Growing in size and complexity, this is my third attempt at photo merging.
This is the old Tamiya Panzer III ausf M, converted back to a model J. I removed the spaced armor, scratch built the exhaust, air intake covers, headlights, horn, hull escape doors, vision ports on the turret sides and front, notek light, antenna mount, gas can rack and probably a few things I’ve forgotten about. Markings are dry-transfers for the 15th Panzer Division. The bridge is scratch built from a photo of a sapper’s bridge built over the Tobruk anti-tank ditch. It was hard finding a suitable background photo. I liked this one because it was rather dramatic, even though it makes the diorama look like it is on a ridge top. This is an old photo taken with my old camera and I am a little disappointed in the loss of resolution and the overall darkening of the image when converting a print to a scanned image. Now, after tossing down a good chunk of change for a decent 35 mm camera and lenses, I’m a little reluctant to dump all of it just to get a new digital camera! [banghead]
The dio is fantastic. I wouldn’t apologize for that work or the photography. Conflicts aren’t caried out on a flat sheet of paper. The 3 dim. scene really puts the figures and vehicle into perspective.
Nice model work Leopold, nice photo merge too. Great composition overall of the figures. It works!
1 critique though… check your lighting angles. The shadows thrown by the foreground are opposite those thrown in the background. The shadows cast by the tank on the bridge and by the figures in the ditch are opposite those thrown by the sun hanging (comming up/going down?)on the ridge line. Pretty good light color match though. A key light at about the same angle and comming from the direction of the background light source will match it up nice. A small fill light or white sheet of paper or illustration board will act as a nice bounce fill in case the key light throws too harsh a shadow (as may be the case with the guys in the ditch.)
Can’t wait to see whats next!
Thanks to everyone for the commendations, it is good to know I’m doing something right! Thanks also to Renarts, for it’s good to know I’m doing something wrong too! The lighting angles couldn’t be more screwed-up. I completely forgot about it when I was searching for the background photo. I chose it just because it was dramatic, without thinking whether it fit the model. [D)] Like I said, this is an old model photo, taken outside without a reflector or diffusser, which would have toned down the harsh shadows. I have not re-photographed my models in many years. My next batch are done under lights and should be better. I just need to retrieve them from Costco and I’ll crank out another bunch!
