Howdy Alex,
Well first let me thank you for the compliments on the various postings I have made of the 2 or 3 yrs I have been coming here.
Yes, you might say i am a "speed building maniac" lol but, when i get started I try to go ahead and finish a model....I guess its "whats left" of the kid in me (I am 43).... I want to see the finished product just as soon as I can.
And about the camera. Well this is an HP PHOTOSMART 3.0 megapixels that came as part of a "camera/printer" package. I have a tripod but the way I take photos is to get down to eye level with the model. Until my neck got to bothering me a few months ago, I was photographing all my models on the concrete driveway in front of my house, more recently however, unable to get down to ground level, I have been pouring water on the hood of my pick up truck and laying the camera on the hood "at eye level" with the model and photographing them that way, using a 2 million candlelight hand held spotlight and the cameras flash for the lighting for the nighttime pictures.
If you notice, most people take a photo of a model on a base of some sort usually from somewhere near a 45 degree angle above and to one side of the model. I think my method of photographing gives the feel of "standing infront of, or beside" the model. This really gives the models I photograph on the driveway a really nice appearance in my opinion.
But back to the camera, the whole "set", printer and camera cost me like $120 so its not the best in the world and i probably should buy a better one but if I spend money on a camera, it cuts down what I can spend on models lol.
And as far as wanting to see more detail.....well sometimes you would sometimes ya wouldnt. Being speed builds I dont usually paint any seat belts, harnesses or weather the aircraft i build, there are also the occassional fingerprints in the paint, not often, but they do happen. I rarely detail the instrument panel other than a quick drybrushing of white over a black console. This particular model if you will look closely has a couple of blemishes on the canopy where the super glue fumes marred the finish. They arent really noticible and this is one more reason i stick with this camera, its forgiving when it comes to defects but still has good enough clarity to get the job done. Another thing that might cause the photos to be less detailed is the distance from the models when photograph them, we are talking anywhere from 3 to 5 inches when I snap the shutter (just far enough back to get the entire model in the frame).
But anyway, give this style of photographing a try sometime, place a model out on the edge of the driveway and place the camera on the ground beside it, this is not an angle or setting the human eye is used to see a model its more like a person would actually see an aircraft, and it really gives you a different perspective.
again, thanks for the compliments and have a good day,
Greg
PS: for those who wonder, both shades of gray on this model are only primer paint, one machine gray and the other darker one, called "primer gray". They were bioth sprayed "free-hand" from the can although i did cut out a paper towel and use it as a mask for the light gray area in the center top of the aircraft. Then i applied a gloss laquer.