Photography help?

[seadude]

Has anybody ever planned to, or actually submitted, model pics and an article for publication in a modeling magazine? After going back and forth with "I will, I won't, I will, I won't......" for 2 years after my HMS Habakkuk model was completed, I'm now starting to plan again to take pics of it and possibly submit it to FSM (FineScale Modeler) magazine.
But........I don't know anything about photography nor do I have any good photographic equipment. The only camera I have is a Sony Cybershot DSC-W310 with 4x zoom, and up to 12.1 megapixels. I need tips on lighting, backdrops, etc., etc.  I've got a clothes rack similar to this:

........that I could hang a large sheet/tarp/etc. over to use as a backdrop, then set a table in front of the rack with my model on top of it.
Setting the model like so on top of my tv stand below just isn't going to cut it and doesn't look good.

[Weaver]

Background ideas sound good.

How much control do you have over the camera? Is it all auto modes or can you set parameters individually?

Do you have a tripod?

[seadude]

I can probably set most camera parameters individually.
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/sony-cyber-shot-dsc/4507-6501_7-33946411.html
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/W310/W310DAT.HTM

I have a tripod, but it's a very small one that can sit on a desk or small table. As far as background goes, what should I use? Cardboard? A sheet/cloth? A wall? The background shouldn't be the same colors as the ship hull otherwise the ship and background will "blend in" if you know what I mean.

[loupgarou]

As a backdrop I'd suggest using a not-too-rigid cardboard, hanging it from your clothes rack, but draping it OVER the table where you put the model, creating a continuous curve, for a featureless background. It's called a "limbo" in professional photography.
A cloth or a sheet will have folds, creating shadows etc.
You'd need at least 2 light sources, flash units or photofloods, one for main lighting, the other for backfilling, reducing the hardness of the shadows.
Aperture control of the lens is necessary, to get as much depth of field as you can, always a problem with small item photography.
Sorry if I appear to discourage you, but I am afraid that a magazine as FSM will require high photo standards, don't you have any photo-crazy friend to work with?

[pyro-manic]

A big sheet of thick paper/thin card or a sheet, in a light neutral colour (NOT white if possible - it will make exposure more difficult) for the background, two or three desk lamps with the same kind of bulb, some white tissue paper as a diffuser, and a tripod of some sort. Oh, and a friend with an SLR if at all possible - you want maximum control over the exposure, and your compact doesn't really have it. It's do-able, but would be much easier with fully manual controls. If said friend also happens to have a couple of flashguns, even better.

[seadude]

Sorry, guys. But I don't have any friends that I know of that have good photographic equipment and skills that can help me. I either have to do this myself, or........there's the possibility of setting up an appointment with the FSM editorial staff and take my model to them and have their photographers take the pics for me. But......I don't drive or own a vehicle, so I have no way of getting my large model to them.

[Weaver]

According to those specs you've put up, your camera doesn't have an Aperture Priority mode, which is what I'd use on my DSLR. What this does is let you set the aperture manually and then automatically sets an appropriate shutter speed, the advantage being that, as loupgarou suggests, you can wind the aperture right down for maximum depth of field (depth of field being the range of distances over which the image is in focus).

What you'll need to do is get stuck into the manual to find out exactly what the camera does in each of it's Creative Exposure modes. Hopefully there will be one that mimics the settings I've described, but I can't tell from the on-line specs. What you're looking for is minimum aperture for maximum depth of field, with the shutter speed adjusted to match.

I never use flash, preferring multi-source lighting and long exposures. This is why a tripod is neccessary: to hold the camera still while the shutter is open for a relatively long time (can be tens of seconds!). It doesn't matter what sort of tripod you've got, asw long as it can hold the camera still in the right position. I use the self-timer to avoid vibration: it gives you ten seconds to get well away from the camera between pressing the button and the shutter opening. You want to be on a different bit of floor: preferably right out of the room!

Lighting-wise, cheap "anglepoise-ish" lamps fitted with daylight bulbs (colour temperature = 5000 to 6000 kelvin) are your best bet. Compact flourescent or LED bulbs will generate less heat than incandescents. You can, of course, put daylight bulbs in the main room light to help out. You want one light source to be directly above the model, giving "general" lighting, and one close to the camera to eliminate shadows.

For the background, Loupgarou is right again. This pic shows a full-size "limbo" made with white paper: you should be looking to recreate this in miniature:



Since your camera does have spot-metering, white shouldn't be a problem: just zoom in on the model, take a spot-meter, then zoom out again, holding the setting. I agree however, that pale non-whites are "nicer". I'd suggest maybe a pastel blue, which is "nautical" without being too specific. You can get big sheets of paper/card from art shops: they'll be relatively expensive, but you can re-use them for years if you're careful.

Funnily enough, this subject has just come up on BTS. Antonio Sobral has put some helpful tips up here: http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=3628.0;topicseen

[Captain Canada]

I'm not a big help, as my model photography is somewhat lacking....but I like the idea of the pale blue background ! It's both nautical and 'icy' 

And thanks for the thread and tips so far...look forward to reading more on the subject !

[Father Ennis]

I have looked into this in the past. I know that FSM has specific rules. I don't know what the current set are but I believe that their website has them,if not contact them and find out,first then proceed. Personally, I use white poster board to bounce light to light the backside of the model. I have two swing arm lamps on my worckbench with provision for a third if I want.  You might look into getting some clamp lights. One thing to remember is use lights which are white sprectium not the pigtails,which are really florescent lights which are really green spectrum . ( I know they they don't 'look' green.Human.eyes just don't see it.)  Hope this helps....

