Is it ok to flip the negative?

E. von Hoegh · May 24, 2012

cliveh said:
On the subject of flipping, if I take a picture with some human action across the frame, it generally looks correct with more space on the right. As I live in the Western Hemisphere, I take it this is influenced by the fact that I read text left to right? If I was from an Eastern Country where text is read right to left, would such a picture seem to have a better composition when flipped?
(Blanksy - note flipped not flopped)

But in Arabic for instance the text goes right-to-left while the numbers go left-to-right. If you are scanning the negative digitally, this could have serious consequences unless you have palindromic processors.

E. von Hoegh · May 24, 2012

blansky said:
Actually instead of flopping the negative, try turning the enlarger inside out. That way the image goes in the other direction but without all the other problems.

But an inside-out enlarger will have the bulb on the outside, fogging the paper.

E. von Hoegh · May 24, 2012

Allen Friday said:
Wait a minute. When I shoot large format, the image is inverted on the ground glass. If I flop the negative, it will print the way I saw the image when composing the shot. If I want to keep the universe in order, shouldn't I flop all negatives?

The image is actually rotated. There's a chrono-synclastic infundibulum suspended in the bellows that does it.

blansky · May 24, 2012

We used to call "flipping" the negative when we looked at it and it sucked, so we flipped it into the garbage can.

Flopping was when we wanted the mirror image of a shot.

As for ground glass, we called it upside down and backwards.

Now we just call people who shoot large format backwards.

Unless they fell off a cliff head first lugging the damn thing around, we then call that upside down and backwards.

Hope this helps.

BrianShaw · May 24, 2012

Roger Cole said:
Either flipping or flopping or reversing or mirror imaging or...whatever, turns into a quibble over semantics when everyone already knows darned well what you mean.

Amen, brother.

Is it ok to flip the negative?

E. von Hoegh

E. von Hoegh

E. von Hoegh

blansky

BrianShaw

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