Probably enough light to work with but not enough for photography. What is that, a 60w incandescent? I've loaded up LED lights in my shop, really have made a difference lately. If you got a 100w bulb in a trouble light it would help.
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Photography Question...
- Thread starter Hippy Ed
- Start date
Well, without loading up the desk with more lamps, this is about the best I can do.
You got a trouble light? Shop light, something like that?
I do somewheres buried in Storage tho? :idonno :idonno I have a Halogen shop lite but, bulb's burnt out.
phantom II
Master at Arms
The only light I have is a 22 watt circle neon lamp and other than making professional shots it is plenty of light.
Still more could be done with reflection if I used a box.
Cheers, Christian B)
Still more could be done with reflection if I used a box.
Cheers, Christian B)
Ok, I'm not trying for professionalism here. Somebody made the comment that my pics were out of focus. And I think I was the one who mentioned needing to work on my lighting some. Now you make mention of "Reflection if I used a box" Please explain... :hmmm
Tankbuilder
Active member
:fencing
Hi Ed.
I used to have a problem with focus when using an inexpensive digital point and shoot camera. I also had trouble with lighting.
I bought a double fluorescent tube light fixture with a wrap around diffuser for $25.00 Canadian (CDN) and put in two daylight tubes. I simply cut the female end off of a 14' long extension cord and used that cord and male plug for the wire and the plug to plug in at the outlet.
I also bought a Canon PowerShot SX120 with image stabilization. It also has a macro mode and an indicator showing what area of the frame it's using to focus on. It was about $200.00 CDN with taxes. With a white background I now very easily get decent images of my 1/35 scale figures. Without that camera but with the light fixture I'd take my shots from further out and crop them. That's because i found it very hard with the other camera to tell if the scene/model/figure was in focus and many time i thought it was but the image would show that it wasn't. You need decent lighting to tell if your focus is sharp. that lighting doesn't need to be complicated and my fluorescent fixture doubles as my model building work light. Here's an image of my light fixture and another 2 of figures I'm working on.
Light Fixture:
A couple of figures under that light fixture:
To reflect more light onto the figure/model/scene you can use a curved piece of Bristol Board or any other white material for a background. Be careful with anything coloured as a backdrop/background reflector since it can colour your image too.
I do NOT use flash unless I diffuse it by covering it with a white tissue in order to avoid washout of the foreground and also avoid really harsh shadows.
I think that good lighting and a white Bristol Board background to trflect light will go a long ways in helping you focus better. The Bristol Board will help remove strong shadows.
I hope this is of some use to you.
Cheers from Peter
Hi Ed.
I used to have a problem with focus when using an inexpensive digital point and shoot camera. I also had trouble with lighting.
I bought a double fluorescent tube light fixture with a wrap around diffuser for $25.00 Canadian (CDN) and put in two daylight tubes. I simply cut the female end off of a 14' long extension cord and used that cord and male plug for the wire and the plug to plug in at the outlet.
I also bought a Canon PowerShot SX120 with image stabilization. It also has a macro mode and an indicator showing what area of the frame it's using to focus on. It was about $200.00 CDN with taxes. With a white background I now very easily get decent images of my 1/35 scale figures. Without that camera but with the light fixture I'd take my shots from further out and crop them. That's because i found it very hard with the other camera to tell if the scene/model/figure was in focus and many time i thought it was but the image would show that it wasn't. You need decent lighting to tell if your focus is sharp. that lighting doesn't need to be complicated and my fluorescent fixture doubles as my model building work light. Here's an image of my light fixture and another 2 of figures I'm working on.
Light Fixture:
A couple of figures under that light fixture:
To reflect more light onto the figure/model/scene you can use a curved piece of Bristol Board or any other white material for a background. Be careful with anything coloured as a backdrop/background reflector since it can colour your image too.
I do NOT use flash unless I diffuse it by covering it with a white tissue in order to avoid washout of the foreground and also avoid really harsh shadows.
I think that good lighting and a white Bristol Board background to trflect light will go a long ways in helping you focus better. The Bristol Board will help remove strong shadows.
I hope this is of some use to you.
