photographing your figures/customs,help for the inept, begged for!
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metaphorge
Archbishop of Bologna!!!
Use a camera with a good macro focus setting.
Use a tripod and use existing light, using flash only as a fill-in. Get some full-spectrum, high wattage lightbulbs and put them in flexible-headed desklamps to light it well. Experiment with colored lights. Use long exposures on your photos of figures that you've added a cold-cathode lightsaber to really show them off.
Get a softbox (inexpenisively available on ebay; you'll want at least a 20 inch one for photographing 1:6 figures so that there's plenty of headroom and room at the sides). This fixes the background clutter problem. Keep the shot simple, with the toy(s)
Use a camera that lets you manually focus and adjust the shutter speed and aperture. Using a larger aperture for shallow depth-of-field so that objects in the foreground and background are somewhat blurry, calling attention to the main subject.
Shoot a LOT of photos, varying the setting slightly above and below what you think is optimal. If you've got a digital there's no need to conserve film, and what looks good through the viewfinder or the camera's LCD is not always going to be the best shot once you stick them on your computer.
Shoot from the figure's eye level or below; shooting down towards a figure reinforces that it's a toy, as you would not usually photograph a person from far above them. Experiment with unusual angles.
Crop the images once you're done to improve composition.
Look at a lot of other people's action figure photos; I'll now pimp the FlickR pool I administrate, 6thScale, which has over a thousand photos of 1:6 figures of all sorts by many photographers; Shaun from this board is by far the most prolific contributor.
Don't be afraid to ask questions of how a photographer pulled off a particular shot (this is one thing I like about FlickR, as its format makes such enquiry as easy as posting here on the Sideshow Freaks board).
Read a book or look up info on the web on taking portraits of actual people. Many of the tips will also apply to photographing dolls and action figures.
Hope this helps!
Use a tripod and use existing light, using flash only as a fill-in. Get some full-spectrum, high wattage lightbulbs and put them in flexible-headed desklamps to light it well. Experiment with colored lights. Use long exposures on your photos of figures that you've added a cold-cathode lightsaber to really show them off.
Get a softbox (inexpenisively available on ebay; you'll want at least a 20 inch one for photographing 1:6 figures so that there's plenty of headroom and room at the sides). This fixes the background clutter problem. Keep the shot simple, with the toy(s)
Use a camera that lets you manually focus and adjust the shutter speed and aperture. Using a larger aperture for shallow depth-of-field so that objects in the foreground and background are somewhat blurry, calling attention to the main subject.
Shoot a LOT of photos, varying the setting slightly above and below what you think is optimal. If you've got a digital there's no need to conserve film, and what looks good through the viewfinder or the camera's LCD is not always going to be the best shot once you stick them on your computer.
Shoot from the figure's eye level or below; shooting down towards a figure reinforces that it's a toy, as you would not usually photograph a person from far above them. Experiment with unusual angles.
Crop the images once you're done to improve composition.
Look at a lot of other people's action figure photos; I'll now pimp the FlickR pool I administrate, 6thScale, which has over a thousand photos of 1:6 figures of all sorts by many photographers; Shaun from this board is by far the most prolific contributor.
Don't be afraid to ask questions of how a photographer pulled off a particular shot (this is one thing I like about FlickR, as its format makes such enquiry as easy as posting here on the Sideshow Freaks board).
Read a book or look up info on the web on taking portraits of actual people. Many of the tips will also apply to photographing dolls and action figures.
Hope this helps!
DarkArtist81
Super Freak
Cool! Metaphorge led me to the same item... It works like a CHARM, very very helpful for the photography inept artists out there. Like myself.
You will love it, and your stuff will shine like it never has before.
Metaphorge basically hit upon the technical tips, and ya, when shooting collectibles, the techniques used for real people apply, which is why I do my figure pics, it keeps the skills sharp and actually improves some.
That info will help you to take nice photos and they'll highlight work for sure and be much clearer than flash flooded images. However, if you're looking to be really creative with your photos and you want to step from beyond a great photo of a collectible and create a photo that could almost stand alone as a nice piece of artwork, you have to be passionate, so much of it is diving in head first and throwing out an idea that things can be done in a cookie cutter style. You can repeat settings and setups, but your work will be more dynamic and speak volumes more if you approach each subject uniquely and test out the strengths and weakness of composition and lighting and camera angle. Photography is fun, but like anything in life, you can only be as successful as the passion and work you put into it.
