Taking slides from a monitor

• You need to use a camera that is not totally automatic. You must be able to focus under 2 feet, Have no flash, and be able to see what shutter speed the camera is using and be able to adjust the lens apature to control this. You should be able to totally override your camera's automatic features.
• The monitor must in a room that can become completely dark. If the room has windows, this is best acomplished at night.
• You must use a tripod.
• Your monitor must be clean and free of smudges and fingerprints.
• Try to keep the images on the monitor near the center. When images go out to the very edges, distortion can occur. It is not nessecary to take a photo of the entire screen surface, just the part you need. If you do this, it is very important to center that section in the middle of the monitor.
• Use a slow speed daylight based film. Kodak's Elite 100 ASA is perfect for this. Buy enough film for a margin of error. If this is the first time you have tried this, you should "bracket" your exposures, so figure how many images you need to take, and X3 +2.

  Working with the camera

  To set the camera up: Secure the camera on the tripod in front of the monitor. Adjust the monitor so that its surface is parallel to the camera. The monitor should not be tilted up or down or side to side (any angle of the screen will distort your image). Move the camera either up or down or move it back or forward to center the screen in the view finder. Make sure you leave a margin around the image to account for the slide mount. Do not worry about the edges of the screen; when the lights are out, the area other than the screen will appear black.

  Taking the Pictures

  With the lights on, take 2 pictures. This helps in mounting the slides later.
  Next bring up an image on the screen that is either Black and white stripes, half and half, a medium sky blue color on the whole screen, or a medium gray color on the whole screen. You will be using this to set the exposure times. With the lights off and the room completely dark, adjust the contrast and brightness controls on the monitor so that the image is sharp and finely detailed. You should be able to pick out individual lines and dots on the screen. Doing this will decrease the flaring of the images and give you a sharper picture. There should be no reflections on the monitor at all.
  When you have completed the adjustments, set the exposure dial to automatic and take a meter reading of the image by depressing the shutter gently half way. A shutter speed number should appear in the view finder. You want that number to read 1- or 2-.(actually any - number is ok, but the higher the number the greater the chance of a blurry image from slight movements) If you are not getting a 1- reading, adjust the aperture ring until the -1 appears. (Go no lower than a f4 on the aperture. This will guard against the edges of the screen going out of focus.)
  Once you are set, note the exposure time, and leave the aperture setting alone. Take the camera setting off automatic. Set the exposure time manually based on your exposure reading. Make sure your settings are reading correctly in the view finder.
  Once this is completed, you can bring up your first image. The settings that you are using will hold true for every slide you take, unless you change the monitor settings or other conditions in the room.
  If you are not sure of the settings you are using and want to be sure, you can "bracket" the images by taking a photo one setting above and one below your settings. Sometimes the under/over exposures can look better than the "proper" exposure, due to personal preference.

  Mary Jo Dowling, Art Director,
  The Graphics Deli
  The Robotics Institute
  Carnegie Mellon University