AoM Barracks Phase 1: Setting Up Camp

[IGUNNUK33LU]

When you are building an army, be sure to find a good place to set up camp.

OoC:This is my first MOC on EB. I am aware of the bad lighting, background, and quality. Any Constructive criticism is welcome, especially about my horrid tree. Oh, and should I change my minifigs' arms to regular green (rather than dark)?

Make sure there is a lot of wood to build your camp.

And a place to store your arms.

OoC: A look of the small place without minifigs.

OoC: Thanks for taking the time to look at this and give any advice you have.

[Garmadon]

Nice build Igunnuk, it is quite refreshing to see something from Mitgardia just now! (ok, it really always is! ) The snow is nice as is the fig posing, and the little building for storing weapons is great The tree doesn't look bad either, but it could be improved by making the trunk with brown or dark brown slopes instead of round pieces. The studs-out approach to trees is an excellent technique as well

As to photography, I would suggest trying to take pictures outside on an overcast day on a few white pieces of paper, which is what I do. A tripod also helps sometimes

Great first MoC anyhow!

Edited May 5, 2015 by Garmadon

[IGUNNUK33LU]

Thanks. This is why I joined EB in the first place, to get others' opinions. I'll try to incorporate them in to my next MOC.

[LordDan]

Neat shed! The tree also looks fine, only the trunk is a little weak. What most detracts from this build is the pictures. Without proper pictures we can hardly see the mic, and is is very hard to appreciate and offer tips for improvement if you can't fealty see the build. One of the issues that I notice is that in some of your pictures the focus seen to be on items in the background, instead of the actual build, which is blurry and out of focus. For example in the last picture the chair? ( chosen thingy) can be seen crystal clear, but we can hardly see any detail of the build. Also you should try to be aware of lighting. For example we can hardly see inside the armory because of the shadow. If you could improve these features then it would greatly improve your presentation I hope this was helpful

[Spader]

Not bad! I really would suggest a white backround. It really is easy, and it improves it's professional appearance. And in any case, nice build!

[Blufiji]

Thanks. This is why I joined EB in the first place, to get others' opinions. I'll try to incorporate them in to my next MOC.

Well your in the right place. I'm no picture expert, but a little bit of natural light and some distance (what others have taught me on these forums) really helps your build stand out. I really like the bird. but I felt that the tent could be more "tenty" like. I like the blend of colors you used for the tree, but like Garmedon said, it's a good idea to incorporate some slopes. I think your first build on EB turned out quite nice however, and look forward to your future builds with improvements.

[Lord Vladivus]

Nice little build!

[LittleJohn]

Very nice first MOC! The tree looks pretty good, and I like the bird

[Brick Man Studios]

Nice MOC !

But the quality of the pics are a little bit bad....

[Gunman]

Beautiful 1st moc my friend! As others have stated, you just need to improve your photography, lighting 1st of all

Edited May 6, 2015 by Gunman

[Balbo]

Considering the fact that it's your first MOC you really did a great job!

I like how you made the tree and the little house.

[Graham Gidman]

Fun little build, great for your first post! As stated, a white background with better lighting would be nice.

[soccerkid6]

First of all, it's great to have you in Mitgardia! And I'm glad you're so eager to receive advice

The others covered the photography side of things, so I'll focus on the build itself.

I like the leaves on the ground, and the little storage shed. You did a good job posing all the figs, they all look like they're busy doing something, and not just standing around

The snow looks pretty good, though a few tiles and curved slopes would add to the drifted look.

Nice touch with the little brickbuilt bird on top of the tree, good start to your building career for Mitgardia

[mccoyed]

This definitely takes me back to my first few mocs photographed on my dining room floor, haha. Eventually, I started using a piece of white paper tacked to my wall as a backdrop. I also use two table desk-lamps with 100w halogen "white" lightbulbs. I use my phone camera, but it requires a steady hand. I've seen a lot of setups on Flickr and stuff that are far more professional than mine, but I think I do okay especially when I photograph at night. I don't get enough natural light in my high-rise apartment to follow the usual advice. I would also recommend using GIMP as SK and others suggested to me as it makes a world of difference in addressing bad shadows and color balance in photos. It also lets you do cool stuff like add banners and signatures!

Hopefully that advice helps! PM me if you have any questions as my start with MOCing is a lot more recent and I'm eager to help as others have helped me. Other than that, great start and hope to see more from you... especially Age of Mitgardia builds!

Edited May 7, 2015 by mccoyed