Here are two pictures of my photography base I am working on.
Right now I am building a new hanger that will be larger than the one in these pics. Also I now have some figures in 1/48 and 1/72 that need painting and when these are finished they should help add some life to my photos.
Work on my models will be greatly reduced the next two weeks because of some overtime I will have to work the next two weeks[:(].
I think some light AA weapons in the background would add some interest to these kind of photos I have been taking, right after the hanger is done I plan on adding one or two AA weapons.
Matrixone
Awesome dio matrix. I agree, some light AA guns would be a real nice touch! How big is it dimension wise?
Wouldn’t mind seeing some close ups of the Me’s and Fw’s! [:P]
Thanks MarinRoo for the comment!
The base is plywood scrap I got from a nearby lumberyard, it is slightly smaller than a stock sheet of plywood.
I don’t have any close-up pics of anything yet, but that will change soon when I am able to build some of the new models I have on my build pile.
Here is one close-up I do have to show you…
Matrixone
Nice work, I like the odd-ball German aircraft dotted around in the background. Lots of fun [:)]
Thank you wrbridge!
I try to go for the ‘‘cluttered’’ look in my pictures, in future pictures I will try to arrange the subjects to where they will be in a more realistic position, also I am working on painting some figures that will be placed at random around some of the aircraft and ground vehicles, this should bring some of these photos to life.
Right now I am still trying new things on the photography, I am still learning how to best use the camera since I’ve only had it three months now.
Matrixone
Looks great! Just one comment, 1/48 figure might be too big if this is 1/72 scale. I don’t know if you are going to put them in or not (you mentioned it at the top), but I just thought I might give you he heads up.
Thanks scubaboy99!
My intention is to have the 1/48 scale figures posed near the 1/48 aircraft I plan to make and likewise with the 1/72 scale models.
When I came up with the idea for a photography base I had in mind a plan for photographing both 1/72 and 1/48 scales.
When my aircraft hanger is finished I might try and make a photo/diorama about some U.S. troops capturing a Luftwaffe airfield. I already have a jeep leftover from the Academy ground vehicle set, all I need is some U.S. ground troops and more grounded German airplanes.
Matrixone
Your ideas on using forced perspective are great.Do you plan on making the diorama viewable from the front only? Do you plan to put it in a large shadow box or is the diorama to be used for photographic purposes only ? Just curious.Great work.Cheers! John.
Thank you John!
Right from the start the idea was to build this thing for taking pictures of my aircraft models, and to have it be able to serve as a base for taking pictures of ‘‘photo/dioramas’’.
After looking at many pictures of models the ones I liked the most had a realistic base and background, and that is what I am trying to copy. In a few months after this photobase project is done I hope to learn how to use my camera better as well as figure out what works the best as far as positioning the models on the base for the best results.
I will build some small scale armor to add to the background in some of my pictures.
Matrixone
matrixone you have constructed a fantastic dio. as far as the different scales i am sure when you are done they will look good. your idea of building a base has turned into one fine dio on its own. thanks for sharing the pics.
joe
matrixone, what kind of grass and trees did you use and where did you buy them?
Looks great without the triple A, but they would go nicely with it.
Thanks joe, sigman, and Dave!
The grass is static grass as used by railroad modelers in their layouts.
Trees are also from the railroad modelers area, I can’t at this time remember what brand name those trees were since I bought them about a year ago. Beware of ordering trees from mail order places, some products look very toylike. My nearest hobby shop had several brands of scale trees and I had a chance to look over a few brands and was surprised how some expensive brand names were so cheap looking.
Look before you buy.
Matrixone
Hey! I think that is a great idea.I always seem to like the photos of my dioramas better than the actual diorama itself.You can take so many diferent pics at different angles,different lighting,pick out mini-dioramas within the larger diorama,decide what to leave in and what to leave out ,the possibilities are limitless.Instead of having to build up a seperate diorama backdrop for every aircraft it would just be a matter of moving things around.When you are finished with the photography or photo/dioramas or even computer generated dioramas, you still have an aircraft to put on a base if you so desire.After I finish my Jenny build I plan to pursue this idea further.I think that the future of our craft/artform lies in combining models with creative photography and computers especially as a hook for the younger generation as you certainly dont see many kids in the hobby stores anymore.I personally think that the highest expression or our artform lies in the diorama.Creating a moment in time and bringing it to life.It is with guys like you who think outside of the box that we will survive.Good luck and thanks for the inspiration.Cheers! John.(almost 64 and still a kid having fun)
Thanks John!
I really admire the fantastic work the guys put into their dioramas in this forum, but I wanted more use out of the base, buildings, and models than just one time in a diorama. My photobase idea allows for many possibilitys to use new and old models together, as well as new buildings and ground vehicles.
When you get your Jenny done I hope you post some of your work.
Matrixone
[:)]Matrixone,your dio is just great,I like the most the hangar and the floor,If you add the AAA it´s nice,I also notice that the fuel truck is a british one ,and not german,you should take care of that.
Thanks for your good pics.
Matrix one,
Great dio [tup][tup]
What type of camara did you use[?] I will be photographing the dio I am working on and would like the pictures be as good a quality as yours[^][^][^]
Looking forward to seeing it when it is all done[:D]
Richard
Thanks madspaniard and Richard!
madspaniard,
The fuel trucks in my photos are RAF fuel trucks from the Airfix refueling truck kit.
Since I built those fuel trucks I have found kits of the Opel Blitz fuel trucks and will get them when I can.
The hanger that is in my pictures now will be replaced soon, I am building a larger and hopefully better airplane hanger.
This week I will order some AA kits for the photobase.
If something new is added to this project I will post a pic or two.
Richard,
The camera I use is a Fujifilm FinePix 2800Zoom, I purchased it at a nearby Wal-Mart.
My last two sets of photos were shot in a great hurry as I was running out of light, future pictures will have a bit more care put into them. When ever I make changes to the photobase or build something new to add to it, I quickly get the camera out and take a few pics to see what they look like through the camera. This is why my photos so far are kind of shoddy looking, I have yet to plan the photos in advance. I know I can do much better, and I hope I can prove it.
Matrixone
your dio is looking great there matrixone, i agree that a couple of 88mm flak guns or something similar would add a lot to it. the british trucks don’t really look too much out of place because a lot of british equiptment was left behind at Dunkirk and was used by the germans. i agree that using 1/48th in the forground and 1/72 in the background does work very well as long as the gap between them is great enough.
thanks for sharing.
Greg
Very good job. I’am very impressed. Can you tell me how did you make those hangers and watch towers. Thanks. Again awesome job on the dio.