HighTechOger

Category: Photography

  • Tell a Story – The Point of View

    Tell a Story – The Point of View

    In order to tell a story with a miniature in a picture there’s some minor but game-changing details to keep in mind. That is, to tell a story go on eye-level with your miniature. If you just want to showcase your miniature the Games Workshop Photography Guide is perfect. It has also some good explanations of the field of depth which are a good-to-know.

    The Story Telling Point of View

    A story does not focus on how well you painted your model. The story expects the paint job to be decent enough. And the story seems smoother if the model fits into the setting. If it blends in. In showcasing you choose a background and lighting to highlight your paint job. In a story the picture itself is the work, the output, which then results in an outcome for the audience. And the outcome is what you are interested in as a story teller. It’s what your audience takes away.

    The Relationship between Viewer and Miniature

    Start with creating a relationship between viewer and miniature(s). For that go on eye-level with the miniature. Place the camera horizontally and adjust the height of the tripod (or any stabilizing tool) so that the middle of the lens is on eye-level. The effect you achieve is that the surroundings of the miniature in the picture is seen by the viewer like the miniature would see it.

    The Relationship between Viewer and Surroundings

    Why is the change of perspective so important? When taking pictures of your friends, you normally don’t change your stance. Normally you shoot from your eye-level. The same often applies when taking pictures of your tabletop battle. So by showing pictures of tabletop games from an elevated angle the viewers see a tabletop game. But what happens if you change the perspective and go down on eye-level of the battle’s opponents? The viewer is suddenly in the middle of the fight. And loses the overview over the battlefield.

    Death Korps of Krieg approach a hill at dusk.
    Going on eye level with the miniatures.

    The Relationship between Miniatures

    Now go one step further. If you have multiple models in the picture, especially with different heights (e.g. a human sized model and a Space Marine or tank) go on eye-level with the model the viewer will best relate to. Set the eye-level to the human sized model. This way – especially for bigger models – they are shown as they really would.

    Death Korps of Krieg Infantery Man with Space Marine
    Choose with which miniature to go on eye level.

    Summary

    Tell a story by going on eye-level with miniature. Bring your camera on eye-level with a human-sized miniature. The change of perspective let’s you bring the real point of view into the world of miniatures.

  • The Stable Shot

    The Stable Shot

    Prevent blurry effects in your pictures. Even if you intend to introduce blur or distortion effects or grain in your picture, the start is a high quality photography. Basic tipps for a stable camera setup for miniatures photography.

    Shake Your Hands

    There’s two types of things which can disturb your shot. First is your naturally shaking hands during long exposure. No one can hold a camera perfectly still for two or more seconds (maybe the perfectly trained sniper can). Of course there’s cameras with shake reduction. And they will help you a lot to a certain degree.

    But you can stabilize your camera during exposure with the help of anything solid. For example a book on a table. In case of your smartphone place a second book behind it to keep it upright.

    Simple Shake Reduction: a book on a table
    The simplest form of a stable setup: the camera on a book on a table.

    The best stabilization is a tripod. There’s all sorts of tripods and for each type of camera there do exist tripods in all quality (and price) levels. Classic cameras (that is those only for taking pictures) normally are tripod-ready. Check on the bottom of your camera, there should be a screw hole which is of standard size. For smartphone there’s adapters as well.

    Ideally your tripod has one or more spirit levels ideally with a bull’s eye. A ball camera mount is also helpful.

    Camera on tripod with camera mount
    High-end tripod with camera mount.

    Shake Your Camera

    Even with the camera fixed to a tripod it can happen that by pressing the shutter of your camera you shake the camera. Automatic release or remote control are minimizing this effect. For SLRs some photographers even lift the mirror up front to prevent any shaking triggered by this camera-internal action.

    You don’t need to set the automatic release to 10s. Two seconds is absolutely enough. Remote controls are available wired and wireless. The advantage of the wired is that you don’t need extra batteries. The advantage of the wireless is that you can stand away from the camera several meters. This prevents the tripod from shaking while you walk around during exposure.

    remote controls for cameras
    Remote Controls, with and without wire.

    Summary

    A stable camera setup for miniatures photography is essential for high quality photos. You can achieve that with both a tripod and a remote control.

  • about HTO

    about HTO

    HighTechOger shares an uncommon perspective in miniature photography.

    Miniature Photography – an Uncommon Perspective

    There’s so many miniature painters out there. It’s mind blowing what they can do. And there’s so many terrain crafters out there. It’s mind blowing what they can do, too. And there’s thousands of photos out there of miniatures and terrain. Well, it’s more likely millions. The internet is a gallery of showcasing an awesome body work from an awesome community. You’ll find all stages of progress and all levels of quality. It’s amazing what people do.

    This website is not about showcasing (there’s nothing wrong with showcasing, though). Here it’s all about storytelling with miniatures in photographs. About cinematic scenes including miniatures.

    Storytelling with Miniatures in Photographs

    • If you want to learn about how you can tell stories with miniatures in photography – you are at the right place. Check out my posts about photography.
    • If you want to be inspired by stories with miniatures in photography – you are at the right place. Check out my posts in general and my high resolution galleries.
    • If you want to see my approach in an entertaining way – check out my YouTube Channel.
    • If you need support in miniature photography – feel free to contact me.

    Vignette28

    In short it’s about creating what we call a Vignette28. Check out my post about What is Vignette28? – my personal approach.