Photobases

[Leigh]

OK Zac asked for it so we'll give this a go. Inspired by Matrixone's consistently amazing pics thought a kinda "how to" on bases and piccies would be of use to some. I don't claim to be an expert and there are alot articles out there on Model photography so I'll leave that technical side to others with more knowledge than me. I'm more interested in on where you actually put and what you put around the models.
I consider this an open thread and invite suggestions from everyone especially the master, yeah that's you Matrix. I would have put this in the tools and tips section but can't be arsed to keep uploading to photobucket.

So I'll start with what I've got and am going to build a new base pretty soon and I'll post that progress as I do it 'cos i'm gonna use some different techniques.

So inspired by Matrix again I built this base about a year ago its just a piece of 1/2" plywood 2' X 3'6".  This is too small for my needs as I'll explain later

[Leigh]

The tarmac/concrete is dead easy its just grey posterboard stuck to the plywood with a very generous brushing of diluted white glue, if the cardboard gets wet thats ok. This base took two pieces of posterboard cut to the basic shape I was looking for. I wanted a grass apron so that I could use the base for WWII subjects as well as jets also the contrast works well in the pics. The areas of concrete and grass are big enough that alot of the pics will be solely the one type of terrain if I wish. Remember I usually work in 1/72 you guys doing the grandad scales will need even bigger bases.
Before I glued the cardboard down I drew out the grid lightly in pencil and cut the board as needed so that the pieces of cardboard would meet at a seam line.
Tons of glue bunch of books and heavy stuff on top and wait a couple of days.
This method has worked great for smaller display bases but after a year the cardboard is peeling up at the edges and seams but I should add that my base spends alot of time outdoors, I live in California and it's hard to perch it somewhere in my small apartment.
After the glue is dry I took a long straight edge and gently scored along the grid lines with a punch. The idea is to create a depression in the cardboard not cut through it. A knitting needle, back of scissors any pointy but not too sharp object will work.
Then I took a bunch of spray paints in mostly greys, white, brown, and even black and just started randomly spraying lightly all over the place, not trying to cover the whole thing just get some tonal shades. Keep going till yer happy.
Mix up a thin wash of acrylic black and water, dip in a round brush, then holding the brush above the base give it a flick with your wrist all the time keeping the brush vertical. This will give you random oil spots, the height you keep the brush from the base will determine the size of the spots and the splatter patern. Throw a bit of grey in for variety. You want to do the splatters now because you want them to soak into the cardboard.
Next I took some gloss coat and sprayed along the panel lines I had depressed in the cardboard. Wait till dry and then used the same black wash and just dipped it in the panel lines. The capillary action draws it along the panel line. Now this doesnt always work and some spots I just painted along the line which is fine because we dont want uniformity.
Then I took dullcote and sprayed it along the panel lines. Take chalk pastels and just start drawing on the board anywhere you like and smudge it in with your fingers. You can create tyre marks and all kinds of shades. Don't be afraid to use white and other colours, subtle blues and yellows work real well too, and some white blended into the centre of the panels. Chalks don't smudge well on gloss coats which is why we put the dullcoat on. The painted runway lines were just drawn on with the full width of the chalk pastel one white and one yellow which has faded now. Seal the whole mess in with plenty of dullcote. Works great for small bases too.

[matrixone]

Leigh,
Your photobase looks great!

You spent much more time on your base and it looks far better the mine does.

One thing that I do different is I have three sections to my base instead of just one, that way I can increase the size if need be, and I use two card tables when all three sections are used. My backdrop is large enough to be placed behind the third section and yet not have the edges of the backdrop to spoil the shot.

Most of the time when I photograph a small 1/72 scale fighter only one section is used, the bigger the model the more area of the photobase and backdrop is needed.

