Photographing your minis

[Badaab]

Just a general question, well, more of an interest inquest, so to speak...

Honza\'s article on digital photography with one lamp is great, but I\'m curious if anyone would be interested in an article using conventional photographic equipment and multiple lamps in a studio setting?

I\'m offering, if anyone is interested, once I get finished with my move at the end of the month and re-established out west (so maybe like the middle of July at the earliest).

Badaab

 

[Errex]

Im\' a digital camera user...

But I\'d like to know more about lighting with multiple lamps, so, at least, i\'m interested.

 

[Badaab]

Multiple lights

Well...
I have a set of hot lights, which are basically some high-end photography lamps that use reflectors and high-wattage bulbs (250W incandescent). These things get hot, so keep them well away of your minis...
Ideally, for photographing under these conditions, you\'ll need a neutral grey card for color balancing, and if using a conventional camera, you\'ll have to bracket your exposures (more on this if anyone is interested)...

The trick is to place the lights so they cast a glow on the subject without creating glare, so experiment with this some (you can judge it by eye). Also, using relector cards (big white sheets of cardboard or reflective surfaces work well and are cheap) to \'bend\' the light and create an ambience is quite nice. But now I\'m sounding like a photography textbook, so, when I get my lazy self around to it, I\'ll write an article with pics.

 

[Aryanun]

Just make certain you talk about depth of field and how to adjust a photo for incandescent and flourescent lighting if they can\'t afford an expensive setup. After browsing the image gallery, I see a lot of pics that are too dark and too orange/yellow to get a good idea of what they look like. You probably want to include that in your article. Keep it simple and remember that most people can\'t afford a large studio-style setup.

I just advise them to go to the local camera store and get an 18% grey card for their background and shoot outside on an overcast day.