How to snap pics of your models....

[trystero]

Hey,

Just found this forum and wanted to check out people's work, but the pics are pretty bad, even for people who say they use a 3 megapixel or better camera :)

If you try and take closeups in *auto* mode with standard settings, your camera will likely have a tough time focusing on the model and will often focus on stuff further in the background. Most consumer cameras have special settings for this.

1.) Find the setting on your camera for taking MACRO shots. On a Nikon, this will be in the scene menu, I think it is the same for Canon. Set it to MACRO.

2.) Take the camera and STABILIZE it. If you try and take a macro shot while holding the camera, you will shake too much naturally and blur the image. Best thing, put camera on a book, or the tabletop. Once it is stable and focused, snap the pic.

3.) For best results, you can even figure out how to make your camera take timed shots. Here you set the camera up to take a pic in some number of seconds (usually 10). Then leave the camera alone and let it snap. This way you don't even touch it while it takes the shot.

I'm not a photographer, but I know this is what I do when I need to take detailed pics of small objects.

Hard to appreciate everyones paint jobs when things are a big blur :)


- trystero

[Lord Dante]

Id like to hear some tips on lighting and backgrounds for taking pics of models.

If u look at the shots in the GW mags books etc they always have them nicely lit and well placed on a neutral backdrop?

Seems to add clarity to the pic.

[Urchin]

Indeed, setting the camera on timer, and not touch it with your hands while it takes the pic give much better images. Also, try to avoid using flash. Try to light it up with lamps (preferably indirect light) instead.

Sometimes I make the room quite dark, and take pictures with very long shutting times. A second or two. Makes the colours look really good.

Lastly, open up the pictures in some photo editing program. If you take pictures with ordinary bulbs as light, they tend to get yellowish. If so, adjust the colours so they look like they should

Im no photographer, these are just my recommendations after testing lots of settings.

[Jono]

These are good tips people, take note.

As far as lighting goes try to use a white light source such as a halogen bulb but don't shine it directly onto the model as this will cast a sharp shadow and cause the colours to apear washed out, instead use something like white paper to reflect difused light onto the subject. Also when posible use two light sources, one on either side of the cameras position, natural light can be good for this if you have nothing else.

Things to note:
- Never use a flash
- Never have a light source behind the subject
- Always use your camera macro mode
- Always steady the camera
- When composing the shot, remember to take into account the short focal length of a macro lense.

As far as backgrounds go, if you don't have any interesting looking terrain to use as background, just use white paper. The advantage of white paper is that it usually gives good contrast, it helps to reflect more difused light on the subject and it is easy to edit out with photo editing software if you want to.

Now I have never studied photography but these tips should give you some pretty good results.

[Brother Walk]

Id like to hear some tips on lighting and backgrounds for taking pics of models.

If u look at the shots in the GW mags books etc they always have them nicely lit and well placed on a neutral backdrop?

Seems to add clarity to the pic.

Gw has a special room off the painting studio (or did in the old studio) that is set up for photography.

There were some 16 arrays of ligthts that would literally FLOOD the stage with the minis on it. they would take 45 seconds to charge .. followed by a loud *BEEP* when they did. [When people were painting it was funny to watch some of the old guard close their eyes for about 2 seconds after they heard the beep - waiting for the flashes to go off.]

When you are photographing miniatures .. Darkness is your enemy. For something so small .. ANY shadow is going to be magnified some 10-12 times. so you need to eliminate all shadows.

At home .. your normally not taking photos of entire armies, so you don't need a huge flash array. You can take 2-3 desk lamps, and position them as close to the mini as you can and still have them out of frame. 2 pieces of white cardboard (comic backers work very well) serve as a neutral background that you can balance your camera against.

Put your camera on a tripod, stop it down, and use a remote if you have one. a good 1-2 second exposure should do you right.

Point and shoots have a bit of a challenge .. but with enough light .. the auto flash won't go off .. and you can avoid glare.

[Willowwing]

For under $20 US you can make a portable light box or diffuse box for taking stills and mini pics. The light box with 2 side and above lights on it produce almost zero glare or shadows. When you use the white fabric for the box light bounces around on the indside of the box provide an all over lighting effect. The white background makes it very easy to pull into photoshop to add a background to.

[Gimpro]

man i just tryed to take a pic with my web cam.... wow it looks like shit, im never going to do that again! probably gonna get me a camera!

[Knorretje]

A negative on the white background!!! use a more greyish background because grey is a neutral colour and won't affect light hitting the model.