Diorama Using a Photograph?

Modeling Subjects Dioramas
1

Here’s my idea:
Putting my USMC LAV-25 on a small green base, and as a background, putting a large photo of the Haitian presidential palace behind it (modeling the stabilization mission down there in 2004). Has anyone tried modeling a background this way? Your thoughts.
Thanks

2

Was an old article in Scale Modler that had aircraft displayed against pictures and hung off the wall. He found pics that had the same plane (squadron sometimes) and put his in formation with the photo. Interesting way to do AC.
I have seen photos used as backgrounds in box dioramas but can’t recall seeing a stand alone dio like that.
Just make sure your perspective is good. Don’t want the palace to look closer (larger scale) than your LAV.

3

I have found it easier to photograph my models with just a monotone background and then splicing in another photo background using my photo editting software. For many years, I have tried to photograph my dioramas with large poster-sized backdrops, but I have had several problems. The first problem is depth of field. Most of the time, unless you are using a very wide-angle lens, you can not get all of the model in focus, even at f22 or f32. The background will be all of a indistinct, fuzzy blob. The next problem is shadows falling on the backdrop. If you have large, tall objects in the diorama, like buildings, trees, etc., their shadows will fall upon the background, which doesn’t look very good. This will then require that you move the background further away, thus compounding the depth of field problem. It is much easier to photograph the model standing alone, selecting and deleting the background, then cut and paste the model photo into your desired background image.

4

Peridexion is right…

If you can chromo key the background out of your model photo and composite it on a new background, you will get better results. Photograph you model against

5

sorry, clicked send.

Photograph against a blue or green background and pull your subject out of the photo.

If you aren’t sure what to do, email me with the photo and i will photoshop the background out and you can put it on your background.

6

Thanks for all the ideas. I’ll have fun working on it.

7

I did a BRDM snapshot before a little shock-n-awe…