Lighting Tips **Please Help**

[royalbrickcustoms]

Hey all,

Does anyone know how to get good lighting for castle MOCs?

Right now I'm using my kitten table lights, but the seem to give off a slight yellowish glow, which is really annoying because it makes the light gray bricks seem yellowed.

Any tips anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

~RBC

[AK_Brickster]

This has been pretty well covered already in the general photo tips thread.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=20141

If you have yellowish lightbulbs, use sunlight or buy some bulbs that give off whiter light. You can find them at any Wal Mart or home improvement store.

[Ferretclaw]

I do almost all of my photography outside, and it comes out pretty well.

[Forestboy]

I do almost all of my photography outside, and it comes out pretty well.

I did my earliest MOCs outside, but I feel like there are a couple problems:
1. Lighting can be overly bright. Not enough white balance.
2. Lighting can change on a whim...or a cloud.
3. Really harsh contrasts.
Here's an example. Again, it's different for everyone and cameras, but...yeah. More stable environments.

~FB~

[ottoatm]

Sunlight is what I always go for. Also white poster board covering all sides and the bottom

[Bluesecrets]

Also white poster board covering all sides and the bottom

Poster board is fine, but you can see the lines. What I suggest is investing in some white or off white material, a yard or two. Make it NOT shiny and if it is polyester you won't have to iron to remove wrinkles. You can hang it in corners, down a hallway, and tuck it under your moc. Get a ton of lights (make sure they are white lights) and voila.

Or just buy/make a light box.

[Ferretclaw]

I do almost all of my photography outside, and it comes out pretty well.

I did my earliest MOCs outside, but I feel like there are a couple problems:
1. Lighting can be overly bright. Not enough white balance.
2. Lighting can change on a whim...or a cloud.
3. Really harsh contrasts.
Here's an example. Again, it's different for everyone and cameras, but...yeah. More stable environments.

~FB~

Overcast days are best... Lighting stays pretty stable, no harsh shadows or contrasts. I do agree that sometimes it can be overly bright, but then I just move under the shade of a tree... That was where I was when I took my new profile picture <----.

That is an extremely contrastful picture. Reminds me of Theoden putting on his armor at the hornburg...

[AK_Brickster]

My dad made a major motion picture back in the 70's, and he used to call optimal lighting "cloudy bright", which I think is what Ferretclaw is describing. The clouds act as natural diffusers, helping to eliminate glare and shadow.

However, if you don't want to rely on mother nature, a curved piece of poster board and a few cheap utility lights with tissue paper over the front to diffuse a bit works pretty good 24/7/365

For larger MOCs, Blue's suggestion of white fabric is a good one.