Hie Guyz, I made this thread so that everyone could learn how to take better photo's of our hobbies , pvc , figures, dolls, RC , Gundams , Revoltechs, and everything else that you guyz collected~!!

This is so that we didn't run off topic in other threads


Experienced photographers are welcome to give their advices on how to take better photo's

So far I found these sites very useful, you guyz may try it~!


How to make decent lighting for your figures!
http://www.happysoda.com/archives/88#more-88

DIY mini studio~!
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-t...oto-studio.html

Anyone who have questions about photographing their collectibles are welcome to post their question here and discuss

This post has been edited by Wolf516: Jul 9 2008, 02:04 PM

sifu : forummer Valho





OUTPUT?

Waht's CLS?

Creative Light System. Basically it means placing your flash somewhere else and trigger it optically or wirelessly.

Allows you to have more creative use of your flash. Nikon brands it as CLS.

output 3 and 4 is using wireless flash, cheapo trigger with 580exII
when I am free, next shoot will be using flash to light up under a glass hehe

so many sifu come here already~

I wanted to ask, which picture is better here... I find it hard to decide




Attached thumbnail(s)

the first one, 2 and 3 the right hand is too bright.

composition wise...all cannot use

chop the board...chot the fingers...especially no3

Valho, you using wat type of white paper? Normal A4 paper?

ah nope, not sure what's the paper I use is call but it's bigger than A4, around A3 size, can get at artshop

Wolf - i prefer the 3rd one, the model looks nice close up - just need to fix the composition.

choose a better background la. one that does not blend into her skin.

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Added on June 27, 2008, 5:30 pm

you can experiment with paper types.

like say mahjong paper. i use white cloth as well.


This post has been edited by goldfries: Jun 27 2008, 05:30 PM

for background any paper will do, I have used wrapping paper, construction paper, those textured paper found at D'Nata KLCC. Even mahjong paper and those brown type of paper also works

oo just different type of paper makes different type of result. no wonder my skill snaping very char due to i always use my bed sheet as background

if you want, you can use other things as well, say brick walls and use natural lighting.

Your nemo already very famous. Use how many month didn't wash ppl also know.

How about the light punya white paper?

with natural light and surrounding you can get this


other things you can use to make your shots more interesting are props, such as the shots below

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Added on June 27, 2008, 5:51 pmyou mean the diffuser, I use tracing paper

This post has been edited by valho: Jun 27 2008, 05:51 PM

How about this?



Attached thumbnail(s)

1. color looks off like that. what WB were you using?
2. background background background.

your background matching her skin and hair leh, it does not BRING OUT the character.

hehe. here's my LUAN LUAN snap pic. it's not my best shot but I'm going to use it to illustrate a point

notice how the background color can bring out the character?

im using daylight WB.... what you recommend for the WB ?

This one?

omg valho, i like the karren's shot.

and we can use 1-2sheets of tracing papers bond together right?

haha thanks,
yeah but do bear in mind that each layer of tracing paper will reduce the light a bit, so I usually just use 1 layer for the main light, and 2 for the secondary light. Beside diffusing the light, the tracing paper also helps spread the light

Try to make it a clean background. Must invest a bit more effort into it. Don't just put on the floor la, then can see the walls, the cabinet, the bed etc

I am not too happy with the background but it is relatively clean. A piece of paper would be better so that the line isn't there. I used two pieces of board for this.

nice thread! this is what i have been looking for.

i am a total newbie btw.

any comment on photo below? courtesy of mechanical_wunder of zoidspoison.com

PnS also can, I started using Canon Ixus 850IS, but other brand should work just as well

this is nice

latest shoot, Shuraki Box 05 Rize (Rizfis Luttiva Mente)

goldfries, how u make the blur vision for the back ground ?

valho : i am using 850is too err can make the impact like goldfries did for the photo ...




