How do manufacturers get the all white backround for thier photos. This is what I am talking about.
http://www.athearn.com/Products/Zoom.aspx?ProdID=ATH95105
And this is the closest I have been able to get.
Mine looks grey even though I was using a white backround?!
Thanks for the help,
Smoke
I believe it is just a large white piece of paper that flows from a flat surface to the wall without a crease.
bill
Photoshop.(or similar program)
Right, just adjust the birightness/contrast to get the background whiter:
Your black diesel is making the camera’s aperture open up to capture the darkeness of the model,underexposing the white background.
Do the same photo with a brighter model and the background won’t be gray. Or open up the aperture more than the camera calls for. Or meter with a gray card first. All doable.
Not my question , but thanks alot for the tips Railphotog, always did like your work.
Railphotog: How did you get a prototype switcher onto a white background?[:D][bow]
I prefer white cloth to paper. It’s easier to get a smooth, soft background.
While is school, I used a boxlike device that held up the cloth and had extra lights to wash out the backdrop even more. Unfortunately, after graduating, I lost the use of it. And more unfortunately, none of the pictures I took using it survive. However, while at Walmart the other day, I saw something remarkably similar, but on a smaller scale.
Nick
With an 0-5-0 crane!
Here’s my setup, using white cardboard which is better than cloth as it does not wrinkle. Using my desktop lamp/magnifiyer and two reflectors made from cardboard and crinkled up aluminum foil. Much of this is shown in my photo website, in my signature.
(click on photo to enlarge)
If you’re not going to do it in a computer program then you will need a seperate light meter, preferable an incident light meter (it measures the light falling on the subject, not the light reflected by the subject like a camera’s meter), at least one seperate light for the background (shining on the background only, not on the model) and of course a white background material. Set up your shot, measure the light falling on the subject then measure the light falling on the background. If they’re the same you should come pretty close to a white background (1/2 stop more light on the background wouldn’t hurt). If you don’t have a seperate light meter but you’re using a digital camera, then experiment. It appears you need a little more exposure on the locomotive (black is always hard to photograph and get good detail) so adjust for that then use those camera’s settings and add more light to the background and keep adding until it comes out white. Oh, I forgot to mention, this has to be done in the manuel mode on your camera. None of the auto settings, A, P, AP, SP, etc. will work for what you want to do. It’s not really that hard, it just takes some experimentation, and once you have the settings, aperature, shutter speed, distance and angle of the lights from the background and subject, etc., you’re good to go for most of your shots.
Good advice, but keep in mind this is a model railroad forum and not a photographer’s forum so it is mostly overkill. I’ll bet most on the forurm have never heard of an incident light meter, let alone own one. I’ve been into photography for over 40 years and I’ve never owned one. I did have a few reflected light meters but mostly gave them up when cameras came with built in meters. I also imagine most cameras are point and shoot digitals, with minimal manua
Bob, the KISS method is certainly the best method for most model railroaders, but Smoke asked a specific question about photography as it relates to model railroading, how to make a background white. My answer gives the basic method for doing this. Use your KISS method and his backgrounds will not be white, which of course doesn’t address his specific question. Now the photograph you submitted is an excellent photograph of a great looking model. The blue background is perfect. I’m not particularly fond of white backgrounds for model photography, they are mostly used by manufactures because they may want to place copy in the photograph. But if a person wants to experiment and go beyond the KISS method, why shouldn’t they. It can’t hurt and it can only add to their knowledge and experience.
As to your point that this is not a photography forum, you may only be half right. Model railroading is a visual hobby, at least for me. A person can describe his new C44-9W locomotive in words all day long but, hey, I want to see photographs. So yes, this is not a photography forum but it is certainly a forum of photography.
Ray
Athearns photos are done professionally in a studio or with a studio light set-up. Plenty of soft foreground light and a light against the white background to brighten it up. They may be touched up a little with Photoshop or a similar program also.
I use a continuous sheet of white poster-board and early or late sun if possible. I will use a hand held piece of white foam-board to reflect light back against the subject to get a little more light where I want it.
This was done in late afternoon sun with a board mounted to my tripod, the poster board taped against a fence on top and spring clamped to the board off to the sides.
Yours was very easily brightened up with Photoshop, with an adjustment of the levels.
