Photographing B&W photos from a book?

[Tony Starks]

You'll have to bare with me on this one as I'm asking for someone else.

My current boss runs this museum www.tawhitimuseum.co.nz and uses a lot of old photos in his displays. Alot photos from are old B&W ones and when he photographs them on the digital camera (Nikon D40X iirc) some of them come out with like a chequered pattern on the image and he has to change the angle to around 45 Deg to stop this which is no good as some of the picture is lost when changing the angle.

Does anyone know why this happens and how to stop it happening?

[Simpo Two]

This sounds like moire - the pixels are fighting with the printing dots. I would simply defocus a little, but others here may have cleverer solutions. (Make sure it's not just a function of your monitor and viewing size)

As he works for a museum, are there any copyright issues?

[Scho]

are you sure this effect is present even when you print you're digital image?

i get this a lt with pics of fabrics ect. sometimes its made worse by re-sizing an image to fit on you're monitor. check it at 100% and print it out to check it's not just on your monitor.

[Simpo Two]

Scho said:

you're digital image... you're monitor.

Sorry chap but with two in a row I just have to go

[S. Gonzales Esq.]

Moiré is usually caused when the pattern of the sensors on the camera's chip 'interferes' with a pattern on the subject.

Anything that changes the relationship between these two could help, so try moving the camera a little further away, or zooming in a bit. Alternatively, many high-end digital backs contain technology to minimize moiré patterns.

However, as Simpo says, sometimes viewing the image on screen at less than 100% can make it appear that moiré is present when it's not.

[Zad]

Buy a scanner and use that?

[cirks]

when contacting the publisher or photographer for permission to use the image, why not just ask them for a copy!

[Tony Starks]

Cheers fellas,

From what he's said it prints out like this when it happens.

It's not a regular thing as he'll take a load and they'll be fine.

cirks said:

when contacting the publisher or photographer for permission to use the image, why not just ask them for a copy!

Alot of the books are old and printing companies have long gone and owners died a long time ago (we're talking photos from early settlers of New Zealand) and some are from books he's written himself but as mention printers have long gone and negatives losts.