I'm trying to choose the best overall lighting for my close up shots...so I need some blunt and straight-shooting opinions/critiques. Does the lighting on this picture look real or too faked? (I used a GE-Reveal bulb instead of a normal (yellow white light) standard clear bulb.) I'm using my overhead four (yellow white halogen) bulb light with a small spot light with a Reveal bulb trying to improve the spectrum so I can get truer colors.
Photograph critique needed
- Thread starter Herc Driver
- Start date
It looks good to me, Herc, but it might help if you included a photo taken with the older type of lighting. Also, there should be a setting on your camera that allows you to select the type of light in which you're shooting. The camera will then compensate for inadequacies in the available lighting. On my camera, it's called "White Balance" - my layout is lit by Cool White fluorescents: nice and bright, but not very good for photography. Without correction, photos have a definite greenish cast. Also, this feature actually shows much more detail (not always a good thing 
) than you see when viewing the layout in person, as the lighting is very flat, causing details to blend in with the background.
Wayne
) than you see when viewing the layout in person, as the lighting is very flat, causing details to blend in with the background. Wayne
Herc, personally, I think it needs some shadows to give it more depth. As for the color reproduction, I think you need to set up the shot the same way, but using your different types of bulbs in each one. Then you can look at it side by side to see what looks best/most realistic.
My thoughts.
My thoughts.
Besides the comparison suggestions, you need to consider if you are trying to get good quality lighting that reproduces colours faithfully, or are you trying to go up one level and fool us into thinking that it is the real thing?
If you are aiming for the latter, then there are two things to remember. Outdoor lighting (i.e. "the sun") is much, much brighter than anything we have in our basements. It is also highly directional, creates much more contrast, and often deep dark shadows (absence of contrast usually leads us to believe it is an overcast day).
Your sample picture has that last feeling. Most every part of the picture is reasonably well lit, making me think that if this is outdoors, it's an overcast or foggy/smoggy day.
Hope that helps.
Andrew
If you are aiming for the latter, then there are two things to remember. Outdoor lighting (i.e. "the sun") is much, much brighter than anything we have in our basements. It is also highly directional, creates much more contrast, and often deep dark shadows (absence of contrast usually leads us to believe it is an overcast day).
Your sample picture has that last feeling. Most every part of the picture is reasonably well lit, making me think that if this is outdoors, it's an overcast or foggy/smoggy day.
Hope that helps.
Andrew
There are fairly distinct handrail shadows on the loco, but I don't really see a solid engine shadow on the building, which seems odd.
Shouldn't the engine's lights be on? It doesn't appear to be located in a spot where it might be shut down.
Nice scene.
My $.02
Shouldn't the engine's lights be on? It doesn't appear to be located in a spot where it might be shut down.
Nice scene.
My $.02