Anyway, just post the photo after reedited by photoshop (learnt in 3 hours for the effect )

i think wanna ask for recommendation better go to photo thread...

lets keep here just on toys photography skills and tech
and also a sample on how to shoot your toys pictures and not till run out from the topic till become another show off you toys in here

this is really something, the lighting's are beautiful and it feels like Rize is alive,

how you made that effect?

i dont know, i kinda feel insulted in the way you posted above, vince.

but i come in peace, you were wrong.

i did not intend to show off my toys or anything, and i posted a pic that i like, waiting for your guys opinion regarding the pic so that i could snap a shot like that in future? but people thought i was showing off.. what if the pic object was cute ikki tousen figure, will you guys give comments?

anyway, i thought those people who use compact cams for toys pictures would be able to provide more details. or are they the same thing that need to be considered even if you have different things as objects? on the second thought, i think they are the same.

i think you are right, i should ask recommendation from photo threads..

the one thing i disagree with you is that, showing your pics in forums like this, is indeed showing off. but when there is giving there is receiving, when someone showing off his photo skills along with toys, it is showing off and of course, they are people who enjoy looking at the pictures as well.

be calm, showing off without being arrogant is the way it supposed to be, just like most of you here.

Come on now..... there isn't any need to show off or anything , just post any picture of your figures and we give comments about the photo
not only the figure itself~!

And asking for how to take better photo's isn't shameful at all, we humans enjoy learning things and it is pointless to fight for something that we all enjoy collecting.......

what insulted?
there s already showing off toys thread somewhere in here...thats why i said dont run out from the topic of discussing other things about toys photo shooting tech
we dont want another redundance thread
show off thread

why get misunderstood what im saying...why so sensitive...
everybody here in this hobby section like to showoff/lansi their stuff what(including me)..i didnt say anything that you are showing off also
did i mention you showing off to others? no right as i can think of

i just said that go to photo thread for recommendation..and not do it here

This post has been edited by VincC454: Jun 28 2008, 02:33 PM

ahtiven or vince or everyone in this thread

I not sure what is difference between showoff and learning taking picture on that thread. If for me want to learn something i post a picture + the explaination how i take the shot then how i done then only people take comment what phase i must improve or add in. not something like posting a picture with 3 words like " is this good ?" or " how it this like?" expected comment like this is macam show off jor.

This post has been edited by chriswoo: Jun 28 2008, 03:23 PM

all right, i certainly did not notice the existence of the above thread, therefore when you said you dont want this thread to become a show off thread right under my post, i got misunderstood.

btw, i agree with your suggestion to ask from compact cam threads though.

guess this is the difference between show off thread and this learning thread.

get the pictures in guys, and more comments and how-to's, setup etc! sharing is caring

We would be very grateful if the pro's show us how they take their pictures

etc , what equipments they used? what camera settings? what background suits the characters?

These are the question that are supposed to be ask in this thread......

Remember, we are all here to learn something~! and that is the essence of this thread

For now let me state out my equipments for taking photographs

2x Ikea table lamps (flexibility is important)
2 piece of cardboards stick together as a light reflector
Few color backgrounds ( you can get them from any gift shops such as S&J)
Camera I used Sony T-10 (no money get dslr )
For the bulbs I used Daylight Bulbs which can be identified with 6500k or 860 bulbs

cool if can please list down the about round price and where you bought the equipment as well it could really help the buget people to plan ahead and buy those thing.

Wolf516 - nice really helpful

now i feel more like this thead but hmm speaking of snaping good photo does this thread also allow teaching a basic editing software to enhance the photosnap ? Vince any advice? yes or no ?

editing pictures question should be no problem

wow nice! I been out for 2 days come back got tis thread liao!
I need some advice on where to search for those 6500k light bulb......cant seem to find them in normal shopping center or shops! Any advice?

that type of bulb need go kedai lampu only can get...
trust me, shopping center takde one...

I get mine from parkson

@chriswoo - Usually I used paint or photoshop software to enchance the picture... but try to post the picture you snap here without any modification so we know how to improve the source itself

Then, let me begin.
All of my photo I posted here in LYN usually go through (in Photoshop):
- Auto Levels, followed by, if necessary
- Adjust the brightness and contrast accordingly, to suit your desired end result
Original pics (resized)

Pic above are taken using Sony Cybershot DSC F717 camera(auto setting, macro mode), with sunlight as light source
After going through above steps

However, you might want to adjust color balance, or use Auto Color if you find that your photo looks too blueish, greenish etc. For Auto Levels, if you find out that the original photo has already nice color, you may skip to adjust brightness and contrast step

PnS doesn't won't be able to create the background blur like a dslr due to the small sensor.
You can try shooting in macro mode and go as close as possible, to create an impact that's close to that

thanks, posted it right after I took the pic, so didn't post the settings I use.

