i finished my kv-1 and did a light weathering because it was relatively new and the diorama is 24jun41. i used weathering powders. i took some pics last night indoors and posted them in the armor section. They turned out quite garisgh and even photoshopping couldn’t tone it down. took pics this morning in the morning sun and they look very much like the model. no color adjustments on the outside ones. maybe the flash reacts to the powders.
inside with flash
outside no flash
The camera flash is a high intensity, bright, pure white flash that tends to wash out colors. The sun is natural light, which means it is not pure white.
Here’s a little something to remember which tends to blow some people’s minds. Colors do not exist as colors. What they are are pigments reflecting very particular wavelengths back to the eye. And that’s why colors look different under different lighting conditions. The percentages of colors in the sun’s light is different than the percentages in man made lights. That’s why incandescents appear more yellow or orange and flourescents give a green tint.
All you can really do is set your camera for the type of lighting conditions you are shooting in. You can usually set incandescent, flourescent and natural. Once the camera knows what it’s working with, it can make it it’s own color adjustments to correct the known color deficiencies of particular lights (i.e. correct for the yellow tint of incandescent or green of flourescent).
Ultimately, you don’t want to use a flash to take pics with because of color washout and shadow issues. What you should really have is a simple photo tent ($25 on ebay) and external lighting sources. The tent will diffuse the lights so you don’t have hot spots, but at the same time, don’t have shadows. The you can set the color setting in your camera to correct for the type of bulbs you are using.
HTH,
Fred
Consider these two of the Arizona model at Pearl Harbor. On the first the Sea Blue paint applied appears much brighter, and is almost a ‘pastel’ blue.
The second, shot with available light, shows much more accurately the color applied to the model - especially on the turret faces where the light was good.
A bright, direct flash really washes out colors. It is often better to use available light. But even then you may have harsh shadows if the model is in direct sun
When using my flash, I always I always move further back and use the zoom function, though most of the ttime I simply use the desk lamps on my work bench and adjust them to eliminate shadows. On my old camera, I had to physically adjust the white balance as well.
My new digital camera has a feature that in macro focus it will send out a test beam and adjust the flash accordingly and it works pretty well. But it can still be a bit washed out. What I do is tape several layers of paper towel over the flash with some Scotch Tape. It reduces the intensity and helps even the light out and make it softer. It does not help with the other problem of flashes and the one that makes the pic really kind of lifeless.
Because the flash is so close to the lens the pics are flat and featureless due to a lack of shadows to bring out the texture. Next time you are at a wedding take a look at the setup the photog is using. It will generally be an SLR but the flash is mounted on a bracket to get it up and away form the lens. Perfect? No… but better. Look at the 2 pics of the ship. While the lower one is darker it looks better not just because the colors are better but there is a feeling of depth from the shadows. The tank pics at the beginning of the thread aren’t bad but are typical of those type soft lighting. The flash one the best you can do is to try and tone down the harshness. The outside one just has too much contracts. Use the flash here too, to fill in or hold a white card near the model and reflect some fill light into the shadows to bring out a bit of the detail.
It was so easy in the old days with film… expose for the shadows and develop for the highlights. Have a look at Ansel Adams stuff. He developed the zone system and puts it to good use. Good use??? AMAZING use.
Here’s 2 examples of pictures taken inside my phototent
There are two external light sources and the camera’s flash was filtered through the tent door as well. All I did in photoshop was hit the Auto Correct and it just made sure the whites were white and it took care of the color balance from there.
-Fred
Of course, part of the problem revolves around the fact that the flash is aimed directly at the subject, the light reflects back at the moment of the shot, and the camera simply doesn’t compensate either for the light being emitted during the shot, or the exposure afterward. Either way, you get blown highlights and poor color rendition.
I wish I had a photo tent; I think they’re great, and the pictures prove it. However, for those looking for something a little more mobile, a diffused flash is the next best answer, IMO. You get better color, fewer shadows, and even exposure over the entire subject. Keep in mind these diffusers are designed for accessory flash units, not the pop-ups found in DSLRs or in-camera flashes common with point & shoot cameras. Two great diffusers can be found here if anyone is interested:
www.dembflashproducts.com , and store.garyfonginc.com. Both units have gotten good reviews, and are relatively inexpensive.
For those who don’t have an external flash, simply tape up a couple sheets of toilet paper over the flash and have at it. There is a source available if using toilet paper seems to freak out those in front of the camera:
www.lumiquest.com produces a “softscreen” that fits simply over a pop-up flash. They also carry a line of external flash diffusers as well.
Hope this helps someone.
Gip Winecoff