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A camera tip


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Just a tip I thought I'd offer up. When taking photos of something like a model, to get good closeups try staying back from the car and using your zoom to get in tight. You'll find that produces a better image than if you physically move yourself and the camera closer to the car. Also, make sure you have plenty of light. Today's digital cameras have the ability to change to a very high ISO, which is fine for some things, but not for others. Higher ISOs give results that are grainier. Just a tip.

 

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Lots of people go too close when they are trying to show a detail, most camera lenses has a focal point, a distance where it can focus for a sharp picture, go closer than that to the object and the camera can't focus on the right detail and the focus in the picture will be further away from the object you want to show.
Most lenses has a marking to tell what that distance is, for a standard digital 18-55 lens it's usually around 28 centimeters/0.9 feet, I use a 28-135 lens on my Canon EOS 650D and the closest I can go with that lens is 39 centimeters/1.3 feet for the camera to be able to focus on the part I want to show.
Another thing, use as small shutter as possible for a good depth of field when you take pictures of models, otherwise you sometimes woun't get the whole model in focus.
Todays digital cameras also has very large picture resolutions, that means you will get a large picture on your computer screen and you have to re-size it so you can see the whole picture on the screen, so you can cut out the part you want to show from an original picture of the whole car in a photo processing program such as photoshop, keep the size or re-size it a little and you will get a good clear picture of the detail you want to show for example here.

Edited by Force
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Yep, more great tips, for sure. I didn't want to get into too much camera jargon on a model building site.

Håkan, if I may, I'll clarify one of your comments. You stated to, "use as small shutter as possible for a good depth of field". For non-camera geeks, "depth of field" simply means how well things are in focus from items closest to the camera to items furthest away. When shooting a model, it means getting the whole car in focus. Most digital cameras of today have the ability to shoot fully automatic and them some additional settings. Check your camera's manual to see what modes are available to you. If "Aperture" mode is an option, when shooting the model select that mode then set the number to the highest possible setting, which is using the smallest, or narrowest, aperture. That will get as much of the model in focus as possible. If your camera only has settings like, "Portrait", "Landscape", "Beach", etc, etc, try using "Landscape".

Ron, I should be slapped for not remembering to mention a tripod. I'm the guy that needs one the most. I have trouble holding a camera (or anything else) steady enough. That's part of the reason I had to quit hunting and doing woodworking. If you can't hold the gun or saw steady, it's best not to use one. For that reason I went all out when I bought my last tripod. And I have a wireless remote for one of my rigs. On the other one I use the timer. Makes a big difference in photo quality. That and trying to use a faster shutter speed.

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I actually I find the opposite to be true: To get the most realistic photo of a model I use macro mode on my camera with the widest setting on the zoom lens (which would be considered a mild wide-angle).   That exaggerates the perspective and also gives the longest depth of field (I also use the smallest possible aperture setting).  The exaggerated perspective makes the model seem longer and larger than it is (which makes it look more like a real car).

Telephoto lenses (or zoom lens which is in the zoomed in position) flattens the perspective making the model look stubby.  That is exactly opposite than what I'm trying to accomplish.

But when taking photos of models with consumer-grade cameras (even at the smallest aperture setting) results in a fairly shallow depth of field which makes some parts of the car, and also the background or foreground  out of focus.  That also is a dead giveaway that it is a photo of a model.  If I want the maximum depth of field (so all the parts of the photo are in focus) I take a series of photos of the subject with every photo focused on different part of the subject and/or background. Then I use Helicon Focus software to merge that series of photos into a single image where everything is in focus.  Yes, using a tripod is a must.

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Hey, Peter. It sounds like this ain't your first turkey shoot when it comes to photography. You obviously have the skill and knowledge to obtain great shots. I was kind of tailoring my tip for guys that maybe weren't as skilled as some of us are. Most of the basic digital cameras will have at least some telephoto capability and those rigs would probably benefit from pulling back from the model and using a little zoom. The other thing that pulling back accomplishes is allowing more light to reach the subject. Sometimes getting too close cuts the available light and definitely cuts the effect of built in flashes.

It's a matter of what works best for you. Using "macro" mode changes things considerably. Not many basic, digital, "point and shoot" cameras will have a "macro" mode on them. I possibly assumed incorrectly that not many of the guys on this forum would have a DSLR with multiple lenses. Maybe I should have assumed the opposite. Many factors come into play when finding the best mode, distance, flash, ISO, etc, etc. I also mistakenly assumed everybody would want to capture their builds as realistically as possible. I've never experienced any problem with my subject material looking flattened or stubby. Maybe I've spent too much time with my lenses zoomed and have just gotten used to adjusting the camera and lens to prevent that. I was just offering a tip for guys with basic digital cameras and basic photography skills to get a better quality photo without too much effort or too much of a learning curve.

I have tried using multiple images to obtain the best overall depth of field, the best tone mapping, and then all out HDR images. Those are really great methods of achieving the best photo, but are a little more work than I'm willing to put in for photos of my models, and I'm certain it's more work than the average builder on here wants to put out. I think maybe if I ever manage to get a build that I'm super pleased with for whatever reason I'll probably consider the extra effort to get show quality images. Right now I don't expect to even photograph my first couple of builds. No reason to post photos of something that's not really my best work.

I happen to be in the process of selecting, framing, and preparing 3 of my photos for an upcoming show in the town I just moved into. It's been 3 years since I entered any contests or shows. I've been having some medical problems that have kind of dampened my shooting mood. I had a show of my own 3 years ago and had a show with a fellow photog 4 years ago. Both were "mild" successes. I took my website down a couple years ago and haven't decided if I'm going to put a new site up, just post them on one of the photography sales sites, or do nothing.

