Taking Better Model Pictures: Location, Location, Location...

[Jay!]

Where do you take pictures of your model cars? A few of us already have some prime territory staked out: Guiddy's driveway, Warren's concrete steps, Mike's garage diorama... Not to mention LauBak's rooftop, garden, and dock!

What else are some good places where the background is vague or scale-less enough to suit model pictures?

For the most part, it seems like a good idea the elevate the model's platform above the ground level of the background, especially if the line between foreground and background can be obscured or easily overlooked.

What else?

[S Brake]

Originally posted by jay@af
Where do you take pictures of your model cars? A few of us already have some prime territory staked out: Guiddy's driveway, Warren's concrete steps, Mike's garage diorama... Not to mention LauBak's rooftop, garden, and dock!

you forgot my driveway too!

[Guiddy]

I think Lau has the scene thing sorted, and where he lives seems to give the diversity!
Melbourne offers this too, and I have just got back from the beach where I rattled a few shots off!

Getting down low with the car is the ultimate way of achieving the right effect, as well as having a camera that almost lets you touch the car with the lens!
The other trick is a scale surface to but the car on, some what more difficult!
We also have a house pic, but keeping the focus on this is hard. I don't have a high enough aperture, or the macro has stopped the house being in focus.
Notice too the surface is too rough and out of scale for the car? I won' be using this pic!
Colours are also important! I couldn't take a picture of this car on the sand as it is yellow and would look lost on a similar colour!

[Twist]

Yes, the scale of the ground has a lot to do with it. That is what killed the LauBak-ishness of my ITR pics. Go look and you can see "big" rocks in the asphault. On second thought don't look. :o I think that regular blacktop asphault with no rocks or anything in it would probably be the best bet. I can't take many pictures around my house because we have so many leaves around!!

[Jay!]

I'm thinking of draggin a cinder block with me to take pics on... for two benefits: simulate concrete ground & elevate model off true ground...

Good idea?

[Twist]

only if you can make it so that you can't see the true surface. It would be bad to have the model on the cinder block and in the background see rolling grassy hills. If you were taking a picture so that you decieve the viewer than yes. but it sounds too hard for me.

[awaken1973]

I did my Porsche shots on the top of garbage container. It's black and looks like wet asphalt surface on the rainy day

[flyonthewall]

I guess u could lay down some wet and dry paper onto a sheet of MDF, as u know W+D comes in various grades and i reckon 400grade makes a suitable scale-newly laid asphalt. This was always my intention when i eventually buy a proper camera to reel off some pics, but at the moment i use this on the bases of my display cases. Another benefit of this is that u could apply washes to create diferent degrees of wear, add oil stains and road markings etc. Just think u can have your own portable road!
I have been dying to try this out with a rally car model down the country lanes, with a little camera trickery u could have the car racing into shot with the road leading off into the distance behind...
Its on the 'get around to soon - i hope!' pile of projects.

[primera man]

I think the trick is getting down and taking pics at ground level.
As you can tell from all my pics i like to take them on my concrete steps outside, manily because it has a nice plain background that is just like a road surface. Plus having a simple background makes you focus your attention on the model IMO.
Also my camera only makes the background a blur if i try to do a pic like the ones Dan posted....which i must say look awesome.

[LauBak]

Well it's hard to say... just have a look in the view finder anywhere, and imagine you are a 1/24 man. Look at the background and the floor if they are "oversize".
If everything seem okay, than the pic is just a nice one!

[Jay!]

Originally posted by flyonthewall
I guess u could lay down some wet and dry paper onto a sheet of MDF, as u know W+D comes in various grades and i reckon 400grade makes a suitable scale-newly laid asphalt. This was always my intention when i eventually buy a proper camera to reel off some pics, but at the moment i use this on the bases of my display cases. Another benefit of this is that u could apply washes to create diferent degrees of wear, add oil stains and road markings etc. Just think u can have your own portable road!
I have been dying to try this out with a rally car model down the country lanes, with a little camera trickery u could have the car racing into shot with the road leading off into the distance behind...
Its on the 'get around to soon - i hope!' pile of projects.

The sandpaper's a really good idea , and that last bit is just what I was trying to get at... An 'invisible window' between the scale foreground and the real background...

[modelfan1]

A good graphics program can put you're model in any scenery !!

[Jay!]

Originally posted by modelfan1
A good graphics program can put you're model in any scenery !!

Or any scenery on your model, eh?