I’m running into a bit of a problem with my latest project. (TT) I’m weathering the bridge and pit and they look really good in person, but when I take a pic and load it to my computer you can’t tell there’s ANY weathering on it at all.[sigh]
This bridge has a pretty heavy coat of a light dirt/dust on it.
The pit actually has 3 different concrete shades on it.
It all blends into one gray color in the pic.[banghead] They really stand out in person! Do you guys ever take pics and then realize you have to go back and do a heavier weathering job??
I know I have to add some grime and rust yet. I just want to get the colors and weathering right before I add more. How do you guys layer your weathering to get it to stand out? (I’m using an airbrush)
What brand of camera are we talkiing about here? I have two. A Fujifilm and a Canon. And both seem to register colour differently;not a lot but enough to make me wonder. The light could mess things up royally…
I don’t think you’d need to drown the thingsmas I can see some of the weathering…
Could the resolution on the computer have anything to do with this?[sigh][%-)]
My computer registers some very subtle weathering on your deck–which looks GOOD, BTW-- so it might be just the color reproduction you’re getting out of your camera or the lighting you’re using for the photo. I’ve had the same thing happen to me with my Canon–taken a photograph of a locomotive that I’ve spent some time weathering, to where I think “Hey, that’s good, it looks like it just came in off a hard run” and it turns up Basic Black, like I never touched it with those Bragdon self-adhesive chalks [:O]!
Maybe Grampys or Dr. Wayne will catch this thread and have some ideas for ALL of us.
Thanks all. I’ll play around with my lighting and camera settings before I add more weathering. It’s a 5MP Kodak C513. Not a great camera, but I was shocked when I uploaded the pics and saw no weathering.
The lack of shading between the 3 concrete colors really got me. They are VERY apparent in person. To the point where I thought I went overboard with it. In the picture, NOTHING!
I still have to do the darker grime and rust colors yet. I was just trying to get a feel of how much to add.
It is your lighting. You are using too much, or too bright of a light. Try softening the light with a difusser( a piece of waxpaper) about 1-2" from the light source. It cuts the direct light that is drowning out your weathering. I have a Kodak Z740 and I use a sheet streched over a small metal frame to cut the direct light on my subject I am photgraphing. If I knew how to up load some pics on here I would show you the difference. Hope this helps.
What is your light source? My monitor at home can detect a faint bit of the weathering. An an FYI, the rail in the pit should be rusty and that rust tends to run in to the pit.
Hi Loathar: I’m certainly no expert at photography, I’ve barely scratched the surface. But, I have noticed what you are showing. It seems to be more apparent in scenes with gray in them, ie, concrete, streets/roads, side walks, ballast, etc. In photos, these tend to be way lighter than they really are. You can edit them to a degree, but they are still not what your’re seeing on your layout. As Wolfgang pointed out, lighting will also have an effect. I’m sure whole books have been written about this subject. We need someone like Rail Photog (Bob Boudreau) or Jarrell to comment on this subject. They know way more than I do. In the mean time, do you have some weathered locos or freight cars, anything with colors other than gray, to shoot? See if you get the same result. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help, but I’m still learning, too.
My wife took a quick look at the photos and with her artists eyes asked about the light source you’re using in that room. Some lights cast a warmish yellow light while some cast a ‘cool’ blue light. There is a whole bunch of other types of issues in that area. Concrete types of surfaces could look washed out in certain lighting condx hence…[banghead][:-^]
Those pics are just under florescent shop lights. 40 watt GE cool white which are what I have above my layout. I brought the TT inside and took a bunch of pics under a few different types of lights and camera settings. A few came out a bit better, but nothing worth posting. I’ll hold off on posting more till I get the rest of the weathering done.
I know I have to paint and rust up the pit rail.(doing that tonight) I just wanted to see it in pictures so I didn’t go YUCK after it was too late.
I’m shooting for the kind of look that this TT has. http://normstrains.blogspot.com/2007/01/turntableroundhouse-progress.html
Looks like I have quite a ways to go…Most of the pit floor will be covered with gravel and dirt, so I figured it would be a good place to “practice”.
If the details in the weathering aren’t visible, it may be because the images are overexposed - too much light or too long exposures. Not sure what you mean that you have several pre-set exposures, most cameras will set the exposure for you. Have you tried shooting on Auto?
Also if you are shooting under fluorescents, have you set the camera’s white balance for this type of lighting? It can make a big difference. More info in my model railroad photography website in my signature.
What color is the ceiling in your room? If it’s white, point your light source at it. This will diffuse the lighting, softening it. If you have the room, move the light source away from the subject, then bounce it off the ceiling, or wall. If you bounce it off the wall, the lighting will hit the subject at a lower angle. If you look at striking photographs (esp outdoor ones), the most striking ones with daylight are taken early in the morning or just before sunset. A low light angle REALLY enhances the pictures.
I agree with the others. You need to look at your light source. It appears to be very flat (no shadows) and there is a lot of it bouncing off the surrounding surfaces. Look to the outdoors to see how cloudy days make things look washed out due to flat lighting while bright sunny days tend to amplify the highlights.
One thing that comes to my mind is… Shoplight. They give extremely poor color rendering that no camera can really compensate for. They usually have a CRI of less than 60? Excellent color rendering is any # over 75 I believe. You can get a quite inexpensive diffusing set up with a full spectrum light (Incandescent or florescent) that would give much better color rendering. Local Photography shop has one around $35. Turn off the shoplights and use different lighting.
The second group of photos is clearly better, but has shadows from several different light sources. Again a small diffuser giving a sinle light source may help. You’re getting there!
I am now using CFLs rated as “Full Spectrum”. They are 5100°K and have a CRI of 82. What a difference in the colors on the layout!
