Photos (1 Viewer)

[Poppo]

We all take photos of our dios or displays and I enjoy to watch them but..... I must say that even the best ones are a poor thing compared to a real view....Actually, the main carachteristic of toysoldiers is that they are 3D, and dios are wonderful as you can watch them from front, sides, bottom, high....While 100 pictures can never show what a dio is....{sm3}

And if we liked photos or paintings so much we would be photographers or painters and not dio builders {sm3}

 

[jazzeum]

I guess we do the best we can with what we have :redface2:

 

[panda1gen]

I understand your point but can still enjoy them in photos

 

[Mitch]

Well, I can build dio's etc but, I can't take anywhere near decent pics but, as long as you convey what you want that's all that matters
Mitch

 

[Al Fisher]

It'd be great if some of you could share your sources for the wonderful backdrops you use . . .

Bosun Al

 

[panda1gen]

It'd be great if some of you could share your sources for the wonderful backdrops you use . . .

Bosun Al

Al, no secret, use different manufacturers buildings, particularly John Gittings in my case, as per base and bushes in jagdpanther winter shot. The infantryman above is on formotech base badly painted by me, the two Matador shots were taken at Lurchio's with natural backdrop, the airfield was in Louis Badolato's back yard on a table, with K&C airfield tower and pieces.

 

[Firebat]

Recently I have been using photo layering. So the backdrops are easily found on the internet.

Here are some examples:

 

[panda1gen]

Recently I have been using photo layering. So the backdrops are easily found on the internet.

Here are some examples:

These are excellent, what program do you need to do that? I have to rely on using a background but have been impressed with your and other guys pics, the FL Stalingrad series for example.

 

[Firebat]

These are excellent, what program do you need to do that? I have to rely on using a background but have been impressed with your and other guys pics, the FL Stalingrad series for example.

Panda

Many programs will do the layering, I think most of use some form of photoshop. I do love your XXX Corps shots using the real sky and lighting. Alex

 

[Firebat]

We all take photos of our dios or displays and I enjoy to watch them but..... I must say that even the best ones are a poor thing compared to a real view....Actually, the main carachteristic of toysoldiers is that they are 3D, and dios are wonderful as you can watch them from front, sides, bottom, high....While 100 pictures can never show what a dio is....{sm3}

And if we liked photos or paintings so much we would be photographers or painters and not dio builders {sm3}

Actually as a dio builder I see my collection more clearly through my photos. I can see where certain AFV's and figures look fantastic and others don't make the grade, no matter how good the scenery is. And when I see a good dio, it takes me there, I can feel it, it brings the soldiers alive.


So I actually do not put much stuff on display, only the scenes I am working on and I always can't wait to see what they will look like on film in that real setting.....But this is just my personal outlook.

This is my all time favorite I am there my men are alive. It sends chills up my spine.

Pandas XXX Corps shot below is incredible, that shot brings me there. Alex

 

[panda1gen]

Actually as a dio builder I see my collection more clearly through my photos. I can see where certain AFV's and figures look fantastic and others don't make the grade, no matter how good the scenery is. And when I see a good dio, it takes me there, I can feel it, it brings the soldiers alive.


So I actually do not put much stuff on display, only the scenes I am working on and I always can't wait to see what they will look like on film in that real setting.....But this is just my personal outlook.

This is my all time favorite I am there my men are alive. It sends chills up my spine.

Pandas XXX Corps shot below is incredible, that shot brings me there. Alex

Thanks for the kind words. I do accept the original 3d point, but to me, trying to make them feel as realistic as possible is more likely in a photo than on a shelf, so I enjoy this aspect. With 'free' photography due to digital, practice and trial and error can help improve. The quality of the backgrounds is very important. my earlier shots looked like what they were, on a green piece of cloth, not even very grass coloured. Yours and other dio builders take it to a level, but with JGM, K&C, Figarti and everyone else providing good dio materials, it costs, but can work for guys like me.

I include an early shot of a marine using 'cheap' wargames bushes and a cloth plus K&C damaged stug, the rest are JGM, K&C papier mache buildings from Louis' collection with the HQ vehicle, TM Terrain factory and a homemade winter hill that took only a few hours 'cos it is naff, but in distance can work, especially with JGM scenics

 

[Firebat]

Panda


Did you see the answer I gave regarding the photo software. Layering can get tricky, you have to use a background removal tool then bring in a background shot. Frank explains this a bit in one of his FL threads.


Also sometimes one is afraid to refute a statement for fear of being obstinate or combative, I may have that lable, but Panda does not, he is well respected here, so I chime in with him to show you the enhanced pleasure that can be had by doing what we do.


I have no formal training in photography or modeling, just determination. Alex

Here are yet some more examples:

 

[fmethorst]

There is no right and wrong way too enjoy your toy soldiers. Some collectors like to build permanent dioramas, others like to set up temporary scenes explicitly to photograph them. Due to space constraints and way too many ideas I fall into the latter category. I also enjoy the challenge of assembling the various scenic elements, vehicles and figures into cohesive scenes.

