More Little People ... for C&C

[IzzieK]

I'm late to the party here. There's such a lot of imagination and originality here that it makes me envious.

Oh how nice...that is so sweet of you to send me this kind comment...thank you so much for making my heart sings. I appreciate it very much.

[IzzieK]

BTW: I expected to see something else... The term "Little People" is an acceptable term for people who are short of stature as in: http://www.lpaonline.org/

AND with St. Patrick's Day coming, "Little People" is an Irish term for leprechauns... Do I believe in leprechauns? Only on March 17th each year

Thanks for the info Richard. I think there is a tv series about Little People and I hope I have not sound derogatory in titling this post but I do not know how to call these models..

[IzzieK]

Izzie,
I assume you're using a tripod.

If I'm right the lens you use, 105mm, has a magnification factor of 1. Meaning that an object of 20mm will result in an image of 20mm on your sensor. If you shoot landscape, it's filling 20mm of the max. of 24mm on your D810.
Maybe you should tell more about the equipment you use, which 105mm lens, the distance to the object and if and how much you cropped.
I'm sure others can tell you more about it. I'm just trying to give it a start.

George

Edit.
I checked the H0 spec and what I read the scale is 1:87. So the persons are about 2cm high.

George

George, I am sorry but I am not a technical person. All I know is that my camera is the D810 and I am using a 105mm lens, no extension tube at all. I was experimenting on my scenes and I did not think of taking note about how far I should be from my subjects and how I can create a scene with these little people thing. I was watching the light falls and trying my best to get the best I can out of the shots. This was the first time I did this thing, please be a little bit less demanding. There was very little cropping done here after the pp because I was close enough to my objects unlike when using my bird lens or any of my zoom lens. I have very little room in my dinette too as the place incorporate my kitchen island on one side, my wet bar on the other side, my separate freezer on the wall and the door to the patio on the other. Inlcude several pot plants like the lemon tree in front of my wet bar, I have very little room to move to use a longer lens and so I have to handhold my camera. That was two day ago's experiment. Yesterday, I went out to buy a much taller model sets which includes make-up, so it will be easier. I am still processing my shots. And yes, I did use a tripod.

Thank you for the extra question and information I already know. I should have known how small an HO model was or I should not have ordered it online. Yesterday, I found Hobbytown USA near where we live and went there and will continue my experiment as soon as it is possible for me to do it. In the meantime, I need to do my P52 project for this month.

[Inkanyezi]

- as good and as expensive your equipment are. I am envious. Thank you for your suggestions and comments. I really do appreciate it very much.

Your onion ring reminds me why I got the tilt adapter.

Don't believe that the equipment I use is very costly, even though my lens suggestions for your camera are. I have a µ4/3 camera, and the adapter for tilting that I use is a rather cheap gadget. It sits twixt camera body and lens and can be adjusted to various angles. The front end of the adapter takes an M42 lens, which can be acquired for nigh to nothing these days. The adapter was $35 and the lens about $7 in a second hand welfare shop.

I never had a lot of money, and my photo hobby started as a dream long ago. I always had to make do with little, and even though I now have money enough to buy at least some things new, I always try to manage with what I've got and to combine things that can fulfil my wishes.

So those suggestions were just because I saw you have a very good camera body, for which such lenses are really made, and the first one I suggested is also not the most common addition to the toolbox of a brand-conscient Nikonist, although a very good tool of the trade.

Envy is on my side, even though my choices would be different, had I the money to get myself a full frame camera.

But enough of that rambling.

What I particularly like about your project is its ingenuity and I find it inspiring. The onion ring, the spilled milk, miners breaking up a garlic. It reminds me of illustrated books for children, and I think it really could be worth the effort to make a story about the little people, so small that they can navigate the spilled milk on the table.

