pic: Digital cameras do strange things

[Alex Cormier]

reminds me of this picture i took at FLR this year.

[sanddrag]

Some family friends once took a digital picture and it came out weird like this. The camera was set on a table, the timer was set, and then the guy who set the timer ran in to join the group shot. He made it in well before the timer expired and the shot was taken. However, when the picture was viewed, he was transparent (and only him too). I could see the fireplace in detail right behind him even though he was standing in front of it and nothing in the picture was blurred indicating he was moving quickly as the shutter closed. Everything was crystal clear, but he was transparent. It was very strange.

[KenWittlief]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

...Everything was crystal clear, but he was transparent. It was very strange.

Ive seen a similar effect on older digital cameras when a flash is used indoors.

They were not very good about choosing between long exposure times and triggering the flash, so sometimes it would do both, leaving the shutter open for a good part of a second, then firing the flash as well. This would explain the long exposure catching the fireplace, then the flash catching the person infront of it, making him transparent.

Richard, since digital photos are free one experiment you might try: take a black computer fan and paint a straight white line on one blade, or all the way across from blade tip to blade tip.

If you power the fan with an adjustable DC supply you should be able to vary its speed, and take some test shots (or you could give it a spin with your finger)