Photographing your model
 

I thought I'd start a thread where people could reveal any tricks they use to photograph RC models -- either for static shots or those much harder to get in the air shots.

I'll start by commenting that some people seem to feel that to get that "old timey" BW photo look of early airplanes they should have a lot of grain. They accomplish this either by using a grainy film to start with (ISO 400 or above) and then do an exteme enlargement OR they use the film grain filter in PS. But both these approaches are mistaken. For the most part, photos taken during the first half century, and certainly during WWI, were done with large glass plate or sheet film cameras that produced huge "negatives" and so grain is almost non-existent. However, these large format cameras required relatively larger focal lengths. For example, a "normal" focal length on a 35mm camera is 50mm but on a 4 x 5 field camera a normal lens would be around 150mm. The result is that there was generally less inherent depth of field (unless view camera specific movements are used) - that is more stuff out of focus.

Another feature of these older photos is that the BW film used at that time tended to be more blue sensitive that current emulsions. The result is that blues (e.g. skies and roundels) came out lighter than with current films. This effect might be replicated by using a light blue filter (or messin' around in PS). Sepia toning both reproduces the effect of chemical staining on older photos and of course the use of toners which was particularly popular in an era where photography was still not accepted as an art form in its own right.

Nowadays I use my digital CoolPix 5000 almost exclusively for static shots but still use my N90 with a 75-300 zoom and 400 ISO print film for in the air shots. I'd love to have a new DSLR with a 80-400 VR lens but considering that for the money I could get a couple of Proctor kits, well...:D

RE: Photographing your model
 

Only tips I can give for the much harder in air shots ... get a friend who can use a camera :D Keep it low so they can can get a picture of the model filling the frame, not a bunch of sky with a black dot.. and keep your fingers crossed a mole doesnt jump out a molehill in its flightpath:D
Hope I dont dissapoint you Donnie ..but theres nowt wrong with an occassional WW2 model:D just dont let them become an obsession !!

RE: Photographing your model
 

A tip on doing action shots: get a camera with a fast shutter time. My dad has a pentax optio 555. It's really good for static shots but you hardly can use it for action shots. I use an old non-digital minolta for it.



Bart

RE: Photographing your model
 

One trick is to get down low and have a clean background behind the model. A friend of mine took this great shot of my Storch at an airport. Unfortunately, he was so focused on the plane he didn't notice the utility pole behind it that looked later like it was sticking out of the plane![X(] Photoshop took care of that problem, though.

Donny, it looks like the moles are moving at high speed trying to intercept that Hurricane![sm=lol.gif]

Jim

RE: Photographing your model
 

My (limited) experience trying to get flying shots of RC models is that in terms of shutter speed you want the SLOWEST FAST speed possible. Ain't it always the case!

Some modern SLR's have top shutter speeds of 1/8000 - 1/4000 but at these speeds you're likely to stop the propellor -- not a good thing! If you're using a manually focusing camera about your only hope of geting a sharp photo (in addition to exposing LOTS of film) is to zone focus, that is, set the focus for a certain distance and fire when the plane enters that zone. A motor drive that fires at at least 3 frames per second with definitely help. Note: if you're using a telephoto lens (200-300mm is best) then you'll probably end up panning as the model flies through the zone of focus.

Becasue zone focusing is a bit inexact you need more depth of field and that means a smaller f-stop (f8-11 is good) and THAT means a slower shutter speed. With ISO 400 film I found that on a bright Southern Cal (mid)day I could shoot at f11 and 1/500 to 1/1000 (classic "sunny 16" rule = f16 at the reciprical of the film speed 1/ISO). With a panning motion this is enough to stop the plane but not the propeller.

