Photographing a model of a 17th century caravel

[Drew Bedo]

Photographs of models (any miniature) have a characteristic "look". Model photography is by nature macro photography. the shallow depth of field is the giveaway every time. Another characteristic is point of view. Many shots of models are made from an air borne perspective. They look like the view from a helicopter.

A sailing ship poses extra challenges because the masts and yards create a complex 3-D volume to image. One cannot use camera movements to advantage . . . something will always be out.

I don’t think that there is any one magic technique.

Suggestions:

Shoot from am low angle . . . not a "helicopter shot".

Use as wide a lens as you can.

Use photoShop shamelessly.

Shoot multiple images with progressive planes of focus, then blend or stack in PS.

Take multiple images of portions of the ship and stitch them into a panorama, then crop to a more rectangular format.

Use PS to put the ship into a seascape, or just sitting at anchor.

In the end, Large Format may not be the best tool set for this project. A DSLR may be better. The object is not primarily to produce a fine-art image for some purist collector (that would be great!). The purpose of this project is to create a saleable image for fund raising. Use whatever tools and techniques will get you and the museum the "money shot".

Show us what you get and tell us how you did it.

[Greg Lockrey]

Shoot it with a pinhole... the depth of field is forever. If the model is large enough you can position the camera near the deck to give feeling of being "on deck", etc. Some of those manufactured pinholes are incredibly sharp.

[r.e.]

I really appreciate all the input that my question has received.

[big_ben_blue]

Late last year I was involved with a project that included shooting a large historic model of a fur traders canoe (complete with carved dolls). The model was secured to a standard 4x8ft sheet of dark grey arbotite (or something similar) on a light table (for the curve). We used a ton of gobos/flags/fingers and a projection spot light with a DIY gobo to suggest wave movement. Worked like a charm. Highlighting individual areas of the model with more spots and plenty of backlighting gave the model a very realistic 3D appearance.

A few more ideas:

How about shooting it with a DSLR as mentioned and incorporating a drawing (like Steven suggested) in the background. The drawing wouldn't have to be overly complex for that (imagine it slightly soft and OOF in a warmish brown ink tone). A green screen technique might work for that. On a related note, Steven might be onto something regarding the appeal of a technical drawing to the general public. Heck, my most priced possession in my late teens were a few copies of the complete technical drawings for some of the WW2 submarines. For building a full scale replica of an historic vessel, drawing would have to be made anyhow; just make double use of them (maybe add a few handwritten notes in longhand).

Maybe using paper cutouts to represent waves in the foreground? It would give the whole thing an illustrative stylized nature though (think along the lines of the old Karel Zeman movies).

Personally, I find slightly 3/4 frontal views from a bit below the most dramatic for showing the bulk of the hull and "high-in-the-sky" rigging.

[Jim Ewins]

Scan the Image and in Photoshop place it on a calm sea.

[Rodney Polden]

I would suggest to leave out anything to do with background or a "scene", using a darkish, shadowed, almost black environment around it instead. This will throw all the viewer's attention onto the subject itself.

The critical element here is viewpoint, and finding that exact viewpoint to within fractions of an inch may well take hours, possibly days of just looking at the model, turning it this way and that, until you have absorbed all the subtle changes in the dominance of one aspect of the vessel over the others that occurs as the position of the viewer's eye changes. Nearer or further by mere inches can alter the 'sensations' of the form in a huge way. This may sound extreme, but I believe that it will be in finding the precise eye-position to evoke emotion and awe and a sense of realism, that you will find the image that truly has power and meaning to it.

Play with a hand-held camera - DSLR, 35mm or whatever - just for establishing viewpoint. But start with something WIDE, say 20mm (in 35mm equivalent) and only move to 24mm, 28mm, 35mm equivalents successively, once you have definitely established that the wide view is too wide. You may find that the 20mm actually does it. It carves its own way with the curves of hull and rigging, and the drama will appear that lifts mere objects up and out of the studio setting into their own reality.

Water-craft are such complex and nuanced structures to begin with - lovely things in their own right. To go beyond the image that just shows a model, and reach out to the image that shows a vessel, a real ocean-going vessel, will be the main challenge inherent in this commission, I feel. My instinct would be to begin low and wide-angle and fairly close to the bow, to one side. Balancing the drama of the viewpoint against the other considerations of inclusion, emphasis, near-far scale, depth-of-field and so on, will lead you through the technical and aesthetic decision-making process by continual refinement and by discarding paths that prove not to work.

If you can convince your sponsors/clients to accept b/w, the problems will be considerably less on all fronts, I would suggest. An inspiring and emotive image that will sell posters etc. is 100% easier to achieve in b/w, since then you can concentrate on form and the _idea_ of a ship, rather than the brown wooden reality of a model.

Lighting is the other big challenge. A dark studio-like space (dark floor too) will make it easier to control contrast, and the model needs to be high enough off the floor to avoid excessive bounce from below (until you want it). Start with a spot (or another single hard light source) high and and to the rear, and slowly add reflectors in small increments to build the shaping and contouring that's required.

Alternatively, you might even try painting the model with light from a flashlight or whatever, in darkness, and with the shutter open - different areas and different angles. Remarkable effects can be had this way that are not achievable in a single short exposure.

This sounds like a great project to be involved with. I hope it turns out to be a success for both you and your friends at the museum.

[GPS]

I would suggest to leave out anything to do with background or a "scene", using a darkish, shadowed, almost black environment around it instead. This will throw all the viewer's attention onto the subject itself.
...
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I agree with you when it comes to the useless use of a "scene". Whatever scene is used it always looks faky, artificial and ridiculous, like the old Tarzan movies...
But no darkish, almost black background either - it looks strange, like a boat in darkness lit by its own glory only.
The simplicity is the key here. White background with nothing else but the ship - looks great on a T-shirt, keeps the attention on the subject and speaks volumes about what the reconstruction is about (the ship). What is more, the white background leaves plenty to imagination - it's like a ship with an eternal life imagined by the viewer only.