How to take pictures of high resolution for digitization. Feb 2018.

Get the camera

1. Make sure the camera body is good. Hardware: high megapixel count and bigger sensor size
2. Get a good ‘standard’ lense. (in the case of Nikon Coolpix P900 its unchangeable).
3. Set Image quality to “RAW” & “L”. Menu>image size>RAW+L (or similar depending on model). Resolutions of 5000x8000 are ideal if it can be reached. If not whatever is the highest.
4. Set ISO to 100. The less noise the clearer the picture when zoomed in. If you need to hand-hold your camera try raising the ISO up to 800. This will give you some more digital noise, but it will reduce camera shake.
5. Switch on the grid and internal level meter if available.
6. Set the camera to “aperture priority” (this will keep the aperture locked)
7. Stop down to the middle f/stop for best sharpness. Set the aperture to f/8 or higher (this will put more of the image in focus). Try experimenting with the aperture setting. The bigger your aperture, the faster the shutter speed will be (less shake), but less of the image will be in focus. Remember that a larger aperture is a smaller number (i.e f/4.0).
8. Set the white balance if shooting in jpeg or tiff (Tungsten, Fluorescent, Daylight, Custom)
9. Set the camera to timer mode (this is to minimize camera shake). I.e. 2 seconds
10. Switch the mirror to lock up if possible.
11. Use manual focus and check pictures each time they are taken by zooming into and trying to read the words.
12. Use bracketing to get multiple exposures so that we do. Bracket the shot by going up and down one stop with the shutter speed.
13. Use the flash if necessary. However if it is too near, there will be strong glare.

Hanging The picture on the wall

1. Place the map/sheet on a flat surface (like the metal wall of specimen cabinates) with a grey, black or white background. Use magnets to hold the edges in place.
2. Make sure the art is level (using a bubble measure or a phone app with internal gyro)
3. Measure up from the floor to the middle of the sheet. Take note of that height; you will need to set the middle of the camera lense to that hight later.
4. Set up the photo taking place in an area with low traffic. (i.e not infront of a door, maybe the back of the herbarium).

Set up the tripod

1. Set focal length to the standard (not telephoto or wideangle). This is to ensure that the sides do not warp with the lense rarefaction. I.e. 50mm. Can check the straight edges if they align parallel to the grids from previous step..
2. Go back as far as needed to get the picture to fit in the frame without changing the standard zoom.
3. Ensure that the photo is taken from the middle of the plane to be digitized (use the measurement from previous step)
4. Switch on all available light sources (i.e fluorescent tubes). If the are in front of the picture it is better than them being behind. THe more even and diffused the better.
5. When taking the pictures without a tripod, tuck your arms in close to your sides to give the camera the most stability as possible. Also try breathing out and then as you shoot the picture hold your breath (like sniping).

Below are images to help understand visually the setup:

Images above: Note the height, distance, angle and lighting.

Next are some pointers from University of Colorado (credits to them):

God can and wants to

God can help you,
and He wants to help you

Moonwalker

An astronaut who walked on the moon, James Irwin, said, ‘Jesus walking on the earth is more important than man walking on the moon.’

Power

When you're in touch with a higher power, the weaker lesser power will let go

Humility

As C.S. Lewis put it, ‘True humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less.’

‘Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth’ 

Do good, cause God is good all the time

John Wesley once said, ‘Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.’

What ki d of questions you ask

Sir Isaac Newton said, ‘I find intelligence is better spotted when analysing the questions asked rather than the answers given.’

Wash car - scratches

Everytime I try to was someone's car that they've lent to me for a few days.. I notice scratches...

I know if there's sand in the cloth it does that.. I've googled and tried my best how to remove them, there's colgate, etc... Polishing and rewaxing..

But yeah...

I.. Never learn my lesson.
There's always sooo much regret after doing it, washing someone's car.

Like... Before I wash it, I think to myself, what could go wrong?

And everything does. Once the water dries up, and the scractes don't have the liquid in between the grooves to refract light anymore. They start showing.

Gahhhhh

Every single time!

So much regrets. Probably one of the biggest regrets I have about my life all the time.

I think I'm not going to wash other people's car anymore. I'll just bring it to the car wash next time.

Hopefully I remember this.

Wind and waves

Stop fighting against the wind and waves,
Your mind is actively in opposition and in resistance to this outside factors,
Instead, just embrace it. The flow, the oscillations, the natural rhythm...

The sounds, do you enjoy it?
Do you take delight in being where you are.

This is the way to store memories,
When you encounter and experience things at an emotional level that you feel a sense of belonging to.

Stop fighting,
Start embracing.

Green grass

"The grass isn't greener on the other side of the fence. It is greener where you water it"

first share

I share things on facebook and expect Crystal to read them and find out about my life,

However I lose to joy of sharing it to her firsthand through a phone call,

It’s something about the joy of telling someone the best things that happen when it happens,

And then only posting it on social media for everyone else to celebrate in it together.

Sometimes I don’t know if I’m the one being patient with her,

Or she’s the one patient with me.

I think I tend to take the people whom love me for granted,

I dare to show that I’m irritated, which I normally wouldn’t if i was with other people.

Maybe it’s because of the thought that they would be there no matter what (like they can’t run away).

Why can't I remember

I've stopped listening to people. It's weird but, I don't recall anything from conversations nowadays...

I & You

I never liked worship or praise songs with the word "I" inside. Weird right.

I remember singing songs as a kid where the song's focus was just purely on Jesus. Like... Him, He's, You, You're.. And it was a big thing to make sure the lyrics was in capital letter for Him.

Nowadays.. So many songs are... "I" centered.. Like.. What I am, who I am...

Hmm..

Wabi-sabi

So the Japanese have this aesthetic called as the title.

It is how imperfection is waht makes something beautiful.
Or mistakes, failures, shortcomings.

Should it be written the other way around?

How something is beautiful because of the imperfections.

What's the difference between writing a seemingly same meaninged line flip-floped.

The Western culture is obsessed with perfection. Things have to be symmetrical. Thing s have to be spot on. China does its best to make perfect replications of high end items. Flaws/defects don't get pass the quality checker.

But what really is reality as a human.

We all have flaws.
And if we're not thought to embrace it, instead to fight against it... That's when we start a losing battle. Or a battle that's already been lost.

No one can achieve perfection.

Not by our own works.

As much as we try. Practice. Make up. Cover up. Prepare. Change.

We can never reach a state of perfection. It's just... the nature of sin being in this world.

The Japanese got it right at some points. But also lack the full truth.

There is perfection to be found. In the lies of a Holy God. And hence the only way to that eternal glory, is though a narrow gate. The only Way, Truth and Life.