HTH

Matrixone

[Leigh]

The grass is mostly "Woodland Scenics" model railroading grass it's a bit pricey but worth it I think.
A cheap alternative which I often use on smaller bases is plain old sawdust sprayed after application with various greens and browns. Seive the sawdust before you use it through a flour seive it's great for 1/48 but a little too coarse to be used on it's own for 1/72. Always use at least two shades of colour on grass otherwise it looks real fake.
So I use the Woodlands scenics application system which I'm sure you can adapt even without their products. Gently mask off the edge of the apron you don't want grass all over your wonderful concrete, then cover the rest of the base where you're not applying grass. I sprayed the grass areas with woodland scenics cement (which I'm convinced is just some form of diluted white glue) with a spray bottle, any small household spray bottle will work. I shook on the sieved sawdust with a woodlands scenics shaker. Theirs has various lids with different sized holes but you could make ones from any tupperware type containers or even a Lawry's salt containers with holes drilled in the lid. Make sure the holes are no bigger than 1/4 inch.
I shook on the sawdust were I wanted it, the sawdust was for rough burnt areas. After shaking on the sawdust lightly mist over it with the glue. Wait to dry.Shake off excess.
Repeated the process with coarse burnt turf  and a lid with smaller holes.
Repeated with fine green turf. Then a mix of the coarse and fine in some areas. At various areas I smudged with my fingertip to give it depth and texture.Try to keep everything random. When your happy with the look give a good spraying all over with the glue to keep it all in place.
This is remarkably durable and really stays in place.

[Leigh]

Close up of the grass

[Leigh]

Now living in Southern California I usually take my pics outside on my balcony.
I prefer the overall natural light but I do have to time it right to avoid heavy shadows, and/or the sun in my eyes. This is the set up.

And Matrix lets see pics of your sectional base and how do you avoid obvious seams?

[Leigh]

The table is just made from 1 1/2" ABS pipe and fittings not completely glued together so I can break it down. The legs are long enough to clear my railing but as high as I can go with my tripod. For more overhead shots I just lay the base on two plastic end tables that are part of my deck furniture.

[Leigh]

Now I don't use a backdrop usually and try to rely on the sky and scenery behind sometimes this works sometimes not and were the table higher it would work alot better, this is the view over the table.

[Leigh]

Stick a model on it and it often works out OK

[Leigh]

The limitations are that it's too small. For close up shots it's great but for a longer view you see the corners of the base. In this one trying to get more of an airfield look with a 1/144 die cast in the background for perspective you see the corners of the base. Sometimes you can crop these out but you get so close to the edge of the model you spoil the desired effect. So the conclusion is the base need to be a square shape.

[Tophe]

You're a Master too, Leigh... Congratulations!

[cthulhu77]

I am really happy you two are putting all of this information out...only started yesterday on my new photo area, and this is proving to be invaluable.
             thanks!!!!

[matrixone]

Leigh,
I don't have pictures of my photobase sections available right now.

The seams are easy to avoid, I always raise the section nearest the camera slightly and aim the camera level or very slightly upwards and never downwards. In this way it hides the seams and gives the illusion of my photobase being much larger than it is. When using smaller models in the background the forced perspective reinforces that illusion.

My idea is to concentrate on the backdrop and make it and the hangers, ground vehicles, figures, and models look good instead of putting in too much time on the ground work because if the camera is aimed straight ahead most attention will be on the model being photographed and the things in the background instead of the ground.
Once my fuel trucks, figures, buildings, and start carts are finished I intend to have some sort of airfield activity in the background of my pictures instead of just one or two models, this will draw attention away from the ground in front of the subject model.

HTH

Matrixone

[K5054NZ]

I'll have to get started on a Kiwi airfield once I get the time. And money.

[Leigh]

Zac we're not trying to create permanent dioramas here just ways to photo models that seem to put them in a more natural setting and don't distract from the point of focus which is the model, and not the empty beer can on the corner of the kitchen table which you plonked your model on to take a pic.
And this stuff is real cheap to put together, the wooden base I pick up free from work, I'm in construction and there's always scrap kicking about, sawdust is free, cardboard can be gotten from the back of notepads and the bottoms of kit/gift boxes.
I've also read that you can use garden dirt for grass, sieve it, bake it to dry it out and apply in the same manner.

Matrix clever way to hide the seams, sometimes I like to take more overhead shots that show off the shape of the plane, especially if I busted my donkey on a complicated camouflage job, that's why I put alot of effort into the ground. Though anyone planning on taking mostly level shots need not worry too much about the ground effects except those right on the front edge of the base where it will be in the foreground, and are gonna have to work on a good backdrop and that's your department mate.

Here is an example of a more overhead shot where I don't need a background but a good example of the limitations of my base and why it's too small, if you look in the top corners you see the edge of the base.