INTRODUCTION

There has been considerable interest from many folk, not only regarding our airport night time

lighting effects but also, on how the photos were taken – and how to photograph model planes in

general. So, in response to this, here are Mark’s top 10 tips on how to photograph your own models,

with examples of the end results we can all achieve.

1. Make a small diorama

Every subject looks better in context. With the plethora of freely downloadable buildings

and airport ground foils there is really no excuse for you not to build a small diorama to set

behind your models. It does not have to be big, and indeed, should not be, as you want it to

be easily moved to take advantage of prevailing natural lighting conditions.

The diorama below was built in a day, using free resources from the net, and makes a fine,

small backdrop for anyone to showcase their models.

If you want to see where you can download all the above elements FOR FREE, then please

check out our links on our website: http://federalwayairport.weebly.com/useful-links.html

2. Use a tripod

We are dealing with very small subject matter, and the closer you get to your subject, the

less light will hit the lens, also you will want to achieve maximum depth-of-field (this is very

important). So this means you will be shooting at very SLOW shutter speeds, so ideally, you

will need a tripod. Don’t worry if you have not got one, as you can always balance the

camera in front of your diorama on a flat surface, although this with limit the angle you can

photograph from. The picture below was shot on a tripod, with MAXIMUM depth-of-field

(f32) for a whole 22 seconds!!!

3. Turn the flash off and use natural light

Flash is the last thing you will need, as it often over-lights the subject and produces harsh

and un-realistic shadows. The best light to use, is God’s own natural light, from the sun. It

might be 93 million miles away, but it’s free to use. That said, you are probably best moving

your diorama outside on a slightly overcast day, when the shadows are less harsh. The photo

below was taken in natural light, with an exposure of 3 seconds.

4. Set your camera to manual exposure

In order to maximize the depth-of-field, you need to stop allowing the camera thinking for

itself, and start to tell it what to do! If you have an APERTURE PRIORITY setting on your

camera, use that. Again, if your camera is not that sophisticated, don’t worry, just try NIGHT,

SUNSET or INDOOR PARTY mode (remember to turn the flash off in the latter – that should

do the trick), or any other mode as that will force the camera away from those nasty AUTO

settings.

5. Use a large depth-of-field (DOF)

The secret to getting everything in focus is to use a large depth-of-field(DOF). The DOF is

effectively what is in focus from the front to the back of the picture. The photo below has a

small DOF (f4)

You can see most (but not all) of the model is focus, but the background is blurred, giving

the viewer a sense of depth. The larger the f-stop number, the deeper the depth of field, the

smaller the f-stop number, the more shallow the DOF is. The picture below was shot at f32.

6. Use the self-timer

As you are shooting at low shutter speeds, camera shake is always a challenge, leading to

blurred and disappointing images. If your camera has a self timer, use it. Once you have set

up your shot, you can hit the self timer button, then, walk away from the camera and let the

camera trigger the shutter on its own, thus avoiding and camera shake or image blur.

7. Find and focus on a subject

You’ve spent your hard earned money on the model of your dreams so you’ll want it to be

the ‘focal point’ of the picture won’t you? So focus on that first, or, even if your camera does

not have MANUAL FOCUS at the very least, ensure that the AUTO FOCUS has been engaged.

Then compose other objects around it – like maybe gates or airport ground vehicles,

anything to add a little interest. But don’t clutter the picture – remember MORE IS LESS. The

picture below shows the aircraft as the central ‘point of focus’ with little details to augment

the scene. Note in the picture below the coach is intentionally out of focus but just adds a

little foreground detail.

8. Use perspective

Think of yourself as a ‘mini-me’ and try and get down and dirty and mix it up with the action.

After all we are trying to create our own little world so we need to see it from our little

people’s perspective. Also aircraft on approach, on taxiways or lining up for takeoff are on

the move in the real world, so give them space in front of their nose to move into.

9. Paint with light

If you are photographing your airport at night, you might want to try to illuminate your

subject a little more than the background. This can easily achieved by using a small hand-

held torch, to illuminate the subject, and let the background take care of itself, as the picture

of this Lockheed Galaxy shows.

10. Be prepared to experiment

Above all – as with most things in life – it pays to experiment. Unlike in the old days, you can

take as many pictures as you like, it does not cost any more to develop one or 100! Probably

for every picture in this document there are 10 others in the recycle bin. So go ahead, get

your cameras out, whether big or small, expensive or modest and have some fun.

The picture below was really an accident – I just got lucky as I forgot to turn the torch off

that was lighting the B747 – but then, we make our own luck, don’t we?!