Whether you enjoy painting miniatures or buying tiny tools to build a little kitchen to make mini food, you need the knowledge to photograph your mini creations properly.
Photography is often the secondary task to the actual hobby, so how do you capture your most prized possessions? Use these tips to capture a small world through miniature photography.
Thoroughly Clean the Surface
Try to clean your miniatures as often and as gently as you can to remove any dust and fingerprints because they will show in your pictures otherwise. It can save you a lot of post-editing time if you make the object look sparkling clean and ready for its close-up!
Be sure to clean the surrounding area as well, especially when taking the picture on a dark surface. Use a microfiber cloth to clean your space and camera lens before starting.
Set the Scene
Get creative with the scene you’re placing your miniatures into. What are they battling? Can you use random items around the house to put in the background? Perhaps you can build a mini-mart for all your tiny groceries. If you want to create a water effect without damaging your items, try using tin foil and dark lighting to make the effect look realistic.
Whatever the scene is, look around you and get creative in your space!
Grab the Right Gear
Okay, let’s talk about the technical stuff. To accurately capture the details of your miniature, you’ll need a good camera. Of course, you can always use your smartphone, but if you want the photo to look really good (and you want to generate income from this hobby), grab a DSLR camera and get to work.
The sensor size on a camera is much bigger than a smartphone’s sensor size, which affects how much light the camera picks up when the shutter opens. In other words, a professional camera will emit much more detail like contrast, resolution, and color.
Consider using a tripod or a stabilizer to steady the camera for your still image. Tripods are especially helpful when mounting a DSLR camera overhead.
Adjust the Settings
Whether you use a smartphone or camera, you’ll want to use the device’s manual settings to get the best picture you can achieve. Adjust your device’s exposure, focus, and shutter speed until the photo looks right.
Edit Out the Little Things
Regardless of how well you clean your lens and your scene, you’ll still need to edit out tiny dust particles that might’ve flown in while you were taking the picture. Of course, you won’t need to edit as much if you clean beforehand.
Digital editing is where you’ll make the miniature look its best. Try to use programs like Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, or high-quality, free editing software.
These tips for miniature photography will guide you in documenting your hobby and help you transform your passions into a potential career!