RE: Photographing your model
 

When I am getting pictures of model airplanes or even full size aircraft while they fly by I generally use a 150mm lens or longer. When I put the 340mm or 500mm lens on you really have to pay attention. Shutter speed is a critical selection so I always put the camera to shutter priority and pick a shutter speed that is acceptable for the subject matter. Full size aircraft have an engine RPM is quite slow, generally less than 2000 RPM, model airplane engines turn up to 12,000 RPM so if the goal is to have a blurred prop then the choice of shutter speed varies upon the subject matter

full size airplane (radial) -1/250 second, better still if you can hold 1/125
glow engine model airplane - 1/500 to 1/750
geared or slow RPM model airplane - 1/350 to 1/500

You also need to learn how pan with your camera, I hold the camera with the lens, not the camera body. The body floats in my hand while I hold the lens in the middle and follow the model or full size airplane.

I also use the AI servo autofocus with my Canon body. With the shutter button half way down the camera will focus on the model as it flies towards me. then I pan with the model and wait until the model fills the frame and then take the picture. Try is some time with a car driving down the road, when the car is small, lock on to the car with the autofocus and hold the shutter button half way down. You will hear the camera change focus as the car approaches, when the car fills the frame take the picture by pushing all the way down on the shutter, just don't shake the camera in the process.

good luck,
Fred Cronenwett

RE: Photographing your model
 

Incase you haven't seen it, I wrote an article awhile back on photgraphing model aircraft that was published in the July 2004 issue of RCM. While it was originally intended for shooting with film camera's, most of the same concepts apply for digital SLR types.

For models in the air, I typically shoot 1/500th, and only go above that for jets. Contrary to what some believe, just increasing the shutter speed will not guarantee you a good shot. While it helps, there are numerous other factors weighing in.

Because not every camera has a super high speed focus system, I've found that while panning it's not as effective to hold down the shutter button and let it constantly focus. Focus once at the beginning of your pan, keep the subject in the frame and then focus one last time before you burst your shot(s).

I've shot models for years, and its one of the most challening subjects to shoot. It translates well to shooting full scale aircraft, and really helps sharpen your skills.

If you'd like, I have a tons of photography (models and fullscale) over at my site: http://www.stickandrudderphoto.com

Chris Luvara

RE: Photographing your model
 

We are getting some input here! But of course getting a good (not just technical satisfactory) photo requires much more than just choosing a shutter speed and dealing with focus. To often people settle for the standard (and boring) profile shot. I my mind this is more akin to a big game hunter mounting a trophy than creating a great photograph. There are also the twin issues of composition and light. And of course even the question of shutter speed can't be settled without also considering whether we're shooting the model head on, from the side, etc.

Let me say something about compostion. A shot of your model dead center in the middle fo the frame -- no matter how well exposed and sharply focused -- is going to be dull. At the very least you'll need to allow a bit more space in front of the plane than behind it to provide a sense of movement. Or you could have more space behind than in front that can produce a sense of tension. To be honest, so far, I'm just been shooting the plane dead center and then figuring out the composition afterwards in PS. Not the best idea!

RE: Photographing your model
 

While I find all these explations regarding F stops, shutter speeds, focal lengths, etc., very interesting, there are a few of us out there
( probably quite a few ) that don't understand all of that or just haven't taken the time to learn it.

For those of us that fit that catagory, my solution has always been set the camera on automatic, let it do the hard work and just take lots and lots of pictures. Yes you will always have some bad ones and most of them are going to be pretty good, but I have also found that there are always going to be a few really great ones.

I have used this system for years wheather it be taking static or air shots of models or running the rapids in the Grand Canyon, it has worked well for me.

And now with the digital camera's it's even easier, no wasted film, just delete the bad ones. My computer came with a Photoshop 2.0 starter edition and I found that just doing a simple crop can make a big differance.

For all of you that know and understand all the technical aspects of photography, you do a wonderful job and get great results, but for those like me that are photography challanged, we can get some really great shots also.

Happy shooting and have fun.


Del Johnson

RE: Photographing your model
 

This is what just a simple cropping can do for a picture. Gets rid of the asphalt runway and makes it look more reealistic.

