Miniature photo opinions wanted (experimenting, general advice welcome)

[Cherno]

I would like to add that just a tiny amount of post processing can make pictures look much better. Even quickly using the Auto Colors/Contrast/Brightness option in Photoshop or whatever can make a huge difference and get rid of those too yellow or too blue/grey pictures.

[fred]

I think I want the entirety unit base in the shot, as it's supposed to showcase the unit as a gaming piece.

However I did just play around with cropping it down, and it undeniably looks great!!!

The cropping works! Also try keeping the final image the same size after cropping - then we can see more details of the figures.

The 3 mounted figures picture looks good - but the single figure is very dark, again probably because the camera is compensating for the white background.

[Peithetairos]

I add my 2 cents:

You can use some translucent white paper and cover the lamps with this to diffuse the light. This should avoid stark shadows.

That said, I would not go all in an remove all shadows. This is often a result of using a light box and I feel it removes any "life" from the miniatures if you go for a scenic shot. To simply show off your paint job the light box may be still best, as nothing will distract or alter your miniature.

I still like slightly diffused daylight best for photos. If you have a large window you could try taking pictures close to it, reflecting some of the light back onto the scene with a piece of white foamboard to avoid stark shadows on the side facing away from the window. That said, sometimes it is exactly what you want to achieve a certain atmosphere (for instance a dark forest).

I wrote a two-part tutorial on scenic miniature photography, have a look if you like. I obviously still take pictures with a neutral background and use the scenic ones for atmosphere or featured blog pictures.

https://daggerandbrush.wordpress.com/2015/04/19/shutterbug-how-to-take-scenic-photographs-of-miniatures-part-i/

[Charlie_]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I think I've settled on a method now.

It's not perfect, but I don't need it to be absolutely perfect. It's just right for showing off my work on my blog, and here. I'm not the world's greatest painter, so my stuff works better shown off by the unit rather than warts-and-all close-ups!

I've decided to stick with the scenic backgrounds throughout rather than a white background.