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Basic Model Photography Tips.
Considering how much time we spend building our models it is always nice to be able to take good pictures of them during the build and of the finished model, therefore it is always disappointing if these pictures don’t do all your hard work justice! So what follows is some super easy tips to achieve excellent results armed in many cases with nothing more then a smart phone and some white card! I’ve broken these easy tips into 4 basic parts as follows:
Part 1 - The Back Drop
Part 2 - Basic Lighting
Part 3 - Framing & Angles
Part 4 - Post Production
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Part 1, The back drop - Infinity Curve Or Sweep
The clean, professional look of an infinite white set is ideal for model photography as it isolates the model and removes distractions and gives the impression that the background extends to infinity. Basically it isolates your model and adds clarity to the photograph
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The ‘infinity curve’ (or sweep) is a simple photographic technique to achieve. You can use almost any type of material to create your own DIY infinity curve – a large sheet of white paper/card or ironed white sheets for example, as long as its white and is flexible enough to bend it will more then likely do the job. Obviously the size of material used, will depend on the size of the model you wish to photograph.
Here is an example of the ‘infinity curve’ achieved with a simple sheet of white paper – note the sweep.TRGRichie attached the following image(s):
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And this second shot we can see the results achieved from this very simple set up using my iphone. (unedited – as shot straight from phone).TRGRichie attached the following image(s):
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Useful tips being provided there Rich and look forward to seeing what other tips will be revealed along the way. Think many members will find this topic really useful in helping them show their work in its best light....  Regards Alan
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Part 2 – Lighting. Obviously there are lots of lighting options and techniques and many of these will involve extra equipment and in many cases extra space – the techniques and tips within this thread are to illustrate how to take a good picture with extra cost and just a smart phone. A room with a window is perfect as long as it casts good light on the subject. The bigger the window, obviously the more light you’ll get in. The light and the shadows created from the window will all depend on how close or indeed for far away from it you are – you may not have the option to play with this distance but if you do its worth experimenting to see the difference it makes. Your other option for lighting is artificial, in most cases probably just the main room light – again this can be more than adequate in most cases – and again where you chose to place your subject in relation to this light source is what will count.
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A simple window is always a great light source. TRGRichie attached the following image(s):
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A window and the room light combined provide in most cases adequate light. TRGRichie attached the following image(s):
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This picture was taken with just the widow as the light source – notice how the shadows fall, and the side of the subject facing the viewer is in shadow! TRGRichie attached the following image(s):
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The same shot but this time with the main room light added – this has lit the area that was in shadow. TRGRichie attached the following image(s):
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We could however have just turned the subject so the light fell on the side closest to the viewer if we didn’t want to add another light source. TRGRichie attached the following image(s):
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And once again the same shot with the main room light on – again you can see how it has brightened the areas that were in shadow. TRGRichie attached the following image(s):
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All the above images were taken on my iphone and are as shot (unedited). Hopefully this illustrates how with just the light sources you have available it is still possible to be creative with your model photography by just paying attention to where the light and the shadows fall. Hope this makes some sense - please ask any questions as I'm more than happy to help. And stay tuned for Part 3 - Angles & Framing (coming soon) Thanks Rich.
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TRGRichie wrote:Basic Model Photography Tips.
Considering how much time we spend building our models it is always nice to be able to take good pictures of them during the build and of the finished model, therefore it is always disappointing if these pictures don’t do all your hard work justice! So what follows is some super easy tips to achieve excellent results armed in many cases with nothing more then a smart phone and some white card! I’ve broken these easy tips into 4 basic parts as follows:
Part 1 - The Back Drop
Part 2 - Basic Lighting
Part 3 - Framing & Angles
Part 4 - Post Production Personaly think your missing one. A good camera with a close up function “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,051 Points: -13,308
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You can have the best camera in the world but knowing how to properly use it is another matter.
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Interesting information here. Just goes to show you don't have to go to any expense buying lighting equipment to produce decent results..... As for camera's, most mobile phones have camera's that will do just nicely for producing pics of models.... Regards Alan
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Rank: Administration     Groups: Registered, Forum Support Team, Administrators, Global Forum Support Team, Moderator, Official Builds Joined: 09/11/2012 Posts: 7,928 Points: 22,964 Location: East midlands
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I personally think the last picture is more than adequate, especially if it was taken with something like an IPhone 7 or equivalent. Should you have something from the latest LG range then you have a camera that has more functions and facilities than a lot of average digital cameras. Top flight cameras cost more than another big kit in the stash, so I know where my vote lies. Keep up the good work Richie. Regards delboy271155 (Derek) COME BACK GUY FAWKES "YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU"
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 The advice given so far is great for smaller models but when you need to take pictures of larger models such as the range of ships currently on offer you still need to plan the correct lighting to obtain the best result. Just my opinion of course but I think lighting and planning of any subject to be photographed to show the detail required can be a minefield. Its another case of trying to be a master of many things and the need to have the correct lighting for the subject can make or break that picture. Current builds:-C57,Zero, Lamborghini Countach, Caldercraft HMS Agamemnon,Robi,R2-D2, MFH Cobra .
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Lots of good advice here. Recently I accidently realised that a blue backdrop acctually shows off a model better than a white one, in my opinion “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,051 Points: -13,308
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It depends on what the overall colour of the subject is. Such as a blue backdrop for the blue Rossi bike won’t highlight as good as a white backdrop, and a white model on a white background has the same effect.
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arpurchase wrote: The advice given so far is great for smaller models but when you need to take pictures of larger models such as the range of ships currently on offer you still need to plan the correct lighting to obtain the best result. Just my opinion of course but I think lighting and planning of any subject to be photographed to show the detail required can be a minefield. Its another case of trying to be a master of many things and the need to have the correct lighting for the subject can make or break that picture. Yes agree to a certain degree, but no matter what size the principles are the same. I would like to point out that I am purposely trying to give tip on how to get a good picture which kit you will already have, so no expense. If you guys want a tutorial on professional photography then there are plenty out there on the web, or if you ever in Yorkshire your more then welcome to visit my studio for a lesson. Many thanks Rich.
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