Experiments in Miniature Photography 1

When I showed my Oldhammer Wood Elves I mentioned that I was working on improving my photography. As part of that I've tried a couple of different backgrounds in my light box.

New Backgrounds

Both are sheets of thin EVA 'craft' foam. My intention was to find a smoother surface to avoid the phone camera focusing on the backdrop rather than the mini (sadly, my eyes don't pick this up well until I've enlarged the picture).  I chose a pale blue and a pale grey colour to see if they would work, and what difference the different colours would make.

Comparative Shots

So here are shots of an old hydra that I painted many years ago with pale blue and pale grey backdrops.

The Verdict?

Well, I think the new background certainly make a difference.  The focus is much clearer on the mini, and there's no 'background noise' to distract the eye (or the autofocus!).

What I find particularly interesting is how much the colour of the background affects the colour of the mini.  The blue makes the hydra look warmer.

I like both these effects, but I think I'll stick to the blue for most things.  What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

The Hydra

The rather impressive hydra is a C29 mini designed by Trish Carden.  I've got a few of her Marauder sculpts, and they are generally excellent, though there was no deliberate plan involved in buying this.

I painted the hydra many years ago to use as a D&D monster.  It has a satin varnish finish, and it needs at least a coat of mat.  I suspect that underneath that slight shine there is more damage that needs sorting, and perhaps I should put it on a bigger base and texture it to match my current basing style.