Cheers from Peter
Thanks for droppin' by Peter 
I appreciate the feedback on this.
My model bench is in the living room & as you can see, it's kinda in the corner so, can't do too much modifications without my mother complaining about it... IF I had a seperate room for it, it would be alot better....
I appreciate the feedback on this. My model bench is in the living room & as you can see, it's kinda in the corner so, can't do too much modifications without my mother complaining about it... IF I had a seperate room for it, it would be alot better....
Swordsman
Active member
Well Ed ... In my opinion you've come along way from the camper you usta live in ... that being said I bought a 12" florescent lamp at Wally-World for $10.00 ... Now you may be able to find a cardboard box that you could mount the lamp in maybe go for a 24" one or get two 1 footers should be enough ... $1 can of dollar general white paint .... paint inside of box ... mount lamps at the top. Now on the box ... prepare it as follows tape the box closed (duct tape of package don't matter ... cut a hole in the side of the box ... oval not all the way to the edges, for extra strength :skipper
phantom II
Master at Arms
:fencing
Hi Ed.
I used to have a problem with focus when using an inexpensive digital point and shoot camera. I also had trouble with lighting.
I bought a double fluorescent tube light fixture with a wrap around diffuser for $25.00 Canadian (CDN) and put in two daylight tubes. I simply cut the female end off of a 14' long extension cord and used that cord and male plug for the wire and the plug to plug in at the outlet.
I also bought a Canon PowerShot SX120 with image stabilization. It also has a macro mode and an indicator showing what area of the frame it's using to focus on. It was about $200.00 CDN with taxes. With a white background I now very easily get decent images of my 1/35 scale figures. Without that camera but with the light fixture I'd take my shots from further out and crop them. That's because i found it very hard with the other camera to tell if the scene/model/figure was in focus and many time i thought it was but the image would show that it wasn't. You need decent lighting to tell if your focus is sharp. that lighting doesn't need to be complicated and my fluorescent fixture doubles as my model building work light. Here's an image of my light fixture and another 2 of figures I'm working on.
Light Fixture:
A couple of figures under that light fixture:
To reflect more light onto the figure/model/scene you can use a curved piece of Bristol Board or any other white material for a background. Be careful with anything coloured as a backdrop/background reflector since it can colour your image too.
I do NOT use flash unless I diffuse it by covering it with a white tissue in order to avoid washout of the foreground and also avoid really harsh shadows.
I think that good lighting and a white Bristol Board background to trflect light will go a long ways in helping you focus better. The Bristol Board will help remove strong shadows.
I hope this is of some use to you.
Cheers from Peter
Sorry, I thought you had read some of the article that had been posted about lighting and photo booths that had been posted recently.
Not necessarily a booth either. Even simpler that that . Any stiff piece of white paper stock that can be placed close to the model will bounce back light . The booth is basically the to keep all the paper located in the best place .
Take a look at the above picture how the light bounces off the back wall above the shelf :woohoo:
Cheers,Christian B)
Iron Mike
Master At Arms And Resident Curmudgeon
A CLEAN white bedsheet makes a great back drop, you can curve it for a seamless horizon. Nothing at all wrong with using the flash if you are adjusting the exposure with a photo software afterward, although I take a lot of photos at contests with the flash that don't require adjustment. It appears you are using the smallest photo setting on your camera, try taking some photos on the largest setting and crop them to the size you want (page 40). More detail will appear. As Chris said, there are several other related articles to this subject, take a few minutes to see if any of that applies.
ausf
Master at Arms
Does it put out enuff light? :hmmm :drinks
Not really enough light.
As a quick fix, just move the work light closer, so it's immediately above the model, right out of the frame. Take a pic, look at it. Move the light a bit more towards the camera, take another pic, look at it. Keep going like that until you find a position for the light that best illuminates to plane, i.e. no canopy reflection, no hot spots, etc.
A stronger bulb can be screwed in that lamp for the photo too. I'd avoid fluorescent unless you can edit for color, LED bulbs offer the best light for the money these days.
Easiest may be just take it outside.
I don't think anyone here is trying to get you to spend a lot of money or build a lot of equipment, but just trying to help you with what you want in answer to you question. Bottom line is and will always remain, photography needs light, not just for focus, but to see color too.
