Jeez, take the morning off and lots to read before typing in. It’s afternoon and the place is still quiet. The son and g/f are in Ohio and coming back tomorrow. The daughter and her family are back. They wanted to use the pool this afternoon and evening and said as long it’s adults watching the kids OK. I will be at 6pm watching the UWBadger women in the NCAA finals in ice hockey on ESPN U. They are the defending 2019 champs and were at the airport or on the bus to the airport last March when everything was stopped. I will not watch the pool tonight. No adults, no one in the pool. We will see.
Willie and others on the trees, thanks for the compliments. I enjoy making them.
Jaz A, thanks on the picture. Done with the 5SE phone. I have/had been thinking about taking a photoshop class but Covid ended that idea. Maybe in the Fall.
Flo, since I am home alone, please a hamburger, medium, no cheese, no pickle, a touch of Mayo, lettuce, 3 bacon strips, French fries and the red tomato looking bottle. A nice vanilla shake and no telling my trainer or wife. I am down 38#’s now and I will enjoy this. 196 this morning heading somehow to 180.
Below is my version of the real tree tunnel north of the Mosinee, Wi. Papermill on old Hwy 51. I have added some saplings since this picture was taken and other then 2 pine trees from Woodlandland Scenics I built all these.
Enjoy your day
TomO
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FYI I NEVER photoshop, EVER..
I do the basic cropping to cut out details that give it away like the skyline.
I have an iPad not a phone it gives me a much larger picture to view to look for giveaway spots, plus I can touch the screen and control where the focus is,this is just the iPad no special software.
Now I did art college and we had a photographic lesson half a day each week, much was learning to develop film, and avoid the hands technician I think every girl on our course slapped him at least once sneaking around in the dark, he also got kneed twice,I do not know what he did to the other girl but he cornered me and I knee jerked in fact I needed the jerk right in the hot spot, I do not think he ever attempted to get hands with me again.
The point is it set me on an interest on choosing the element that focuses people attention, hiding any glaring gaffs,and reading on the subject.
The rules really are few and very easy.
1. Focus the lens only on the subject, and nothing that detracts from it,e.g. out of scale,out of context poor modelling.
2. When choosing items to photograph choose items that photograph well,e.g. I gone model car looks better than another just buy the better,if the front or the back looks better try to use the better end or side.
3. Models of people rarely look good, either de focus, or hide the worst aspects,e.g stands, faces turn so you see a good profile if there is one or the back,plus with people Always avoid shiny paint people are not shiny.
4.if you cannot get natural light shadows consider painting them, but if painting them all items in picture must have the same orientation which often means you can onlu]y photograph from one angle
5.hide port elements by literally putting better elements in the front and hide them.
6.always look at a picture from its worst aspect and not its best aspect,always address the worst aspects ASAP as this will lift the value of the picture immediately.
7.if natural sunlight is available always take advantage.
8.
9.
10.
I’ll add those as they occur to me.
An overview view is informative but prior to drones not natural.You will fool no one
8 set the camera aperture at a height subject to the model,so on a H0 model you should be at a relative height of 5-6feet this will inevitably increase believability
the cow on the left is recognisable, but the repainted cow with more believable colour will inevitably be more believable, this paint job is not hard needs no special accuracy but will benefit from adding the colours in a certain order, and make for the least correcting,also you do not need expensive paintbrushes I use cheap ones almost all the time for models,and cheap women’s makeup brush sets have brilliant angles and shapes
now this is not a blog or a place where one usually gives lessons,so please do not think I am preaching,all I am saying is some rules can help kid people, and when I find element that are passable I reuse and keep them together to try and fool people,
I know I have not added a rule 9 but rule 10 should be
10 you only need to partially fool people, their own brains will fill in the gaps they expect to see making your model more believable.e.g stare at wall paper or dirt and look for faces or shapes look at clouds and your brain wants to make it something it recognises,so give it a context,your model layout,and with some initiative you can fool people.
I have small parts of each area that I have concentrated on checking angles trying to make our brains sufficiently informed that I can fool them,there will inevitably be angles on a layout which are sweetsspots and areas that are sweet nots as something will always interfere usually corners or windows.
also a layout photographed at one angle or one end may stand up to scrutiny whilst another won’t or need without improved modelling.
the twists on the branches,the dull water surface,the faces of the swans, the cow,the shiny enamel on the person all conspire against me
even painted a single colour you see the cow has better details,although I did crop some horn
pale legs, darker hide
a white chest,legs muzzle and eye patch,then a dark nose,eye,hooves and tail tip, no inherent accuracy required cows are quite different cow to cow
more cows in scene,static grass is the best feature here
slightly more expensive models I added the black to the left one here it looks dodgy as hell
but with a more subtle brown and white tint it looks good, cows udders are face coloured so pinky white, I pull up pictures of real cows as reference never ever do stuff from memory you miss nuances, you can see different focuses and no shine I prefer acrylics for living creatures they look more realist, ok not a photoshop course,but some of my tricks which I hope help.
i should do it on a thread but I really like the coffee shop and the friendliness of people here. So hope you don’t mind.
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