bigjohn
Reviews member
Member since: December 2011
John Hale
Posts: 3,438
Dec 21, 2011 2:17:45 GMT -5
Dec 21, 2011 2:17:45 GMT -5
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Post by bigjohn on Jan 25, 2014 10:11:36 GMT -5
I might add that my iPhone does not like white backgrounds.
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doogsatx
Senior Member
Feb and Sept 2014_ MoM Winner
Member since: November 2012
Posts: 1,642
Nov 14, 2012 21:29:10 GMT -5
Nov 14, 2012 21:29:10 GMT -5
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Post by doogsatx on Jan 25, 2014 10:30:51 GMT -5
Brett - your shutter speed should be whatever you need to get the proper exposure. On my DSLR, which I set at f/22, my shutter speed can dip as slow as one second. Hence the tripod!
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bigjohn
Reviews member
Member since: December 2011
John Hale
Posts: 3,438
Dec 21, 2011 2:17:45 GMT -5
Dec 21, 2011 2:17:45 GMT -5
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Post by bigjohn on Jan 25, 2014 13:25:42 GMT -5
Lets talk about lighting. With my current set up. I have my photo booth flooded with light for the iPhone and P&S cameras. None of which take a good picture on a white background. I'm struggling with taking pictures on a white background. I'm using day light bulbs from the local home improvement store. Should I invest in photographic grade bulbs?
Trying with my new DLSR Camera, I can get the white background close now, but it seams to wash out the model its self.
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Post by bbd468 on Jan 25, 2014 13:53:27 GMT -5
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Post by dupes on Jan 25, 2014 16:19:12 GMT -5
Dicky - which part got you? ISO? F-stops? Shutter speed? And what in the heck is a "scoobey"
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Post by wbill76 on Jan 25, 2014 17:00:10 GMT -5
Awesome, I just re read the thread and more has soaked in. I found the settings for ISO, aperture and shutter speed on my P&S. So if I read the above correctly I need a lower ISO, and high F stop setting (mine tops out at 9) but what shutter speed should I use? The setting ranges from 4 to 1600. Any tips on white balance and focus settings? ATM I have those set to auto WB and center auto focus. I have to get a tripod too. Cheers, Brett Definitely will need a tripod and you may also want to use the 'timer' feature on your camera (or buy a remote trigger) to avoid the dreaded 'camera shake' resulting in blurry shots especially when you reduce the shutter speed. The slower the shutter speed, the longer the exposure (and higher detail resolution) you'll get but the camera has to remain completely steady throughout that process. As for WB, that's going to come down to your lighting arrangement, the color background you're using, how your camera 'sees' it, etc. If your camera has the ability to set the WB manually, you should do that (take a photo of a white object in your chosen setting and then let the camera find the WB that way...either that or get an 18% Gray card to use for light metering) instead of letting it just use a standard setting such as 'sunlight', 'flourescent', etc. You may find that your focus may have to be set manually as well depending on your f-stop and what you're doing. If your camera has the ability to accept multi-focus points in the auto-focus (usually arranged in a cross or diamond type pattern), it's always good to get as many of those points in focus as possible for small-scale subjects like models. HTH!
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Post by wbill76 on Jan 25, 2014 17:05:12 GMT -5
Lets talk about lighting. With my current set up. I have my photo booth flooded with light for the iPhone and P&S cameras. None of which take a good picture on a white background. I'm struggling with taking pictures on a white background. I'm using day light bulbs from the local home improvement store. Should I invest in photographic grade bulbs? Trying with my new DLSR Camera, I can get the white background close now, but it seams to wash out the model its self. The key to good photographic lighting is enough light to illuminate but not so much light that it overpowers and creates a harsh effect. You may have too much light BJ, how many lights and at what power are you using? For my light tent and photo booth arrangement, I use 4 lamps, each with 75w GE Reveal incandescent light bulbs, and the lamps are adjustable so I can get the lighting I need depending on what I'm shooting. White backgrounds tend to reflect a lot of light back at the camera, so if you've got too strong of a lighting that could be part of the issue. I use a light blue background because it's more neutral but I've also found that every camera tends to be a bit different and you have to tinker regardless. I don't think investing in photo-grade bulbs is necessary per se, you aren't shooting portraits or similar and that's what those types of bulbs are generally designed for.