Del

RE: Photographing your model
 

In case you or any one out there does not know the secret to good inflight pictures, it is a fast shutter speed! The fast shutter speed will remove alot of the blur from the picture. Now this will seperate the men from the boys very quickly because the smaller your lense the faster the picture will get dark. Please let me try to explane. Most one step cameras come with 15 to 20mm lenses and the digital ones will alow you to go to 1/2000, 1/4000, 1/10000 of a second shutter speed but the small lense does not let in enough light to give you a normally lighted picture. I can post examples if any one likes.

They usually rate the lense like 27-120mm, or 35-140mm. Well the number you are interested in is the first one, the 27 and 35 are the actual lense sizes so obviously the 35 would be better suited for what we are doing here. But that does not mean that the 27 is excluded. Take the camera out side on a nice sunny day and start increaseng the shutter speed and looking at the pictures you take with that shutter speed at some shutter speed you will notice the corners of the picture getting darker than the rest of the picture. If you bump the speed up one more notch you will see the entire picture get dark, now you know your limit for sunny days. Do this again for cloudy days because there is less light the shutter speed will have to be slowed.

Once you have this info. you can set your camera up and hand it to anyone at the field that can follow the plane and get some really nice shots. Oh, if your camera has the multi shot option try it also. The multi. shoot option may cause further darkening of the picture and cause you to reduce the shutter speed to get more light in. I hope theis info. helps.

The other thing to remember is, with a digital camera you want to fill it with pic's each time you take it. You will notice that some times you only get part of the plane, sonetimes its fuzy, some times its to small, sometimes there's no plane, but if you get one great picture all the frogs are worth the effort.

I've pontificated long enough

Joe Felice

RE: Photographing your model
 

Well I guess I am one of the very old fashioned ones. I have a Nikon F-4 That I use for airial photography. But I almost always use manual focus. i usually set the camera to aperature ptiority and centerweighted metering. I prefocus on a spot and get the shot when the plane is where I want it. I also use a Sigma 170-500 zoom lens. I do get a few goodies.

For those who are not so adept the best thing I can say is use your manual focus. Select a spot and focus in on it. Pan the camera, when your plane is where you focused it take the shot. You will be surprized how well you can do. If you can use athe aperature priority mode. Pick a decently high number. F16 is a very good one. and let the camera select the shutter speed.

A little background knowledge for those who are lost in the technical jargon of photography.

F stop, or F number or also called the aperature. This is the size of the hole in the lens that lets light in. In all lenses there is a series of shutters in the lens that make a hole. They open and close to regulate light into the film. A high F stop is a very small hole. It allows less light in. But it also allows for a phenominon called "depth of field". At high numbers the amount of area "in distance" from you is very deep. You get a lot of fore and background in focus as well as your subject. This is good because it allows you to be off slightly on your focus and still get the shot. A small F stop is a big hole . lets a lot of light in. But also gives you a minimum of that "depth of field" thing. If it is sunny use a big number. If it is cloudy, use a small number. Useful F stops are usually 5.6 to 22.

Shutter speed is the time the shutter is open. Just think of the shutter as a pair of curtains inside the camera. They open to allow light into the film. The higher the number, the shorter the shutter is open. The combination of shutter speed and F stop set the "Exposure". Which is the precise amount of light the film needs to get a good picture. It is inverse of the F stop. Big hole(low F stop) gives a fast shutter speed. And vise versa.

Film speed is the film's sensativity to light. It is rated in ISO numbers. The lower the number the less sensative to light it is. And generally the lower the number the sharper the picture you get.(more on that later). Mostly I reccomend 400 speed film. It is a good all around film. If it is very cloudy then 800 works well. In older days Iso 100 was the standard film. The grain stucture on faster films was pitiful. But mdern science and a lot of work has made 400 speed film just as good as the old 100 was. For your money and performance wise there is no need for less than 400 nowadays. Grain BTW is the particles of silver that the film uses to make the image. Small particles or grains give us that sharp image we want. I like Kodak film for coulour rendition and Fuji for grain size. pick either on and you will get good results. AGFA is also very good film but very hard to get in the States. You people across the pond may want to use it. It really does a nice job on coulour correctness. And has great grain stucture too.

