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RailRider in this post asked for input on photographic techniques used in photographing railway models.
Do you have any advice or special techniques that you can share?
I must admit that I have learnt a lot over the last few years. I have a good digital camera that has great macro capabilities.
The biggest issue related to photographing models is lighting. As many photos are taken at a high f-stop to achieve a large depth of field, the aperture is small. This means that not much light is getting into the camera. That means you have to supplement the ambient light with spots.
I've tried 500W halogen site spots, low voltage halogen MR16 bulbs, LED MR16 bulbs, flourescent daylight bulbs... And flash guns. The best is a combination of static bulbs. I've changed my flourescent daylight bulbs and plan on changing again. The high output bulbs are not available in DIY shops, but they are becoming available online.
It is an ongoing challenge, but good results can be made with non professional equipment. A little tweaking of lighting an contrast levels in Photoshop and you can have great shots.
Do you have any advice or special techniques that you can share?
I must admit that I have learnt a lot over the last few years. I have a good digital camera that has great macro capabilities.
The biggest issue related to photographing models is lighting. As many photos are taken at a high f-stop to achieve a large depth of field, the aperture is small. This means that not much light is getting into the camera. That means you have to supplement the ambient light with spots.
I've tried 500W halogen site spots, low voltage halogen MR16 bulbs, LED MR16 bulbs, flourescent daylight bulbs... And flash guns. The best is a combination of static bulbs. I've changed my flourescent daylight bulbs and plan on changing again. The high output bulbs are not available in DIY shops, but they are becoming available online.
It is an ongoing challenge, but good results can be made with non professional equipment. A little tweaking of lighting an contrast levels in Photoshop and you can have great shots.