France 1940 (1 Viewer)

[wayne556517]

Hi Frank i dont know if its your photography skills or are the FL figures/AFV,s shiny and look very clean,this is just a question not having a go,either way like i said the pics look awesome i have the H+A buildings and they are even better in real life.

 

[breslau]

Stunning photos of a great diorama!

 

[fmethorst]

Thanks for the positive feedback guys. To answer a couple specific questions:

Rod, I think you are refering to the high contrast level of the pictures vs. overall brightness. If the pictures were too bright they would appear washed out. I don't believe this is the case. Contrast (White level/Black level) on the other hand is intentionally high. As Ken noted the intention is to simulate a bright sunny day. It's a personal preference too, I like dramatic shadows.

Wayne, Can you be more specific regarding the "clean" look? The FL vehicle paint weathering is truly excellent and really does convey the impression that it's been out in the elements for several months and had whitewash applied and removed. The grey vehicles have a faded look rather than simply being painted "light grey" which IMO wouldn't look right. The one FL item that I feel does look too new are tires. I've commented on this before and I would like to see tires look more "used".

 

[debrito]

Pictures looks wonderful Frank, it is just me that become obsess with the perfect light.

regards

 

[Vezzolf]

Thanks for the positive feedback guys. To answer a couple specific questions:Wayne, Can you be more specific regarding the "clean" look? The FL vehicle paint weathering is truly excellent and really does convey the impression that it's been out in the elements for several months and had whitewash applied and removed. The grey vehicles have a faded look rather than simply being painted "light grey" which IMO wouldn't look right.

Frank, Very well said..and...an accurate, precise,honest answer....First Legion AFV's are weathered beautifully...they really know how to paint and weather their AFV's (talented folks)...And you my friend really do them justice with your diorama photos....well done...Simply Beautiful...Thank you for posting your photos

 

[Gebhard]

Frank ,
Great shots as usual :salute:: thanks for posting... any chance you could do a B&W version IMO it would look like a real period shot .. FL and H&A wow they look nice together .. Regards Gebhard

 

[MapleLeaf]

AWSOME
Almost looks real
Ur the best my freind
Maple Leaf

 

[Simpson & his donkey.]

A few pictures combining First Legion's Schwerer Panzerspähwagen Sd.Kfz.232 (8-Rad) with some Hudson & Allen scenics.

Some of the best photo's I have seen of First Legion WW2 stuff. Very impressed Simmo.

 

[Blowtorch]

A few more shots for this thread.

Excellent Frank, really brings out the reason why they painted their stuff grey in the beginning.

 

[wayne556517]

Great photo,s Frank wont say anymore,cheers.

 

[Gebhard]

Hi Frank i dont know if its your photography skills or are the FL figures/AFV,s shiny and look very clean,this is just a question not having a go,either way like i said the pics look awesome i have the H+A buildings and they are even better in real life.

Come on Wayne grow up a little don't you ever get tired of taking shot's at First Legion ?
Really come on.... criticizing Franks Fantastic photo's is just ridiculous I'm embarrassed for you .. If you think it funny its really not and does nothing but create bad feelings between collectors of different manufactures .. Gebhard

 

[fmethorst]

Frank ,
Great shots as usual :salute:: thanks for posting... any chance you could do a B&W version IMO it would look like a real period shot .. FL and H&A wow they look nice together .. Regards Gebhard

Thanks. It's funny, I was playing around with B&W yesterday. I'll post something when I get a bit more time.

 

[sammy719]

Great pics Frank, everytime you post pics you do a wonderful job, (not to shinny just right) look forward to some black/whites, my favorite, also have you thought about what you will do for DAK scenery if you do choose to collect that line?? I'm already debating which figures to order first!!....Sammy

 

[sammy719]

Great photo,s Frank wont say anymore,cheers.

Come on my cutter cousin, I know you love grey vehicles and these grey vehicles at First Legion are better in person then in pics!!! and also you wanted DAK line, guess what, we got it!!! and I must admit, DAK releases never interested me in the least from any company until now, the color/sculpting speak for themselves, if you want a top of the line DAK collection give First Legion a look. no need for hard feelings over here...Sammy

 

[fmethorst]

As requested, a couple B&W pictures based on the orginal picture set.

Sammy, I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet for scenery for the DAK range. I suspect I'll start with a mat and a few scenic palms. Once the range develops more I may look for something a little more interesting.

 

[Gebhard]

WOW :salute::
Absolutely Fantastic that really is amazing . Thanks for taking the time to post , there can be no doubt you have taken the photography of Military Miniatures to the next level . Regards Gebhard

 

[Mitch]

these are quite nice in the black and white format
Mitch

 

[breslau]

Frank - as I've said on other posts, your photography is great marketing for the products you display. You are very talented.

Not sure if you've answered this before but I've just realised the base of the soldiers doesn't appear in the photos. How did you achieve this? Obviously some post-photo editing? The lack of a base for the soldiers makes the diorama look so life-like!

 

[fmethorst]

Frank - as I've said on other posts, your photography is great marketing for the products you display. You are very talented.

Not sure if you've answered this before but I've just realised the base of the soldiers doesn't appear in the photos. How did you achieve this? Obviously some post-photo editing? The lack of a base for the soldiers makes the diorama look so life-like!

Thanks

Generally my first choice is to hide bases if possible using scenic materials (i.e. rubble, ground litter, snow etc.) In certain circumstances, such as the French village street, this isn't feasible. In these circumstances I use Photoshop Elements to remove the base. To be precise I use the "Clone Stamp Tool" which allows you to sample a portion of a picture and transpose it to another area. This is easier said than done and each picture has its own level of difficulty. The lower the perspective and the closer the figure is to a background object the more difficult it is. At a certain point it can't be done convincingly because the figure is left suspended above the ground relative to the surroundings. The detail of the ground the figure is standing on and the shading can also add difficulty. In the French village the guys running on the sidewalk proved challenging because the pattern of the flagstones had to be maintained. Shadows are also slightly out of position when the base is removed and need to be moved a bit to better allign with the figure.

Perhaps when I get some time I'll do a tutorial on this.

 

[nasirkasmani]

it looks like something from a cleaned-up High Definition germans newsreel.
fabulous.:smile2: