Technic Photography

[mahjqa]

I prefer to work outside, but here's my indoor setup:

-Big sheets of paper for a nice background, and to bounce some indirect light on the model.

-Tripod (very useful)

-And my silly point 'n shoot still gets the job done:

[Werlu Ulcur]

"Only over my dead body..."

[MaxSupercars]

@Drakmin:

Very good postprocess... You played with it a while... I like it... :P

Max...

[miguev]

I crave for a D700... May be heavy and cumbersome, but just does it.

Not as much as a good lens, which is why I always use prime lenses. But that in turn not as much as good light and setup, which is why of my photos are to me still between "just decent" and "don't show that"

drakmin, beautiful! I saw your siege tank shot elsewhere and wondered how much of it was PS. It came out absolutely fantastic!

The photo just out of the camera was more than decent, but the PS work on top of it is superb!

[tehkei]

I love using my 40mm f/2.8 macro lens. although I don't have many pictures of technic and this one is not the best example of what this lens can do. I love prime lenses.

DSC_5929.jpg by C. L., on Flickr

[MaxSupercars]

tehkei you had to focus on front grill... Your photo got backfocus...

BTW... Prime lenses are not necessary...

Max...

[drakmin]

@mahjga: Your setup and photo are a nice example of "it's the quality of the light not the camera"!

@MaxSupercars: Primes lenses cause photographer to use their brain more as you can't just stand still and play with zoom but you need to actively think about the angle and distance where you shoot from. Any thinking done before pressing the shutter release yields in better pictures.

I'd like to see more of final presentation combined with "making of" type shots of the setup used.

[tehkei]

tehkei you had to focus on front grill... Your photo got backfocus...

BTW... Prime lenses are not necessary...

Max...

yeah not the best picture lol. Primes are not necessary but they are helpful in low light situations specially fast lenses.

[mahjqa]

Why would you need fast lenses? 99% of the time you're taking a picture, your model will be completely stationary. Get yourself a tripod, and your exposure time can be anything you want.

Here is 15 seconds exposure time, no additional tweaks:

[Lipko]

The latest "setup" I used:

Natural lights, some random table in my girlfriend's parent's place, two thick cardboard paper ducktaped together, and a grey cardboard clipped on them, plus a tripod.

The biggest issue with my photos is that they are noisy. I don't know if it's a camera issue, light issue or something else.

Edited June 25, 2015 by Lipko

[tehkei]

Why would you need fast lenses? 99% of the time you're taking a picture, your model will be completely stationary. Get yourself a tripod, and your exposure time can be anything you want.

yeah you really can't argue with those results. Although I do still prefer to use prime lenses on my camera, it just seems like I get a few more keepers than with a kit or zoom lens.

Edited June 25, 2015 by tehkei

[mahjqa]

The latest "setup" I used:

Natural lights, some random table in my girlfriend's parent's place, two thick cardboard paper ducktaped together, and a grey cardboard clipped on them, plus a tripod.

The biggest issue with my photos is that they are noisy. I don't know if it's a camera issue, light issue or something else.

There are plenty possible causes for noise, but the typical one is that not enough light enters the camera. You could add more lights, but it's easier to use a longer exposure time with a lower ISO setting.

yeah you really can't argue with those results. Although I do still prefer to use prime lenses on my camera, it just seems like I get a few more keepers than with a kit or zoom lens.

Hey, if you've got them, all the more power to you. You'd be silly not to use them. This was just for the people who may not have the money or the hardware; with some adjustment a standard camera can still produce great results.

Edited June 25, 2015 by mahjqa

[Jim]

There are plenty possible causes for noise, but the typical one is that not enough light enters the camera. You could add more lights, but it's easier to use a longer exposure time with a lower ISO setting.

Exactly! Always use ISO 100 (using a tripod) and let the camera decide the shutter time. Don't use auto ISO.

Hey, if you've got them, all the more power to you. You'd be silly not to use it. This was just for the people who may not have the money or the hardware; with some adjustment a standard camera can still produce great results.

Definitely true. Although a prime lens doesn't mean it's expensive. I use the cheapest 50mm prime available and it's tack sharp

PS nice pic of my favorite Dutch city

[dr_spock]

I've been playing around with a hand me down P&S camera that supports manual modes.

One of these was taken with a dSLR and prime lens. The other was with a manual P&S. Post-processing was resizing to comply with Eurobricks Site Guidelines for picture size.

I think you can get pretty good results straight out of a P&S camera with the right settings and shooting conditions and EB size policies.