Aperature priotity is a setting on most modern cameras that allows you to pick the F stop. And the camera picks the shutter speed. It can be used with autofocus

Shutter priority is a setting on most modern cameras that allows you to pick the shutter speed. The camera picks the f-stop. It too can be used with auto focus.

Manual focus is a setting on your camera that allows you to focus where you want.

This may sound difficult but it really isn't. Your manual is a valubale trove of information. You should give it a read. There are several good books out there. The Compleate Idiot's Guide to Photography is one. Photography for dummies is another. They are worth the price.

And lastly, just because you have a Point And Shoot or a small digital camera doesn't mean you can't take good pictures. My wife sometimes does me in with her trusty Pentax point and shoot. A lot of the above can be used on these cameras. Many of the priority modes are hidden. Such as the aperature priority is usually hidden by the Mountain Icon. This should be in the manual. So help yourself and read it, you will be glad you did.

And lastly, the best way to get a good photograph is to practice, practice, practice. The more you do it the more comfortable you become. The better you get at it. Sorry for the long ramble. PM me if you have spacific questions.

Mark Shuman

RE: Photographing your model
 

Here's my very modest try.

Kyosho's DeHavilland DH-82a Tiger Moth.

RE: Photographing your model
 

Two things...

First: While we've gotten some good advice here, most of it has been purely technical, i.e. how to create a technically (vs. aesthetically) correct exposure and how to focus. If only good photography was THAT easy! Let's think of wildlife photography for a moment. Most tourists on a safari would be tickled pink if their shot of the lion (and let's face it that's the A-ticket ride) came out sharp and reasonable well exposed. If the lion looked larger than the family cat (thanks to that expensive new zoom bought for the trip) well all the better. Similarly most RC hobbyist will be satisfied with a sharp, well-exposed, reasonably close photo of their newest pride and joy. It's sort of like photos of your own kids. It can be a horrible photo but you'll still treasure it. But as I said GOOD photography is about so much MORE than that!!! Exposure and focus are just the tip of the iceberg. What about aesthetics? What distinguishes are GREAT photo of a model from just a technical adequate one? As I have suggested above the two key ingredients here are composition and light. So how about some suggestions on how to compose (or crop after the fact) for maximum effect? In particular given the limited viewpoints we have available (almost always below the model) what sorts of more creative compositions are possible? A photo is NOT a great photo just because the PLANE happens to be great! Remember we're interested in BOTH in the air and on the ground shots.

Second, and I have to bring it up because I've done it myself, what about photo manipulation? Is it kosher and if so how much is acceptable. I don't think anyone would object to a little sharpening and adjusting of color and contrast. But what about sutble (or not so subtle) manipulation for example, swapping out a dull sky for a more interesting one or erasing things like control horns?

RE: Photographing your model
 

Here's a specific "posing" trick. The elevators of many aircraft hang down when on the ground. It apparently took forward pressure on the stick by the pilot to hold the surface in a neutral postiion (at least on the ground). Yet, our RC control systems typically hold the flying surfaces perefectly straight which can ruin a scale look. So ideally we should have the radio switched on and be applying full down elevator while taking the photo.

RE: Photographing your model
 

...Or we could just bend the surfaces down.
Because of the size of a model, you'll be requiering an open/short depth of field f setting and a tele lense, other wise you'll have to much in focus and get that little model feel everybody seem to get. The reason for this was touched upon in the original tread. If you need more explanation I'll come back later.

