Finally, photography back up and running!

[daniel_leavitt2000]

After some equipment theft, a dead computer and lack of funds, I have finally got my equipment replaced and purchased proper software. I am amazed at how much you can do with Photoshop Elements 12. It certainly has all the features PS7 had (though that is a decade old) I am pleased with the speed of the program. Transitions and edits are instant, and saving is just as fast.

I swapped out my old lighting with 5k floods. The red range is a bit flat, but blues, greens and yellows show up well. I am using two CFLs and 2 LED bulbs. While both have the same 5k temperature, each has a spike at different range within the color. For example an LED will have a slightly lower green temp than a CFL. Using both gives you a more balanced light source.

I am still using my ancient Rebel XTI, but running a longer exposure at a lower ISO and f-stop. This slightly diminishes depth of field but the photos show much less noise. I am using a table clamp and arm along with a remote shutter to keep things still.

Helicon will be the next purchase, along with some 3D CAD software. Then back to the basement project...



Natick's E1 gets windows and side view mirrors. The red is a tad flat. I may have to add a dot or two if Tamiya clear orange to the floods to warm up the shots.




Greens are well balanced and reflect the daylight color correctly. Grays show up in a neutral state which is nice.






Yellows show up just a tad cold, but this may just be my eyes playing tricks on me.

This view is from my Nokia 920:

The yellow is warmer but the gray tires have turned to an off brown color.

[DKS]

Daniel, I strongly recommend not using the blue cloth. For one, a large area of a highly saturated color wreaks havoc on trying to establish a white balance. It also distorts the model colors by reflection. Suggest using a neutral color background, such as grey seamless paper. This will eliminate color shifts on the model from reflected light, and if you are using auto white balance, this will help considerably; a swatch of pure white in the field of view (a piece of paper, which can be cropped out afterward) will help auto white balance even more. If the colors still aren't right, try manual white balancing.

[wazzou]

Daniel -
What are you doing to support the clear acetate windshields and side windows?  They look good. 

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Thanks Dave, I do use manual color balance controls as you mentioned. I never liked the auto balance on the rebels. It always appeared too warm to me. I use a true white balancing cloth when setting up the lights.

I had not thought about the blue color reflecting. That may just be the issue I am experiencing with the reds. I like the blue because it is easy to separate the model detail from the background. I think that benefit probably outweighs the color reflection issues in the long run.

The windows are held in place with Krystal Klear. I run a bead around the ends of the window to form sort of a gasket.