skywalkersaga wrote:Aww, yeah, it's true that some basic photography skills are helpful in this hobby, especially since the main way many people tend to share their customs and/or collections is via online platforms. I very rarely share these things with people in RL, other than my husband -- not out of embarrassment but simply because there isn't always much interest. And even when people are interested, they may not quite understand the level of work that went into a figure, photoshoot, or display. One of many reasons why it's so nice to have a community like this who 'gets' it.
That said, I think people here also understand that not everyone is going to master every single skill set all at once....however tough that is for me to remember in relation to myself, at times, lol!
Regarding the lighting in the photos above, I can understand the critique of it, though I also agree with Peaches in that I found it gave a natural effect... as though one were standing in the scene with the characters. Sometimes a garage like that might be a bit murky when inside it, even with the ceiling lights and windows, so for me the lighting was not overly distracting for that particular scene/sequence.
It would indeed be neat to see night or darker photography with light contrasts, as it's something I'd be interested in too, for educational purposes. Though I'm more than happy to be along for the ride, wherever ReverendSpooky takes us.
I think one of the things I might do at some point...once I've built up my figure collection a bit--I'm working on figure # 2 now and shortly expect to be working on 3&4-- is to shoot some diorama and other photos using different sorts of lighting....both flash and cheap LED lights along with lighting diagrams to explain how I shot them, and post them.
On the issue of doing things on the cheap, I'm reminded of a late glamor photographer named Peter Gowland. I was known for designing and building much of his equipment, including his own Camera's such as the Gowlandflex. But early in his career, he also built his own lighting equipment cheaply by installing lamp heads into empty oil cans and such. It's my opinion that the same can be done on to scale with modern LED lights and a bit of imagination in building accessories for them. I may try doing something like this come summer.
