crazyjim Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I like the smoky one - it tends to hide some of crusty builds . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyjim Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Needs more smoke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Nice background job on that smoke, Mike! That is a dramatic shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Jim, you crack me up. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Thanks, Tony, for the kind words. Mike, feel free to tinker all you want, I'd love to get one of those strange red sunsets in the background. Some black smoke would be nice . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Reddish might be better with some wisps of black smoke in the distance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 (edited) OK .. everyone turn around ... Cranky's Castle is on fire!! Edited February 19, 2012 by Foxer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 ok, this thread is taking a real detour from what it started to be about. We were talking about photography techniques, not Photoshop trickery. Anyone who has a basic knowledge of Photoshop can alter a photo... we all know that. But we should stick to the topic at hand, which is how to refine your actual photography techniques, not how to doctor an existing photo using Photoshop. That's a completely different subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rmodeler Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Well, you are right Harry... and nobody reacted to Michael Paul Smith's stuff either... I was really impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZombieHunter26 Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Just to add to the fray, I would just like to point out that my photo source is a shabby ZTE android phone. No focus, no light correction, so EVERYTHING has to be done post-shoot for me. If you wonder why I go so long without posts, then flood whichever thread I'm posting in with pics, that's why. I edit mine in batches, and even then, I'm better at ART work, not tweaking for fine detail. ....I'd love me one of them Canon Powershots, Doc. All the details I pour into my builds would LOVE to be seen finally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 ok, this thread is taking a real detour from what it started to be about. We were talking about photography techniques, not Photoshop trickery. Anyone who has a basic knowledge of Photoshop can alter a photo... we all know that. But we should stick to the topic at hand, which is how to refine your actual photography techniques, not how to doctor an existing photo using Photoshop. That's a completely different subject. You are right, Harry, I am hoping others will chime in with their experiences, ideas, and examples. Still though, Mike, thank you for the great picture. I have saved it to my files. Thank you. Yes, that's exactly what I had in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarana-X Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Awesome photos. I've recently started to photograph alot of my work. I've just been using reflected sunlight and a sheet background to get clear pictures. The work you guys have done is amazing and certainly fools the brain into thinking the subjects are real. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMc Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 You are right, Harry, I am hoping others will chime in with their experiences, ideas, and examples. Still though, Mike, thank you for the great picture. I have saved it to my files. Thank you. Yes, that's exactly what I had in mind. I guess I missed the point then So I pulled the Playing out of the thread. What I did was show that you can't always get everything out of the camera..sometimes its after the shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMc Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 When you alter the digital image you also change the "metadata"..I suspect the judges have a hint or two.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Again, thanks, Mike! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groo12 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Hey Virgil, Just thought id share a way that I like to take pics of my builds outdoors sometimes. Its not really next level or an elaborate set up, but I feel its a cool way of getting a different type of pic. Basically I just hose down the concrete which forms a shallow puddle,which helps to capture reflections of the model. That is very cool. I have just ordered a light tent and I am sure my models will make it inside of it as well as stuff for macro work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnag4004 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Dr Kranky Sir, I personally couldn't care what anyone else says, I love your tutorials, so please keep them coming... Coolhand, I think your method is truely brilliant, the photos are extremely realistic, they look so much better than ones I have seen of real cars in magazines... Top marks to you both... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Thank you, Andrew . . . I am hoping other people will post their playing-around-with-photos sessions. Hopefully this thread will continue to be an inspiration to anyone who is willing to try fun stuff with their models and cameras. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-hermit Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Great thread Cranky and even greater eye candy. All the techniques posted have their advantages. I've tried everything from a simple flat black board for a background ... ... or a sheet ... ... to building a diorama to use as a back drop... ... but I have found the use of forced perspective to be the simpleist and most effective for me. I use a piece of plywood painted with texture paint to look like asphalt. Then set it on top of the bed of my 1/1 pickup with my pasture as the background. It brings the model up to a comfortable level to stand while shooting and puts the background into perspective. Simple but effective. No fancy camera (Kodak 4mp CX7430) just the sun for lighting and some creative cropping in the Kodak software that came with the camera. I tried photoshop once but I'm to old and feeble minded to figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony T Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) Most of my photography of my models is done inside. I've used white paper for some: Here I used an old dining table quilted underlay...not happy with the results...not sure which camera I used but the results were not as I'd hoped. and my garage diorama for most lately: Outdoors on one occasion: Indoors most of the time: There is an interior, so as I progress with working on the inside, I'll be able to use that as well for variety: For lighting I use a 100w spot light set back about 10 feet from the subject to represent the sun...I clip it to my over the workbench dual tube flourescent hanging light as it provides a simple light source. My wife has a light box which I haven't taken time to play with yet and it has two lights for the box lighting. My camera is a Canon PowerShot S3IS, 6.0 megapixels. I use a tripod, set the timer to avoid camera shake from depressing the shutter button and the macro setting. I do on occasion use the flash to fill and have used a paper deflector taped to the camera to try different effects by bouncing the flash. I'm sure there are other ideas out there too! I use the higher resolution on the camera, use ZoomBrowser EX to trim the shots and make any adjustments to brightness and contrast, then shrink the pictures in Paint. Here's one without the flash (the girls I found in a sale bin...they are Spice Girls...the dog was in a dollar store set) Similar shot but with the flash I hope I've given someone some ideas and a bit of help or inspiration. Edited February 20, 2012 by Tony T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Wonderful pictures, thanks for sharing . . . love the garage scenes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
59 Impala Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Here are some pics of a Jeep that I took using a LED flashlight shinnning overhead in a darkened room. The first pic is one in regular light and the rest are with the flashlight. I used a Sony 4 mega pixel camera for these shots that belongs to my wife. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) From everything we've seen, I think one thing is very clear...DON'T use your camera's flash for beauty shots! (Unless you're experienced enough to know how to balance all the rest of the light around your subject.) Edited February 20, 2012 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Love those Spice Girl figures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rmodeler Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Tony, great pictures!! I did a yellow coupe too, instead of white paper, a laser print ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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