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The images below were created using a 1998 Hewlett-Packard 5100cse flatbed
scanner. This is an old, 24-bit scanner with a maximum resolution of
600dpi x 600dpi and a Gray Depth of 8-Bit (256 Gray Levels). It was
a was a mid-range scanner in its day, costing around $300.00. Today,
one can achieve better results using
a $70.00 scanner.
Why scanner photography?
In certain cases, it is capable of dramatically higher resolution than most lens-based cameras.
What are the drawbacks?
- One can only work with objects the size of the flatbed's platform dimensions.
- The object (or the area one wishes to image) should not have too much depth -- the "deep" areas, which are farther away from the flatbed glass platform -- will image out of focus.
What are some practical or artistic uses of scanner photography or imaging?
- For macro-photography of small objects.
- For purely artistic reasons.
- For cataloging or analysis of objects in high-resolution detail.
- For Biometrics: fingerprints, palm-prints, even foot-prints.
Who is doing it?
- Biometric scanners -- similar to consumer flatbed models, but capable of significantly higher performance -- are used by governments and law-enforcement agencies
- One artist -- Katinka Matson -- has led and pioneered techniques in the area of artistic scanner-photography.
above: Various seashells. These are the real small kind, often not much bigger than 1 - 2 inches, giving some idea of the type of resolution scanner imaging is capable of. Remember: this image is scaled down several orders of magnitude for Internet use. The actual image is huge.
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above: An apple, this is one of the small varieties -- the type you get in a bag-o'-apples for $1.99. The image above covers an area no bigger than 1.5 inches. As with the seashells, the scanner resolution makes it look big. Our next scanner project: small animals (arachnids, insects and worms) and flowers.
above: A twist of ironies. A staple of manual film photography -- the Olympus OM-2N, imaged here w/o lens -- has met it's match when it comes to macro-photography. Actually, for images like this, 35mm film photography doesn't even come close.