Photography’s Book.

[Polux]

Hi friends.

These last days I’m shooting photos. In fact I’m trying to shoot "good" photos for my book. I’m not a professional, so this project is quite difficult :oops:.....I need your advice and opinion, if you want to help, of course!!

Here will show some of them. I suppose the easy way is like the model kit ones, the item with a white background. The book is writing, and it has 170 pages, so these are 300 different photos. Imagine all in white.....maybe so bore, not?

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There will be some items cannot do a different background, like the big scale ones and the most similar to toys (these ones in white). All these will take the photos indoor.

The small items will use buildings and others for a better visual effect. Three examples; the first one I’m trying to show a bucolic photo (light/colour), the second and third are more normal, just to show the idea.

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The die-cast ones, on 1/18 scale, are perfects for an original background. Here I post some pictures.

This is the same Land Rover outdoor and indoor. I’m not so happy with the red colour....something happens. O_o

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These are my favourites by the moment.

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Thanks for looking and read.

Regards

Polux

 

[Alan 45]

I think they are great polux I'm no expert but I do think you have taken som very good photos there mate

Just an observation but would you be a land rover fan by any chance ? :D

 

[Polux]

Yep!! Sorry :eek:

Another interesting one....

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[Polux]

Just an observation but would you be a land rover fan by any chance ? :D

Hi Alan!!

Well.....it's a long story.

This vehicle has seen me grow and has helped me always, without never failing, to evolve in my business.

I have so much sympathetic to him

 

[Bunkerbarge]

I think your outdoor ones look extreemly effective and if you put a bit of weathering on the vehicles could look very realistic. The indoor ones do not work as well, I think mainly because you are not creating the right lighting. If you play around with your light sources they may work a bit better or use reflectors to fill in the front a bit more. One thing I do quite a lot of is to simply take the model outside to photograph it. Using a narrow depth of field to blurr background foliage is also useful to create a relistic scene.

If you want a pure studio shot though to show off the model you need lighting more like the set up you have used for the Oxford Fire Service Truck. My favourites though are the AA vehicle and the last shot of the long wheelbase vehicle, they all look superb.

 

[monica]

I think your outdoor ones look extreemly effective and if you put a bit of weathering on the vehicles could look very realistic. The indoor ones do not work as well, I think mainly because you are not creating the right lighting. If you play around with your light sources they may work a bit better or use reflectors to fill in the front a bit more. One thing I do quite a lot of is to simply take the model outside to photograph it. Using a narrow depth of field to blurr background foliage is also useful to create a relistic scene.If you want a pure studio shot though to show off the model you need lighting more like the set up you have used for the Oxford Fire Service Truck. My favourites though are the AA vehicle and the last shot of the long wheelbase vehicle, they all look superb.

i do agree with Richard, with inside picture takeing dose need , to be spot on with alot off lighting to highlight the subject, and cast shadows were you wont them to be, as im far from an expert ,

the 1st one was not so bad , but the otheres did seen to be a bit dark, sorry dont wont to say the wrong thing :rolleyes:

i did real like the outside ones were great and you do have a good eye for locations

 

[flyjoe180]

Really nice photos Polux, very creative using the outside scenes. The snow and ice is well timed for these photos, well suited to the rugged environment the Land Rover is so famous for.

 

[Polux]

I think your outdoor ones look extreemly effective and if you put a bit of weathering on the vehicles could look very realistic. The indoor ones do not work as well, I think mainly because you are not creating the right lighting. If you play around with your light sources they may work a bit better or use reflectors to fill in the front a bit more. One thing I do quite a lot of is to simply take the model outside to photograph it. Using a narrow depth of field to blurr background foliage is also useful to create a relistic scene.If you want a pure studio shot though to show off the model you need lighting more like the set up you have used for the Oxford Fire Service Truck. My favourites though are the AA vehicle and the last shot of the long wheelbase vehicle, they all look superb.

Is a perfect reply Richard.

I shoot two new photos trying to imitate the truck one. Maybe the problem of the first attempt was the light as you said. The photo was shooting indoor, but near the window with natural light. This new one is with lamps. Looks much better!

Anyway I will need to find some correct balance between the inside and the out ones with the light.

I’m glad you like it the AA photos.

There is an important “problem” Richard.....all the vehicles that will show, are from my own collection, so I cannot add weathering or any kind of modification, if I want to preserve they value. :oops:

The intention is to publish a book with all the references as you can buy them.

