Your Miniature Photography Set Up

[Codsticker]

There have been some nifty photos of LAF'ers' photography set-ups, such as Mick's ; I would like to see how other members' photograph their minis so please post pics and info here.

My current set-up is in my daughter's room (she's at university so I will have to change it up when she gets home after the pandemic has settled down). The stage is a card table with (usually) a GW mat purchased a decade and half ago. The background is a piece of gyproc with "clouds" coarsely painted on it.

I have hung a 4500 lumen LED light (imitation fluorescent) from the ceiling; the camera is a Coolpix L310, always on a tripod, always using the timer and the Macro setting.
This is an unedited picture with this set up:

Here is a picture with a different background, slightly edited for clarity and exposure using the standard photo editing software that comes in your basic windows package:

All of my work in the recent Build Something Contest was documented this way. The following picture I actually darkened for ambience:

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

Great Photos of great models - well done 

[Codsticker]

Thank you Mick. I like your set up you posted in your thread. I've never been very happy with my results using a photo booth as you do so I am hoping others contribute here with pictures and info.

[Pijlie]

My photo setup. This usually is a small diorama background I made specifically for that purpose or a sheet of grey wallpaper sloping up towards the background. Lighting is provided by daylight if I have it or my painting lamp. Using the lamp top-down takes care of most shadows since the lamp tube is circular and lights the object from all sides.

I NEVER use flashlight because the shadows are hideous and it destroys all colour.

[Codsticker]

I love the artificial perspective of the alley way- really fantastic effect in the photos.

I NEVER use flashlight because the shadows are hideous and it destroys all colour.

Yes, I agree. My regular gaming buddy uses one and his figures are gloss coated so you can imagine the effect.

[Astor]

Loving the set-ups, chaps!

I've only recently started experimenting, so bought a cheap lightbox/photo tent from Amazon (here with some unfinished Skeletons) I used the 'pro' mode on my smartphone to adjust the shutter speed -





It works... ok, I guess? I think I need to have an extra light source as the lights that are attached, while good, aren't the brightest. The foam backdrop is a little too rough as a texture, too. When comparing the photo above to photos I've taken just using my smartphone and a lamp, there doesn't seem to be much difference.

[Hammers]

My photo setup. This usually is a small diorama background I made specifically for that purpose or a sheet of grey wallpaper sloping up towards the background. Lighting is provided by daylight if I have it or my painting lamp. Using the lamp top-down takes care of most shadows since the lamp tube is circular and lights the object from all sides.

I NEVER use flashlight because the shadows are hideous and it destroys all colour.

Clever, that.

[Hammers]

Some  years ago I made my own very simple light box out of a cardboard box and cheap stock paper....



..to which I applied my trusty old main, fill- and backlight reflectors...



I still use them, but with upgraded low watt, high lumen daylight bulbs. I do however find that the light is leaning towards the harshly white so I use my two desktop lamps in combination with the reflectors when I shoot minis these days, and I do not bother with a light box. With a little adjustments back and forth with this combination of light sources I tend to end up with the ambience I like.

There is a whole tutorial here on how I did things back then...

[Codsticker]

I thought about making a light box myself; bought the bits and pieces but never got around to it.

It works... ok, I guess? I think I need to have an extra light source as the lights that are attached, while good, aren't the brightest. The foam backdrop is a little too rough as a texture, too. When comparing the photo above to photos I've taken just using my smartphone and a lamp, there doesn't seem to be much difference.

It's amazing the pictures you can take with smartphones these days. The only drawback I can see is the limited editing ability.

[Doug ex-em4]

The only drawback I can see is the limited editing ability.

No reason why you can’t upload them to a laptop and use Photoshop. Having said that, my phone has quite a solid range of possible edits.

Doug

[Codsticker]

No reason why you can’t upload them to a laptop and use Photoshop.
Doug

That's a good point.

[Fitz]

Note: I originally posted this by mistake in the "Photographic backdrops" thread, so I'm reposting it here, where I originally meant to put it.

This is the setup I use for photographing my models.

The shell of the stage is a cheap translucent plastic storage bin, lined inside with white cardboard.

I use three cool-white LED lamps, two from above and a lower-powered one providing some frontal fill lighting. The LED lamps are excellent for my purposes, as they're very bright but emit very little heat, so I can have the bulbs sitting right on the plastic bin without melting it or setting anything on fire — they do get a little bit warm, but not very, and the lights are never on long enough to cause an issue. They're not true daylight lamps, but they're fairly close in tone, close enough for digital editing in any case.

I have a pair of mirror tiles leaning against either side of the stage to bounce around a bit more of the light coming from overhead. The cards in front and at the back of the stage are for colour and tone calibration when I'm editing the images on my computer; they get cropped out of the final images.

I prefer to use a neutral grey backdrop most of the time, but I also use a white or black one. Occasionally I'll use a more decorative stage setup, but not often.

I always use the tripod. My camera these days is a Nikon D3500 DSLR with an 18 to 140 mm zoom lense. I don't yet have a flash for it, apart from the built-in one; my old Nikon TTL Speedlight turns out to be precisely the wrong model to be compatible with any modern camera. Hey-ho.

[Codsticker]

The colour cards are a pro idea.  I am going to have to get some.

[powerfrog99]

I experimented with many light setups indoors, sometimes it worked better other times not at all 

My final solution is to use our small courtyard when the suns shines brightly. I am waiting for the afternoons when the courtyard is in the shadow and set up my fotoboards with either a backdrop photo oor a painted one (my wife does them). The light is plenty and perfectly natural, just due to weather reasons this is not available whenever I want...
I use a Nikkon P500 or my IphoneSE and a little correction with "paint.net" software

I did a lot of fotos in thiy way and I am always pleased with them. You can see a lot of them here in my member gallery.

cheers Thomas

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

@Powerfrog

Thank-you for posting that - very inspirational 
I will try something similar