Why using white background and how ? (pics and tutorial 1)
By James. Filed in Figures Pics, Tutorial |
More under the cut :
After three requests , i finally show you how i make my pics , the entire setup , and i’ll try to help if you need any . It’s not a real tutorial , as each camera has differents settings and it’s the key for those pics , but i think using the good setup will help . And you have to take into account that i’m still a beginner so it’s far from perfect .
So now , why using a pure white background when you can use colored ones or flowers or any props ? What are the good points and the bad ones with that type or background ? Let’s see that now .
The good : looks great , colors stays normal (colored background can alter the overall color of the figure) , easy to do when you found the good settings and looks pro .
The bad : can look a little boring , not artistic at all , lots of people already use it and sometimes the white balance of the camera can makes the shoots looks bad .
But the pure white background is neutral , it shows the figure the way it is really , without adding anything . That’s why i believe it’s the best choice when doing reviews . Of course for more artistic photos , it’s not a good option , at all .
My now old Canon 400D (Rebel Xti/Kiss Ex) with a 70-200 f4 L lens . You don’t have to use a reflex to do this tutorial . You can do great pics with a cheaper one . But you do have to be able to use manual settings on the camera .
As you can see , my setup is quite simple . Pretty sure some of you were thinking of something more sophisticated . But no , it’s just that . A white cardboard paper (glossy is best , reflect more light but normal is fine too) , two lamps (5400 k in my case) and a flash (you can use one or two front lamps instead of the flash , it’s better but cost more and take lots of space) and you’re ready . Well , before getting great pics , you’ll have to do lots of tries and find the good settings on your camera . With the good light setup , it’ll be easy to do , all you have to do is to change the exposition time (in manual mode) until you get a clear picture but not washed out by the light . I personally use the auto white balance , as it usually looks fine , but for some different effects , you can try changing the balance yourself .
Now some pics , all taken with that setup :
Gwendolyn is still looking awesome , and good news for those who missed her , she’s back for preorder at E2046 . Go buy her now !
Red looks awesome on white background . Always .
So that’s it , think of this as a starting point . I can’t tell you more , as each camera has other qualities and settings . If you need help on anything , just post in comments and i’ll try to help . Hope this post can be of use to some of you and maybe make you start doing some awesome pure white pictures . Thanks for reading and for more tutorial on photography lighting , don’t forget to read the tutorials on Happy Soda
Popularity: 12% [?]
Saturday, September 26th 2009 at 9:55 am |
I dunno, I could do this with the Cannon 100D, but hmmm.
Yes, tripod. I remember the pains when we tried to take shots of my miniatures 2-3 years ago with the setting, and my room wasn’t big enough, LOL. Might try it for them. After I resume painting.
.-= Guy´s last blog ..Figure Friday – September 18th to 24th. =-.
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Saturday, September 26th 2009 at 12:16 pm |
“Im still a beginner”
Yeah,right and Im the King of France XD
I tried this once but didnt achieve any good results and never posted them.I never found any decent lightbulbs either since they werent showing the colour rating.
They were just saying Daylight bulbs and 40 watts.
If I ever get the right setup ill ask you for help
.-= Blowfish´s last blog ..Super Robot Blog Wars! =-.
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Saturday, September 26th 2009 at 2:14 pm |
Lol, j’adore la remarque de Blowfish. En effet, si tu es débutant, moi je suis censée être quoi ? Lol. Merci pour ce petit turorial, il faudra que j’essaie. Je t’avais dis aujourd’hui, mais je préfère l’ancien français et le latin >_< Bref, t'es chou !
.-= Leonia´s last blog ..Gathering Sylvia Van Hossen (Tier) =-.
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Saturday, September 26th 2009 at 7:09 pm |
“A white cardboard paper (glossy is best , reflect more light but normal is fine too) ”
oh, glossy huh. Now that makes a bit more sense.
I tried before but I failed.
oh btw, WELCOME BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XD
.-= Optic´s last blog ..Impulsive and Non-impulsive loot =-.