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losboz
Full Member
Member since: September 2013
Posts: 296
Sept 22, 2013 17:12:17 GMT -5
Sept 22, 2013 17:12:17 GMT -5
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Post by losboz on Jan 25, 2014 17:29:04 GMT -5
Cheers doogsatx, your pics are beauties. Just tried your advice and had a play about with my new cam Cannon EOS 600D with the standard 18-55mm lens. Still trawling through the bible that comes with it so not really had too much success with models yet Below pics are using the cameras AV Aperture priority setting and set to F stop F29 (highest) Taken with model approx 6 inches away First pics taken with default ISO 400 setting Exposure defaults to zero setting Picture style = standard Lighting set to Tungsten Metering defaulted to partial (is this the best setting ?) Quick experiment so popped it on a small table with a white wall in the background and popped the cam on a tripod and triggered with the 2 sec self timer option. Got a few lamps out but the best pics (IMO) that came out were without the lamps and only an up lighter close by Next pics changed the aperture to F22 and the ISO to 6400 (max setting) No tinkering with pics, just lifted straight from photobucket Los
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Post by wbill76 on Jan 25, 2014 17:41:57 GMT -5
I know it can sound a bit technical, but here's a visual that may help explain the relationships between the three legs of the stool (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO). This one also helps show the correlation between f-stop and ISO as well:
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Post by dupes on Jan 25, 2014 17:45:22 GMT -5
Bill - cool graphic! Helps make things understandable for sure. Dicky - I'll get there eventually. Bob's your uncle!
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losboz
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Member since: September 2013
Posts: 296
Sept 22, 2013 17:12:17 GMT -5
Sept 22, 2013 17:12:17 GMT -5
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Post by losboz on Jan 25, 2014 17:47:32 GMT -5
Ya flattering me Dicky Just wish i could finish it, the pics will come in handy as I have yet to pop some current pics and finish a blog on 'another site' Ya can tell the loadbed's not attached as it's moved in some of the pics, I'm not happy by the shattered screen that's in it (I have another prepped with only the sides and bottom glass still attached that looks more convincing but yet to pluck up the courage to replace it ) The passenger doors not on cos I keep tinkering with the seat colour and have yet to add some accessories to the interior and the painted blackout masks are still not attached to the front lamps I also have some excellent reality in scale real canvas pictures in frames that I would like to show being 'disturbed' from some crates in the loadbed One day eh If I could shoot some pics like doog's I could justify having this bleedin camera
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Post by `Boots` on Jan 25, 2014 17:47:44 GMT -5
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losboz
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Member since: September 2013
Posts: 296
Sept 22, 2013 17:12:17 GMT -5
Sept 22, 2013 17:12:17 GMT -5
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Post by losboz on Jan 25, 2014 17:51:40 GMT -5
I know it can sound a bit technical, but here's a visual that may help explain the relationships between the three legs of the stool (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO). This one also helps show the correlation between f-stop and ISO as well: Cheers Bill So the noise manifests itself as what on the picture ?
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Post by robbo on Jan 25, 2014 17:57:04 GMT -5
Your all talking alien to me, taking a photo to me means point and click, bobs your uncle
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Post by wbill76 on Jan 25, 2014 18:00:23 GMT -5
So the noise manifests itself as what on the picture ? Noise appears as graininess in the photo, it happens when the photo is 'overexposed' or over-edited (usually when attempting to 'sharpen' a photo). Think of it as like static on a video screen, same kind of concept.
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losboz
Full Member
Member since: September 2013
Posts: 296
Sept 22, 2013 17:12:17 GMT -5
Sept 22, 2013 17:12:17 GMT -5
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Post by losboz on Jan 25, 2014 18:07:05 GMT -5
So the noise manifests itself as what on the picture ? Noise appears as graininess in the photo, it happens when the photo is 'overexposed' or over-edited (usually when attempting to 'sharpen' a photo). Think of it as like static on a video screen, same kind of concept. Muchas gracias Time for some more sperimenting me thinks
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Post by wbill76 on Jan 25, 2014 18:16:04 GMT -5
My pleasure Los! In the online world the photo is the model, so if you can't get good pics of your work, no one will ever know what you've really accomplished! Of course as Dicky points out, there are some potential downsides in that the 'camera never lies'!
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losboz
Full Member
Member since: September 2013
Posts: 296
Sept 22, 2013 17:12:17 GMT -5
Sept 22, 2013 17:12:17 GMT -5
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Post by losboz on Jan 25, 2014 18:38:33 GMT -5
Ya right there Bill I have been checking my progress with a camera for some time and its a great tool for improving my builds. Would never have spotted half the issues I encountered with my dodgy mark 1 eyeballs Amongst numerous improvements to my efforts the camera discovered that the kitchen roll I was using was occasionally covering my work in very small traces of the cloth when I cleaned my brushes during the filter stages. Since changing it to a superior brand not a trace Los
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Post by dupes on Jan 27, 2014 23:05:18 GMT -5
Don't remember who asked, but someone wanted to see where I take my pics. Here it is, the super-duper high tech photo booth I shoot in: Usually there isn't a cat there (although he helps explain all the hairs in my builds). The one thing I do that nobody has mentioned is temperature match ALL of the lightbulbs in the basement - every single one operates at 5000k (daylight). Makes it MUCH easier to color correct, and for me - color-blind guy - to see what color things actually are. Plus, you don't need a ton of lamps everywhere to shoot!
