^^^^^. Lawrence, To me that is a great sharp, in focus photo. The colors seem just right (spot on).

I really need to get something done with a photo set-up.

My lighting is something I need to address first. My DIY lighting is just not cutting it. I have been looking at some soft boxes on Amazon... I don't want them too big (or too small) but I need something collapsible as I do not have room to leave a "photo studio" set up all the time. I need something easy to set up and take down and store. Also looking at folding tables.

Andy D

I have been looking again (still) and I found these Umbrella Lights and stands on Amazon

I am wondering if anyone here uses umbrella lights and how well they work.

It appears that they should be easier to setup and store than soft boxes. I believe I could use this area of my work area for a photography area by just moving some things around and add a temporary back drop of some kind.

"]https://flic.kr/p/EvAdDa]Workspace1[/url] by MyPlasticBricks"]https://www.flickr.c...MyPlasticBricks[/url], on Flickr

Thanks for any help,

Andy D

Edited March 10, 20168 yr by Andy D

I'm no expert, but looking at my results with pointing the lamp upwards, I'd say the umbrellas should work fine! As long as the light is indirect, you should get great results.

I'm not sure the umbrellas are easier to store. I doubt they work like real umbrellas, so opening and closing frequently might cause them to break (not sure, just a thought).

I'm no expert, but looking at my results with pointing the lamp upwards, I'd say the umbrellas should work fine! As long as the light is indirect, you should get great results.

I'm not sure the umbrellas are easier to store. I doubt they work like real umbrellas, so opening and closing frequently might cause them to break (not sure, just a thought).

Thanks Jim... For $50 it might be worth the risk. They seem to be pretty well reviewed. I guess I should be able to get better results tha I do now.

Andy D

50 bucks is defintely worth a try. I think you'll do just fine.

When you shoot, you need to make sure to close the blinds. And preferably shoot at night/in the evening (when the sun has set). I have those blinds too and when the sun is shining it does afflect the results. Sudden increase in brightness of the sun results in irregular pictures, even if you close the blinds (they don't shut 100%).

If you have white walls and ceilings, you can try bouncing the flash off the ceiling. The flash can be on or off camera. Off camera would give you more placement options. Flashes are small and easy to setup and put away compared to other types of equipment.

If you have white walls and ceilings, you can try bouncing the flash off the ceiling. The flash can be on or off camera. Off camera would give you more placement options. Flashes are small and easy to setup and put away compared to other types of equipment.

50 bucks is defintely worth a try. I think you'll do just fine.

When you shoot, you need to make sure to close the blinds. And preferably shoot at night/in the evening (when the sun has set). I have those blinds too and when the sun is shining it does afflect the results. Sudden increase in brightness of the sun results in irregular pictures, even if you close the blinds (they don't shut 100%).

Thanks Jim and dr_spock...

I hadn't thought about the blinds, in fact I was thinking the window might provide backlight, but I can see where it could cause stripes.

I wil also experiment with bouncing light off the ceiling.

I guess I should also turn off overhead and other incandescent lights as well.

Thanks again, off to order,

Andy D

Yup, you need to turn off all other lights. Last time I did forget to turn of the spots and I immediately saw an orange glow.

Blinds closed, turn off other lights and preferably shoot when the sun has set (best results after dark).

Yup, you need to turn off all other lights. Last time I did forget to turn of the spots and I immediately saw an orange glow.

Blinds closed, turn off other lights and preferably shoot when the sun has set (best results after dark).

How about shooting during the "Golden Hour" (1 after sunrise or 1 hour before sunset). Yep, I know many photography terms, now I just need to learn how to apply them. A photographer I am not, but I a trying to learn.

I need to find some good backdrop paper (or maybe fabric).

