Diana Bennett wrote:
> Dear Listers:
> 
> Re digital cameras vs. copying. Doesn't moving those heavy books and turning them upside down and flat on a copy machine-- do more damage than taking a digital camera?
> 
> Diana Bennett
> 
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> 
Yes it does, but there are some things one should be aware of when doing 
copy work with cameras. In order to get a good copy the best thing to do 
is open the book and leave the side not being copied propped up so as 
not to have to contend with the unevenness in the area of the book's 
gutter. Also care has to be taken to make sure that the light is even 
across the whole page. The best thing to do is use a copy stand or 
tripod if one is available.

I've been a professional photographer, in addition to a now-retired 
college English professor, for some fifty years and I can say with 
certainty that the new digital age has brought enormous advances to all 
kinds of photo work.  For the absolute best, use a fairly high quality 
digital camera and a copy stand or tripod and learn to edit in 
Photoshop, a program that has a high learning-curve but gives 
breathtaking results when compared with working in a chemical darkroom. 
What I'm saying here applies more to copying pages with images on them 
or pages that'll be published as an accompaniment or illustration of 
some sort rather than a page containing print only. For the latter, any 
kind of copy that renders the print readable will suffice. And, yes, the 
book from which the copying is being done will suffer less damage than 
opening it on a copy machine. The only caveat here is be sure to have 
the camera as close to the page being copied as possible. As Robert 
Capa, the famous combat photographer from the last century said: "If 
your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough."


Happy Snappin'

Maurice Duke

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