The setup:
1. A piece of glass on top of the blue background paper and below it is thsoe foam that comes with LCD with a big hole cut in the middle.
2. Flash is place below the glass with the flash head tilted upwards, additional books are place under the foam to raise it and to prevent the flash from spilling out too much.
3. The usual main light and top light are use.
4. Flash is triggered using wireless trigger, and manual settings was use on the camera. White balance set to Auto.
5. Aperture varied from f/2.8 to f/16, shutter speed varied as well since I do tethered shooting (meaning the output are directly shown on my laptop), so I'll take a shot and make any adjustment necessary.
6. Shots done using Canon 400D with EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM and EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens, and the flash is Speedlite 580exII.

Ok so how to do this with a PnS, well I think it's possible, but you'll probably need a PnS/Prosumer camera that allow adjustment to shutter speed and aperture. For the flash i place under the glass, u can replace it with a normal light, the light should be brighter than the other two light though. Well this is all in theory, so you can give it a try and see if it works

ehh. theoretically possible la.

some PnS have macro mode. so when the AF goes into the nearby object, hold it there and move around for the composition.

now if only i can find my C2-Zoom to prove it. LOL. my Fuji S7000 surely can do bokeh.

Wolf516 - oo thanks for the info

well noob at photosnaping but will learn in time so right now basicaly when i snap shot i just use an macro mode which gives more details but slidely blur due to i notice when i put stand it give more stable then my hand snap. and my room is quite small and lack of light maybe i go buy those lamp and some few cardboard to get clearer picture of it.

here 1 of the snap shot i have recently



well currenty no setup nothing just pure snap hand shot.

so any comment to improve this without using any equipment ? rite now i too busy to buy it but for temp solution got any expert advice?

aihh. time to introduce Gorillapod to you guys.

anyway, try using plain background.

here's a VERY simple setup.

1 semi-transparent tray
1 standing light
1 toy



well not the best pose or setup, but this picture is to illustrate how a simple lighting setup with a little post-processing can CREATE effects.

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Added on June 29, 2008, 4:00 am

putting them on pillows look like fighting in toy land la.

if you want, try rocks instead. they look better. then of course try lightings and areas that look more realistic if you want.


This post has been edited by goldfries: Jun 29 2008, 04:00 AM

there are many things than you can use in your toys photograph , instead of making them look more toy-ish, giving them a realistic feel is also another way of shooting them, etc real world's background such as houses or rocks like what goldfries says





see how this small DIY house makes the eva looks real?

hehe. just make sure Evangelion fans don't point out the size of the mecha and house are not in correct proportion!

haven't get my lightning set yet.. Unable to go IKEA because the damn rain...

use sunlight cannot meh?

if dun have lighting set yet find a window with sunlight coming in, nothing beats natura light

can use umbrella as reflector also. don't have white color umbrella? use white shirt la? a bunch of underwear also can.

seriously. photography involves creativity in the setup too.

lol tat dude when got time also already deep night liao! All the other time he spent on spamming joh

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Added on June 30, 2008, 7:31 pmdeng surfing the net and saw something like this! Temp if u kaya raya buy this lah
http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10065301

This post has been edited by 300078: Jun 30 2008, 07:31 PM

Here is my Amazon Danboard Revoltech with Carbine M4






Nothing much special setting, just some basic composition + macro shot.

hehe shot these with Sony DSC-T200. picture is taken with auto adjustment at outdoor.... any comments are welcome





the background i use an old polystrene board lol got a hell lot of scars haha (just try to ignore them)... planned to 'cure' them with photoshop but main pc spoiled so cant edit (uploaded using laptop)...

This post has been edited by edwardgsk: Jul 4 2008, 05:20 PM

^ It just looks normal portrait.. try snap using "rules of third" composition to make ur Freedom Gundam look more attractive.

source : http://photoinf.com/General/KODAK/guidelin..._of_thirds.html

like this?