[pyro-manic]

A note on lighting - colour issues can be easily fixed in post-production. Alternatively, setting your White Balance correctly before taking the shot will sort it as well. I generally do it in post.

[Dizzyfugu]

If you want to take your model in front of a neutral BG, this is the way to go:




Use a large sheet of cardboard, long enough to be attached at the back vertically and running down, under your model to the front in a smooth curve - white is difficult because it reflects strongly, as well as silver.

Do NOT use any flash here, artificial light (5.000K, no "warm" light bulb light, it's too yellow-ish on the pics) is a must, best with two sources from the sides. One main source from one side or from the top, and a secondary light from the side - a white reflective "wall" might suffice, so that you can light up shadowy areas (e. g. the area under the upper deck).

Use a tripod and a macro program. You will hardly be able to take a sharp picture with bare hands. A timer function on your camera might be handy, too.



Besides, here's a how-to what I usually do, and the results are pretty convincing (just with a VERY simple pocket camera and some editing software - Gimp is a very good freeware which I'd recommend):


"Hell's kitchen" or: what to do with an oven if not for cooking by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Here's a view at a typical setup for a "home shooting" of mine. Place is the kitchen, but any table with a vertical and  even wall behind it will do, too. Any of the digital model kit pictures in my albums has been shot this way, more or less, so it might be a guideline (or inspiration) for other hobby photographers.

As a camera, I use a simple "tourist style" Kodak CX 7330 pocket camera. It has an optical zoom, though, and offers a macro program for small objects/close-ups, and I turn off the flash light manually. Anything else is "craftsmanship", for which  I use...

1) A fixed background light.
In this case, and hidden behind the file drawer which acts as a glare barrier for the camera, is a 150 Watt halogen light from the DIY market. It produces a bright, white and rather diffuse light, but in many cases a weaker light source (I frequently use a 50 Watt Halogen reading lamp which shines from above onto the background) will suffice. The backgorund will definitievyl need some lighting, though, and sometimes this extra light behind the model will blend out shadows on the background, too.

2) A nice background poster.
Be creative! Just make sure that both perspective and scale are O.K., and if in doubt better use a bigger backgorund which fills area around the kit on the picture.
I use DIN A3 color printouts, and simply tape them to the wall. Just make sure that this background carrier is even and vertical (best is to use tape on all 4 egdes!), because the background light easily reveals ripples and curves, and sometimes you just see them on the final picture. Additionally, always check for reflections from the other light sources, therefore use shallow angles for the lights on both background and model, pointing away from the camera or block it with a glare barrier.

3) A reflector for counter-lighting.
A valuable tool and light trick. This is simple white cardboard on a self-made wooden frame. In many cases you can use this device to indirectly light up the dark side of a kit, esp. when more than a single light source would be needed but the combined light would just be too much or look totally unrealistic. Instead, cast back the main light with such a white panel, it looks very natural!
You can also use it to indirectly  put light onto the whole kit, using a strong, pointed light source directly onto this reflector and have its light reflected onto the kit. It creates a warm and soft effect, much less bright but still illuminating the whole kit.
The whole thing is also handy as a glare blocker.

4) A tripod.
One thing I really recommend for macro pictures. You can easily build such a device by yourself, but buying one does not cost the world and it makes photo shooting easy and professional.
I use a small telescopic device which allows free camera positioning, and you will need it for crisp pictures in the makro mode of the camera and its slow shutter speeds!

5) One or two main light sources for the model.
I use 50 Watt Halogen lamps - again for their clean and concentrated light. When positioning this subject lights, check the background picture, the light should come from similar directions, otherwise the picture can look wacky!
Depending on the oveerall light level and perspective, I use two of these lamps from left and right, or one fixed spot (like here in the picture) and another one in free hand to light certain areas, e. g. from above. Finding a good light compromise this way is a delicate work, and normally I make picture series with slightly varying light conditions, chosing the best results for fine tuning and publishing.

6) A highlighter
This is a 20 Watt halogen reading lamp with a snake mount - I frequently use it free-hand to illuminate dark areas on a kit when the directional fixed light #5 casts too much shadows.

[Army of One]

Masterclass  ....makes it look so easy.......apart from the background......I got all that stuff.....as I have never attempted it, how would you get rid of the stand from the final picture....? Any chance of an idiots guide to that as you have done with taking the picture please......? 

[Gondor]

Masterclass  ....makes it look so easy.......apart from the background......I got all that stuff.....as I have never attempted it, how would you get rid of the stand from the final picture....? Any chance of an idiots guide to that as you have done with taking the picture please......? 

That would make a really nice Newsletter article or two

Gondor

[Dizzyfugu]

Masterclass  ....makes it look so easy.......apart from the background......I got all that stuff.....as I have never attempted it, how would you get rid of the stand from the final picture....? Any chance of an idiots guide to that as you have done with taking the picture please......? 

You can either try to hide it behind a polishing cotton cloud - did that in the early days on some Valkyries, like this one:


1:100 Macross VF-1S Valkyrie "Double Nuts" - Battroid Mode by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Or you need picture editing software and some practice, too. The aforementioned "Gimp" freeware is very good and offers anything one could ask for.

[Army of One]

Cool....as a computer Neanderthal...(I can just about post pics on here.....) is it simply download and follow the instructions......?