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Further ship model photography - Taking very large photos of very small ships
by Jim Baumann
Taking big photos of very small ships
 
Once we have built a small modelship- we want to take photos so that the detail and work can be seen by fellow modellers and friends.]; whether it is printed in a magazine such as Modelarstwo Okretowe or published in a gallery such as www.modelwarships.com.
 
The problem with taking photos of very small ships is that when we see them in a magazine or on a screen, often the ship or parts of it when printed are three or four times; often times even larger then the real model!
 
 This shows up both good work and bad workmanship….
 
When taking a photo of a small model the first thing to consider is the background.
If one is trying to create a scene or a diorama then a backdrop with clouds can be very effective as it makes the picture look more real.
When one is showing a ship with a lot of fine rigging, a plain background shows this to greater effect (Photo 1).		  
For best results with small models one would ideally use a good quality digital SLR camera. An SLR allows easy and quick individual manipulation of aperture and adjustments of lighting control compensation (Photo 2 ). 

Some compact cameras also allow these settings to be adjusted, but it is not as quick and efficient on all and very few compact cameras allow manual focussing

Most SLR cameras do work really well with autofocus and autolighting control for taking photos of larger models and real life ships, people and landscapes etc.

  
When shooting small models, the main problems that arise are:
 
Point of focus   and depth of field.
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Point of focus on a small ship when taken from the back or the front is a major  issue when one has no depth of field.
 
In the illustration   A  =  point of focus at the halfway point of what is visible; not necessarily the halfway point of the ship
 
In the illustration    B =  The usable depth of field where  it is sufficiently sharp to produce a satisfactory image (photo 3)
The photo of the Russian battleship from the stern illustrates the problem well; no matter where the point of focus is, the majority of the model will be out-of focus and blurred. When the stern is sharp everything else is blurred (Photo 4).  

 

Another problem is that many cameras have excellent auto-focus systems; however when we are composing a photo of our small ships the centre of the  image is not always where we desire our point of focus to be.
 
We therefore need to switch the autofocus OFF  and manually focus the lens approximately 1/3 of the way along the ship nearest to the lens (Photo 5).
Depth of field is not a problem when taking a photo of the side of a ship; indeed lack of depth of field can be desirable as it may blur an undesirable background (Photo 6).
However—the problem really shows when a photo of a ship is taken at a ¾  bow or stern angle.  Ideally for small models we would use a dedicated macro-lens of high quality that would have the ideal focal length for close-up work. These lenses can cost almost as much as the camera….  We can use the standard 18-55 mm lens that many cameras are supplied with to satisfactory effect by reducing the aperture on the camera- the bigger the f number—the greater the depth of field.
 
At f 5.6 only a very small portion of the ship is in focus (Photo 7).
When we use  a very small aperture such as f 36,  the depth of filed increases greatly
when using the same point of focus (Photo 8). 
To achieve such a small aperture we need good light; ideally daylight outside. Because these very small models have very fine rigging we can only shoot photos outdoors when there is absolutely no wind…- otherwise our models will suffer battle damage! 
 
The lower the ISO number, the better quality and versatility the image will have. I shoot at ISO 200, any lower than this means that the shutter has to be open longer, and the exposure time much longer which increases the chances of un-sharpness.
 
An SLR  camera will permit  Aperture priority-the photographer can set the f number and the camera will work out the  shutter speed- the length of exposure required (Photo 9).
This is displayed as a number either on the screen on the back or can be seen through the viewfinder (Photo 10).
The small apertures will mean that the shutter will be open for up to  1 whole second…--the most a normal person can handhold a camera steady at is 1/60 of a second….  So we will need a tripod to keep the camera completely still.
Tripods both cheap and expensive are available, and both will work well for us—for model photos there is not that much difference between a very cheap and a very expensive model (Photo 11).
The camera being held still on a tripod is however no use if we jolt  the camera when we press the button to take the picture!
  
We can use either the timer function-, which is a bit time-consuming because one has to wait 5-20 seconds between photos—or use a remote shutter release. I use an electronic version rather than a cable as it moves the camera less (Photo 12).
With the model on a table in our “home-studio” we are ready to take photos (Photo 13).  If I cannot shoot outside-which s 75% of the time then I shoot at a south facing window with the daylight  >>  4)   <<<  illuminating the  back of the model .
 
 I use a ‘daylight’ lamp   >>  1)  << to illuminate  the front of the model
 
A small halogen reading lamp  >>  2)  << to neutralise shadows that are caused by the overhead light.
 
The plain white background >> 3) << is being used to show off the rigging.
 
With the model on a table I would have to kneel on the hard floor-which is tiring when one is shooting 3 or 4 models …the bent neck and sore knees will NOT contribute to make better photos or help the focusing accurately!
I use a periscope viewer, which can enlarge the image x 1.25 or x 2.5 for really accurate focusing and being able to remain standing or sitting in a chair for comfort (Photo 14).
Earlier I mentioned that the centre of focus is not always the centre of the ship or indeed the centre of the composed image; this means that the light meter may well under-expose the image because it adjust for the large white background rather than the small grey ship in the front.
 
Most SLR  digital cameras have an easy use  exposure compensation device. (Photo 15).
When we photograph the ship from further away the camera will underexpose the image, the ship will be too dark and little detail can be seen.
 
We can adjust this by increasing the length of time the shutter is open.
 
Plus the numbers for a longer exposure, and minus for a shorter exposure when we are shooting close-up on the dark ship only (Photo 16).
 
Once we have  set up the ship and the camera… we often find that the ship is not level or we have ugly foreground.
 Ships are usually long and thin, and the bases are usually also long and thin….
 Do not worry; once the photo has been taken we  can use the computer in a program like ‘paintshop pro’  or ‘photoshop’ to make the ship level and reduce the background to make an attractive image (Photo 17, 18, 19).

 

 
To show detail, a light coloured background always work best I think- see the examples (Photo 20).

 

The composition of the photo is important; do use a  background that looks natural, plain or cloudscapes work well.
Gardens, old sheets, kitchens , wooden walls and  living rooms do not make your model  appear at its best ! (Photo 21).
 
I hope this will help some people make nicer pictures of their small modelships!!!