Taking a Picture of a Picture

If you're a member of the "older" crowd that was born in the era before digital cameras were common, you probably possess a large number of real, physical photos.  Most of my childhood photos (except high school and beyond) were taken with film cameras, so there are literally hundreds of hardcopies of photos in boxes in our basement.  Although I appreciate "real" photos, the fact that they are printed on paper is often inconvenient if you want to share them online, put them in a slideshow, or use them in some other project.  This is an easy fix for those who own a photo scanner, but is a bigger problem for those who do not.  In this post I will provide a simple way to digitize images for people who, like me, are too cheap to buy a scanner.

This solution is laid out pretty well in the post title: take a picture of a picture.  When you're in a pinch and don't have access to a scanner, you can use your digital camera to snap a picture of the picture you want to put on the computer.  Through trial and error, I've found that the best way to do this is to follow these steps:

1) Find a room that has a lot of natural light if taking the picture during the day.  If it is dark outside, find a room with a bright overhead light or lamp.

2) Lay the picture flat on a tabletop in a way that there is not too much glare on an important part of the photo from either sunlight or a light fixture.

3) Aim your camera directly above the picture.  Make sure your flash is OFF!  All it will do is create a massive bright spot in the middle of your photo, especially if the photo finish is glossy.  Using the macro setting might be a good idea for greater detail, as well.

4) Try to keep the camera as steady as possible.  I often use my elbows for stability when taking the picture.  Those of you who have a tripod will probably find it immensely helpful if you can get it positioned correctly.  

5) Take the picture.  Take a few different shots in case you moved too much and ruined the picture.  Just because the picture looks clear on the LCD screen, it doesn't mean that it won't be blurry when you upload the picture.

6) Upload and edit.

The first few times I did this, the results were not always spectacular.  However, now I feel like a combination of practice, using the correct settings, and mastering the art of holding the camera perfectly still makes my pictures of pictures look a lot more like something that was scanned onto the computer. In fact, many of the photos that my family and I have converted to digital in this way actually look better than they did originally. Here are a few examples of pictures of pictures taken by my mom, sister, and me:

As someone who knows what the originals look like, I can tell you that these look pretty much identical.  This technique is definitely not as consistent because the lighting/glare and how steady you hold the camera can affect outcome of the photo.  However, I think the benefits outweigh the costs in this situation.  This is a great cheat for those of us that don't want to pony up the cash for a scanner, and I strongly suggest giving it a shot!