That info will help you to take nice photos and they'll highlight work for sure and be much clearer than flash flooded images. However, if you're looking to be really creative with your photos and you want to step from beyond a great photo of a collectible and create a photo that could almost stand alone as a nice piece of artwork, you have to be passionate, so much of it is diving in head first and throwing out an idea that things can be done in a cookie cutter style. You can repeat settings and setups, but your work will be more dynamic and speak volumes more if you approach each subject uniquely and test out the strengths and weakness of composition and lighting and camera angle. Photography is fun, but like anything in life, you can only be as successful as the passion and work you put into it.
Mookeylama
Super Freak
great info! hey what digi camera models/brands do u guys recommend? i have a Sony Cybershot DSC-S85 now and it really doesn't seem that well suited for small stuff/macro.
It's all a matter of preference. I've used Nikon and Canon for digi camera's, and I'm very attached now to Canon as a brand and wouldn't use anything else unless I heard something otherwise. The best bet is high end, you may have to get SLR now to get good Macro mode, I'm not sure, I only follow the better models because I'm an aspiring professional and it only pays to be ahead in the game.
Lots of good information here, both technical and artistic have already been offered, and should be a big help to beginners and anyone wanting to improve their photography skills. Choosing the right equipment to help you achieve the results you want is essential, of course. Taking tons of pics, while continually experimenting and trying out new ideas will also help you learn what works or doesn't, and will help you get to know the strengths and limitations of your equipment and techniques. Being creative (artistic) is also essential if you want your pics to be outstanding. Always try to add life to your subject matter!
One thing I might add (and forgive me if this is all too obvious), try to pose your figures as naturally as possible! Keep in mind the effect that gravity has on the human body. You want to trick the viewer into believing your plastic figure has the weight of a full size person (or creature) and they will look much more alive if you can give them the illusion of weight and balance in the way they are posed. The posture of the head, body, arms and legs all work together to counter the effects of gravity and they should be integrated in order to "sell" the illusion of life. When a figure is holding a weapon, such as heavy rifle or sword for example, the whole body will adjust to accommodate and/or compensate for the weight of the object. Observing people and how they move in real life is a great way to improve your figure-posing skills. You can even use your own body to help you work out problems.
One more thing, when shooting 1:6 scale figures...loose the figure stands! The eye of your viewer will immediately notice any obvious supports, spoiling the illusion. There are ways to shoot pictures so that any necessary supports will be hidden in the final shot, but it takes practice and experimentation. I always try to find ways to shoot figures standing on their own. When you need to shoot a dynamic, off-balance pose then you'll probably need to use some kind of artificial support, but always try to find ways that won't appear obvious in your final shot. Hope this was helpful.
One thing I might add (and forgive me if this is all too obvious), try to pose your figures as naturally as possible! Keep in mind the effect that gravity has on the human body. You want to trick the viewer into believing your plastic figure has the weight of a full size person (or creature) and they will look much more alive if you can give them the illusion of weight and balance in the way they are posed. The posture of the head, body, arms and legs all work together to counter the effects of gravity and they should be integrated in order to "sell" the illusion of life. When a figure is holding a weapon, such as heavy rifle or sword for example, the whole body will adjust to accommodate and/or compensate for the weight of the object. Observing people and how they move in real life is a great way to improve your figure-posing skills. You can even use your own body to help you work out problems.
One more thing, when shooting 1:6 scale figures...loose the figure stands! The eye of your viewer will immediately notice any obvious supports, spoiling the illusion. There are ways to shoot pictures so that any necessary supports will be hidden in the final shot, but it takes practice and experimentation. I always try to find ways to shoot figures standing on their own. When you need to shoot a dynamic, off-balance pose then you'll probably need to use some kind of artificial support, but always try to find ways that won't appear obvious in your final shot. Hope this was helpful.
I'm not familiar with the model you have, but you might want to check if there are any accessories available for it, such as a closeup adaptor. That might be all you need for it and it would be an easier fix than buying a whole new camera... unless that's what you want to do.
