Taking a photo of a photo through glass..

Here's my situation:

a relative has a very, very important historical family photo that goes back to the 1920's that is currently framed and she won't let me have possession so that I could get it professionally re-produced. Taking it out of the frame is out of the question, it won't be permitted and has to be shot through glass.

Now, when I was at the Baseball Hall of Fame in cooperstown last year, I successfully took a couple of photos of babe ruth/gehring from photos through glass and got stunning results. However, those photos were hanging on walls. I shot at an angle and corrected the perspective in photoshop - so that I could avoid the glare on the glass. At that time, I had no tripod, so I used a monopod, and got very nice results (unexpected).

But, this particular historical photo is not hanging on a wall. I'll have to shoot it as in copy work, but how do I achieve the same idea of shooting a photo though glass on a wall? Do I also angle the composition to avoid the reflection on the glass? I finally got a tripod with a lateral arm coming, so I can try this long awaited project....... (the photo inside the frame is about 16 x 20 and too big for a copy stand).

Thanks.......

You might try a circular polarizer to minimize reflections.

Get a copy stand, with lights at 45-degree angles to the bed. Lay the framed image on the bed of the copy stand. If you can see reflections, use a shift lens (rent if necessary), and put a black velvet scrim in the reflection zone.

I have had trouble with glossy photographs that have a luster texture--they seem to catch reflections no matter what you do. And if the glass is frosted, you may have no solution.

One possibility in case of frosted glass or unmanageable reflections is to obtain a piece of coated "museum" glass from a frame shop. On the original glass, make a liquid-tight dam around the edge, squirt a bit of scanning mount fluid on the glass, and lay down the coated museum glass. That will eliminate the original glass as a reflective surface, and the coated museum glass will reflect far less. Here's example of the fluid (this is not an endorsement--I've never done this):

http://www.scanscience​.com/Pages/lumina.html

I think this would be the best approach, but you may have a lot of difficulty getting permission to do it, though if you are careful it is very safe.

But I'd try a shift lens and a black scrim first.

Rick "who has faced this problem with acetate album sheets that could not be removed from old photos" Denney

Familiarize yourself with the concept(s) surrounding the "Family of Angles"

This Diagram sort of touches on what you're facing.

A CPL would also probably be of help.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #8948866
Familiarize yourself with the concept(s) surrounding the "Family of Angles"

This Diagram sort of touches on what you're facing.

A CPL would also probably be of help.

Note, however, that the lights will illuminate the artwork being copied, and that will in turn illuminate the camera itself, which will then be visible in the glass. That's why a shift lens may be needed. Then a black scrim in the resulting reflection zone will kill all reflections off the glass.

Getting rid of reflections is often more difficult than just using a polarizer, especially since a polarizer will have nearly no effect when pointed straight onto the reflective surface.

Rick "glass is difficult to make disappear" Denney