Before I headed back to modeling I had a 16X30' studio in my house and did professional model photography for about 8 years.The Scale model pics I see on the net vary greatly [big surprise, right?]. It most often has to do with background and LIGHTING.Video takes continuous light and lots of it. Still photography is best done with "filtered light". Here are a few tips:
1. create a simple background if you want to totally present the model as the subject [documentary shot]. A complex, busy background takes the viewers attention away from the model [subject].
Lots of people use the white artist foam core to make a background. good idea. buy two poster size sheets. lay them end to end with a tiny gap in between. using packing tape, apply a strip across the two ends. your goal is to be able to fold the two pieces [like a book] to a 90deg angle and have an "L" shaped background. Of course, the taped side is on the back. Sit your background on a level surface and prop the back piece up with something heavy--can of paint or similar. Why use white? white will reflect your light all around the model and help eliminate shadows.Before I forget, it is best to place your model as far from the vertical part of the background as possible. this will help eliminate cast shadows.
3. If you shoot outdoors do NOT choose a bright sunny day. the light is too intense and will create whited out areas and glare in your pictures. choose a partly cloudy day or an overcast day.
the clouds serve as a filter for the sunlight. they "soften" and diffuse the strong light and give you what you want. PRACTICE and use different settings on your camera to determine what works best.
write down what settings give you the pics you want. record distance from your camera to the model, etc. you have to be a bit scientific. if you just shoot randomly you will get random results.the BEST
shoot times are usually late morning and late afternoon, when the sun is at an angle, not straight overhead. those are called the "golden hours"
4. HERE comes the suggestion that many people hate. USE A TRIPOD. You think you can hold still? me too. I shot a lot of that high speed fashion stuff--model in motion, me running all over the
studio space-pause-snap snap snap. 3,000 shots in an hour--seriously. I could do that because I had a pro DSLR that allowed me to shoot really fast and several powerful strobes that flashed with
the brilliance of lightning. those factors will stop motion. I spent about $3,000 for that capability. USE A TRIPOD or......arrange a stand [a ladder works okay--the 4-5 step kind is best] at the right
distance that you can sit your camera on and have it tilt down toward your model. you can hold it braced on a small ladder but if you really want a sharp image--use the cameras TIMER if it has one.
Even the act of pressing the shutter button can cause disruptive motion. USE A TRIPOD. You can buy them them for about $19 sometimes.
5. What about light? good question. outdoors you may not need any additional lighting if you have chosen a good day. On the other hand, the sun varies from day to day, season to season,
minute to minute. cloud cover varies in thickness, water content [clouds are water vapor, right?], and a semi cloudy day can cause your light to come and go. then you are struggling to
hit a good light moment, clouds to move around, etc. Indoors YOU have more control. Once you have your 'setup' figured out--you can reproduce it every time. That eliminates a lot
of frustration and gives you consistent results.
6. Using indoor light. Remember what I stated above about photography? its best with filtered light, but how do you FILTER light? think about the sun being 'filtered' and softened by passing
through the clouds. Photographers use soft boxes [google it] and other "modifiers" [anything that changes the quality of light] to control the kind of light they want.
OK, I get the "principle", but HOW do I do all this Ted?
Many different ways, and it depends on your budget, your skill at making your own stuff, how much storage space you have, etc. Here is one way? Go to the hardware and buy three clamp on light fixtures with the highest bulb rating you can find. 75watt ok, 100watt better. set up your background like I described in step one [kitchen table or coffee table?] you are going to use a chair or any object that the lights can be clamped to that will allow you to place them right up to the edge of the background from each side.I made some stands from coffee cans, sturdy trim wood [ furring strips are cheaper] and that post hole concrete that dries in minutes and does not have to be mixed in a wheelbarrow. Place can/bucket on level ground, stand wooden strip vertical in container, scoop in dry mix, add water, mix a bit with garden tool or similar, and in a few minutes it will stand on its on. let it cure overnight.
You can make the stands tall or short--I would go with two or three about 36" total height. QUESTION: the side lighting would be easy, but what about the overhead light?? take another piece of your wood trim and fasten it [spring clamp, duct tape] between the side stands, high enough to allow you to clamp the light on it so that the light will hang about 24" above your model or higher [you will have to experiment]. Make notes about your set-up.Measure distances. You will memorize and be able to eyeball it later.Start out being scientific. That is how consistency is built.
CHEAPEST AND EASIEST: If you have high-back chairs or bar-stools, and you can arrange them on each side of your background, place a broom across the top from side to side, and
clamp the lights in position as needed.
OK Ted, I've read all this theory of light and instructions stuff and I think I can put it all together maybe? but you left out the part about the FILTRATION of the light.
YOU SAID that was important! HOW WILL I DO THAT???
Here is what you can do. Take a piece of copy paper or similar [no lines or watermark] and use clothespins or small binder clips [office supply] to fasten the paper to the rim of the clamp light.I always bowed the paper outward a bit to keep it away from the bulb. The ignition temperature for paper is reported to be 450C. The firemen can confirm that for you after they put the fire out.
Is there a better way to diffuse the light? yes. Get a cardboard box large enough to sit completely over your background. tape it together as needed [packing tape or similar] folding
the flaps as they are usually folded over one another. congratulations, you just constructed an empty box! Now take a sharp utility knife and cut all the sides and top out, leaving about one inch
of each edge. What you have now looks like the open "frame" of a box. Place your background inside the frame and support it. Next, drape a cheap white sheet over the top, back, and sides. shine the lights through the sheet from each side and overhead. You have created a "soft box" that will filter and diffuse the light around your model.
Do I have one of these setups--YES. Do I Have any pictures of it? NO. My camera is in the shop for a repair. When I get it back I will make some
pictures and post.
Final QUESTION: why go through all this trouble? If I spend countless hours building a model, I want good pictures. I want to be able to get consistent images that I am proud of. Pictures that are
worthy of all the $$$$ and work I put into the model. Great model+lousy pictures = disappointment. I hope that someone can use all or part of the info and ideas here to make great pictures of their
models. Best wishes Everyone!
Ted
almost forgot! when you do photos, move the model, not the camera! once your setup is solid, your camera in place, keep the changes to ONE element in the setup. turn the model, not the camera. everything is locked in, move the model. only time to move the camera is for closeups and to shoot down from a higher angle.