This post has been edited by kurz: Jul 11 2008, 05:42 PM

Interesting use of the barn door effect for figure shoot. Barn door effect are actually use in normal photography as well where you control the amount of light that hit your subject

Figure On Cheap Lighting II: Blocking Light

I've been wanting to ask you something

has anyone tried to shoot figurines during night?

It might be nice as some figures blends well in night view

How did you set up those props? You really DIYed all that and what parts or stuff can you use to do that?

well I haven't try before but a fellow collector in France have done it before, you can see it here

you can actually buy bricks, roof, etc to build a house and stuff, unfortunately I haven't seen it being sold here. I got mine from a friend in Canada haha.

im not that skillful, its one of my brother's works

you can buy alot of gadgets around japan to use in ur photoshooting.... they even have the background ready for you

woa~ thanks, maybe I should try some, but my camera sucks at night mode

Buy bricks? o.O

yup bricks, see it in the shots below hehe

Oh that kind of bricks... lol. Was thinking about the life-sized ones. Where did you get those?

A friend of mine in Canada help me buy them, and ship it over haha, haven't been able to find it here

What is the best metering mode for exposure when taking pictures with 2 light sources (mini studio)? Is it better to go with spot or center weighted average?

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Added on July 12, 2008, 1:10 amAlso what is the colour temp of Fluorescent H in the WB settings? My camera doesnt state it but I'm guessing its quite near to daylight

This post has been edited by raptor_cZn: Jul 12 2008, 01:10 AM

Use spot, that should give you the most accurate color for the figure itself

Fluorescent temperature should be lower than daylight 3-4k i think
Color Temperature

My SD Gundam RX-78NT-1

Oh, I see

But my camera has 2 fluorescent settings. One is the normal fluorescent like you mentioned which should be warmer and will apply a cooling filter since the pictures appear more bluish with my daylight bulbs where else the other one on my camera is Fluorescent H. It is abit warmer than daylight .

There is a technique that involves photoshop where they merge together 2 pictures into one,

this technique is used when you want a focus look on the figure and the background

but I don't have any idea on how to do it.... since I sucks alot at photoshop

take a shot of the figurine with blank background, another shot of ur background of choice.

Magnetic lasso the figurine, then cut, paste into background.. tada!

Magnectic lasso = best thing since sliced bread

This post has been edited by zio: Jul 21 2008, 06:32 PM

You mean something like this?
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/technique...th-of-field.htm

Magic wand? It can be in accurate at times if your figures have white shades on it against a white background.
Would be very tedious and troublesome to lasso the thing slowly though. You either have to have a steady hand to use a mouse or a digital stylus.

Guyz!

http://www.lowyat.net/v2/latest/canon-eos-...-consumers.html

what do you think of this rm650 entry-level dslr ?

the camera RM2400 la, the lens itself is RM650

*vomits blood

juz found out this thread... seems kinda interesting... i love photoshoot too... on cars... some of my attempts, indoors and outdoors... still practicing from pros out there... wat i have gain on knowledge on photoshooting these miniature models are the right focus, lighting (sunlight) and zooming (to avoid reflection of the photographer)...

For a sec I thought those were real cars........

Well... don't expect them to come cheap. Entry level DSLRs will at least cost RM 2k. The Sony a200 costs around RM 1.7k if you know where to look but still, that is a lot of money
I would be darn happy to find a DSLR at RM650 ^^

I guess I have to stick around with my crappy camera for awhile~

this is my revoltech saber, take with my friend's nikon camera

wakao..nice man..so nice!!!

nice one...

how bout this.. i called it "the making of zeta"







This post has been edited by mzshanat: Jul 29 2008, 08:15 PM

this show off post shoudl be put in this thread instead...

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/412850

did you use photoshop to make the background more blurry?

Doh, never underestimated crappy camera... skills of photo shooting is 1st, camera comes 2nd

Looks photoshop-ish for that blur effect surrounding her.

maybe because he uses 50mm lens?
But really looks like photoshop'ed especially the head part

This post has been edited by Doomsday: Jul 30 2008, 11:10 PM

ya, 50MM F1.8...

Yeah, you can see the faint outline there.