I have a Bachmann Shay for sale but I am having trouble getting a good picture to post. They all turn out dark and no detail. The loco is sitting on track over bright pink foam and I think the foam may be fooling the camera (Nikon 5100). I have tried auto, program, and apperature priority. Flash and no flash. No detail shows. Should I try a black foreground and background or what?
73
Bruce in the Peg
I would think it would be the lighting. In the few photos that I have posted here, such as in my Delta Lines boxcar thread, I shoot in my layout room with flourescents, no flash, automatic settings. I also use a tripod with my 11 year old, 2 megapixel Fuji camera. The only thing I do is crop and resize.
Is there anyway that you can take the model outdoors under sunlight?
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
Ya the bright pink foam is not the best background for taking photos. Use something darker.
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
I used to use a white "science project" background for auction photos. All white. You need LOTS of light, directly overhead, and then use the flash to fill in the shadows. Result should be clear enough to show the details of the loco and the paint quality.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Is there manual control on this camera? Try an exposure of about 1/50th of a second in good light, then go longer if that doesn't work.
The advice about lighting given above is good, too. Extra fill lighting really helps with very dark objects. Pullman green is another area where people have trouble.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
The camera is metering by averaging, and the average is skewed much higher because of the brighter pink behind the loco with its curved surfaces and lots of shadows that hide details. It is staking a short exposure which shows the pink nicely, but it doesn't have time for the pixels on the detector to record enough information from the dark places...the loco.
You need a good lamp near track level about three feet away from the loco, the camera on a tripod, and use the camera in M mode, for 'manual'. As Mike says above, just keep dialling in more shutter dwell until the detector registers enough information in the pixels of the kind you want your purchaser to see. Ignore what happens in the background.
Or, place the loco against a darker part of the layout, say where structures and greenery exist. Shoot it there.
With the camera, I mean...
-Crandell
Lighting is helpful, but if it's just more light and not fill light, your photos will still be underexposed. Your camera's built-in light meter is exposing for the entire photo, wheras you want the locomotive to be properly exposed even if it means the pink foam is overexposed.
Try changing your exposure compensation or use manual mode to "overexpose" the image according to the light meter until it looks right on the LCD screen.* Or switch to spot metering and tell the light meter to expose for the locomotive, then expose properly.
I'm a Canon shooter so I can't tell you specifics on a Nikon, but you can Google those settings or check the manual.
*LCD screens aren't all that accurate, but unless you know how to read a histogram a modern LCD is a decent substitute. And the D5100's is fine.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
Lots of hints and tips in my model railroad photography website, in my signature.
Bob Boudreau
CANADA
Visit my model railroad photography website: http://sites.google.com/site/railphotog/
" Lots of hints and tips in my model railroad photography website, in my signature."
Bob: I have been to your website and your photography pointers have helped me- so how about a formal article for MR along those lines???
Cedarwoodron
CTValleyRRDon't feel too bad. I can't take a decent picture of anything. Period. No matter what kind of camera I use.
Same here.
Bruce, post a photo on this thread so we can evaluate.
I always take eBay auction photos on white surfaces with white backgrounds. I use a flash in addition to room light, and I use the close up feature.
Rich
Alton Junction