As MaulFan said, it really is pretty much a matter of preference, like with your choice of computer makers, action figures, etc. Fortunately, you can get pretty good results with much more reasonably priced cameras these days. I started out using a SLR film camera way back in the 20th century, and I'm still using the first digital camera I ever owned, an Olympus 'Camedia' C-2020Z Zoom. It used to be a pretty 'high end' camera when it was first released, at 2.1 megapixels!!! Still, it takes does a pretty decent job shooting figures, so I think you can probably get excellent results with many of the more reasonably priced cameras that are out now. To me it's more about the lenses that come with a camera than all of the electronics and other fancy stuff. I'd be inclined to look at Canon, Nikon, Olympus, or Pentax first, but I think Sony are also very good. Many of them have optional lenses and adaptors available, too.
I would like to add one quick thing to what Metaphorge said. When talking about apature remember that the smaller the number the larger the apature and the larger the number the smaller the apature. Just a tip that many people get confused about.
Rook
Super Freak
Quick! What do all of these images have in common?
Answer: I broke every one of those rules. :chew
Not bragging. Just suggesting that there aren't any rules. However, those are some pretty useful guidelines. I'll add my two cents tomorrow. Gotta go finish Potter now, though.
Answer: I broke every one of those rules. :chew
Not bragging. Just suggesting that there aren't any rules.
However, those are some pretty useful guidelines. I'll add my two cents tomorrow. Gotta go finish Potter now, though.
And very valuable information at that, I remember first reading about that one, I definitely scratched my head a bit trying to understand that logic, but I'm sure it's relative to the scientific aspects of it all and not common human brain logic. Another note on aperture, at least in my experience with my camera and I'm sure it's true for other non-SLR cameras, the camera will adjust the aperture based on your zoom, and at certain zooms you can only have it so open, no control to open it up. My camera's widest aperture is 2.4, but once I zoom a certain ammount, it becomes 3.something.
Well a good point to make Monk, and very true that most often, good photography isn't about following some paint by numbers system, but intuitively using the features of your camera and living in the moment, that's how I work, I have a rough estimate where to start, but I always see where things go. However, for people looking to start out, you need rules to give your rule-less technique some guidance.
A big thing, especially with the freedom of digital photography, take LOTS of pictures, you never know which will come out great cuz many of the on camera windows aren't true to the final image quality, the more you have the better off you are. I did a few photoshoots with some models and I took about 300-400 shots to get 50-100 great ones.
A big thing, especially with the freedom of digital photography, take LOTS of pictures, you never know which will come out great cuz many of the on camera windows aren't true to the final image quality, the more you have the better off you are. I did a few photoshoots with some models and I took about 300-400 shots to get 50-100 great ones.
Well that is because of the lens acatually. If you look at the lens if it has a number like f3.5-4.5 or 1:3.5-4.5 it means that when zoomed all the way out it will have a largest apature of 3.5 when zoomed all the way out it will have a largest apature of 4.5 and it will vary in between. The camera will adjust the apature to what the lens allow at that zoom level. Some lenses have a fixed max apature.
Rook
Super Freak
True, MF, and it wasn't my intention to be glib. I could type my fingers bloody about this subject, and I wish I had more time to tonight. I'll be happy to offer any helpful tips I can.
If such a permathread were to be established, it might help if each of us with some photographic experience were to have a post explaining the different variations in our techniques. Any questions about specific styles and guidelines could be asked via PM, then answered in the thread in the post of the question's recipient. That way, each photographer is able to update his hints and techniques at his/her leisure.
Just a thought. I'm not sure about the logistics of it. Photography's my realm. I leave web stuff to the we masters.
If such a permathread were to be established, it might help if each of us with some photographic experience were to have a post explaining the different variations in our techniques. Any questions about specific styles and guidelines could be asked via PM, then answered in the thread in the post of the question's recipient. That way, each photographer is able to update his hints and techniques at his/her leisure.
Just a thought. I'm not sure about the logistics of it. Photography's my realm. I leave web stuff to the we masters.