 

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Well, I'm not a beginner, but I'm far from being an expert.  About 30 years ago, I did use an SLR camera (Nikon FG) with detachable lenses and with extension rings for extreme closeup-photos.  But that camera has been in mothballs for decades. Most of small point-and-shoot cameras I've dealt with had a macro mode. But even in macro model the cameras can still focus ok up to infinity.  The camera I use currently for model photography is a 13-year-old Nikon CoolPix 8700. When bought it in 2004 it was a pretty good prosumer camera. It is not a DSLR and it has a permanent lens.

Problem with many point-and-shoot small cameras is that they usually don't have good manual aperture control, or they only have couple of aperture settings.  Even my 8700 only stops down to f8.  But most of those cameras have a small image senor which partially compensates for the rather large aperture. Same goes for the cameras built into smart phones or tablets, which also makes them goot for taking model photos.

It is true that extreme wide angle or telephoto lenses produce distortion, a judicial use of the effect makes a closeup of a model car look more like a 1:1 car.  A good explanation of wide-angle and telephoto lenses is here , although it does not give you specific examples of model car photography.  The affect I'm after is fairly subtle.  I'm after slightly exaggerated perspective which makes the model look like it is larger than it really is.  I don't always do that either, but I like to when I'm trying to make a model look like a 1:1 object it represents.

I also do not focus-stack every model photo I take.  Here are some photos I took few years ago (using the 8700) Not all are taken using wide angle. None were focus-stacked.

Here is a good example of exaggerated perspective which makes the 1:24 scale model look more like a large truck.  These were taken many years ago using  my 35mm film SLR with a 28mm lens (which is a mild wide-angle).

obj355geo203pg16p9.jpg     obj275geo258pg16p9.jpg

 

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You're dead right about the problem with limited aperture control. I've seen several cameras just like that. I do the vast majority of my amateur photography in Aperture Priority mode. I got started that way years ago and have just never seen a real good reason to change. After all these years I still miss with shutter speed occasionally when shooting fully manual.

What you are doing to achieve the more 1:1 appearance is almost a reverse of tilt-shift photography. It does seem to work well for you. The shot taken off the rear corner of the wrecker looks fine to me. The shot from the front corner appears to me to have been taken with a fisheye lens, not that that is a bad thing. Just a comment. If everyone liked the same exact things, wouldn't it be a dull, dull, world?

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  • 8 months later...

Thanks Steve. I have been looking everywhere for the F stop setting on my phone. Even the manual doesn't mention it. You are the only one that I have found on the interweb that has said the Aperture and F stop setting are the same as settings like, "Portrait", "Landscape", "Beach", etc, etc, try using "Landscape".

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If your camera only has settings like, "Portrait", "Landscape", "Beach", etc, etc, try using "Landscape".

 

Thanks for the tips Steve, although I will admit, most of the time, when people start talking photography, it's all Greek to me & my eyes begin to glaze over after the first two sentences.

I know about as much about operating a camera as I do about flying the space shuttle.

It's good to see someone occasionally talk in "photography illiterate" terms.

All of this "aperture" & "macro" stuff means absolutely nothing to me.

 

I have an older Nikon "Cool Pix" L100 camera that takes fairly good pictures, but it is difficult for a "photo dummy" like me to figure out the best way to photograph my builds.

I will try your suggestion of using the "landscape" mode & using the zoom from a ways back & see if it helps.

I have been using either the "close up" or "food" modes with iffy results.

 

 

Steve

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One thing to keep in mind when trying to use "Landscape" and then zooming in is that you need plenty of light. The best way to provide light without getting bright spots on the model is to place the model on a table in the corner of the room, then shine lights on the walls behind the model, not directly on it.

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The new cameras in phones are getting better and better.  I use my phone for any model pictures.  Moto G4.  It will "zoom" in almost as close as my work buddy's Samsung Galaxy 7 or 8.  We did a direct comparison photographing some print on a Matchbox that we couldn't really make out with normal vision.   These are not actually zoomed, but taken at actual distance.

Just have to let it focus first, then tap to capture.  The zoom is not as good as letting the camera in phone do it's thing.  The zoom on mine fuzzes or pixelaters weirdly.  (Cheaper phone)  Yes the depth of field is limited, but so far, I can live with it and it is capturing the details I want to show you guys pretty much as good as I could do with a lot of setting work.  I am definitely a "casual user".   I have tried the macro setrting and it doesn't seem much better.  I may try it and compare the DOF.   

Also, when taking a picture of a model, try to get to an angle that you would normally view the car if you were standing there.  looks less like a model and more realistic, in my opinion.  Yes do some overall shots, but try a few close ups like you were looking in the window, or standing in front or whatever.  Photos below are taken with no messing with the settings.  Just letting the camera do it's thing.  No zoom, nothing.   Yes, it took a couple shots to get it focused exactly, but just in giving lens time to focus correctly.  

Good post though and always good ideas in such posts.

IMG_20170530_082308038.jpg

IMG_20170527_093743055.jpg

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I use a Nikon Coolpix L310 camera.  It has a zoom knob on top and that's the only button I use other than the picture taking button and on/off.  I sure don't know about all this aperture, F stop, or other weird things.

I have a Coolpix L520 and I'm a "point & shoot" type of person and I also use my zoom lens a lot. I rarely take photos of model cars though. Mostly photos of 1:1 cars and vacation photos.

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The fact is that years ago if you wanted real, true, high quality photos you pretty much had to learn quite a bit about photography and invest in a really good camera, along with a lot of accessories. Today there are dozens of cameras available under a hundred bucks that can take really outstanding photos. And yes, although I hate to admit it, lots of the new phones take pretty good photos too.

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