Photographic Apparatus and Method for Adding Artificial Backgrounds

The present invention relates generally to photographic equipment and in particular to photographic apparatus for adding artificial backgrounds to photographs during the photographic process.

Commercial advertisers are resolute to place an advertised product or subject in an atmosphere aesthetically pleasing to a prospective purchaser. Difficulties arise, however, when the background needed to create a desired atmosphere is geographically distant from or out of season in the locale in which the product or subject is located. The difficulty increases with the size of the product advertised. Such advertising may become inordinately expensive if the subject becomes too large, such as a truck or automobile, or impossible in the case of a house or other building if not in the desired season.

The most commonly used technique employed by commercial photographers to overcome this problem involves a process whereby an artificial background is added to a photograph during the developmental stage. However, this process is expensive and time consuming in that it frequently entails a substantial amount of touch-up work to the resulting photograph around the outline of the subject.

Consequently, it is desirable to provide a process for adding an artificial background to a photograph which does not require a significant amount of touch-up work to the resulting photograph. In addition, it is desirable to provide a process which adds the artificial background directly to the film negative; i.e., during the photographic process, rather than during the development of the film negative.

In general, the photographic apparatus of the present invention accomplishes these objectives by providing a conventional view camera that has been modified to add a pair of pivotable masking plates located between the lens and the film cartridge. The masking plates are independently operable to be placed in either a first inoperative position along the sidewall of the camera away from the film cartridge and a second operative position against the film cartridge. The two plates have attached thereto background and product masks respectively which are created from a positive film type photograph taken of the desired product. The product mask however is first applied to a transparency of the desired background scene. Once the masks are attached to the plates, the positions of the plates are oriented via an adjustment apparatus so that the masks on each plate are properly aligned or "registered" with the projection of the product through the lens onto the back plate of the camera. The film negative is then exposed twice, first with the background masking plate in its operative position and secondly with the product masking plate in its operative position. The former exposure is taken of the desired product and the latter exposure is made simply with a white light source in front of the camera lens to expose the film negative to the background transparency. The resulting photograph is remarkably realistic and generally requires minimal touch-up.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the preferred embodiment of the present invention which makes reference to the following set of drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevated rear view of a box camera having a device of the present invention attached thereto and the film cartridge removed;

FIG. 2 is a top sectional view along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional top view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 partially in elevation;

FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c are diagrammatic top views of a box camera with a device of the present invention attached thereto;

FIG. 5 is an elevated front view of the background mask;

FIG. 6 is an elevated front view of the product mask mounted to a background transparency;

FIG. 7 is a partial top sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a photographic apparatus for adding artificial backgrounds 10 embodying the principles of the instant invention is shown attached to the rear of a box camera 12 of the type commonly used in commercial photography. At the rear extreme of the camera, a glass plate 14 is attached having a positioning grid 16 superimposed thereon. A support structure 20 shown in FIG. 2 is provided between the glass plate 14 and a second glass plate 15 within the box 18 of the camera 12 that is capable of supporting a replaceable film cartridge 22 having a film plate 23 of either the positive color film type manufactured and sold by Polaroid and Kodak or the conventional negative type film manufactured by Kodak and other manufacturers.

The control apparatus 24 for adding the artificial backgrounds is mounted to the box 18 of the camera 12 between the lens 26 (and shutter 27) and the film cartridge 22. The control apparatus 24 comprises a pair of control arms 28 and 29 which are disposed on either side of the exterior of the camera box 18 secured to the top and bottom of the box 18 by brackets 30 and 31. Control arms 28 and 29 are operatively coupled to a pair of floating support arms, 40 and 41, respectively, which have rotatably journalled thereto a pair of control shafts, 34 and 35 respectively. Control shafts 34 and 35 extend vertically through the camera box 18 along the sidewalls thereof, and are provided with flanges 36 and 37 which rest atop support arms 40 and 41 to prevent downward movement of the shafts. A pair of glass plates 56 and 58 are attached via fasteners 54 to a pair of brackets, 52 and 53 respectively, which are in turn secured by fasteners 64 to control shafts, 34 and 35 respectively. Thus, it will be appreciated that glass plates 56 and 58 are adapted to be pivotable upon rotation of shafts 34 and 35 from first positions along the interior sidewalls of camera box 18 to second positions against the film cartridge 22 at the rear of the camera 12. As best illustrated in FIG. 2, brackets 52 and 53 are offset so that the corresponding glass plates 56 and 58 will set flush against the film plate 23 of the film cartridge 22. In the preferred embodiment, rotation of the control shafts 34 and 35 is provided by manually turning bars, 60 and 61 respectively, attached to control shafts, 34 and 35 respectively.

