How to take a photo of an origami model
Posted: June 22nd, 2010, 11:21 am
1) Visit a photography studio, and pay a professional lots of money. This will generate the best photos, but will cost a lot. Or, you can do it yourself...
2) Read the instruction manual for your digital camera. Seriously. You will need to figure out how to focus on a close, fine detailed object. Most cameras do not do this automatically! On my Sony camera, there is a 'close focus' button, which looks a little bit like a flower.
3) Switch the flash off. It usually makes the image look worse.
4) Use a tripod. I have a mini tripod that I sometimes use. At the very least, use a stable base to rest the camera on. A tiny bit of camera shake will spoil the final photo.
5) Choose your background. Your model should be the main focus of the photograph. Clear the background entirely of everything else. Having a Kamiya Satoshi book underneath your model won't impress anyone on this forum - We've all got it. Likewise, if a viewer can see something else in the background, then it probably will distract. So, don't have furniture, office equipment, computers, etc in the background UNLESS you specifically want them in the photo.
6) Use a background screen. I use a large sheet of A2 card, which I curve over softly, and place on a desk. This ensures that the floor and 'wall' behind the model are all the same colour, with no obvious angles or distractions. I use a neutral colour, such as blue, green or blue-grey. You can use any such background. Don't make it too bland, or your model will look bland. Don't make it too garish, or it will overpower your model. Try to keep it a single colour.
7) Get the lighting right. Your model will look rubbish if the photo is look dark. It will also be difficult to see if there is a bright light, such as a window, behind it. Try to use lighting. An anglepoise lamp or two are good for this. Position the lights so that the model is well illuminated, and there are not shadows everywhere. I usually position one lamp above, and one lamp above and to the side. I also take most of my photos on a bright day, in a room with lots of windows.
8) See what you've taken! The viewfinder doesn't show high detail - you will need to see what the images look like on a computer screen. If they don't look good, repeat them!
9) Use photoshop. Or another graphics program. Reduce the size to a maximum of 600 pixels across. Feel free to adjust brightness, use edge enhance, etc.
10) Get rid of dates and titles. There is little more infuriating that having a date splattered all over a photo, or an auto-generated title. Either set up your camera to get rid of them, or use photshop.
11) Be sensible with watermarks and titles. Tucking the model name, author and website address into a corner is sometimes sensible, so long as it doesn't obscure the model. Whacking a massive watermark across the middle just looks silly.
12) See what others have done, and copy them! Look at langorigami.com to see how Robert Lang arranges his photos. Look at Quentin Trollip's flickr stream to see how to arrange beautiful photos. Look on this forum or flickr. And then avoid repeating photos which look dreadful, and try to copy techniques which look great.
I hope that this all helps. I'll edit the list if anyone has any good suggestions. I may even add examples...
2) Read the instruction manual for your digital camera. Seriously. You will need to figure out how to focus on a close, fine detailed object. Most cameras do not do this automatically! On my Sony camera, there is a 'close focus' button, which looks a little bit like a flower.
3) Switch the flash off. It usually makes the image look worse.
4) Use a tripod. I have a mini tripod that I sometimes use. At the very least, use a stable base to rest the camera on. A tiny bit of camera shake will spoil the final photo.
5) Choose your background. Your model should be the main focus of the photograph. Clear the background entirely of everything else. Having a Kamiya Satoshi book underneath your model won't impress anyone on this forum - We've all got it. Likewise, if a viewer can see something else in the background, then it probably will distract. So, don't have furniture, office equipment, computers, etc in the background UNLESS you specifically want them in the photo.
6) Use a background screen. I use a large sheet of A2 card, which I curve over softly, and place on a desk. This ensures that the floor and 'wall' behind the model are all the same colour, with no obvious angles or distractions. I use a neutral colour, such as blue, green or blue-grey. You can use any such background. Don't make it too bland, or your model will look bland. Don't make it too garish, or it will overpower your model. Try to keep it a single colour.
7) Get the lighting right. Your model will look rubbish if the photo is look dark. It will also be difficult to see if there is a bright light, such as a window, behind it. Try to use lighting. An anglepoise lamp or two are good for this. Position the lights so that the model is well illuminated, and there are not shadows everywhere. I usually position one lamp above, and one lamp above and to the side. I also take most of my photos on a bright day, in a room with lots of windows.
8) See what you've taken! The viewfinder doesn't show high detail - you will need to see what the images look like on a computer screen. If they don't look good, repeat them!
9) Use photoshop. Or another graphics program. Reduce the size to a maximum of 600 pixels across. Feel free to adjust brightness, use edge enhance, etc.
10) Get rid of dates and titles. There is little more infuriating that having a date splattered all over a photo, or an auto-generated title. Either set up your camera to get rid of them, or use photshop.
11) Be sensible with watermarks and titles. Tucking the model name, author and website address into a corner is sometimes sensible, so long as it doesn't obscure the model. Whacking a massive watermark across the middle just looks silly.
12) See what others have done, and copy them! Look at langorigami.com to see how Robert Lang arranges his photos. Look at Quentin Trollip's flickr stream to see how to arrange beautiful photos. Look on this forum or flickr. And then avoid repeating photos which look dreadful, and try to copy techniques which look great.
I hope that this all helps. I'll edit the list if anyone has any good suggestions. I may even add examples...