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Photographing MiniaturesProgram Mode vs Manual Control
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The Digital AdvantageAfter years of taking pictures of miniatures using an SLR film camera (see Film Photography) I have finally bought a Nikon Coolpix 995 digital camera and now usually use the mini-studio setup shown above to take most of the new pictures I put on this site. A section of a unit of shelves in my study is permanently set up as a mini-studio with lighting provided by three normal domestic wall lights and two adjustable copy stand light arms with 100W photoflood Tungsten bulbs. The major advantage of this setup is that I can set up the lighting exactly how I want it before taking a picture. See the redone PANTZ faction pages of my Ztum-Setum website for examples of pictures taken in this way.
When taking the pictures at friends houses or at the wargames club I either just use the cameras own internal flashgun or supplement it with a Centon FH-95 dedicated flash unit bounced off a Lumiquest Promax Pocket Bouncer (above). The diffuse light from the bounced flash gives softer shadows than using the built in flash on its own but you cannot see exactly how the lighting will turn out before you take a picture. This setup is highly portable and I use this setup both for for taking pictures of wargames being played (See recent issues of Ztum-Setum Online News for examples of such pictures) and have also used also used it to take pictures of units, bases or individual models placed on one of a number of purpose built backdrops such as the one shown above (see the ZOGs faction page for examples of pictures taken using this setup)
The advantages of going digital.Having got used to using the digital camera I would hate to have to go back to using my film SLR for miniatures work. The digital camera allows me to look at pictures just seconds after I've taken them and to check that the exposure, focus, depth of field framing etc. are as desired. It is very cheap to run and I can take as many pictures as I want virtually free of charge - just as long as I don't want prints. I find it hard to imagine how the Coolpix 995 could be improved for photographing miniatures, though the autofocus is really slow, especially in low-light/low-contrast conditions. This makes it a dreadful camera for taking pictures of sports action, or even of the children running around, as waht seems like several seconds can pass between the pressing of the shutter release and the camera finally getting around to taking a picture. Some points to consider when buying a digital camera for photographing miniatures.
Next: Film Photography. |
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South East Scotland Wargames Club
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Professional Painting Site created by Derek Hodge: derek@hodgenet.co.uk |
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