull; that widens the aperture. I would suggest that before you try to take pictures of something that you really w"nt, you first try a spool on something less important, and experiment as far as your camer" will allow. Keep a note of what you've tried, so that you can judge which results are best, and stick with that speed, aperture, etc, thereafter. I don't promise .that you'll alv",ys get parfect results, but it will minimise the chances of losing pictures you ronlly want. If you decide to use up an entire film on one show, have a saucer containing dry peas or something like that sitting beside you - ono pea for each exposure on the film. Take out a pea every time you take a shot, and you'll know how you're doing for available exposures as the show progresses.
Remember too, some TV sets do not give good results. I lost an entire spoel once when visiting a friend, although the eye didn't catch it, the set had a very clearly defined scanning lino, and the camera picked it up; every shot was ruined. Luckily thore aren't many TV sots like that around.
A number of people have asked us how to go about doing this, as sometimes it's the only way to get photos of your favourite shows.
I am no expert on the subject, I know very little about photography. However, I've managed to get reasonably satisfactory photos from TV, so here goes.
First of all, using flash - one's first instinct in order to improve clarity -c ompletely obliterates the picture, since what you are taking is merely a pattern of light on a screen.
I find it best to darken the room completely, If it's daylight, put as thick curtains as possible over the window; at night, put out the light. The intensity of electric light doesn't do much harm to the clarity of the photo, but you'll most probably get a little image of the light somewhere in the picture, reflected off the screen. With the light off, all you get is the picture.
For steadiness, it's better to put your camera on a tripod and operate the shutter by a remote control, if possible; unfortunately, the average household camera often doesn't take a remote control wire. My camera takes the remote control, but won't sit on a tripod... so I have to hand-hold it.
Place your camera so that the screen just fills the viewfinder. Holding it, I find it bettor to sit back a little so that the outline of the screen comes into the picture as well, otherwise it's easy to tilt the camera too high or too low. If it's a quick shot, there's a risk of that anyway, and you daren't take too long to focus or the scene might change. (I have one interesting telepic that was taken just as the scone changed) the resulting picture shows both images... ) Obviously, turn the film on immediately you've taken a shot, in readiness for the next.
Quality of result seems to vary from day to day. Whether this is due to fluctuations in. the power* supply!, I don't know, but I have some very different results using the same film, camera speed and exposure, so it must be some external force at work, surely.
I use Agfa 18 din film (but any other fast film would do, the faster the better) at the slowest speed and widest aperture the camera has? that is l/30 second at 2.8 on a telephoto lens or 2 on an ordinary lens. The telephoto lens does enable me to sit further back from the screen, but the results from either are much the same for quality.
However, with an ordinary household camera, Instamatic or anything like that, you can't adjust your speed and aperture the same and must sit as close to the screen as the viewfinder requires. Where there is adjustment for bright or dull, set for dull? that widens the aperture.
I would suggest that before you try to take pictures of something that you really want, you first try a spool on something less important, and experiment as far as your camera will allow. Keep a note of what you've tried, so that you can judge which results are best, and stick with that speed, aperture, etc, thereafter. I don't promise .that you'11 always get perfect results, hut it will minimise the chances of losing pictures you really want.
If you decide to use up an entire film on one show, have a saucer containing dry peas or something like that sitting "beside you - one pea for each exposure on the film. Take out a pea every time you take a shot, and you'll know how you're doing for available exposures as the show progresses.
Remember too, some TV sets do not give good results, I lost an entire spool once when visiting a friend? although the eye didn't catch it, the set had a very clearly defined scanning line, and the camera picked it up? every shot was ruined. Luckily there aren't many TV sets like that around.
Good luck!
Sheila.