Taking better photos part 2 - lighting

This is the second in an irregular series of blogs on taking photographs of miniatures. Part 1, which looked at basic mistakes, can be found here. In this blog, I discuss the delicate art of illumination, focusing on how to illuminate miniatures and scenes, and how to rectify mistakes before they happen.

Getting the light right for a picture can be quite tricky at first, but following some simple steps to get the lighting right will save a lot of time and frustration. Consider what results you want and then plan the lighting to achieve that result.

All the photos are taken with a good phone camera and with different types of lighting rig. A lightbox was not used.

The first picture (above) is taken using natural light only. Natural daylight outside can be an excellent source of light, as it is very diffuse. However, indoors, it tends to be funneled by windows and results in an unevenly lit picture. Ideally, our picture should have evenly lit areas.

While taking pictures outside is a good solution, it is often impractical. It is entirely dependent on the weather. Wind, rain, and direct sunlight can all ruin a photoshoot. The sun is a very powerful light source and thus will cast deep shadows—it's best not to shoot on a bright summer's day. Similarly, it's best not to try and shoot in a storm or when there's a risk of rain. Metal miniatures might not be at that much risk, as they have 'heft', but plastic miniatures will go flying!

The second picture (above) is taken with one powerful spotlight. As a result, the shadows are plainly visible and the light uneven. The picture could be clearer.

The picture above was taken with two powerful spotlights. While the picture is better, you can see the shadows cast by the lights. Again, this is not ideal. The shadows need to disappear by adjusting the lighting.

The photo above (obviously) is an example of an image that is too dark, either due to insufficient lighting or underexposure. Mobile phone cameras have their limitations in depth of field, and the images tend to be more grainy, but they are generally good at adjusting to light conditions. DSLRs and standard film cameras are more settings-dependent, so dark (underexposed) images will be more common. While these can be corrected with photographic software, it is much easier to adjust the camera's settings and take the photo again.

In this case, the photo above is overexposed. There is too much light, or the camera settings are incorrect. This is much, much trickier to correct with photo software and with too overexposed photographs, impossible. Software can only do so much. You are almost always best off adjusting the camera's settings or lowering the lights and trying again.

This next photo (above) was taken with the flash on the mobile phone. The power of the flash cannot be controlled, so the resulting picture is both overexposed in places and underexposed. This is almost impossible to correct, so it is best to retake it under better light conditions.

This photograph (above) was taken with a ring light. This was very effective, as the brightness and color of the light could be adjusted. It still leaves some areas at the back in darkness, but since the light is radiating from the direction of the camera, the shadows are minimal.

The final photo was taken with several lights, including diffusion lighting. The end result is a clear photograph where the colors of the miniatures can be appreciated. While this takes a little effort and a few test shots to get the lighting just right, the results are worth it.

My advice is to experiment with your setup and take plenty of test shots. Review them on your computer and examine each one carefully. Eventually, you'll find the right settings to make every shot picture-perfect.