To control the orientation of the glass plates 56 and 58, the control arms 28 and 29 are connected to the support arms 40 and 41 via three rack and pinion assemblies which control the up/down and side-to-side movement of the support arms 40 and 41. In particular, each support arm 40 and 41 is provided with three racks 42-44, which are engaged to corresponding pinion gears, 45-47 respectively, rotatably journalled to the control arms 28 and 29. Adjustments in the position of the glass plates are thus implemented by manually adjusting the control knobs 48-50 affixed to the shafts carrying pinion gears 45-47.

The control apparatus 24 is installed in the camera box 18 by removing the glass register plate 14 at fasteners 64 and inserting the control shafts 34 and 35 in slots 66 and subsequently securing brackets 30 and 31 to the camera box 18 with fasteners 32. Rubber bellows 68 are attached to the ends of the control shafts 34 and 35 to prevent light from entering the interior chamber of the camera box 18 when the camera is in use.

The photographic apparatus 10 of the present invention functions to add an artificial background during the photographic process in the following manner. Preliminarily, it is contemplated that the photographer will have accumulated a variety of background transparencies developed from photographs taken of various desirable background scenes. To add one of these previously photographed background scenes to the photograph of a particular subject, the photographer selects the appropriate background transparency 82 and secures it to glass plate 56. The control apparatus 24 is then installed onto the camera as described above and the glass plates 56 and 58 pivoted to their inoperative positions adjacent the sidewalls of the camera box 18. With the camera 12 placed on a tripod a picture is taken of the product preferably using a film cartridge of the positive color film type manufactured and sold by Polaroid. After the cartridge is removed and the photograph of the product developed, a piece of tracing paper is placed over the photograph and a cut-out of the product is made. The two pieces of tracing paper are then sprayed with a black mat paint to provide two masks, a background mask 84 (FIG. 5) and a product mask 80 (FIG. 6). The product mask 80 is subsequently attached to the background transparency 82 at the position in the background scene where the product is desired to be inserted. Similarly, the background mask 84 is fastened onto glass plate 58 so that the product outline on the background mask 84 is oriented on glass plate 58 in approximately the same position as the product mask 80 on glass plate 56. Alternatively, the product and background masks 80 and 84 respectively can be created utilizing litho-graphic arts film which is a high contrast film that does not produce continuous tones between black and white.

The positions of the product mask 80 and background mask 84 are then "registered" with the image of the product as projected through the lens 26 of the camera 12 onto the register plate 14. This is accomplished by opening the camera shutter 27 and pivoting glass plate 56 into its operative position as illustrated in FIG. 4c, and using the adjustment knobs 48, 49 and 50 to align the product mask 80 with the outline of the image of the product projected onto plate 14. Once product mask 80 is properly registered, glass plate 56 is returned to its inoperative position and glass plate 58 is rotated into its operative position illustrated in FIG. 4b. The outline of the product on background mask 84 is then aligned with the projected image of the product on plate 14 in a similar fashion. The positioning grid 16 on plate 14 is provided to assist the photographer during the registration process.

A film cartridge 22 having an unexposed positive or negative film plate 23 is then placed into the camera. With plate 58 in its operative position illustrated in FIG. 4b, the shutter is opened and a photograph is taken of the product through the background mask 84, exposing only a portion of the film plate 23. Plate 58 is then swung out of position to the side of the box 18 and plate 56 is swung into its operative position between the film plate 23 and the lens 26 (FIG. 4c). A white light source is then set in front of the lens 26 and the shutter again opened to expose the remaining unexposed portion of the film plate to the background transparency 82. The fully exposed film positive or negative 23 is then removed from the camera 12 and developed in the conventional manner. Thus, as will readily be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the resulting photograph will comprise an exceptionally realistic depiction of the product situated in the desired background setting. Moreover, due to the precise means provided for aligning the product and background masks 80 and 84 with the projected image of the photographed product, the resulting photograph will require a minimum amount of touch-up.

Finally, with particular reference to FIG. 7, it is also to be noted that the present photographic apparatus 10 can be readily modified to add a filter 90 against the film plate 23 to provide fog, haze, or other desired atmospheric effect.

Thus, there is disclosed in the above description and in the drawings embodiments of the invention which fully and effectively accomplish the objects thereof. However, it will be apparent that variations in the details of the apparatus and the method may be indulged in without departing from the sphere of the invention herein described, or the scope of the appended claims.