The last shot I posted gained some traction, so I felt like sharing some more of what I’ve done with my scanner camera. The scan is done from top to bottom in about 2 minutes, the model did a great job of staying still throughout.

While scanning motion is definitely eye-catching and spectacular, there are other qualities to appreciate. The gorgeous soft, yet tack sharp aesthetic of large format photography is easily available with a scanner.

Usually I fight the IR-super sensitivity of the sensor, but this time it made her skin iridescent against the rock in the background.

20 points

Nice work! What does the optics look like? Do you have a picture of the whole thing?

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22 points

Thanks!

There’s a picture of the camera in this comment section

Basically it’s an acrylic magnifying glass stuck into a foamboard box held together with gaffers tape. Focus (and FoV by design) is controlled by adjusting the distance between the lens and the scanner surface.

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9 points

But wait, if the scanner was your camera then how did you take the picture?

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3 points

They scanned a mirror.

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0 points

What do you mean how?

Are you asking “how did you press the button”? Or “how does it work”?

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7 points

Interested in this as well.

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15 points

I don’t understand what is it you did but I’m glad you did it because this looks amazing

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6 points

He converted a document scanner into a black and white camera.

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11 points
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It really gives an “old camera” vibe. It would be fitting if the background was fake, just in the old images. You have an eye for composition as well.

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5 points

Thanks! I dream of someday having enough resources to rent a studio space and construct some proper scenography with experts in the field. It could make for some truly wild landscapes and photos.

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1 point

Wait. Fake backgrounds?

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4 points
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Yeah. In my mind the old (say 18/1900’s) photographs are asociated with a fake background. So you see people posing in front of a screen with some scenery. Like

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3 points

Thanks! Informative.

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6 points

Very intriguing effect. Dreamlike. Does the camera have a viewfinder, or do you just have to experiment to get the framing right?

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10 points

There’s no viewfinder at the moment. I point the camera to the best of my ability, do a low resolution scan over about 10 seconds, and adjust appropriately. Framing and focus is difficult, but gets easier over time. Whenever I have people helping or modeling on a picture, I make very sure they’re aware that it is a messy trial and error process.

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5 points

Looks like it’s from a horror movie. Also like she was rolling around in the mud.

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