[sm1995]

The latest "setup" I used:

Natural lights, some random table in my girlfriend's parent's place, two thick cardboard paper ducktaped together, and a grey cardboard clipped on them, plus a tripod.

The biggest issue with my photos is that they are noisy. I don't know if it's a camera issue, light issue or something else.

I have the same problem, my photos are rather grainy. I have a pretty good DSLR but I use natural light too so I think that's our issue here.

[Jim]

I have the same problem, my photos are rather grainy. I have a pretty good DSLR but I use natural light too so I think that's our issue here.

What mode do you use? Do you shoot at 100 ISO?

I've been playing around with a hand me down P&S camera that supports manual modes.

One of these was taken with a dSLR and prime lens. The other was with a manual P&S. Post-processing was resizing to comply with Eurobricks Site Guidelines for picture size.

I think you can get pretty good results straight out of a P&S camera with the right settings and shooting conditions and EB size policies.

It would be nice to see a comparison shot using the same model and the same background.

(both pictures are fine btw)

[barman]

Some very nice photo's in this threat.

I bought the UCS Tumbler at the end of 2014 and build it. At the beginning of this year I was wondering if I could get a better effect using a black background with the tumbler as a example.

It is always difficult to photograph a (all) black model. Using a glass plate from a large photo frame to ad a extra effect.

It really depends how your monitor settings shows this (brightness), but This looks good on my screen.

I build in the 4 sets of LEGO LED light with a little modification on the Tumbler. Battery box is not build in, just laying behind the model.

Here are some more examples of that series.

The Volvo looks great.

Because this session worked out great, I got a bigger glass plate. This one was just to small for big models like these.

Now I only need 2 extra lights on the front to get the lighting better.

Edited June 26, 2015 by barman

[Jim]

The Volvo looks great on the glass plate.

I also tested with reflecting PVC. The results weren't that good. Maybe I need to try a glass plate too. Very nice

[Jurss]

The latest "setup" I used:

Natural lights, some random table in my girlfriend's parent's place, two thick cardboard paper ducktaped together, and a grey cardboard clipped on them, plus a tripod.

The biggest issue with my photos is that they are noisy. I don't know if it's a camera issue, light issue or something else.

If You are using tripod, set ISO to manual, to some lowest value, if it's possible on Your camera.

What is Your camera model?

[Rockbrick]

I'm lucky I have very good light in my south facing bedroom, white walls and all white ikea shiny furniture....

[sm1995]

What mode do you use? Do you shoot at 100 ISO?

It would be nice to see a comparison shot using the same model and the same background.

(both pictures are fine btw)

I use manual and adjust shutter speed/f-value accordingly. I don't have a tripod yet so I shoot at ISO 320.

[dr_spock]

The back of a large laminated poster can also work as a reflective surface. The plus is it can be rolled up and put away.

I use manual and adjust shutter speed/f-value accordingly. I don't have a tripod yet so I shoot at ISO 320.

A tripod would certainly allow you to use a lower ISO and shutterspeed for static models. I use aperture mode with the lowest ISO and tripod, let the camera figure out the shutterspeed. Then use EV +/- to adjust the exposure for the next shot.

It would be nice to see a comparison shot using the same model and the same background.

(both pictures are fine btw)

Thanks. I did do a comparision with the same scene but it wasn't Technic.

[Werlu Ulcur]

Richer color on the first one but sharper focus on the second (assuming you´re using autofcocus).

Which is which?

[Moz]

If you don't have a tripod but the camera has a delayed shutter mode you could make a technic platform for the camera and use the delayed shutter to reduce shake. Platform to let you angle the camera for the shot, then push the button, take your hand off, camera will stop wobbling, then it fires. That way you can use long exposures/low ISO even without huge amounts of light.

Cycle touring I often strap the camera to something for this reason (shooting landscapes without a proper tripod - I carry a DSLR and a mini tripod that can just barely support the camera, mostly so I have the adjustable ball head (I should just take a proper ball head)

[BusterHaus]

If you don't have a tripod but the camera has a delayed shutter mode you could make a technic platform for the camera and use the delayed shutter to reduce shake. Platform to let you angle the camera for the shot, then push the button, take your hand off, camera will stop wobbling, then it fires. That way you can use long exposures/low ISO even without huge amounts of light.

This is a great tip for those who use a tripod, too. I shoot most of my stuff at ISO 80 or 100 (P&S with manual mode) so the exposure times are often around 1/3 of a second. I use a 2 second delay which allows the camera to "settle" after I press the shutter button. It's the poor man's remote shutter, but works well to eliminate all vibrations from my cheap tripod.