More Autumn colours
Many years ago, long before the advent of scanners and digital photography, a good friend asked me to reproduce a set of postcards. As a reward for this task I was given one of these – a PZO Warszawa UR 9711 Copy Stand – a device so rare that Google has never heard of it. This is a large and serious piece of Polish engineering which seems designed to withstand nuclear attack; it is built to last. Originally intended as a ‘flatbed’ copier, it is also very good at lighting 3 dimensional objects – maybe the pros still use similar things. Once assembled I grabbed the first thing I could find and started experimenting; by happy coincidence they are autumn colours:
I have been cooped up for too many days and in danger of developing cabin fever (and digging more antiques out of the loft – I will not be popular). Late afternoon I was urgently in need of some fresh air so I tramped across the adjacent field, hopeful of some spectacular light; it was not to be as a bank of cloud rolled in across the setting sun. The wind has compensated by providing a solid blanket of leaves – more autumn colours:
(click on the images to enlarge)
northumbrian : light 
That’s an interesting gadget. I admit that I’ve never heard of it and am a little baffled by what it does exactly.
It’s very low-tech – there are four daylight bulbs which flood the surface below with light so there are no shadows. You attach the camera to the height adjustable stand such that it points down towards the surface and off you go. Convenient for some macro photography but questions are already being asked about just how long it is going to take up residence on the dining room table 🙂
Thanks for the explanation, Robin. Maybe you could build a table for it in a shed. Or something. 🙂
That’s another delicate topic – the garage is full of my other ‘toys’ 🙂
What fun…or not, if you are the person wanting the dining room table.. 🙂
Fortunately my good lady is endlessly patient…..well, almost 🙂
As usual… good reading and… I love your images in this post. 🙂
Many thanks Malin
Can we have some photoes of the UR9711?
Mechanical photographical contraption photographed inside a Mechanical photographical contraption using another Mechanical photographical contraption…’mise en abyme’…here we go!
I will make sure the next post contains an image of the contraption in action.
This gadget thingy sounds like something the team leader would like, though I too suffer from contraptionitis. G’s gadgets are mostly relegated to the conservatory, and I’m not sure what most of them are anyway, except that they annoyingly compete for space with my allotment onions and garlic and other highly essential gardening paraphernalia. One just can’t seem to get enough sheds.
I am deprived – I have no sheds 😦 But I have taken over the double garage entirely 🙂 If the team leader is into heavy engineering he would love the UR9711 – every home/shed should have one.
I think you should have put the fondue set you found in the attic on the dining room table instead, but then we would have missed those glorious leaves. Thanks for giving me a giggle.
Glad you enjoyed it Safia – there is more photographic & darkroom equipment up there, this could be the start of something 🙂
wonderful fall colors… merci & bonne soirée! 🙂 Mélanie
Many thanks Mélanie and have a great Le Weekend 🙂