Regards

Polux

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[Polux]

the 1st one was not so bad , but the otheres did seen to be a bit dark, sorry dont wont to say the wrong thing :rolleyes:

I'm glad with your comment. I need all kind of help and comments (goods or bads).

Take a look at the new ones.....better?

Polux

 

[Stevekir]

First off, some aspects of an image can be criticised objectively, like bad focussingm but a lot of what is "good" or "bad" is subjective. However, here are my comments:

The blue, red and yellow Land Rovers are sharper than the others and look better (to me).

In the side view of the pickup truck, the background sets it off well and being slightly out of focus is good, but it looks (to me) a bit muddy and not as sharp as I think it should be (unless of course you want to show a dingy atmosphere as in a derelict or industrial setting). Have you got a photoediting programme such as Photoshop (expensive); Photoshop Elements (much cheaper); or Gimp (free). I put the pickup truck into Photoshop and adjusted the Levels, and gave it a little Unsharp Mask. Here is the result:

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To me, that looks better, but tastes differ.

To get a sharp image I was recently told by an experienced photgraphing friend that professionals, when using a camera which can vary the aperture of the lens, like a Single Lens Reflex camera, a small aperture gives best results, about f18, but not smaller because something to do with internal reflections in the lens happens. A compact camera does not usually give that flexibility.

On the first (Red Cross) and in others, there are two shadows, probably because you used two lights. I think one shadow is better. Also, the main shadow is quite yellow and seems to me to detract from the model. Perhaps one was from the window and the other (yellow) from a light). The question pops up "Why is it yellow?" The same applies to the first red Land Rover.

You can get quite cheaply a lighting set costing less than £30, consisting of a tripod stand, a white reflecting umbrella and a light fitting which (in my case) takes a (supplied) 22 W energy saving bulb which, although much less bright than the high powered one used by professionals, is ok I you use a tripod and a timed shutter of about a couple of seconds. Or a flash.

There seem to be two (probably more) basic ways of displaying a model: In a setting as in a dio; or as a studio "portrait" as in the green, blue and khaki Land Rovers. For me, the dio gives more interest and shows off the model in the sort of place it would often be. The second is like a photograph of someone taken at a photographic studio and can be posed in just the right angle (and in several photos at different angles) and with good lighting, as in your red rover which shows off the glossy paint, and without any distraction from a detailed setting. Or a variation can be a very formal and posh photo with no shadow at all when taken in a light tent.

I think cloesups of any detail that you are proud of are interesting, although closeups often show up mistakes, spots, dust etc. which normal viewing does not.

I find taking good photos difficult. It seems to be as much art as technique. Just my thoughts, hope they help.

 

[Polux]

Excellent view point Steve!

There are many good advice to considering there :rolleyes:

Thank you very much for your help and to take all the time you need to write all this reply

You know some tip to obtain a better colour (inside), or is just only the correct light?

You are a good reference for me, remember we have the same camera, and seems your passion now is the photography

Regards

Polux

 

[Stevekir]

Excellent view point Steve!There are many good advice to considering there :rolleyes:

Thank you very much for your help and to take all the time you need to write all this reply

You know some tip to obtain a better colour (inside), or is just only the correct light?

You are a good reference for me, remember we have the same camera, and seems your passion now is the photography

Regards

Polux

I had forgotten about having the same camera (Nikon D3100). Correct colour balance is sometimes a problem, but the camera can compensate for the colour of the light on the model, before the photo is taken, either automatically (if selected) or according to various types of light source such as daylight, fluorescent, incandescent etc. (selected in a menu).

I have used Auto for lighting from a flash gun, (which gives a very white light) or alternatively from an umbrella lit by a 22 W energy saving bulb (which gives a very warm light). It makes photos that have no colour cast (but see below about shadow).

Attached is a copy of the first two pages of the D3100 manual (many other cameras will have a similar menu). There are 5 more pages for more fancy adjustments that I could post, let me know. The extracts are from the online manual which is different and more detailed than the printed one that comes with the camera.

You just open the White Balance menu in the camera and choose Auto, or choose from a selection of light sources.

But nothing in the camera settings will correct for two light sources of different colour (for example daylight and incandescent) which might not affect the colour of your model too much, but the shadow cast by one of the lights will probably have a colour cast.

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However, the third photo was taken with one light source and the Auto setting and while the rest of the image, including the off-white background, was colour-true, still the shadow had a colour cast. Why I don't know. This had to be corrected in photo-editing software.

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