A noble idea Monk, but like trying to teach Photoshop and things to people, I at least don't know how to articulate a great deal of what I do, it's just there somewhere deep in my brain and when I get behind the lens or sit at the software, that knowledge is tapped. The best tool for learning is just doing, get yourself a camera and just shoot, shoot, shoot and when you think you've shot enough, shoot some more. If you're looking to apply your photos for photoshop type work, then keep in mind too, you don't have to shoot for a nice photo, just shoot to capture the elements you want to work into your graphics piece, I have hundreds of images of clouds and fire and trees, as stand alone photos they suck but my intention was to have a database of pieces for my collage work and it pays off. I've probably shot over 3000 photos in the last 3 years, and that's why I shoot collectibles, even though they're small compared to real people, for the most part, the logistics are the same and it can hone in your skills, light falling over a 3D toy head will work the same around a full sized human head, so it's good for finding lighting scenarios you want to use in non-collectible photography.
Biggest tip for gents reading this information, don't be guys, READ the instructions with your camera, they are definitely one thing you don't want to try and just do it on your own, you'll miss out on features that ultimately will help your photos be all the more better.
Biggest tip for gents reading this information, don't be guys, READ the instructions with your camera, they are definitely one thing you don't want to try and just do it on your own, you'll miss out on features that ultimately will help your photos be all the more better.
Another thing would be to read different basic turorials and info on different photo sites. I took me about a year to turely understand everything about my D-SLR camera. In the begining it was just auto for everything. I started to try and shoot some surf photos and when looking for lenses I found that I was going to have to get older manual focus lenses or nothing at all. That forced me to learn about apature, shutter speed and what they did and how they interacted. photo.net has a small but nice lil learning section that helped me tons when trying to understand things.
It's pricey, but Barne & Noble has some great photography books available, that's where I learned from, I got a nice camera, picked up some books, and hit the field. For anyone seriously interested in taking good photos, I suggest not even considering buying a camera that doesn't have full manual control which consists of aperture, shutter speed, ISO setting, the works, the auto stuff is decent, but it's more for the mom shooting her kids at parties or drunk girls taking pictures at the bar, manual is the way to go for the serious amateur/pro.
Doctor T
Freakalicious
Some basics I didn't see mentioned yet, but here's how I photograph figures:
- focus on the eyes
- avoid putting the subject dead center of picture (boring composition - try rule of thirds instead)
- use a longer focal length (say 100mm or 3x zoom) to avoid wide angle distortion
- avoid in-camera flash, or direct on flash. External flash is better when placed off the camera and fired remotely
IMHO, you don't need a fancy SLR to take good shots of figures. In fact I usually choose my compact Canon G6 over my 20D SLR 90% of the time for figures. (For 1:1 stuff and people, then I'll choose my 20D SLR). Why? Depth-of-field. SLR DOF tends to be too narrow vs the compact digicam for close up work. Sure it's neat to take pictures of the eyes in focus and then blur the rest of the body once in a while, but most of time I want the whole figure sharp and in focus - if anything was to be blurred, then the background only. Sure, you could get the whole figure in focus with the SLR by setting the aperture to 16 and sticking it on a tripod or whatever. But I just find the whole process easier with the compact.
Again, I'm just sharing how I do it - by no means am I saying it's the only way to do it.
- focus on the eyes
- avoid putting the subject dead center of picture (boring composition - try rule of thirds instead)
- use a longer focal length (say 100mm or 3x zoom) to avoid wide angle distortion
- avoid in-camera flash, or direct on flash. External flash is better when placed off the camera and fired remotely
IMHO, you don't need a fancy SLR to take good shots of figures. In fact I usually choose my compact Canon G6 over my 20D SLR 90% of the time for figures. (For 1:1 stuff and people, then I'll choose my 20D SLR). Why? Depth-of-field. SLR DOF tends to be too narrow vs the compact digicam for close up work. Sure it's neat to take pictures of the eyes in focus and then blur the rest of the body once in a while, but most of time I want the whole figure sharp and in focus - if anything was to be blurred, then the background only. Sure, you could get the whole figure in focus with the SLR by setting the aperture to 16 and sticking it on a tripod or whatever. But I just find the whole process easier with the compact.
Again, I'm just sharing how I do it - by no means am I saying it's the only way to do it.
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