WG Vrox Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Like all of us, I love seeing pics of WIP or finished pieces. Being an amature photographer I am going to give 5 key points to taking a good photo. 1. Light. Outside light is the best, but most importantly is that there is a lot of it and it is the same type. Meaning fluorescent or incandescent or LED. I dont want to bore you on why, however it is important to make sure white shows as white. 2. Background and reflective surfaces. Make sure that the light in the background is not as bright or brighter than the light coming from the direction of the camera. if you model comes out looking dark, this is usually why. Also avoid reflective surfaces such as vinyl, gloss or mirrors as it will again make your model come out looking dark. 3. Setting. Whatever you set the model on make sure it does not reflect light, matt surface of cloth or unglazed dark wood is best. 4. How close are you to the model. Every camera is different, but look for a macro setting on your camera and use it, always make sure that you are not too close to the model as the camera will not be able to focus. 5. Light, yes it is that important that I included it twice. Look to make sure you camera is in AWB (auto white balance) Mode. Hope that helps those who are interested. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/296327-pictures-of-miniatures-made-easy/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frater Cornelius Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 One more thing about light that helps me is that if the only light source available is direct light (sun shining right at your mini, a lamp that is not covered by anything), make sure that you have your back to it when making the picture. Otherwise the miniature will turn out too dark because of that bright light in the background. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/296327-pictures-of-miniatures-made-easy/#findComment-3801200 Share on other sites More sharing options...
WG Vrox Posted September 5, 2014 Author Share Posted September 5, 2014 Just to give myself some street cred... HERE is a link to my photos of war 40k minis. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/296327-pictures-of-miniatures-made-easy/#findComment-3801219 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firepower Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Hm, reflective surface...I'll have to try that and see if it helps. I always have to throw my Templars into Photoshop and adjust curves for the highlights to show up. I have a lot of issues with focus. Models with a lot of parts sticking out in different directions always blur on me, even when I ignorantly fiddle around with the camera settings. I can almost never photograph a vehicle without the tail end blurring out a bit. In the end I have to position them almost horizontally to avoid the issue, which makes showing off the work i put into the front and back rather difficult. Nice pics, by the way. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/296327-pictures-of-miniatures-made-easy/#findComment-3801224 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Blaire Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 If you decide to do a tutorial or another write up, if I might shameless promote you putting it up in the Photography Tutorial area of the +Forge+, because these are good tips and we could use some more good picture taking tutorials & guides. I know you have one there, but if you do some more, I'm sure folks (like me) could always use the help. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/296327-pictures-of-miniatures-made-easy/#findComment-3801227 Share on other sites More sharing options...
WG Vrox Posted September 5, 2014 Author Share Posted September 5, 2014 If you decide to do a tutorial or another write up, if I might shameless promote you putting it up in the Photography Tutorial area of the +Forge+, because these are good tips and we could use some more good picture taking tutorials & guides. I have in the past and have a few vids there as well, but I wanted it to keep it simple and doable for anyone. Plus the only pics that matter are of Space Wolves Hm, reflective surface...I'll have to try that and see if it helps. I always have to throw my Templars into Photoshop and adjust curves for the highlights to show up. I have a lot of issues with focus. Models with a lot of parts sticking out in different directions always blur on me, even when I ignorantly fiddle around with the camera settings. I can almost never photograph a vehicle without the tail end blurring out a bit. In the end I have to position them almost horizontally to avoid the issue, which makes showing off the work i put into the front and back rather difficult. Nice pics, by the way. I was meaning to avoid reflective surfaces. But ideally a little light coming from all directions is ideal, thus the use of a light box is what professionals use. Your issues with focus has to do with depth of field, the better your lens the larger area you can keep in focus. But besides getting a better lens, if you want make sure your entire model is in focus you just need to have a crazy amount of light, which means out in the mid day sun with the sun behind you shining on your model. Thanks, just a hobby thing I do at local tournaments. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/296327-pictures-of-miniatures-made-easy/#findComment-3801272 Share on other sites More sharing options...
WG Vrox Posted September 5, 2014 Author Share Posted September 5, 2014 Just reread my last post and it may have sounded kinda snooty.. Hope it came across ok, was just in a hurry. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/296327-pictures-of-miniatures-made-easy/#findComment-3801476 Share on other sites More sharing options...
FenrisWolf Posted September 6, 2014 Share Posted September 6, 2014 Hm, reflective surface...I'll have to try that and see if it helps. I always have to throw my Templars into Photoshop and adjust curves for the highlights to show up. I have a lot of issues with focus. Models with a lot of parts sticking out in different directions always blur on me, even when I ignorantly fiddle around with the camera settings. I can almost never photograph a vehicle without the tail end blurring out a bit. In the end I have to position them almost horizontally to avoid the issue, which makes showing off the work i put into the front and back rather difficult. Nice pics, by the way. This is a depth of field issue. Depending on your camera you may just have to live with it, making sure the point of interest to you is in focus. Macro modes on most cameras make your depth of field very shallow (which is what you are describing). Without knowing more about what camera and setup you're using, I can't get more detailed. DPreview.com has some tutorials and guides for macro photos. But if you google depth of field, you may be able to find more pointers. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/296327-pictures-of-miniatures-made-easy/#findComment-3802044 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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