skypilot777
04-07-2003, 09:26
*** EDIT ***
Here is the link to the how-to page's permanent home on my website.
http://www.sixthsquadron.com/figures/phototips.htm
*** ***
A couple of others here have said that they intended to post tips on photographing figures to help everyone make better pictures for their contest entries.
The contest rules ask that you submit 4 photos of your figure, including front, back, and side views (assuming one of each side), and that they be taken against a "neutral" background.
That doesn't mean that we should photograph our figures against a backdrop of the Swiss flag. :lol It means that the backdrop should be one solid color, i.e. white, black, any solid color.
I've added two diagrams that show my own general setup. I modelled my setup after tips I got from other OSWarriors in the past.
http://sixthsquadron.com/misc/phototips01.jpg
What you need:
- camera = digital or manual, capable of manual setttings such as shutter speed and F-stop. A "macro" lens is preferable for taking close-up photos of small objects (as we are doing here).
- tripod = With the shutter speeds we need, a tripod is a must. The camera has to be held steady.
- lights = I use two clip-on "carpentry" lights that I got at Sears. They have a hemispherical reflector and are rated to 100 watts. I use 100 watts "Reveal" light bulbs. I suspend them with mic stands. You could use floor lamps, or if you're more ambitious, use real photography lights with stands. I have known some people to use desk lamps, too.
- table = two and a half to three feet deep, maybe deeper for larger subjects like vehicles.
- a fabric sheet in whatever neutral color you prefer. I use white most of the time, and occasionally lay a piece of black poster board over the sheet when photographing lighter subjects or something that has a lot of white in it.
Camera Settings:
Set your F-stop as high as it will go (mine is set to 8.0) and your shutter speed to as low as will not darken the shot ( mine is set to 1 / 8 ). Digital cameras - use the "manual" mode with the "macro" mode turned on, and non-digital cameras should use a "macro" or wide angle lens. Do not use flash. You should explicitely turn flash off.
White Balance (for digitals):
Digital cameras have a "white balance" setting that should be calibrated. You do this by aiming the camera at your "stage" background without anything in the way, using a plain white backdrop, and all your lighting turned on and generally flooding the "stage". Then, you can trigger the automatic detection on the camera and it will calibrate itself.
Color Control (for non-digital cameras):
I don't know a lot about non-digitals, but I do know that regular household lightbulbs, like I use, even though they're supposed to emit "true" white light, tend to show yellow on film. Halogen lights tend to show blue.
Positioning Subject and Camera:
You should place the subject in the center of the "stage" and the camera should be pointed straight at the subject from "center front" of the "stage" at the level of the subject's eyes. This is only to start, and should probably be used for the straight-on front-back-side shots.
http://sixthsquadron.com/misc/phototips02.jpg
Good Luck! :thumb
Here is the link to the how-to page's permanent home on my website.
http://www.sixthsquadron.com/figures/phototips.htm
*** ***
A couple of others here have said that they intended to post tips on photographing figures to help everyone make better pictures for their contest entries.
The contest rules ask that you submit 4 photos of your figure, including front, back, and side views (assuming one of each side), and that they be taken against a "neutral" background.
That doesn't mean that we should photograph our figures against a backdrop of the Swiss flag. :lol It means that the backdrop should be one solid color, i.e. white, black, any solid color.
I've added two diagrams that show my own general setup. I modelled my setup after tips I got from other OSWarriors in the past.
http://sixthsquadron.com/misc/phototips01.jpg
What you need:
- camera = digital or manual, capable of manual setttings such as shutter speed and F-stop. A "macro" lens is preferable for taking close-up photos of small objects (as we are doing here).
- tripod = With the shutter speeds we need, a tripod is a must. The camera has to be held steady.
- lights = I use two clip-on "carpentry" lights that I got at Sears. They have a hemispherical reflector and are rated to 100 watts. I use 100 watts "Reveal" light bulbs. I suspend them with mic stands. You could use floor lamps, or if you're more ambitious, use real photography lights with stands. I have known some people to use desk lamps, too.
- table = two and a half to three feet deep, maybe deeper for larger subjects like vehicles.
- a fabric sheet in whatever neutral color you prefer. I use white most of the time, and occasionally lay a piece of black poster board over the sheet when photographing lighter subjects or something that has a lot of white in it.
Camera Settings:
Set your F-stop as high as it will go (mine is set to 8.0) and your shutter speed to as low as will not darken the shot ( mine is set to 1 / 8 ). Digital cameras - use the "manual" mode with the "macro" mode turned on, and non-digital cameras should use a "macro" or wide angle lens. Do not use flash. You should explicitely turn flash off.
White Balance (for digitals):
Digital cameras have a "white balance" setting that should be calibrated. You do this by aiming the camera at your "stage" background without anything in the way, using a plain white backdrop, and all your lighting turned on and generally flooding the "stage". Then, you can trigger the automatic detection on the camera and it will calibrate itself.
Color Control (for non-digital cameras):
I don't know a lot about non-digitals, but I do know that regular household lightbulbs, like I use, even though they're supposed to emit "true" white light, tend to show yellow on film. Halogen lights tend to show blue.
Positioning Subject and Camera:
You should place the subject in the center of the "stage" and the camera should be pointed straight at the subject from "center front" of the "stage" at the level of the subject's eyes. This is only to start, and should probably be used for the straight-on front-back-side shots.
http://sixthsquadron.com/misc/phototips02.jpg
Good Luck! :thumb