The Daily Dose -1/43… Friday 8/20/21

John, I'm glad you posted these again. A very impressive display of Hudsons. Who is the maker of the thirties side mounted sedan model?

@bob-jackman 

That is a Brooklin 1931 Hudson, built by John Roberts. He used a 1931 Hudson Speedster and a Rob Eddie RE 14 Volvo for this creation.

I really like the lighting on these photos. The models are crisply lit from above while the backdrop remains totally dark and continuous with the highly polished "floor". I could visualize Fred Astaire tapping his way between those Hudsons. Did you use a just a single light source from directly overhead in an otherwise darkened room? Maybe some black velvet draping absorbed light from the back round?

Keep the photos coming. Part of the fun of having a Forum is watching how other collectors present and display their models..

@mark-lampariello 

I used 4 LED daylight bulbs in these shots, they are angled just off to the side and filtered with a gauze like material over the bulbs to control the glare. The background and base are slate tiles with a glass shelf over the base. 

A true line-up of stars!  Thank you for this really special post, John.   You have got my day off to a good start!

@jcarnutz With the room other wise darkened I guess.  Did you make a kind of 'light rack' such as a piece of wood to attach those 4 LED bulbs, so you can hold them up all at once, or at a certain spacing? I know that's a lot of particulars but it's those details that bollix me up, and then I photograph exactly nada.  [And yes I know I need a camera with real adjustments, not just my 15 year old point-and-shoot!  But its little macro is great just as a magnifier for viewing the teeny details on our little gems].

@mark-lampariello 

I wish I had taken some photos of the setup, it would show better than I will be able to explain.

The light fixtures are outdoor spotlight holders (with the base-no spike) they are secured (with push-pins) to weighted styrofoam blocks. They are slightly raised (pointed upward and angled) just over the base of the photo area. There is a white foamboard suspended just above the picture area (I think about 2 feet, this helps to reflect the light. Now don't laugh at this part, I set this up on the counter in the master bedroom bathroom. I have all the lights on in the room (which is a lot) this floods the room with light, but the setup and foam board tones it down and controls the light at the same time giving the camera the light it needs. You would think that a light box would work as well, but I wasn't thrilled with the photos, so I rarely use it (however it does work better w/larger models) This setup took at a lot of trial and error and I usually only use it in wintertime when it's too cold to go outside (Michigan) 10 years ago I'd take photos outside all year long, but the cold bothers me more these days. 

Now my camera is an older Sony Cyber-Shot Point & Shoot Camera, it does have some adjustment capabilities, but I am pretty camera illiterate, so this has served me well. I know I need to upgrade my camera sometime-Just don't have a clue as to what I need (but it has to be simple to use, I don't always have a lot of patience for these things-LOL)

I hope this helps, the next time I set this up I will try to remember to take photos of setup.

@jcarnutz I'd love to see a pic of the settup since it does sound complicated.  It sounds like a tremendous amount of light so I am amazed at how you can keep light on the subjects and the "stage" and "backdrop" under control.  It's similar to keeping theatrical lighting under control but requires many lighting instruments, mounted from many angles, with individual levels of adjustment, and from a great big mixing board!

I may have the same little ol' Cyber Shot as you. So I can't blame my camera..