Realistic photography

Agreed it enhances the subject when the viewer has a second look to see if its a real photograph or not.

Better yet is when the viewer cannot figure out the scale of the subject.

There is a great Panther in B+W in the Reader's online Gallery that deserves a second look.

People that took the time to read Shepard Pane's 'How to Build Dioramas' would have read the chapter on realistic model photography. Of course most are digital now yet the concepts are the same.

Here are a few of mine:

'Freddie & the Fonz'

''OCC & Mini Me'

'Marder II'

Don Stauffer

There is an alternative to the "model as art" photography.  Next time you are photographing your models, give  the realistic style a try.

Been meaning to try something along these lines. My problem is that I live in a subdivision surrounded by houses, fences, cars...so getting a wide-open, distraction-free background is a real chore. 

Not that there aren't workarounds. Forced perspective tricks would work really well, but that means a whole lot more building. I've also considered using greenscreen and dropping a background in in Photoshop, but that would call for running down appropriate photo backdrops at really high resolutions.

Just need to get off my duff on both counts, I guess.

Those are great pictures!  They really enhance the enjoyment of what are already fantastic models.  Here's  a great contrtibution to the reader's gallery that I remember from a while back.  This was submitted by Jason Sloboda from Truro, Nova Scotia...

Those are nice pics, I always enjoyed photograhing models that way. Here's a couple that was taken using outdoor lighting and low angles.

Great stuff....  I too like this type of photography.

Thanks to all for sharing!

von Gekko

Those are great pictures!  They really enhance the enjoyment of what are already fantastic models.  Here's  a great contrtibution to the reader's gallery that I remember from a while back.  This was submitted by Jason Sloboda from Truro, Nova Scotia...

von Gekko Thanks for finding this picture!

Woah there is a blast from the past!

That is the best picture of my best work to date. RIP 'Spring Break Through, Hungary 1945'

Gone is the little diorama, on it lives online!

Jason

DoogsATX

 

Don Stauffer:

 

There is an alternative to the "model as art" photography.  Next time you are photographing your models, give  the realistic style a try.

 

 

Been meaning to try something along these lines. My problem is that I live in a subdivision surrounded by houses, fences, cars...so getting a wide-open, distraction-free background is a real chore. 

Not that there aren't workarounds. Forced perspective tricks would work really well, but that means a whole lot more building. I've also considered using greenscreen and dropping a background in in Photoshop, but that would call for running down appropriate photo backdrops at really high resolutions.

Just need to get off my duff on both counts, I guess.

Try the photo backdrop.  Go to an airport, park (for cars) or any nice background area.  Shoot the background, print it as large as you can on regular paper (you don't want gloss on the backdrop).  For larger backdrops for larger scales, take it to a Kinkos or similar to print 14 or 17 inch wide.

The only time I Photoshop is for model ships, since I need to cut off the part of the hull below the waterline. With anything but ships, a photograph background (and foreground- laid flat) eliminates need for photoshopping.  I also like to use sunlight to get sharp shadows and sun glints off model.

Wow, great examples, guys!  Nice to see others share my love of realistic model photography!

A city park or dead end road in the country can be a spot to get away from the clutter of the city. When shooting against a background outdoors, use a setting that gives the least amount of depth of field.

Also if you have objects such as buildings, vehicles and other equipment in the background make sure you place your subject far enough away from those items so they appear to be more in scale. Often these are photographed too close making the subject look too small compared to the objects in the frame.

When you use a printed background such as this example

You can add more realism by adding a similar scaled object to give it greater realism.

Some great images, people!

Obviously we're all of the age group that was taught about framing and composition for photography. A skill lost in the younger generation, raised in a world of Photoshop. I much prefer the "trickery" showcased in this thread.

Here's a few created in PS using images of my models taken against a plain background and added to another image...some I took some I found online.

Watch the lighting on those "outdoors" indoor shots... There should only be ONE shadow, since we only have one Sun...

See it all the time on TV and movie sets that're supposed be outdoor scenes, but the shadows are a dead giveaway it was shot on a sound stage... Sometimes the lighting angle an intensity doesn't match the background..  See a lot of "overcast" shots where the backdrop is right, but there's sunlight glinting off the model..

Girlfriends Cannon Powershot 1400 has a Fish eye option that I think is cool.

Here is a photo taken of 'Mini Me' using the setting:

With the right clouds it can really add interest to the subject!

i think if the subject is over 50 yrs old that B&W is  the most realistic approach  besides it hides (some) boo boo's such as wrong shades of color  in a camo scheme

DURR

i think if the subject is over 50 yrs old that B&W is  the most realistic approach  besides it hides (some) boo boo's such as wrong shades of color  in a camo scheme

Good point.  Most of the pics we had on WW2 stuff was released in B&W.  Now the color stuff from the war (apparently there was a lot!) is just coming out.  Recent stuff on TV is great- had to record some of that because of all the reference shots.  Get to see what the colors looked like after it got well weathered.

Thanks for the B/W tip. That's works well.

So I keep coming back to the idea of forced photography. As tempting as the photo backdrop or photoshop sounds...it's extremely difficult to pull of matching lighting conditions. You have to have a base anyways, so why not use forced perspective to narrow taxiways as they move back? Place 1/72 or 1/144 aircraft and vehicles in the background, small buildings, a small tree line?

I have none of this on hand...just have a small grass mat (not even 8x12) to experiment with. Went out and shot this a few minutes ago. With more foreground and background, and some sort of elements to separate the end of the mat from the "sky", I'm convinced this could work. For bonus points, take the setup outside and shoot under natural sunlight. Sadly, doing so would probably result in melted plastic as hot as it is here.