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Deleted
Member since: January 1970
Posts: 0
Mar 28, 2024 14:50:01 GMT -5
Mar 28, 2024 14:50:01 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2014 10:28:45 GMT -5
Some great advice here guys, I am pretty new to photography so information like this is an absolute godsend, just recently bought my first DSLR a Nikon D5100 and its crackin......... just need to understand how it works now.
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Post by wouter on Jan 29, 2014 10:40:30 GMT -5
one thing which helps a lot I find is that your camera can shoot in RAW, it's a big step up in the game and helps a lot...even if you are taking semi messed up photos you can get something more or less decent out of them. btw, I found personally (and photography magazines generally tend to say the same thing) that a specified Macro lense isn't quite necessary for modelling photography. As long as you have a decent standard lense and can alter the field of depth you are getting good results. Macro is fine for those who want to portray tiny items in a larger way and very detailed (like insects and all), something which we don't do very often in our hobby. Of course, if you got the money for a Macro lense, why not btw, Bill, small correction: macro lenses can be zoom lensen as well. It depends, you got macro zoom lenses (so you can zoom in and out even more) or fixed ones with a single focal length. oh photography, super interesting ^^ Cheers
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Rick
Full Member
Member since: March 2013
what to build, what to build . . . Ok THAT one!
Posts: 854
Mar 3, 2013 9:59:21 GMT -5
Mar 3, 2013 9:59:21 GMT -5
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Post by Rick on Feb 3, 2014 19:40:08 GMT -5
This is all great stuff guys. Just a couple tips to throw in. - Light balance is key. Use Daylight balance bulbs as mentioned. - Be sure to turn off any other lights in the room and avoid window light providing partial illumination. Even though it is technically the same as "Daylight", cloudy or shaded light could interfere with the camera light meter. - I suggest a dark gray background to avoid washing out the light on the model. - If your camera can "bracket" exposure, do it until you learn how the camera reacts to your light set up. - Digital is cheap. Practice! I use my spray booth with gray posterboard for most final pictures. Two lights I can move and change the angle or closeness to provide main light for highlights and a fill light for shadows. The main is closer to the model than the fill. Some times I'll clamp a 3rd light to the top of the spray booth if extra light is needed. For large models, I have a gray sheet behind the model for background and arrange the lights so I can see the effect I want. With both, I bracket about 2/3 to a full fstop both ways then keep the best exposure. I shoot at the highest fstop and the lowest ISO to get maximum focus (depth of field) I do try to avoid the super long exposures to reduce digital noise and other exposure factors that shift the color balance. Hope this adds a bit to the conversation. Be sure to stand on your head to view the first pic. (I hate photo bucket edits. The don't work!) Practice! Rick Rick
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thenylongag
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Sept2013 MoM Winner
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Yes, we have 'NO' bananas
Posts: 304
Jun 7, 2012 11:20:57 GMT -5
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Post by thenylongag on Feb 6, 2014 11:19:33 GMT -5
Rick, that Mozzie is just beautiful.
My photo 2 cents remembering thingies, 4th grade-ish, but it works for me.
Iso = "film" sensitivity
6400 very sensitive to light, use for dark shots
100 not to sensitive to light, use for bright shots
and everything in between for other light conditions.
'F' stop = apperture control or how much the hole opens.
If you convert the number to a fraction its easier to understand
e.g
F4 = 1/4, the hole opens to 1/4 of the total hole size (big)
F22 = 1/22nd, the hole opens to a 22nd of its total area (small)
Shutter Speed
1/10th of a second (slow)
1/3000th of a second (fast)
Captain obvious
You have to juggle these to get the best shot. My average WIP shot is hand held, in manual with an ISO of 1600 (max on my camera), about F4 with a shutter speed of 1/60th of a sec to about 1/180th of a sec depending on my internal light meter reading
So really, it's all about the availiable light you have
Watch the built in meter, it's better to be a bit dark because you can always lighten it if necessary in editing But over exposure looses detail and is very difficult to reverse
Trial and error is the key
Tropod is a must
2 cents finished
Anyone need change?
Gag
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