Old Photos

[Lghtning4u]

I have some really old photos I would like to digitize but I am not sure of the best way to do it. I have no scanner so I guess I would need to use my DSLR.

Can anyone give me some tips on how to do this correctly, ie lighting, exposure, technique?

[toverman]

Depending on how many you have, buying a scanner might be the best way to go (decent ones can be had for $100). Otherwise, you'll want even lighting across the surface of the images you are photographing, and to avoid distortion the camera's focal plane will need to be exactly square and aligned with the subject image. Others might have a more detailed setup explanation.

[kenw]

As Todd said, the difference will be noticeably improved if you use a scanner, even a cheap one will do a better job than a complex dSLR setup unless you really have the experience.

If you do not wish to buy a scanner, many places will scan the prints and place the files on a CD. Walgreens, Walmart, etc all have this capacity and the quality is very adequate for most uses. For possibly higher quality try a local photo developer, they often have the scanner and can make sure the scan is done right. (I'm not sure who that might be in LaPorte, however...)