Anyway...Shangri-La

and a little black and white + noise. I think this would be better captured shooting at really high ISO next time...Photoshop noise always looks too uniform to me.

One more...this time with some trees photoshopped into the background...

You can also try some manipulations in Photoshop to create an effect like the 2-color technicolor photos of early color film.  Then you can add some color blurring and some photo grain.  With a little experimentation I came up with this modification of one of Don's photos...

Hello all!

Great tips, photography is lots of fun, too. Once I succeded in taking those photos:

Found a realistic background just a few steps from where I rent my flat! Photographed on a cloudy day. Hope you liked it, have a nice day

Paweł

Excellent photographs Pawel!

The bottom two are perfect in that you took the pictures from a low angle or eye level for a 1/35 scale figure.

Being the quad .50's are on a hill if you take the pictures even from a lower angle it will add drama to the hill top defender.

Now here is where patience pays. Wait for a day with unique clouds, better yet a dynamic sunrise or sunset as a lower angle will show more sky and not much trees.

Jason

DoogsATX

So I keep coming back to the idea of forced photography. As tempting as the photo backdrop or photoshop sounds...it's extremely difficult to pull of matching lighting conditions. You have to have a base anyways, so why not use forced perspective to narrow taxiways as they move back? Place 1/72 or 1/144 aircraft and vehicles in the background, small buildings, a small tree line?

Yes, keeping lighting the same is required. I try to shoot my backdrop scenes within an hour or so of noon, then shoot my models at similar time.  One can adjust hour angle a bit by altering azimuth of backdrop and model.  Since I also use a bit of forced perspective, sun angle changes are not that noticeable for changes in date. 

One problem here in Minnesota is that sun is so low in sky even at noon in December and January that I can't shoot (but then, it is too cold to go outside anyway).  Sun is so low it casts shadow of camera over backdrop even though I shoot from scale height (camera almost rests on base of backdrop).

Don - your low Minnesota sun would actually be very accurate for a lot of WWII subjects (Rome being on the same latitude as New York and all).

Besides the heat and intensity of the sun here right now...it's also ridiculously for me to find time to shoot outdoors during the day due to 1) work and 2) wife and kids would never give me that kind of uninterrupted time!

Good photographers never photograph at high noon or mid day as the lighting is too harsh. The best time is the golden hours, early morning and late afternoon/evening. Shadows tell stories too!

A forced perspective shot is a good way to shoot a subject when the resources for backgrounds are minimal or not available at all. Yes mixing scales is a method, I've done it a number of times, especially when doing aircraft in formation flight. The key or trick again here is proper spacing between subjects/objects to equal out the scale effect properly.

Get low! Get your camera down below the subject as much as possible to fill the background with sky and create a sense of size. A P-47 is a big fighter, even if you build 1:72 you can portray its mass by proper shooting techniques.

Example this Parasol Wing (What-If) I made looks much more impressive in this shot because you can see the underside of the wing.

versus this one...

Here is how I rigged my Zep to photograph it..again I shot from below the level of the model to portray it was flying above me.

sometimes a touch of darkness creates a perfect touch. After all there are 24 hours in a day.

Get some action or life into your shots too...just adding a couple figures can do just that.

Here is a very simple setup...a grass base and a sky image pasted to a sheet of posterboard. You can find both at any place model railroading accessories are sold. Again the low angle.

One last tip...If you're using a flash and your camera has a lens hood...take the lens hood off! Otherwise the hood will cast a shadow onto your subject. Like this!

I used to always use a background when photographing my models, i havn't done it in awhile.
But if you go to my site you will see alot of where i used PS, i would also fade the background a bit
so  the model would stand out more.

HawkeyeHobbies

Good photographers never photograph at high noon or mid day as the lighting is too harsh. The best time is the golden hours, early morning and late afternoon/evening. Shadows tell stories too!

Definitely true in general - I know I HATE shooting outside in Texas in the summer because the day is so long and the sun so high that you've essentially got noon-ish shooting conditions from 11-6.

But...I'd argue that there's an exception to every rule, and a lot of times photos of the real subjects we're modeling were shot by average photographers or shot in the available light. For example...

So if you're going for something that looks realistic, sometimes a "high noon" shot can actually work to your advantage!

A forced perspective shot is a good way to shoot a subject when the resources for backgrounds are minimal or not available at all. Yes mixing scales is a method, I've done it a number of times, especially when doing aircraft in formation flight. The key or trick again here is proper spacing between subjects/objects to equal out the scale effect properly.

I think I'm going to give this a go. There's a company that makes a ton of 1/72 scale WWII air field structures and whatnot...think it'd be awesome to have the control tower or a quonset hut lingering off in the background.

Get low! Get your camera down below the subject as much as possible to fill the background with sky and create a sense of size. A P-47 is a big fighter, even if you build 1:72 you can portray its mass by proper shooting techniques.

This works really well for "studio" shot as well as more realistic stuff. I usually do a few overhead shots to show the shape/camoflage/markings/etc, but always have several low, eye-level shots.

I'm definitely looking forward to taking all this to another level...just...TIME. I need the time!

FYE - if anybody wants to play in Photoshop, found some excellent tree lines at this link:

http://twilightrender.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=12338

HawkeyeHobbies

Good photographers never photograph at high noon or mid day as the lighting is too harsh. The best time is the golden hours, early morning and late afternoon/evening. Shadows tell stories too!

I've been quietly watching this thread with interest as there are some very informative posts in here about photographing one's models, but I have to say that I'm pretty well offended by this statement.

That said, carry on.