Want to find out how I take the minifig photos?

 

  • Want to find out how I take the minifig photos?

    Posted by Huw, 18 May 2011 14:44. Filed under Brickset.

    Loads of you have asked, so I've documented my methods: the equipment I use, how the photos are taken and the post-processing steps.

    Read it all in my minifig photography guide. I hope you can make use of some of the techniques to improve your own photos.


    (Thanks to bluemoose for putting me on the right track with my post-processing and rocao for proof reading the article, however if there are still grammatical errors or typos they are all mine...)


    20 comments, latest one posted 25 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)
    1087 views


 
 

Comments

Posted by Jarod98 in United Kingdom, 18 May 2011 14:52

Wow Huw, thanks for the guide. I don't have the money right now, but if I make it to the NFL (I'm currently pursuing an NFL career) I'll try my hardest to find all kinds of rare figs for you so you can photograph them.

UPDATE: I just finished reading the article and I'm amazed at the process. Huw, you really do an amazing job at that, thanks.

Posted by AnseltheCat in United Kingdom, 18 May 2011 14:58

Very nice guide Huw. You have some nice photography kit there fella. You are probably already aware of it, but if not I suggest you check out strobist.com, it is a veritable treasure trove on shooting with flashes.

The mini infinity curve is very nice.

Posted by mikeyob in United States, 18 May 2011 15:04

Very nice work....bet you are glad the minifigs don't blink

Posted by Markey in Belgium, 18 May 2011 15:23

I think it's great that you share all this useful info Huw.

Does elements support actions like photoshop does? If you do so many of these, it does take a lot of time for post processing. Automated actions could save you time.

Posted by voyanui8768 in United Kingdom, 18 May 2011 15:52

After reading that, I ordered myself a light tent and some lights for it. I don't have Photoshop but I do have a similar program for my drawing tablet.
Great job Huw!

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 18 May 2011 15:55

> Does elements support actions like photoshop does?

No. A lot of the time is taken with the selection process which coulnd't really be automated anyway.

> After reading that, I ordered myself a light tent and some lights for it.

Excellent! Good luck, let us know how you get on.

Posted by LukeSkywalker in Ireland, 18 May 2011 16:33

Thank you @Huw for sharing this, I'm really interested in bettering my photography skills when it comes to capturing Lego, so this will definitely be a helpful guide! :)

Posted by TooMuchLEGO in United States, 18 May 2011 16:53

Have you ever made stopmotions with this studio of yours? I think it'd be easy to do.

Posted by legomaniac in United States, 18 May 2011 17:13

Awesome tutorial :) I usually take a picture of my figures with them laying down on my white table. But makes the lighting all weird.

Posted by vpustote in United States, 18 May 2011 17:29

I'm glad you showed this. Most people probably assume, snap picture, post online, end of story.

I'm in graphic communication, and I get that a lot too. Like I just clicked print and was done. There's a long process in getting the edges cut perfectly and setting up the inks in InDesign.

But good job, the tutorial was nice to see.

Posted by Orthobotrex in Philippines, 18 May 2011 18:14

Thanks very much for this...Those are very nice tips and pearls.

Posted by The Brick Life in Australia, 18 May 2011 21:10

Well done
I would not have the patience for this but am glad there are people like yourselves who are happy to spend time getting it so right.
Thanks for sharing your methods.
Cheers

Posted by joeyzbrown in United States, 18 May 2011 21:51

Nice job Huw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As always you are the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by cvillone in United States, 18 May 2011 23:12

Huw,
Your dedication to this site and quality work is nothing short of amazing!!!! I whole heartedly thank you for all your hard work and effort. Your site is the BEST!

Posted by minifigforlife in United Kingdom, 19 May 2011 00:45

Excellent article, and my own technique is not so far different from this. Thank you Huw for the hard work in writing this article.

Posted by MinifigureMan in United Kingdom, 19 May 2011 07:04

Thank you Huw! I was about to ask you how you do it because my brother wants to improve his shots! This guide is fantastic!

Posted by legocamps in United States, 19 May 2011 13:57

Thank you!

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 19 May 2011 14:57

@all, thank you for your kind comments, it makes it all worthwhile :-)

Posted by ericjohn in United States, 19 May 2011 19:03

I really appreciate this information too. I'm going to look into ordering a lighting tent.

I'm hoping to photograph, catalogue, and create a web page for our Lego collection, but I'm intimidated because we have over thirty-five years of Lego collecting (although the 90s were rather a Dark Ages and the 2000s are far from a Renaissance) to document.

We are collecting Sylvanian Families (and their USA counterpart Calico Critters of Cloverleaf Corners) for our daugther, and I have created a web page for those figures with mixed-results with the pictures. I got some good tips out of this guide that will help with those pictures. Thanks, Huw.

Posted by JohnnyWashngo in United Kingdom, 20 May 2011 05:23

Good guide.

Have you considered using an 18% grey card to evaluate your white balance prior to shooting?

It may help eliminate the redish colour cast you are seeing on your images and reduce your time in post processing considerably. Especially when trying to get the white background looking white again.

Thats what I did when taking shots for the Android app a year or so ago.

Also, gels may help in getting the right colour temperature from your fill lighting depending on the ambient light you have.

Any thing you can do to get the image right in camera makes the pain in post much more bearable ;)

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