As for backdrops I use a variety of techniques.

I have made extensive use of the layering method alluded to by Alex. I refer to this as the digital or virtual background method. This consists of finding an appropriate backgrond picture and merging it with a foreground picture with photo editing software. The benefit of this method is it is quite easy to find good background pictures on the internet. I have used Google Earth to successfully search for geographically/historically appropriate backgrounds. The downside of this method is it can be time consuming and technically difficult. It is also prohibitively difficult to merge foreground pictures that include fine detail such as foliage with thousands of tiny leaves.

Recently I've made use of large background pictures. I refer to this as the picture background method. The benefit of this method is a much simpler process, take the picture, crop to frame, clean up and tweak details and post. No fancy merging required. The downside of this method is it is difficult to find suitable backgrounds that are sharp enough and have sufficient resolution to be blown up to large size. Most pictures you find on the internet don't meet these requirements and many have the additional problem of compression artifacts which look terrible when enlarged. I have worked around this problem by taking my own background pictures and then cropping and enlarging them to the appropriate size (72" x 24"). I have these pictures printed out and then hang them using poster hangers (see above).

Here are some examples:

Frank

 

[panda1gen]

There is no right and wrong way too enjoy your toy soldiers. Some collectors like to build permanent dioramas, others like to set up temporary scenes explicitly to photograph them. Due to space constraints and way too many ideas I fall into the latter category. I also enjoy the challenge of assembling the various scenic elements, vehicles and figures into cohesive scenes.

As for backdrops I use a variety of techniques.

I have made extensive use of the layering method alluded to by Alex. I refer to this as the digital or virtual background method. This consists of finding an appropriate backgrond picture and merging it with a foreground picture with photo editing software. The benefit of this method is it is quite easy to find good background pictures on the internet. I have used Google Earth to successfully search for geographically/historically appropriate backgrounds. The downside of this method is it can be time consuming and technically difficult. It is also prohibitively difficult to merge foreground pictures that include fine detail such as foliage with thousands of tiny leaves.

Recently I've made use of large background pictures. I refer to this as the picture background method. The benefit of this method is a much simpler process, take the picture, crop to frame, clean up and tweak details and post. No fancy merging required. The downside of this method is it is difficult to find suitable backgrounds that are sharp enough and have sufficient resolution to be blown up to large size. Most pictures you find on the internet don't meet these requirements and many have the additional problem of compression artifacts which look terrible when enlarged. I have worked around this problem by taking my own background pictures and then cropping and enlarging them to the appropriate size (72" x 24"). I have these pictures printed out and then hang them using poster hangers (see above).

Here are some examples:

Frank

Dear Frank and Firebat

Thanks for sharing some of your knowledge and experience, some of the stuff you post is beyond outstanding.

Like Frank I don't have much space so set up small dios - I would then part enjoy my collection on a screen saver. I found I had a good few fuzzy photos shooting indoors so I then set up a dio somewhere sunny and would wait for decent light, all trial and error as I too have no photo training either. If you look at the early 'bored tonight ... ' thread in the dio section you will see how naff they were. When I shot in real light, with a new SLR camera using better diorama materials from JGM, K&C and TM Terrain, plus some bits I did, I felt they improved.

I do try to blur the dio and the background to give depth and perspective if possible.

This shot aagainst snow in the garden

This was a set up of all K&C papier mache buildings on a table in Louis back yard to give depth

This was shot in Louis neighbours usinf their pond

These were part of a Brit Pack 30 Corps day at Lurchios with Wraith and Easy as we captured a vista as backdrop Clive and I had used before.

 

[Firebat]

Those of us who use any one of these methods have gotten some over the top results. Then there are the shots that surprise you, they just have it. Panda has used his natural light and sometimes natural surroundings shots with excellent results. We all expect excellent result from him. But to me the XXX Corps shots moving up the road outside are just too real. Very effective.

If the other methods seem too complex, bring your stuff outside and film it against trees in your back yard or something like that. But you may find it is not as simple as it seems. I was more geared for inside and the one time I went outside the shots were a disaster.

Here is the only shot I did outside. This was after a few takes and some adjustment. By the way the shot was done in the summer !


Frank speaks about room. When you film your stuff you it sort of creates a virtual collection that you can view at any time. If you dont have the room to keep all of your stuff out. You can pull it up in an instant on your computer....I'll bet you never thought of that.

So I go back to a statement I made earlier, it is getting to the point where I almost appreciate my collection more on film than in person. I am slowly bringing my studio and Man Cave along, so there will be no shortage of items on display either. Alex

 

[Poppo]

Those of us who use any one of these methods have gotten some over the top results. Then there are the shots that surprise you, they just have it. Panda has used his natural light and sometimes natural surroundings shots with excellent results. We all expect excellent result from him. But to me the XXX Corps shots moving up the road outside are just too real. Very effective.

