The term copying, as used in photography, means producing a photograph from a photograph, map, painting, or similar flat document. A document that is copied is called the copy original or original, and the products of the copying process are called reproductions*' or copies. Originals are broadly classed as reflection originals and transparent originals. The photographic reproduction can be any size in relation to the original document.

Copying is a large and important part of naval photography. It provides an important service to most every aspect of the Navy-from the Intelligence Specialist giving a training lecture, to the admiral who needs 100 copies of a map for planning an invasion.

Photographic copying is an accurate, inexpensive, and quick way of reproducing originals. Copying is skilled work and you must give it the same careful attention that you give to other types of photography. Making good photographic copies is an accomplishment any photographer can be proud of. A knowledge of copying techniques extends your skill as a Navy photographer and makes you more useful to yourself and the Navy.

The process of copying is complicated by the extensive variation in the type of originals to be copied and the varying conditions under which the work is done. The materials to be copied range from simple line drawings to transparencies that are used daily aboard ship and at shore stations. Films used for copy photography are processed much the same as films for other photography. They can be processed by hand, in trays and tanks, or processed by machine.