Photography Tip

[+PFF]

I was interested in an earlier thread about making old marks more visible for photos. I have followed the suggestions about not using anything except a soft brush, water, and/or a rag.

 

I recently experimented with that really soft chaulk that kids use to draw on driveways. I filled the letters, and then wiped around them with a damp cloth. If you already have the camera set up and shoot the picture before the water evaporates, it makes a good contrast.

 

Here is a sample that I took yesterday.

 

So far, I've only tried blue. But the kids gave me a stick of yellow, also. I'll let you know how that works.

 

The bonus is that if you get tired of hunting stations, you can find a parking lot and play a game of hop-scotch. (grin)

 

-Paul-

 

P.S. The chaulk will wash off in the next rain, so this should not constitute a defacement of the disk--something all of us wish to avoid.

[+Colorado Papa]

I still like using corn starch. Here's my example:

It's considered as a food item, so no sales tax!

[evenfall]

Hi Paul,

 

Nature photography has been a hobby of mine, and going where I go in my line of work I see some cool things. I have read threads about the difficulty we can have getting the stamping on the mark to pop. Of course your method looks good but I wanted to share a couple other ideas.

 

One of the things about natural lighting that helps make a cool looking picture is the angle of the light. Low angle light, being light from the sun on a clear day which is coming from low on the horizon, casts a bit more of a shadow than light at high noon or light which is coming through a cloudy, overcast sky. The clouds are a bit of a diffuser, and from that the light seems to come from a lot of different angles, or seemingly, everywhere.

 

Now this information is sort of useless when you need to photograph your discovery at noon of a cloudy day, but if you have plenty of memory on your digital, try taking the photos with the Flash off, and at a bit of an angle instead of directly over the station, the angle can introduce some relief to the lighting as an incidence to the lens, and you may see what you want, oh and try a few angles, you can shoot at right angles and 180 degrees and flip the picture right side up with software later. A toothbrush or small soft bristle brush is great for cleaning the disc up, and feel free to take plenty of insurance shots to compare, and discard the ones you don't like. And just because I have better luck with the flash off, your cam, and lighting may be different than mine, so feel free to take some with the flash if you like too, again try to shoot it at a bit of an angle to get a little shadow relief to make the stamping pop, also try zooming in as far as you can to frame the disc up, causing you to take the pic from further away, this way the flash is not as bright as it would be at point blank, and perhaps help keep from washing out the photo.

 

Just a couple thoughts to ponder. Ultimately I am for whatever works best, but any method is worth a try. If anything, these methods could provide a workaround if you don't have chalk with you or would rather not bother with it.

 

Continuing on the Topic of Chalk, Bench Mark Hunting wise, There have also been threads where talk of using upside down marking paint is used... Well, I do use a lot of it professionally I can go through several cans of pink a day when working with heavy equipment, as it is easy for the operators to see from the cab, and in a work related scenario, it has it's place, but not for guesswork or hunting... This chalk may be a child's toy to some, but it is totally water soluble. There are plenty of times I will need to make temporary marks to help me, and setting up in traffic is just not feasible. I often will pull a measurement out of a street to a sidewalk where it is safe to work, I may mark the spot on the street with chalk as a line up and make marks on the side walk as a distance from the mark in the street. I will use methods that I won't describe just now to make sure I am squared up to my Mark, (but if you understand Pythagorean Theorem) and pull my measurements from there. Say I need to get 80 feet from the centerline of road. I can quickly put the Dummy end of a tape measure out to the center of a road an measure to a point on the sidewalk. if that was 18 fee to the sidewalk, I now need 62 feet to finish my measurement, and I am out of harms way if I have to use this several times.

 

My experiment disappears in many ways but is gone for sure during the first rain. Chalk is cool.

 

Rob

[evenfall]

Hey Papa,

 

I saw that you posted while I was writing. Cornstarch looks great and is so easy too, just a sprinkle. That is a great tip! I really like the price and I can use it to thicken the occasional sauce too! The stamping about leaps out! how do you think it would do in a breeze or the wind?

 

Rob

[+PFF]

TO: President, Cornstarch Producers of America

FROM: Marketing Dept.

September 24, 2004

 

Sir:

 

We are at a loss to explain this week’s sudden “spike” in sales of our product. This happened only once before, about a year ago.

 

We found one store manager who casually asked a purchaser if he was going to do a lot of cooking. When the man responded that the use of the product was related to a hobby, the manager suspected this involved unusual sexual practices. At that point, the manager ended the conversation.

 

There have been no news media stories which can explain a sudden surge in the sales of cornstarch. Internet searches likewise came up empty, except for a few references to government “disks” in several regions of the country.

 

We have concluded that these sales spikes somehow are related to Homeland Security. However, we cannot determine if the product is being used defensively (such as an antidote), or as part of a weapon.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Alfred E. Newman

[+PFF]

Thanks to everyone for the additional tips, including the cornstarch and the experiences of a nature photographer--which presents unique challenges if your subject is alive and moving! (Being a REALTOR, I'm fortunate in that I photograph scenes where things are stationary.)

 

Sometimes, a disk needs no enhancement. This one was shot from a 3-foot distance (with tripod), using the built-in flash on the camera. Many times, I use the technique described earlier, using natural light and the camera angle to expose the lettering.

 

By the way, if anyone wants to experiment with chalk highlighting, carry the marking sticks in a sealed plastic sandwich bag. Never mind why. (grin). (Colorado Papa may wish to make a similar disclaimer about the cornstarch--unless the container has a very effective re-closable container!)

 

-Paul-

[+Colorado Papa]

By the way, if anyone wants to experiment with chalk highlighting, carry the marking sticks in a sealed plastic sandwich bag. Never mind why. (grin). (Colorado Papa may wish to make a similar disclaimer about the cornstarch--unless the container has a very effective re-closable container!)

I'm almost embarrassed to tell you what I carry the cornstarch in.

I use a lady's compact. Small, convenient and easy to carry in your pocket. No need for plastic bag and bulky chalk (How 'bout that, I don't find the spelling in Webster's Instant Word Guide, only chalkboard and chalky). The starch can also be used as talcum powder or baby powder besides cooking. All around use.

 

Thanks to Alfred E. Newman for the letter to higher ups.

 

Edited to correct ladies-lady's.

Edited September 24, 2004 by Colorado Papa

[+PFF]

I'm almost embarrassed to tell you what I carry the cornstarch in.

I use a lady's compact. Small, convenient and easy to carry in your pocket.

 

LOL. It took a real man (and very secure male) to admit that!

 

Think I'll put mine in a snuff can.

 

-PFF-

[+Colorado Papa]

She teases me every time I pull it out:

"Oh, are you going to powder your nose?"

[+gnbrotz]

I use an empty mini m&m tube or a 35mm film canister.