Andy D

You want to avoid mixed lighting - natural light vs. artificial (frequently a mix of old-style tungsten filament bulbs, halogen, compact fluorescent, and LED) vs. studio lighting - mixed lighting results in weird uncontrollable color balance issues, especially in highlights, backgrounds, and reflections. I've had good luck photographing various subjects with either indirect natural light (filtered by a window shade, with reflectors for fill), soft box/tent with halogen lights, diffused camera flash, or LEDs - but never with mixed light sources. Make sure your in-camera color balance is set to either 'auto' or to the correct light source, and use a grey-card to double check and confirm.

Golden hour photography is great for landscapes and achieving moody effects, but generally not for detailed and clear product photography. The unidirectional light does not provide good illumination over the entire subject.

Edited March 10, 20168 yr by JGW3000

Golden hour photography is great for landscapes and achieving moody effects, but generally not for detailed and clear product photography. The unidirectional light does not provide good illumination over the entire subject.

Exactly.

Make sure your in-camera color balance is set to either 'auto' or to the correct light source, and use a grey-card to double check and confirm.

Auto is okay indeed. I don't think a grey-card is really necessary. You can post-process your pictures and change the white balance if needed.

Just to offer my two-penneth

I am an "enthusiastic amateur" photographer, who has accumulated a few "toys", BUT, they are not always needed...

The above photo is in no way perfect, but is acceptable (I believe) in showing a finished model.

Here's a few pointers:

1. I accidentally shot this in JPG mode (a RAW file would of allowed be to post process it more aggressivly) - so this demonstrates what most JPG cameras might be able to reproduce.

2. Taken indoors, with natural light from a single window.

3. The light is difused through a cheap 5-in-1 reflector (Ebay) - note the round catch light in the eyes (not a reproduction of my window)

4. The background is a pop-up two-sided (black/white) framed material thing found on Amazon - it's 2m x 1.5m but could be some material from your local market

Post processing.

I use Adobe Lightroom (which I think still available as a 1 month free trial. There are other free software packages available too.

With lego having flat surfaces that often reflect light creating hi-light spots, I usually reduce the hi-lights.

I also reduce shadows to reveal the dark area detail.

I might also increase the blacks

A little bit of Clarity helps too.

As I say, not perfect, but acceptable ?

Lawrence

241A7888 by Lawrence Fowler, on Flickr

Hey people,

I want to upgrade my photo taking place a little bit for my blog and was wondering if anyone has any tips on making a DIY photo taking place.

I want to try and keep it cheap or maybe just use household items and have an idea but want to see what other people think.

Thank you for any tips :)

Brickset had an article a few weeks ago about how to build a DIY Light Box. Many of the comments had good info too.

http://brickset.com/article/20303/how-to-make-a-cheap-but-effective-light-box-to-help-improve-your-lego-photography

Brickset had an article a few weeks ago about how to build a DIY Light Box. Many of the comments had good info too.

http://brickset.com/...ego-photography

Thank you so much :)

This is my quick simple cheap setup. A couple of old swing arm desk lights, tripod and large sheet of construction paper for a seamless backdrop.

Thanks for the info!

My "photo studio", cardboard is the back of an old poster. However, I sometimes use coloured cardboards for 1 Euro or so, too.

Edited May 17, 20168 yr by ER0L

Yes, I am bumping an ancient thread to provide some new prospective to photography. As a collector of model cars, I have done a lot of photo shots. I would shop around for large out of date calendars and use them for backdrops. I assembled various bases, the simple ones simply being painted surfaces or plywood with dirt put on top, with more complicated bases having a paved like surface, side walk or grass berm. The results were pretty good, IMHO. I know these aren't Lego's but the same technique will work with them.

This one was shot on a glossy piece of plastic to simulate ice with a winter background:


This one is a bit more complicated but not overly so:


And lastly:




Another method used by photographers is to set up a model on a table and use a real outside setting as the background. You can move the table to give the proper location and perspective to the background. This method has been used by Hollywood for years to make lizards look like prehistoric monsters.

Edited September 5, 20231 yr by Lego Tom

In a follow up to my last post, here is an example of using a table and perspective. Note: These pictures are NOT mine and are a prime example of work done by a fellow car collector John B.

The set up:

The results: