Photo composition

[yak face]

Photos . we all post them of our builds , but as has been recently proved by Ron and Si it only takes a little thought and a bit of careful lighting/background to lift something from being a great build to an astounding image. The best thing is you dont need a fancy studio or any resorting to photoshop , just have a play around and remember a model with the right background can tell a story on its own. I usually take most of my aircraft pics with a plain background to show the model but I like to throw in a few with a different light /background or perspective sometimes . So have a mess around folks ,its great fun and you might surprise yourself!! tony

 

[spanner570]

Tony's writing is spot on. A model can be lifted from something just placed on a base - with all sorts in the background to distract the eye, the washing line up the garden, the work bench or t.v - to great pictures of a model.....with a bit of care.

We spend a lot of time and money producing our models, so make sure your pictures do them justice.

As Tony points out, a simple neutral backdrop (hiding anything behind) is all that's required, and yes, these fancy things like photoshop are unnecessary. Also, don't think for one minute you need an expensive camera....the one I use for my model pictures is ancient, and can be bought on ebay for around £20....

Finally, don't be fooled by this pixel nonsense, 5Mp is plenty....Unless you want to print something to cover a wall!!!

 

[Polux]

I'm absolutely agree with Tony and Ron.

The pics are very important to show our models to the others. I start, recently, to take more care with them....

But I have a question:

In my Pc the photos looks very clean, but once posted on my threads I look them with less 'quality'.... is normal?

Or you see my photos well? o_O

Cheers

 

[yak face]

Your pics always look clear to me polux, tony

 

[Polux]

Your pics always look clear to me polux, tony

Thanks Tony was worried.... Think I was doing something wrong when posting them...

Cheers

Polux

 

[Polux]

Yep!!!

Wait!!!

We can do a little 'competition'!!! For Christmas or december, show our best photo of a model.

Any kind of model, outside or inside.....just to have fun!

You all like the idea?

 

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

I have a fairly decent Nikon DSLR, light boxes and tripods etc,, yet I cant take decent photos for toffee, I may go join a camera club in the New year!!!!

Adrian

 

[Ian M]

I have a fairly decent Nikon DSLR, light boxes and tripods etc,, yet I cant take decent photos for toffee, I may go join a camera club in the New year!!!!Adrian

Not meant in a bad way Adrian but do it. My sister did and I will just say that she takes a darn good photo now. She put it down to help being at hand and as here, in the forums, a group of like minded people are sometimes the best help you can get.

I have a 'better than average' camera and objectives, and still take 99% of my photos with my smart phone!

Ian M

 

[Ian M]

Hmm a photo "competition"......

Ian M

 

[Bunkerbarge]

All very good points gents and all so true. My best shots have always been as a result of being in the right place at the right time with an eye for an opportunity. I have a superb DSLR but take better shots with my pocket Panasonic, simply because I get far more opportunities with it. If you get it right you don't need Photoshop, which I find grossly overrated and overpriced anyway unless youy are a proffessional and can use all of its bells and whistles. Many computer operating systems have thier own built in photo management and editing software which is enough for basic cropping and adjusting.

I think Ron's U-boat shots are a perfect example of where imagination and a bit of creativity makes far more difference than fancy cameras and software.

Adrian, I've heard about those camra clubs, nudge nudge, wink,wink

 

[Polux]

Hmm a photo "competition"......Ian M

Mmmm....hope you think about it... :rolleyes:

 

[CDW]

I used to have 1000's of pounds worth of camera and studio equipment, and could get some very presentable shots although most were less than average, sold up to move here and to be honest I've not missed it, well ive not missed the hours of setting up to get the "shot'' and carting bags of the stuff around.

Many have proved that you don't need expensive kit to produce a good image, its the composition of the subject matter. In fact the only photos I've had published were taken on a dodgy old Olympus ... Same goes for Elaine, her images of the spiders for ''the tarantula keepers guide'' were taken on a compact 5mp jobbie.

Nowadays anymore than 150 quid spent on a camera to take everyday shots is a waste of money (I'm not talking about specialist, paparazzi or sports photography here before I get jumped on)

After several years in photography I can honestly say I can get just as good imagery with the 140 quid Samsung we have now than I did with 4 odd grands worth of Nikon.

Well I'm happy with the results and that's all that matters

I think you could relate it to the fishermen that use the ''with all this equipment, I must catch something'' attitude.... Then the kiddy with a 20 quid rod and reel hooks the double figure carp

 

[colin m]

All very true. I've always thought photography as a bit of a 'Black art'. I'm a classic digital user, take loads of pics, and delete all but one or two. That doesn't mean they are good, just not as bad as the rest.

 

[PaulTRose]

my main problem is actually having the room to take pics!

i used to do all sorts of tricks like having a roll of lining wall paper which i would stick to the wall and lie over the ironing board to get a plain back drop

these days i use a photo light cube that collapses......got it for about 15 quid on ebay.....erect it on the bed....main prob is i find my camera (£140 Fuji bridge camera) has a too bright flash........have to put a bit of kitchen roll over it to tone it down lol

the house we used to live in was great as it had a patio made of large flag stones......in natuarl daylight it looked great

i keep planning on building a dio for 1/35 armour just for photo purposes............mind you ive been planning it for 3 years!...you know how it is lol lol

 

[Vaughan]

Believe it or not all my photos are taken with my iphone4s and that includes my finished aircraft shots. I don't have any fancy lights just my modelling lamps and some artist board for the background. I have used my Nikon DSLR in the past but have found that the iphone is more forgiving and doesn't require a tripod. I also managed to get a better depth of field with the iphone and less lighting issues.

 

[AlasdairGF]

Having an eye for decent composition is entirely independent of having decent equipment. Then of course there's the related issue of knowing how to use the equipment if you have it... I have a friend who has spent thousands of quid on photography equipment, but seems never to have taken a single decent shot! It's embarrassing actually, she keeps showing these awful photos off and no-one's had the guts to tell her to go on a course or something... :oops:

Of the two, a sense of what makes a decent picture is by far the most important. If coupled with decent equipment (and skill), you can do some amazing things. But you can still do some pretty amazing stuff even with the most basic equipment.

(I'm no expert! Like many, digital photography has been a great boon for me - take 100 shots, and some are bound to work out! As long as I keep experimenting and trying to figure out what works and what doesn't, I feel I'm getting better, even if very slowly.)

 

[tecdes]

I like to take photos of aircraft with a background. The shelf where I take photos of finished models has a sky background with a grassed area with a couple of runways. I feel they look much better against a background where they lived. Also when taking a series I like to have other completed aircraft of the same era in the background. This gives a scale to the model against other aircraft. On scale I also like to have ground crew as this gives a human scale to the picture.

On framing I like to take pictures form on top which gives an idea of what the aircraft looks form the sky. A nice framing is low at the level of the human eye as this a real understanding of the size of the aircraft.

In video work if taking a clip of some one I always gave them looking room. If you place a person in the middle of the picture looking to one side it looks weird as you are not giving them seeing space. Same with models. I position the tail to the far side & give the nose a bit of space or seeing distance. I think this gives a the aircraft a "look I fly".

LAurie