If the wall and backdrop aren't yellow, then the model color isn't correct either.
It's not a matter of professional photographic results, it's just wanting to see the work that you are sharing with us.
Tankbuilder
Active member
Thanks for droppin' by Peter
My model bench is in the living room & as you can see, it's kinda in the corner so, can't do too much modifications without my mother complaining about it... IF I had a seperate room for it, it would be alot better....
Hi again Ed.
Are you using a Compact Fluorescent Bulb in your work light? Is it a DAYLIGHT balance bulb? I ask because you have a yellowish-green cast in a lot of your images including the one of your work bench.
You can make a simple portable fluorescent light fixture by mounting a 24" fluorescent light fixture with a DAYLIGHT fluorescent tube in it to a piece of wood such as a 1"x3" or 2"x2" attached to a base. You can position that next to the bench and then place a curved piece of Bristol Board vertically behind the model to reflect light onto the backside of the model.
A single 24" fluorescent light fixture shouldn't cost much nor should a DAYLIGHT fluorescent light tube.
This will give you a good compact and easily portable light for taking images with.
Cheers from Peter
Taking photographs of your models indoors has its advantages but when I bought my first digital camera 12 years ago I found out quickly taking pictures outdoors is the easiest way to go.
The best conditions for taking outdoor pictures are sunny days with a high thin overcast. The second best is in the shade on a bright sunny day, there is usually enough sunlight bouncing off other objects for excellent diffuse lighting and this makes it easy for your camera to focus on your model.
If its not feasible to take your pictures outdoors the next best thing is taking pictures near a south facing window where you can use some natural light from the window combined with your indoor photography lighting.
Like any part of modeling getting good pictures of your work takes a little practice and the only thing you lose practicing with a digital camera is just a little bit of your time.
Matrixone
The best conditions for taking outdoor pictures are sunny days with a high thin overcast. The second best is in the shade on a bright sunny day, there is usually enough sunlight bouncing off other objects for excellent diffuse lighting and this makes it easy for your camera to focus on your model.
If its not feasible to take your pictures outdoors the next best thing is taking pictures near a south facing window where you can use some natural light from the window combined with your indoor photography lighting.
Like any part of modeling getting good pictures of your work takes a little practice and the only thing you lose practicing with a digital camera is just a little bit of your time.
Matrixone
Thanks alot fellas. I appreciate it. I'll see what I can do as time goes on... Yeah, the wall is Yellow. Normally I have a box top up there when I take pics. I'll play around with it some & see.
I probaly could go outside & take pics Les, Just too lazy ta do that! LoL... Been having 100+ temps lately, I'm afraid I might melt if I go outside :frantic
The bulb in my lamp is I think 60 watter. got the frosted look to it. Not a florescent bulb.
I probaly could go outside & take pics Les, Just too lazy ta do that! LoL... Been having 100+ temps lately, I'm afraid I might melt if I go outside :frantic
The bulb in my lamp is I think 60 watter. got the frosted look to it. Not a florescent bulb.
Ed,
Last week it was me that was suffering through the 100+ temps, its not easy to deal with since its usually very mild temps in the summers here so when it gets 100 and over it its a big deal.
This spring and summer has been extremely dry even compared to last year which I thought was amazing for such long stretches of really dry and warm weather...a summer here can be as short as 5 weeks without a lot of rain.
ldguy
Matrixone
Last week it was me that was suffering through the 100+ temps, its not easy to deal with since its usually very mild temps in the summers here so when it gets 100 and over it its a big deal.
This spring and summer has been extremely dry even compared to last year which I thought was amazing for such long stretches of really dry and warm weather...a summer here can be as short as 5 weeks without a lot of rain.
ldguy Matrixone
Tankbuilder
Active member
Hi Ed.
You can buy a 60 watts daylight balanced light bulb that'll fit your lamp socket. You'll be surprise at the difference it makes to model building and taking images.
Up here in Ontario, Canada they've banned the sale of regular incandescent light bulbs. I bought every incandescent daylight bulb I could find whilst they were still available.
Cheers from Peter
