Nov 16 2011

A quick note on dust and scanning film.

Only computer monitors appear to be more of an attractant to dust than film.  If there is any static charge on the film dust will stick to it like glue.  So I recommend Acme brand (If Acme exists I don’t think they actually make Anti-static brushes but you can Google it if you want).  In any case I use an anti-static brush which dramatically improves the effectiveness of any air blower.   I also have another one that I use for removing dust from the front element of lenses,  this is often enough as the less contact you have with a lens element the better in my opinion.  Another thing that I use to reduce the dust in the area where my scanner is, is an electrostatic air cleaner which uses the static charges it develops to pick dust out of the air as it passes through.  It’s not easy keeping dust out of your scans but it’s effort that you don’t have to spend later in post processing.


Feb 7 2009

Scanning Negatives

I have been going through some old negatives and scanning them.  I’m not sure where the compunction to be an archivist came from but it’s something I seem to need to do.  Besides I like looking at pictures I took as a teenager.  I took this image somewhere in Oregon in 1989 when I was driving down to California and camping , beyond that I really don’t remember.  I suppose that may be the reason I’m organizing the past in order to preserve my memories.  After awhile it seems that the memories of many events become nothing more than snapshots anyway.   Hopefully I will satisfy my need to go through this old stuff soon and can begin creating anew.

oregon_bw013