Lego photography tips

[Brickviller]

Hi there,

I recently got a Nikon Coolpix P520 as a present. I was very happy, because I still worked with a very old camera before. However when I tried to photograph some of my Lego creations they just looked sort of low quality pictures. Even compared to my old camera they didn't look good, or better. I used daylight, which I normally also used for my old camera and that worked fine. I struggled a little with all the new options, so maybe I did something wrong there. You can see the picture here: http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/dutch/7939/dscn0069.jpg

So doing some fast research I came across a so called light box, which people use to photograph their Lego or other products. Now my question is wether or not this would fix the issue, or that I did something with the settings of the camera itself.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Brickviller

[Zeya]

Hi Brickviller!

I am a hobbyist photographer myself. I shoot with a DSLR, which is similar to your Coolpix P520, except that a DSLR has the key feature of swappable lenses. Anyway, looking at the Coolpix P520 product page, you should be able to take good photos of Lego creations. A difficult point may be "getting in close" for what are termed "macro shots", basically making a minifigure (for example) look like it's right up close to your face. But that camera will certainly do well for a wide variety of photography. You've got a good amount of zoom there, and I'm sure it can go pretty wide, too.

Anyway, on to your question. I got a light box recently for Lego in particular. It works pretty well. The key to good photography (from a techincal standpoint) is exposure, and good lighting is key to that. The light box gives you a little setup to put lights around it and photograph small objects inside an evenly-lit environment. You will generally lose shadows, for better or worse. Your MOC will be lit evenly on all sides. It gives a nice "Amazon product page" sort of look. A good look to go for, generally speaking.

But more importantly, I want to speak to your core question, which is along the lines of "why does this new awesome camera produce pictures that look the same as my old one?" The answer to that is that your old camera was probably fine, and your new camera is just fine too. If you're not doing something that pushes the boundaries of what your old camera could do, you're going to get about the same end result. The way to improve the pictures you're taking is to improve your skills as a photographer. What you should do is to read a book on photography to learn the fundamentals. You're going to want to learn about exposure and the exposure triangle. Learn about composition. With a bit of knowledge and an artistic eye your photography will go far. You'll learn about framing and composition, focus, and depth of field. You can learn to post-process digital photos to massage a really good photo into a stunning one.

A newer, bigger camera is rarely the answer. Don't get me wrong, a lot of us fall into the trap of wanting (and buying) new gear, myself included. And also don't get me wrong: your new gift of a camera is wonderful. Maybe your old one was a point-and-shoot and this new one you can zoom much better with and have more "elbow room" to get creative with.

Make sure you read your owner's manual. Learn about the various modes. For still shots like this, aperture priority (A) is a good place to start. If you want everything crisp, you can use a small aperture like f/32, or if you want a shallow depth of field, like to bring focus on a minifig in the front, you can use a large aperture like f/4. Manual mode (M) is ideal for still shots in particular, once you get comfortable with capturing a proper exposure.

I'll critique your photo just a bit, and maybe that will help...

First, the exposure. It's not too off, but it could be a bit brighter. (But maybe I'm a chronic over-exposer!) You've got a lot of dark bley and a fair bit of black in the MOC, and dark colors can be hard to expose properly, especially with matrix or area metering. You're also set against a dark gray background, which sort of blends in with all the dark colors. With a white sheet / board or better yet a light box, you could improve that and make the composition really pop. The other (easier) way is to add more light to the scene. Natural light is great. But you could also do with simply more light here. The underside of the moc isn't well lit, and it's hard to make out if there are treads down there or what's going on. A better lighting setup is recommended. You can close the window and use a lighting setup. Set up a couple of lamps (or more!) around the moc. One on each side of the camera will go a long way. You don't have to go out and drop a couple hundred bucks on new lighting if you aren't ready for that; you can start with grabbing a couple table lamps and pulling the shade off.

Your image looks pretty crisp, maybe some blur. Were you hand-holding or using a tripod? With still life like Lego, a tripod is recommended. If you aren't ready for a tripod, just placing the camera on a solid surface and using a 5-second shutter delay will be okay in a pinch. If you aren't hand-holding (and since this is still life that won't move), make sure you are using the lowest ISO setting available, and don't be afraid to use a long shutter time.

On the composition/artistic side of things, I think you've done a decent job of laying out the MOC. I might suggest putting the big flag behind the tank and off the right, because the shiny base is distracting me. You just want people to see the flag itself, not the base or pole really. If there was a way to lower the flag a bit that might be good. The end of the tank gun and the tip of the flag are very near the edge of the frame, and that bugs me a little. You could rotate the top of the tank toward the camera a bit to help. I also think that moving the camera lower (toward the floor) and angled up a bit would add more of a dramatic framing. From your angle, you're up above and that's making everything look small. Notice how Lego box art takes a lower angle like you're down there among the minifigures, etc?

I'm honestly not trying to nit-pick. Your photo isn't bad! It's just the way I am with photography; always trying to improve. And by the way, your MOC is great!

[Andy D]

I'm not the greatest photigrapher, yet. I just need more practice, but I am always looking for photigraohy tips. What you illude to is that photography is all about light... Correct, photography is about the appropriate use of light. That said, I have found a series of videos on YouTube about table top photography, by a professional photographer that illustrates how to use inexpensive DIY items for great photograph. Check out videos from Pro Photo Life, or prophotolife. He has 20 something videos and a number of them are about tabletop techniques. You don't need the best, most expensive equipment... A good photographer just needs good technique.

Your photo is good, but it may not be completely lit.

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10520&st=127

Look at my post, number 127 for links to videos.

IHTH

Andy D

Added link to post with links to photo help videos

Edited January 25, 2014 by Andy D

[Brickviller]

Thanks guys for the tips, as you may want to know I finnaly figured out most stuff on my new camera. Lighting is much better with white cardboard, and I also lowered the ISO valueu. The result can be seen here:

And more pics can be found here: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/380412

[Bipin]

One of the best investments I ever made was buying a roll of black velvet for use as a backdrop. The stark contrast between the pure black, against the glossy LEGO atop it can be quite stunning if done correctly. Bonus points when you upload to sites like Flickr which display photos on black. Likewise, if you prefer a more traditional white background (excellent for darkly coloured MOCs or ones with many black components on the exterior) invest in a simple sheet of matte white posterboard. It will make things a lot easier and appear much nicer than two sheets of paper where a gap is visible. Regardless though, always white balance before taking the shot, as it is less of a hassle to do than in post. Depending on the MOC and the shot you are going for, it may also help to raise the creation up on a platform to mitigate issues when removing shadows during post-processing. Follow a few of those simple steps and I can assure you that the final results will be more to your liking. :)

[Louie le Brickvalier]

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Edited October 19, 2017 by Louie le Brickvalier

[jimmynick]

I use my iPhone to take pictures. I have a cardboard box with the sides cut out and replaced with tissue paper, and I bent a poster board to fit in from one corner to the other, along the length of the box. It's essentially a light box, but cheap. If I want a black background, I arrange sheets of black construction paper on top of the white poster until everything my phone can see is black.

When I photograph my MOCs, I take pictures between 10am and 2pm when light streams in through the window. I can't get it to work quite right with artificial light - I get too many shadows. Also, when it gets darker in the afternoon, I don't take pictures because they start coming out grainy.

The quality of your photos is (to some extent) a function of your camera, but is mostly affected by when and how you take pictures. A light box will really help you out.