RE: Photographing your model
 

Cool, just found the thread, being new I like to hear how others do it. So far I have had some good shots, and lots of bad ones, but thats how it goes. Im learning how to take pictures in the manual modes, and not in auto. Can be challenging. but am having a blast doing it.

New Canon Digital Rebel user

Here is my online gallery
http://www.pbase.com/johnvh

RE: Photographing your model
 

John, I particularly like two of your shots because they illustrate points that are worthy of further discussion. The first is the outstanding shot of the plane over the mountain. This is not just a shot of a model in flight but rather it is the relationship of the foreground object (in this case a model) with the background (in this case the mountain) that creates a pleasing whole -- and that's really what good photography is about. It's not about taking an adequate image of an attactive object (read my camel story below).

The other shot I like is the one of the birds! This one should remind us that photographing our RC models has a lot in common (both good and bad) with wildlife photography. First of course there are the many similarities in terms of technical requirements, e.g. long lenses (normally), fast shutter speeds, sharp focus. But there is a much deeper issue -- that of TROPHY HUNTING vs. PHOTOGRPAHY AS ART.

The trophy hunter's primary desire is to document/capture an object. The object itself is much more important than the photograph of the object. In terms of RC, this is realized most commonly by the stock "fly-by profile" shot, like your shot of the DrI. Those who admire this type of photo are actually admiring the object, as when I look at your DrI shot and say to myself "Damn that looks fine! I"d like to get me one of those!"

In contrast, the photographer's desire (as in the "maker of fine photographs") is to use whatever available resources, including the light, the weather, the environment, movement, as well as the model, to create a pleasing whole. the model becomes just one of many elements (a "prop" if you will) and it is the relationship and interplay between the elements that makes or breaks the photo.

OK here's my camel story:

Some years ago I was asked to serve as a judge at a photography competition in Oman. As I walked around I noticed an Omani man standing and admiring a photo of a camel. He was clearly very taken by this photo and obviously considered it the best photo in the exhibitiion. But it was really quite an unimpressive photo. The focus was soft, the print cheaply done with hazy colors and the camel was just standing there dead center in the frame. So I asked the man why he thought this was such a great photo. He replied simply: "THAT is a VERY expensive camel!"

This is a lesson we would all do well to keep in mind when photographing our models.

RE: Photographing your model
 

BTW, here's an image that illustrates the idea that it is the relationship between elements in a photo that make for a strong photo rather than the inherent interest or beauty of any particular object within the photo.

RE: Photographing your model
 

Oh, and one more area I'd like to throw open for discussion is the role of coordination between pilot and photographer in getting a truly inspiring in-flight photo. I was lucky when photographing my EIII because the outstanding pilot was able too put the plane pretty much exactly where I asked him to (thanks, Carl)!

I know it's perfectly possible to go to a fly-in or airshow and as a spectator get some really fine shots but how could working as a photographer/pilot team improve things?

RE: Photographing your model
 

Sorry for the flood of posts, but the ideas just keeps pouring in. How about alternatives to the typical "Bob grinning with his Corsair" photos?

Below: Don grinning with his EIII

RE: Photographing your model
 

Here is another picture I have had a few positive comments on. I love taking pics, and am always looking for a good shot, even when driving around[8D]
Canon Rebel DSLR

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/upfi...82/Rw58665.jpg

RE: Photographing your model
 

One thing I didn't see mentioned that helps quite a bit, use a small telephoto lens to take your pictures. You need to back off a little bit, but the results are well worth it. Of course, a couple examples:

RE: Photographing your model
 

1. Choose a good location.
2. Watch the weather as it can assist with producing a realistic setting.
3. Pose model realistically and shoot pics. from a realistic perspective.
4. Take pleanty of pics as only a few at best will probably turn out really good anyway.
5. Adobe Photoshop is awesome for highlighting.... ;)

Heres some I took on the weekend of my Vailly Hurricane...

RE: Photographing your model
 

My Fiber Classics F-86.
Its important with especially with jets to have a realistic back drop for convincing pics.