"How to" photo ideas (1 Viewer)

EPGallagher

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I am always struck by the high quality photo shots and imagination I see on this site. Has anyone ever posted a "how to" on how many of you get such great, close in shots? What kind of cameras do you use, what settings, etc. It would be great for us camera luddites if you could mention the camera and settings for these fantastic shots I continually see on this site. In phone cameras are also getting much more sophisticated. Photography 101 for Toy Soldiers would be very popular with all of us me thinks......
Pat
 
Pat, I'm no expert for sure but here are a few "tips" from what I've learned over the last few years about photography.

- I like to use natural light from outside our dining room window and set up on the table (when my wife isn't looking or around :))

- If you have ample light do not use the flash... the flash is too much light and diminishes the realism of the photo, not allowing for naturual shadowing, etc. I hardly ever use the flash in my dio photos.

- I have been using a Nikon D3000 for several years now and am pleased with the results.

- I put the camera on the "A" function which stands for Aperture. Aperture is a number ranging from around 4 up to around 32. The lower the number the
sharper the "focused" subject with less focus on anything in the background. A higher Aperture number like 20+ will give increase the focus on the subjects in the background
The trick when using a higher aperture number is it is critical to have ample light and to also hold the camera almost perfectly still or you will not have a clear picture. When I want a photo of an entire scene with the background subjects in good focus as well, I will typically use at least 20 to 25 aperture setting. If I want good detail on a single figure I will use a much lower aperture setting.

- One other tip I like to do (and may just be a personal preference of mine) is to shoot the picture from a low angle or what would make it seem as the photographer was actually on the ground at the dio scene.

I hope some of this might help someone. Remember to keep experimenting and see what comes out best for you. The great thing about digital photography is you can take lots and lots of pictures and just delete the ones you don't like.

Duke
 
Photography is a complex subject that combines both science and art.

Composing scenes and taking pictures of miniatures can be very rewarding and doesn't have to break the bank. A little bit of groundwork, a picture background, and your favorite figures and models is all that you need to get started.

While you can create large setups, leverage photo lights, expensive cameras, lenses, tripods, etc. you can also have fun with an inexpensive point and shoot, or your phone camera.

It takes practice, so my suggestion is simply to try it. There are lots of people on this forum who can help develop your skill.
 
I too am no expert and do not have technical photography training or skills, I point and shoot on automatic, no flash.

Natural light is my preference. I don't use flash any more, but if you know what you are doing some people have shown great photos using artificial light, Frank is an expert I think looking at his superb dioramas.

Generally I agree with what he and Duke say.

I would add that I try to shoot winter scenes in winter, desert in high summer and Arnhem for example around September if possible, as the angle and character of the light can help.

My first efforts were rubbish and with trial and error I gained experience and they have improved. There are lots of unique styles on this forum, I would encourage you to do your own thing.

For me, the key ingredient is catching the good light.

Oh - and back up your photos very regularly, we nearly lost the photos for the K&C book when a hard drive fried.
 
At the end of the day they are toy soldiers so doesn't really matter what you do to them or how you take pics.

People will appreciate anything or nothing.

Scott
 
I have two relatively expensive cameras, an SLR Pentax and Nikon digital SLR, haven't used them for several years and in hindsight a waste of money as far as my limited interest in photography is concerned. To post a photo I just use my smartphone, a Samsung Galaxy 9 plus that is now over 2 years old. It has a lot of features but I never bother fiddling with it, just take a few photos from different angles and distances then post the best photos. My brother is the camera expert, he can take several thousand photos a day at surfing carnivals etc and bores the heck out of me with the details {sm4}

I guess everyone has their preferences, I prefer pics taken at the human level, as if one of the toy soldiers took the photo, and prefer a few closeup shots rather than all wide scenes. However imo a photo or two of the entire diorama is necessary to set the scene, to see where the close-up shots occur. With overhead shots I prefer them taken at an angle, direct overhead shots look boring to me.
 
Pat, I'm no expert for sure but here are a few "tips" from what I've learned over the last few years about photography.

- I like to use natural light from outside our dining room window and set up on the table (when my wife isn't looking or around :))

- If you have ample light do not use the flash... the flash is too much light and diminishes the realism of the photo, not allowing for naturual shadowing, etc. I hardly ever use the flash in my dio photos.

- I have been using a Nikon D3000 for several years now and am pleased with the results.

- I put the camera on the "A" function which stands for Aperture. Aperture is a number ranging from around 4 up to around 32. The lower the number the
sharper the "focused" subject with less focus on anything in the background. A higher Aperture number like 20+ will give increase the focus on the subjects in the background
The trick when using a higher aperture number is it is critical to have ample light and to also hold the camera almost perfectly still or you will not have a clear picture. When I want a photo of an entire scene with the background subjects in good focus as well, I will typically use at least 20 to 25 aperture setting. If I want good detail on a single figure I will use a much lower aperture setting.

- One other tip I like to do (and may just be a personal preference of mine) is to shoot the picture from a low angle or what would make it seem as the photographer was actually on the ground at the dio scene.

I hope some of this might help someone. Remember to keep experimenting and see what comes out best for you. The great thing about digital photography is you can take lots and lots of pictures and just delete the ones you don't like.

Duke

Thanks Duke-really appreciate the tips and really like your work
Pat
 
Pat, I just use my OPPO A37 phone and edit with In-paint and Photo-scissors and a black or green background so editing is easy, the hard part is making up a title and a lot of trial and error and bombarding the forum with pics-practice makes perfect.....^&grin^&grin
Thanks to forum members for feedback and patients with all the pics uploaded by myself and others we all have our own styles and I like them all.
 

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