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 5:39 am |
Comme quoi, il suffit de peu pour faire de belle photo…
Sinon, niveau objectif, je pense m’acheter le Canon EF-S 60/ F:2,8 USM Macro, serait-il aussi approprié pour les photos de figurines ??
En tout cas, je viens de me commander des spots, demain j’irai pour des feuilles blanche.
Vivement les prochain tutoriels.
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 5:40 am |
Désolé, j’ai oublier une chose…
Le flash/3ème spot est-il vraiment nécessaire ??
Serait-il possible de nous montrer un exemple sans le flash pour voir le résultat s’il te plait ?
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 5:43 am |
@Guy,
I can tell you that space is a bother in my room too , tripod and big zoom , omg it’s not easy ^^
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 5:46 am |
@Guy,
Space is a big problem for me too , tripod + big zoom in a little room , quite a bother ^^
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 5:48 am |
@Blowfish,
Welcome dear king !
I AM a beginner . If anyone after less than 10 years in photography calls himself a pro , i would tell him he’s a fool . We always learn things in photography than help us improve . We can never learn everything . And i fail lots of pics so yeah .
Any daylight bulb should be fine . I’ll be glad to try to help you king
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 5:48 am |
@Leonia,
Le latin c’est bien
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 5:49 am |
@Optic,
Glossy or not it’ll work , hell i even done it with a gray one (for fun
)
And thanks
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 5:51 am |
@Ludovic,
Il n’y a pas mieux que les objos macro pour les figs . Tu auras un rendu bien mieux que moi , qui a la pire sorte d’objo pour des photos d’objets ^^
Par contre je déconseille fortement le 60 , non pas niveau qualité mais il est pas compatible avec capteur full frame . Mieux vaut prendre le 100 , histoire d’avoir un objo que tu pourra garder a vie …
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 5:53 am |
@Ludovic,
Flash ou 3eme spot obligatoire , en tout cas en utilisant ma méthode . Sinon ta fig sera , au choix tres sombre ou alors totalement cramée par la lumiere . Sinon il faut rapprocher la fig du fond et mettre les deux spots devant . Mais le rendu sera moins bon et plus difficile a obtenir .
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 6:02 am |
Merci pour les conseils !
Je prend note pour le 100mm, mais comme j’ai un EOS 450D, la focale sera de 160mm, c’est pas trop grand après ??
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 6:06 am |
@Ludovic,
J’ai un 400 D , c’est a dire pareil que le 450 (peu de chose pres)
J’ai testé les deux et le 100 est plus agréable , tout en permettant d’etre plus loin du sujet a photographier .
Et puis comme je l’ai dis , acheter des EF-S , c’est jeter l’argent par la fenetre . C’est que le bas de gamme de Canon , ne marchent que sur les reflex bas de gamme , imagine le jour ou tu prends un apn pro , tu devra tout racheter . Tandis que si tu as des EF , tu aura direct des objos au top .
Donc de toute facon , avis perso , les EF ne sont PAS du tout une option . Poubelle , direct .
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 6:13 am |
Merci beaucoup pour les informations, je ne le savais pas !
Je suis en train de me commander le 100mm ^^
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 6:17 am |
@Ludovic,
Bon choix , je suis jaloux ^^
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 7:04 am |
What size of cardboard/paper will you recommend for Alter’s Nanoha series figures? The only time I’ve used a proper background was my first ever photoshoot which was a printed A4 paper. All other times were just on ordinary desk without proper background, or, my bedsheet -_-;; Space is another issue as I simply don’t have the space to have a lot of equipments unfortunately. I still wonder where I will put my Alter Fate when it arrives -_-;;
.-= Q´s last blog ..Revoltech Reycal Orichalcum =-.
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 7:07 am |
My paper is 650 x 500 mm . I use two for big figures like Gwendolyn but one is fine for Alter’s figures . My Fate will sadly stays in the box , like all my next figures :’(
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 10:05 am |
Nice tutorial, thanks for sharing your set up! 70-200mm f/4 is a great lens too
.-= anonymous_object´s last blog ..New Theme =-.
