when taking pics outside

[lehsreh]

[COLOR=Red]im sure some of you have tried this, but ive been working more on my dio. its all outside so it takes a long time to set the figures up and take the shot. anyway, has anyone ever tried the flash outside? i tried this a few times and found that i like the pics much better. im making my dio out in the open, sorta. there's a lot of sun and it creates a lot of shadows. this is all good but the shadows are to strong. the flash equals everything out. also putting on the night pic mode helps too. just wondering if anyone has tried this and if anyone knows any other lil tricks to help out.[/COLOR]

[Urban Saboteur]

Sunglare is a real factor when being out in the open. It pays if you have a DC with a display to have a look at what the picture looks like first. Sometimes figures that don't have alot of clothes.. like for instance Buzzer & Ripper.. or Gung-Ho aren't very photogenic. The flesh tone radiates so much in the sun.. i've found these 3 difficult to take pictures of.

I too am working on a dio atm, the out in the open feeling and environment of shots is really great to work in. I've tried the flash outside in the open and its brought about some interesting results. It's great to see what other options your camera has. :cool:

[Outrider]

Shooting outside is great for realism, but the sun can present problems, especially as Rich noted, on figures with large areas of fleshtones or light colours. there's a couple of things you can do. Firstly, sometimes it helps if you can turn your subjects around a little so that the sun is lighting the shot from a different angle rather than full-on. This can also give you nice dramatic shadows across faces, etc. If that doesn't work, you could try moving your shot to a shaded area, where you'll still get a nice outside shot minus the glare. Failing that, just wait for an overcast day. I love shooting on overcast days, you get a really smooth, even light which can make for some awesome looking shots. Hope that helps! :)

[Prince Adam]

I was outside for about an hour today taking pics, got about 8 or so good ones. But the elements were against me. It was somewhat overcast which I like, BUT the trees in my backyard provide lots of shade. Too much shade = no go. I've had to settle with the flash several times and mostly I don't really like it. However there are a few times it can work in your favor as it picks up things you normally wouldn't see. For example a figure's eyes while she's in a cockpit. But at the same time a flash can cause weird shadows and the ever annoying spotlight effect.

Now, that said, how are you guy getting these nighttime shots with good shading? That's what I wanna know.

[Ion]

In fact - everything depends on DC you got :)

My style - is usually to put some artifcial light source - or a weak flashlight or a candle or something else - depending on a scenery and so on. Sometimes it is even a 150W workshop lamp.

Then - you absolutely must own a tripod for your camera. Without a tripod you're left to shoot pics with flash (not advisable) or have them all moved.
Well - if there's no tripod around - you could always just put the camera on something stable.

When I finally got my set and camera steady - then a little fun with its settings.
Depending - as I said at the beginning - on a camera model - you are left only with "night scene" mode - which is fine, or a little more freedom in "manual settings mode".
I got more advanced DC, so I usually have fun in manual mode. It's now a time to experiment - add or substract aperture size, make the shutter a little faster or slower - everything depends on the final look you want to achieve.
Generally - small aperture and fast shutter gives great gloomy and atmosphric shots - but watch out not to get them too dark :)
And sometimes too slow shutter can give a daylike look.

And - as every night scene is different - experimenting and trying is the key :)

[Urban Saboteur]

I have a question about night shots actually. My DC tends to include hot pixel spots in night shots. Particularly with darker figures like ARAH Lowlight and Snake Eyes either versions.
How do you recorrect this? I read an article about hot pixel spots.. usually red, blue & green and they are stored (to my knowledge) for compensation of not enough light.. but.. forgive me if I sound dumb.. but if its a night shot.. we shouldnt have light?
:o
Anyways.. what do people suggest.. better camera maybe?

As for Shooting on overcast days.. I'd recommend this and encourage it.. its superb.

My problem is where I am is that if its a sunny day.. our whole garden is a suntrap.. so from 9.30 in the morning until 8 o clock at night we get sun all day.. great for the Mayans not so great for the dio guy :p
Rich

[General Scarlett]

You have to play around with the settings on your camera........try some with the 'macro' on and some with it off.........with flash and without........it's a tricky thing (and a decent camera doesn't hurt either), but it's all about time and patience......as I've stated before, you just 'know' when the shot is there!!


But Craig did have a really good point as well..........switch the angles of the figs against the light source........does wonders for the play of shadows!!! ;) :cool:

[Outrider]

[QUOTE=Prince Adam]Now, that said, how are you guy getting these nighttime shots with good shading? That's what I wanna know.[/QUOTE]


Hoo boy, night shots present a whole different set of problems. I always find I end up with a lot more unusable shots amongst the good ones with night shots, as compared to normal day shots. Getting the brightness of the shot correct is crucial. Too dark, and you can't see any detail. Too light, and it isn't exactly a night shot anymore. I use a portable fluorescent lamp which mimics moonlight almost perfectly. I also have a couple of small LED flashlights which work well too, especially for shots with multiple light sources. Some sheets of different coloured cellophane work nicely as filters for that extra moody effect that a blue or red or green shade can add to a shot. The only golden rule for night shots is never use the flash....that just kills the whole thing instantly. Night shots are something I feel I've never mastered, so maybe I'm not the best one to offer advice, but they are just so much fun to experiment with!

[Urban Saboteur]

Totally none related to GIJOE.
But it's still a night shot. I got working through some shots and settings. It was 3am here and I couldn't sleep.
This is the image I got of blackheart..
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1090/1376597523_a7b13fdaf5.jpg
this was using a +2 setting on EV Balance and using something called Portrait shot. It reduced those hot pixel thingies that irritated me on my night shots, so I might trial it on some joe shots soon. :cool:
Rich