Scanner Photography
 

I have been playing around with scanners and scanner photography for a few years now, and through looking around on the net found some interesting results of other peoples' experiments. Particularly, one guy, Mike Golembewski, who actually has turned his scanner into a "camera" of sorts. His results are far more advanced than mine!

Here are a few photos of what can be done with a scanner, and the link if you want to look at it in more depth.

Scanner Photography Project

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y70.../portrait1.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y70...r/vehicle1.jpg

very interesting stuff....

fascinating. for some reason, i am having trouble getting my head around how this actually works. i've been looking at the linked website for a while now--i can see the rig and understand the words concerning scanner modification, but cant quite work out how things go together.

they remind me a bit of etienne-jules marey's motion studies:

http://www.hafif.org/imaj/ocun/marey2.jpg

but they're different. i like the idea of reading the images as time-scores.

could someone explain to me how this works?
i know very little about cameras.

What a very cool concept. I so want one of these.

Tippler... can you show us some of the results you are getting, and how you set up your scanner?

Had to come back and look at them again (and send the link to myself so I can bookmark it when I get my computer back).

But I could fall in love with one of these things.

Wow, now that's some shit you just can't do in photoshop.

I really appreciate photographic experimentation, being somewhat of an experimenter myself. I might have to post up some photos, I was able to get some crazy distortion.

This is far more advanced than anything I've done. I haven't actually taken my scanner apart and turned it into a camera, I've just tried using it as a camera all on its own. You can still get plenty of interesting shots. I mainly did self-portraits with it. The cool thing with the scanner is that you can get a surprising amount of detail that most cameras would have trouble capturing. I will post some of my things later on.

If you want to set up something like this, be prepared to trash a few scanners in the process. I haven't yet decided I can spare mine, heh. But I have been tempted...though photography is not my main area of work.

Edit: ok I wasn't sure whether to post my stuff but here goes...it's so easy you really can go to town with it. This I like very much, it worked well. The nicest part about the photos I have taken is that there seems to be details in there that cameras don't quite capture...not sure if it's mood or what...but I really am addicted to it.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y70...ler/scanlt.jpg

ok *bump* since my edit didn't... :p

nice.
the lighting is lovely too.

how'd you rig this up?

there is no rig...no trickery or tomfoolery...

heh. Just put the scanner in a sideways position (I have a stand for it) and holding on to a neat little lamp I have, sat there and slowly moved as the scanner scanned me. It's easy! That's the beauty of it.

It's possible to do all kinds of things with it. You can try with no extra lighting, it makes some eerie shots. To get images of rooms or outdoors is harder...you need very bright light (though it can be done), unless you go ahead and modify the scanner (to take out the scanner light). It also works well for still life images - you get amazing detail there.

Would love to see others' attempts? Up to you...

Very cool.

little tippler:

more attempts?
yes please.

This is interesting. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I need to find a flatbed scanner...

i am thinking the same way, sapiens.

Very cool. I have no idea what the fellow in your link did, but I love your self-portrait.

dang, got rid of that old scanner!