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 10:15 am |
@anonymous_object,
I never say it wasn’t , it’s a portrait lens but nothing’s better than a macro lens for figure photography . I’m hoping to have money someday to get a L macro lens , it’ll be easier to use in my little room than the big telelens
And thanks
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Sunday, September 27th 2009 at 11:31 am |
REally cool pictures. I think your setup isnt as simple as you said, mostly because of the lamps
.-= phossil´s last blog ..My Windows 7 experience =-.
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Monday, September 28th 2009 at 4:38 am |
Merci pour ce tuto Pita
Il est très bien expliqué et on reconnait là ton talent dans la photo.
Ce fond blanc est ta touche perso pour tes photos et tu le maitrise parfaitement.
.-= Lylibellule´s last blog ..Morrigan "Nishimura Collection" / Max Factory 1/6 PVC =-.
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Monday, September 28th 2009 at 12:30 pm |
@James,
Je me corrige moi meme : “Donc de toute facon , avis perso , les EF-S ne sont PAS du tout une option . Poubelle , direct .”
Les EF sont plus qu’une option une nécessité ^^
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Tuesday, September 29th 2009 at 10:22 am |
Super article vraiment très instructif.
Merci à toi James.
.-= Chrono-Kun´s last blog ..Review Hobby Stock – 1/7 Nanoha Takamachi « Stand by Ready » The Movie 1st – Alter =-.
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Wednesday, September 30th 2009 at 1:22 am |
merci pour cet article
comme quoi il ne faut pas grand chose pour faire de belles photos … enfin un bon macro quand même :p
moi faut que je me rachète des ampoules daylight !!!
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Friday, October 2nd 2009 at 4:35 am |
@phossil,
Any lamps can work , you just need to adjust the white balance on the camera
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Friday, October 2nd 2009 at 4:37 am |
@Lylibellule,
La jour ou j’aurais un talent , je le saurais
Et je suis loin de le maitriser ^^
Mais merci
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Friday, October 2nd 2009 at 4:37 am |
@Chrono-Kun,
Content que ca plaise ^^
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Friday, October 2nd 2009 at 4:38 am |
@kyn_chan,
Pas compris pour le “macro” ^^
Oui go acheter les ampoules !
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Friday, October 9th 2009 at 2:36 pm |
I will try to shoot some pics like these, thanks, gracias, merci
.-= Imperiomoe´s last blog ..Airi Infernal Tempter =-.
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Saturday, October 10th 2009 at 5:25 am |
@Imperiomoe,
I hope you’ll have great results , don’t hesitate to ask if you need help about anything . Can’t wait to see your pics
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Saturday, October 10th 2009 at 12:22 pm |
I guess the part where I fail at is that I’ve only got regular incandecent bulbs around the place.
You said “manual settings”, do you mean by setting the shooting mode on M? I use the close up macro for most of my outdoor shots (which turns out pretty well) but for indoor shots it’s a disaster as I can’t change the white balance.
Merci beaucoup
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Saturday, October 10th 2009 at 1:15 pm |
@GNdynames,
yes it’s M settings on most cameras . You don’t have any white balance ?
it works with normal bulbs but yes you need to change the white balance manually .
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Monday, October 12th 2009 at 2:56 am |
The first photo is awesome! o.o
Thanks for the tutorial. Has been a long time since i take decent photos of my girls. =P
.-= Chappy´s last blog ..周渐血腥的比例尺 =-.
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James Reply:
January 3rd, 2010 at 5:31 am
So go take pics of the girls, they miss you :p
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Wednesday, October 14th 2009 at 9:04 am |
Thanks for posting a tutorial. I’ll be doing this soon.
btw, we have the same photobooth setup but not using a glossy white paper.
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James Reply:
January 3rd, 2010 at 5:32 am
The glossy paper is just adding a nice reflect effect and a more “shiny” touch but won’t change anythging else . you can get pure white with non glossy paper (i even did it once with gray paper)
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Sunday, January 3rd 2010 at 3:30 am |
Thank you for the great tutorial. I should get my gear up and try it soon.
.-= softz´s last blog ..OO Gundam Model Kit Assembled! =-.
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James Reply:
January 3rd, 2010 at 5:33 am
Glad if it can help a little. The key is the setting and i can’t help more, we all have other camera so differents settings apply
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