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Post by brianthemodeller on Oct 18, 2009 7:02:26 GMT
Whilst out shopping yesterday I had a moment of inspiration. I saw some cheap roller blinds (£3 for a 24 inch wide blind) and some twin spotlights (£10) and I thought - photo studio. So, armed with my bargains and a screwdriver, I proceeded to modify my modelling cupboard and, hey presto... The result... Now, I think it is a great improvement on my usual 'model on the desk' photos but I am open to suggestions how to improve the photo (not the model, that is in another thread!) Brian
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Post by voyager on Oct 18, 2009 8:19:19 GMT
Good find Brian, very similar to my set up! You may find the lights are rather 'overhead' and cast strong shadows (like those on the rear wings) and you may need to fill those shadows with a more frontal light to show the detail in those areas. I use 2 flexible desk lamps from Argos at £6 each ;D
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Post by voyager on Oct 31, 2009 17:53:26 GMT
This is my 'studio', though I'm going to get a roller blind - much better than trying to iron the blue cloth, thanks for the tip! and a picture taken under the lights
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2009 21:09:10 GMT
Brian, excellent photo but I have a suggestion, have a go at making a frame to hold an A4 sheet of paper which could be used as a diffuser in front of the lamps. Bracket your exposures and have a look at the results. Alternatively, reflect the lamp light from an A4 sheet of paper or white card, once again, bracket your exposures and look at the results.
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Post by brianthemodeller on Nov 1, 2009 7:50:32 GMT
?
I'll talk to you at Telford!
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Post by foxy on Dec 10, 2009 18:48:49 GMT
Nice one Brian, maybe I ort to look for something like that, me photo's are not to good. Maybe a decent camara also.
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Post by brianthemodeller on Dec 10, 2009 19:12:19 GMT
Don't know so much about the camera, mine is only a 5mp Fuji Finepix A370 compact. Its about 3 years old and was really nothing special when it was new!
Nick was right about usinmg a paper diffuser - makes a big difference to the shadows.
Brian
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Post by voyager on Feb 6, 2010 16:48:39 GMT
Great idea with the roller blind Brian, much easier than ironing a cloth! and the result....
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Post by John Tapsell on Feb 6, 2010 18:29:12 GMT
Now I'm going to be a real devil's advocate here but all this talk of studio lights and 'cheap' solutions begs the question - what's wrong with using natural daylight? Cheers, John
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2010 18:52:02 GMT
Erm? ...
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Post by brianthemodeller on Feb 7, 2010 8:10:32 GMT
what's wrong with using natural daylight? Nothing - apart from: 1. I live in Blackpool where dry days are a few and far between 2. Its 21 degrees in the back bedroom and 5 degrees outside in the garden 3. I have to model in an evening when daylight is sadly lacking 4. When I want some quick pics taken during a build it is a pain having to take everything outside when I can set this up in about 2 minutes 5. Last time I carried a model downstairs to photograph it I dropped it I can see what you are saying, John, but I think I can get pictures that are just as good as going outside without all the hastle. As ever in this hobby, everybody has there own prefered way of doing things.
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Post by voyager on Feb 7, 2010 10:15:22 GMT
Now I'm going to be a real devil's advocate here but all this talk of studio lights and 'cheap' solutions begs the question - what's wrong with using natural daylight? Cheers, John As Brian said, plus it's difficult getting a plain background in my garden, IF the light is ok - bright sunlight is too contrasty, the weather at the moment ok if you want a 'wet' look! I could take a backdrop outside but then I have to find some way of propping it up without the wind blowing it away! Of course, as magazine editor, I would have thought well lit, in focus photographs with a plain background would have been a Godsend! ;D
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Post by John Tapsell on Feb 7, 2010 16:25:10 GMT
I suggested natural daylight - Never mentioned going outside. There's nothing wrong with photographing models indoors using daylight coming through the window. Granted, at this time of year juggling work hours and photography time doesn't make it easy but the principle is straightforward. My usual set-up is a tripod, the dining table, an 'infinity background' (one of those blinds pictured above looks ideal - I use a sheet of A1 coloured card from my local art shop), a reflector (60x60cm piece of white card or similar), a cable release for the camera and a willingness to use use long exposure times (4, 8 or 16 seconds) - the model isn't going anywhere so why use a higher shutter speed?. It also allows you to use a higher f-stop (eg f16, f22 or even higher). The truck photos above are good, but the far side of the models are beginning to fade out of focus so a higher f-stop would have helped to extend the area in focus. Set your working area up so that the window is located to one side of the bench (this will be the main source of light) and hand hold the reflector on the other side to bounce light into the shaded areas. Our dining table sits in front of a patio door. Having a net curtain on the window (which mine doesn't at present) actually helps as it diffuses the light and softens the shadow effect. The aim isn't to get rid of the shadows completely but to soften them. It also helps that one light source (window) is stronger than the other (reflector). If the lighting is too even, you lose 'depth' in the image One tip - don't use direct sunlight. Use a window that is facing away from the sun. In fact photographing on a bright but overcast day is ideal. I've been using the above method for 20-odd years and all my models are photographed this way. I spent two years at college studying photography and was trained to use a wide range of lighting rigs in a studio setting. However, I don't see the need to buy expensive equipment that I'll only use a few times each year. I'm always surprised that using daylight is dismissed so readily - it's free, it's flexible, it's controllable and it's natural. ;D. Regards, John
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Post by brianthemodeller on Feb 7, 2010 19:39:39 GMT
John,
How about a piece in the magazine about photographing models (of the plastic variety)? Up to know photography has always been something of a black art using a compact digital camera but I feel there may be more to it than point and shoot.
A little expert guidance would be really useful - especially as I have just bought myself a new camera that allows me to set the f-stop and shutter speed manually.
Brian
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Post by John Tapsell on Feb 7, 2010 20:25:29 GMT
Brian,
I've been pulling together just such an article for a while - I'm approaching it from the starting point of using a compact digital camera rather than an SLR type camera. I normally use an SLR but I've got good results from a compact in the past and ultimately that's what most modellers are likely to own unless they are also interested in photography.
I'm also going to try and avoid getting technical since that's the one thing that really bugs me about a lot of 'how to photograph your model' type articles.
I aim to publish it at some point this year.
Regards, John
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