Is it ok to flip the negative?

[darkosaric]

As you know there is a parallel universe that is co-existing with this one, and in that universe that boy actually went in that direction.

And mr. Spock has a beard

 

[BrianShaw]

Flipping side-to-side = OK.

Flipping top-to-bottom... not so much.

 

[Newt_on_Swings]

Lol I love how this thread evolved so quickly.

 

[semi-ambivalent]

Lol I love how this thread evolved so quickly.

Time to devolve it.

Why is it OK to flip this negative (I can agree with this) but National Geographic catches hell for moving the pyramids a quarter inch? In a few second those camels would have accomplished the same thing.

Stay tuned for our next episode of 'What's the Big Deal?', (or 'Who's Calling the Shots?')

s-a

 

[blansky]

Speaking of devolution, you may or may not be aware but by flopping the negative you have also messed with the sexuality of the person's involved.

A lefty is now a righty ( and I'm not talking handed).

The sexuality is called into question as the shirts and jackets are now buttoned on the wrong side.

Due to the depth of field the people in the back may not be affected, but sure as hell you just made that poor boy gay.

Or at the very least a cross dresser.

Actions have consequences.

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

blansky... me-thinks you're replying from personal experience. You know we luv ya'... tho' we (most of us) don't wanna love ya'... right? I have a neighbor (nice kid) who can't get... "certain feelings"... out of his mind even though he's married with kids. After months of his strong hinting I finally knocked him back hard on his butt and haven't seen him since then. I've felt bad about it ever since but at least he's stopped asking... about stuff.

Reversing is okay... IMHO... for images. And okay... for those so inclined.

 

[jeff.blackwell]

While flipping the negative may orient your subject so that he is running to the right, you are reversing the side you are scanning, and moving away from the emulsion side. I would far prefer to scan the correct side of the negative, and then flip the image in Photoshop, thereby improving scan quality.
And, as an aside, any daguerrotype photographer would tell you to learn to eliminate printed letters and numbers from your compostion, although some palindromes wouldn't be noticed. In my area the Philadelphia Phillies sell a tshirt aimed at younger fans with the script, "lil".
To noones suprise, when photographed as a daguerrotype, or scanned and flipped, it still read, "lil"

 

[MattKing]

The young boy's mother will notice ......

 

[cliveh]

I'm with Blansky on this one, but wondered why you even ask the question, as it is most definately YES. Having said that, I rarely do this, but sometimes it does work.

 

[removed account4]

you certainly can do it,
but its one of those things you shouldn't do ...

 

[Roger Cole]

you certainly can do it,
but its one of those things you shouldn't do ...

Why not?

 

[BrianShaw]

probably because it changes reality.

 

[BrianShaw]

photographs are intended to be literal recording of reality, aren't they?

 

[removed account4]

exactly, brian ...
besides who knows what other insanity might happen next,
first the whole flip the negative thing,
then what's next ??!
... it makes me nervous just thinking about it !

 

[cliveh]

Why not?

He's joking.

 

[Vaughn]

Why not?

Because who knows?...people might start making blurry pictures on purpose!

 

[Roger Cole]

He's joking.

Figured that out from the followup. I saw no reason to think that was so from the deadpan original comment, but apparently I'm pretty bad at picking up on such things.

 

[blansky]

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.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

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.

Or just send the negative through a wormhole into our complementary universe, the negative made in that universe will automatically appear in ours.

 

[BrianShaw]

Or just send the negative through a wormhole into our complementary universe, the negative made in that universe will automatically appear in ours.

And it will get kind reviews rather than harsh criticism???

 

[E. von Hoegh]

And it will get kind reviews rather than harsh criticism???

Depends.

 

[pentaxuser]

cars with the steering column clearly visible, no one will be the wiser. ( yes, i know some countries have right-side steering, but if the photo's location is obvious from the context, it will look 'wrong'.)

All cars without right side steering look wrong. Best comment I ever heard was from a S African tourist guide on our coach trip in that country: "For those of you from outside the U.K., Australia and N Zealand, we drive on the correct side of the road in S Africa, that is to say, the left side

pentaxuser

 

[Nige]

recently I printed headshots of my sons and one of them was troubling me... something was 'wrong'. I took the 8x10 out and held it up next to him and immediately worked out I had printed it flipped...

 

[Steve Roberts]

I was once short of a slide of Portland prison for a show, so rather than drive 100+ miles for one shot I went a couple of miles up the road, photographed H.M.P. Dartmoor with no background to give the game away and projected it reversed for good measure. No-one was any the wiser and the slide remains in the show to this day.

Steve

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

recently I printed headshots of my sons and one of them was troubling me... something was 'wrong'. I took the 8x10 out and held it up next to him and immediately worked out I had printed it flipped...

To him it probably looked more natural that way. We see ourselves reversed in the mirror all the time.