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Other Stuff => General Wargames and Hobby Discussion => Topic started by: Harry Faversham on 11 February 2021, 10:53:04 AM

Title: Taking piccys...
Post by: Harry Faversham on 11 February 2021, 10:53:04 AM
Looks like my last effort got zapped at birth, here's hoping this one survives a tad longer!
Yesterday I read in WI Magazine's instruction sheet that you should never use flash when taking piccys of yer toys. So me and Herself tried an experiment...

My steam powered camera from the dawn of time...

(https://www.thewargameswebsite.com/wp-content/uploads/hm_bbpui/123158/q44epuhbc6a4vey2fo0qss9nnk24bucz.jpg)

Herself's all singing, all dancing mobile trombone...

(https://forum.treefrogtreasures.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=271966&d=1613040081)

In my 'umble opinion the results speak for themselves.

 :)
Title: Re: Taking piccys...
Post by: tomrommel1 on 11 February 2021, 01:51:59 PM
indeed they do and nicely painted!
Title: Re: Taking piccys...
Post by: Elbows on 11 February 2021, 07:14:54 PM
Yeah, flash will overwhelm anything that small.  Also, most lighting can be adjust post-picture using simple software.  Oh, and when possible always use a Macro setting for taking pictures of single miniatures.

Now, that being said, having a strong light on while taking the picture is normally preferred.  I'm not a photographer, nor do I own anything beyond an old Canon and some crappy cell phones, but cheating gets you pretty far with photos.

http://myminiaturemischief.blogspot.com/2018/02/hobby-tips-taking-pictures-of.html
Title: Re: Taking piccys...
Post by: Doug ex-em4 on 11 February 2021, 07:51:21 PM
Now you’ve got the bug, Harry, you’d enjoy the Model and Miniature Photography board a bit above this one.

Doug
Title: Re: Taking piccys...
Post by: Orctrader on 11 February 2021, 08:08:13 PM
Decent photo showing an excellent painted figure.   :)

(Who\what is it by the way?  Name and manufacturer.  Looks like something I'd like to paint   ::) )
Title: Re: Taking piccys...
Post by: fred on 11 February 2021, 09:11:08 PM
As well as swapping the cameras, you have swapped the backgrounds, which can really matter with auto settings on cameras.

I’m sure the modern mobile will always give a better photo - but getting a fairly neutral / balanced background can help a lot, to stop the camera trying to set the light settings based on a dark or bright background. You can override these settings, and modern cameras seem to do well with a dark background, but the less you give the camera to guess at the better!

Nice figure!
Title: Re: Taking piccys...
Post by: Von Trinkenessen on 11 February 2021, 10:34:32 PM
That's why my 15 year old daughter on her phone is the official photographer  lol.
Title: Re: Taking piccys...
Post by: Harry Faversham on 12 February 2021, 01:19:19 AM
Quote from: Orctrader on 11 February 2021, 08:08:13 PM
Decent photo showing an excellent painted figure.   :)

(Who\what is it by the way?  Name and manufacturer.  Looks like something I'd like to paint   ::) )

O, the figure is from Wargames Illustrated, one of the 'Giants in Miniature' range.

:)
Title: Re: Taking piccys...
Post by: Cubs on 12 February 2021, 02:47:34 PM
The advantage we have with the mins is they're not moving, so we have the luxury of fiddling about to get them right. I use a tripod and natural light where possible (I don't like excessive shadows or shine). I put it on a timer on auto setting and let the camera do the hard lifting.
Title: Re: Taking piccys...
Post by: Harry Faversham on 13 February 2021, 05:30:57 AM
To be fair back in the day we did a fair bit of tabletop photography. Small aperture settings and long exposures...
then again we were using a Pentax Spotmatic!

::)
Title: Re: Taking piccys...
Post by: Cubs on 13 February 2021, 11:14:48 AM
I'm looking at the lovely chunky camera on my desk now, a Finepix S4500 .... 14 mega pixels and a great servant to me over the years. My wife's new phone has 40 mega pixels and she can snap beautiful shots in five seconds that I can't match in five minutes of prepping with lights and a tripod! Bum.
Title: Re: Taking piccys...
Post by: Harry Faversham on 13 February 2021, 12:11:03 PM
I've concluded that letting Herself into the Emporium as Director of Photography must be resisted...
she'd be giving out more orders than a Mexican General!

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/24/a9/be/24a9be46e2777ce03580663c5bdb18fc.jpg)

 :o

Title: Re: Taking piccys...
Post by: Blackwolf on 13 February 2021, 09:59:43 PM
Quote from: Cubs on 13 February 2021, 11:14:48 AM
I'm looking at the lovely chunky camera on my desk now, a Finepix S4500 .... 14 mega pixels and a great servant to me over the years. My wife's new phone has 40 mega pixels and she can snap beautiful shots in five seconds that I can't match in five minutes of prepping with lights and a tripod! Bum.

That’s true,however my Canon DSLR  (at 24 megapixels ) will still beat a mobile telephone, ‘tis all about the lens :)
Title: Re: Taking piccys...
Post by: Elbows on 14 February 2021, 06:00:09 AM
Keep in mind, there's a reason why some modern phones are $1500.... lol
Title: Re: Taking piccys...
Post by: Blackwolf on 14 February 2021, 07:47:02 AM
Hmmm.
Title: Re: Taking piccys...
Post by: Doug ex-em4 on 14 February 2021, 12:44:08 PM
For posting photos online which seems to be what happens to the overwhelming majority of those taken these days, I reckon a current or near-current phone is very satisfactory. Of course, a good camera is cheaper but much less convenient for online posting :)

Doug