If the other methods seem too complex, bring your stuff outside and film it against trees in your back yard or something like that. But you may find it is not as simple as it seems. I was more geared for inside and the one time I went outside the shots were a disaster.

Here is the only shot I did outside. This was after a few takes and some adjustment. By the way the shot was done in the summer !


Frank speaks about room. When you film your stuff you it sort of creates a virtual collection that you can view at any time. If you dont have the room to keep all of your stuff out. You can pull it up in an instant on your computer....I'll bet you never thought of that.

So I go back to a statement I made earlier, it is getting to the point where I almost appreciate my collection more on film than in person. I am slowly bringing my studio and Man Cave along, so there will be no shortage of items on display either. Alex



Amazing dio Fire!!! It is perfect to me. What brand are those figures from? I love their fine sculpt, painting, very realistic and interesting original subject too...Also the landscape is very realistic.And in this period I am little tired of ww2....

 

[Firebat]

Those of us who use any one of these methods have gotten some over the top results. Then there are the shots that surprise you, they just have it. Panda has used his natural light and sometimes natural surroundings shots with excellent results. We all expect excellent result from him. But to me the XXX Corps shots moving up the road outside are just too real. Very effective.

If the other methods seem too complex, bring your stuff outside and film it against trees in your back yard or something like that. But you may find it is not as simple as it seems. I was more geared for inside and the one time I went outside the shots were a disaster.

Here is the only shot I did outside. This was after a few takes and some adjustment. By the way the shot was done in the summer !


Frank speaks about room. When you film your stuff you it sort of creates a virtual collection that you can view at any time. If you dont have the room to keep all of your stuff out. You can pull it up in an instant on your computer....I'll bet you never thought of that.

So I go back to a statement I made earlier, it is getting to the point where I almost appreciate my collection more on film than in person. I am slowly bringing my studio and Man Cave along, so there will be no shortage of items on display either. Alex



Amazing dio Fire!!! It is perfect to me. What brand are those figures from? I love their fine sculpt, painting, very realistic and interesting original subject too...Also the landscape is very realistic.And in this period I am little tired of ww2....

Poppo

Thanks !

First of all I would like to thank you for starting this thread and dont think we ganged up on you. I respect your take on the hobby also.

We did this scene for a dealer / distributor named Alexi, it was a number of years ago and I dont remember the name of his company. They are Russian figures. When I remember I will post the info. Alex

 

[panda1gen]

Actually as a dio builder I see my collection more clearly through my photos. I can see where certain AFV's and figures look fantastic and others don't make the grade, no matter how good the scenery is. And when I see a good dio, it takes me there, I can feel it, it brings the soldiers alive.


So I actually do not put much stuff on display, only the scenes I am working on and I always can't wait to see what they will look like on film in that real setting.....But this is just my personal outlook.

This is my all time favorite I am there my men are alive. It sends chills up my spine.

Pandas XXX Corps shot below is incredible, that shot brings me there. Alex

Thanks but the 30 Corps was a team effort, not down to me (see arnhem thread)

 

[fmethorst]

Kevin, I'm a big fan of your work and enjoy following your picture threads. You have a keen eye for composition. :salute::

The natural lighting and natural backgrounds is another method that can work very well. If you go way back to the beginning of the FL Stalingrad thread some of those shots are in natural light. One of the problems I have with natural light is it requires hauling all the scene elements outside which is a lot of work. Another issue is simply the intensity of sunlight. If you watch professional photographers/film crews work in sunlight they often work with reflectors and fill flashes in order to balance the harsh contrast between light and shadow. Of course if this is the effect you're after then it's not a problem. I like the control the artificial lights offer.

Frank

 

[panda1gen]

Kevin, I'm a big fan of your work and enjoy following your picture threads. You have a keen eye for composition. :salute::

The natural lighting and natural backgrounds is another method that can work very well. If you go way back to the beginning of the FL Stalingrad thread some of those shots are in natural light. One of the problems I have with natural light is it requires hauling all the scene elements outside which is a lot of work. Another issue is simply the intensity of sunlight. If you watch professional photographers/film crews work in sunlight they often work with reflectors and fill flashes in order to balance the harsh contrast between light and shadow. Of course if this is the effect you're after then it's not a problem. I like the control the artificial lights offer.

Frank

Frank

Thanks, I'm your fan too, your FL Stalingrad series is unbelievably good.

I agree with your point about the light, when I say I set the dio up, it is sometimes there as a basis for months, the Bulge is shot Nov - Feb for example and I try to get it early and late in the day. Arnhem dios I try to shoot Sept - Oct, others at the actual period in the year if possible.

The best desert ones were in Louis back yard in summer, high sun if possible on K&C dios by Gordon. I have no technical light/photo knowledge so have to do it my way like this, by instinct and trial and error. If at Louis, it is just when I'm there ...

low winter light

I like sillouettes

high summer in New York


autumn and spring are very good, this is autumn