Maybe sketching and painting is a better way to portray the little people, as it gives more freedom for imagination. After all, to make a photo, the scene must be set up in some way in reality, while other methods are more free for fantasy. But photography can also be taken beyond the limit. Software can be used for completion when other tools fail. Your "little people" remind me of something I thought about as I wrote this answer in another thread on the forum: Me too! (need help to improve my pictures)

They can live in a toadstool and navigate a small puddle, chop up the bilberries for dessert and need to pick the garlic cloves with miner's tools.

Anyway, I really did enjoy your images, and your imagination. They supply food for imagination. Sharpness isn't everything, and having seen your motor cyclist driving the rings of an onion, that imagery is sharp enough in the mind, complete with gas fumes and the roar of the engine.

Thanks for sharing.

[Wavelength]

Hahaha...really creative and funny......

[John 2]

Great imaginative work, Izzie. I love the garlic miner. You just need to work on your technique a little.

+1 fro me. The technique will develop but I love the concept of this one.

[Marie Hass]

Dear Izzie,

Lovely ideas! As has been said, #3 is awesome!

Marie

[Mike Buckley]

but it can be tiring

Yes, the various kinds of photography tax our physical capabilities and our ability to concentrate differently.

[IzzieK]

Don't believe that the equipment I use is very costly, even though my lens suggestions for your camera are. I have a µ4/3 camera, and the adapter for tilting that I use is a rather cheap gadget. It sits twixt camera body and lens and can be adjusted to various angles. The front end of the adapter takes an M42 lens, which can be acquired for nigh to nothing these days. The adapter was $35 and the lens about $7 in a second hand welfare shop.

I never had a lot of money, and my photo hobby started as a dream long ago. I always had to make do with little, and even though I now have money enough to buy at least some things new, I always try to manage with what I've got and to combine things that can fulfil my wishes.

So those suggestions were just because I saw you have a very good camera body, for which such lenses are really made, and the first one I suggested is also not the most common addition to the toolbox of a brand-conscient Nikonist, although a very good tool of the trade.

Envy is on my side, even though my choices would be different, had I the money to get myself a full frame camera.

But enough of that rambling.

What I particularly like about your project is its ingenuity and I find it inspiring. The onion ring, the spilled milk, miners breaking up a garlic. It reminds me of illustrated books for children, and I think it really could be worth the effort to make a story about the little people, so small that they can navigate the spilled milk on the table.

Maybe sketching and painting is a better way to portray the little people, as it gives more freedom for imagination. After all, to make a photo, the scene must be set up in some way in reality, while other methods are more free for fantasy. But photography can also be taken beyond the limit. Software can be used for completion when other tools fail. Your "little people" remind me of something I thought about as I wrote this answer in another thread on the forum: Me too! (need help to improve my pictures)

They can live in a toadstool and navigate a small puddle, chop up the bilberries for dessert and need to pick the garlic cloves with miner's tools.

Anyway, I really did enjoy your images, and your imagination. They supply food for imagination. Sharpness isn't everything, and having seen your motor cyclist driving the rings of an onion, that imagery is sharp enough in the mind, complete with gas fumes and the roar of the engine.

Thanks for sharing.

What a beautiful response from you! I do appreciate this very much and will think more of this project as you suggests here. In the meantime, I finally submitted my February 2016 P52 project this early morning that includes some more figures on food. I really do appreciate your comments and critiques and suggestions. I always thought of you as a technical guy hence I did not expect this compliment. Thank you again.

[IzzieK]

Thank you very much, John, Nandadumar, Marie and Mike for the added comments. I do appreciate them very much. I am learning so fast it makes my brain spins. And thank you for contributing to my learning. Sometimes it is fun, sometimes stressful but I get there. A longer road more to go in my learning experience but I am having fun and going places I never dream before that I should go or must go for a purpose...and hearing my proud husband saying, my wife is a photographer, excite me, though I wouldn't it that way yet. I have a lot to learn...Thank you all.

I have just uploaded the 3rd week of February 2016 P52 submission a while ago that included more food and little men. Please do comment and critique if you will. Thanks again.

[Inkanyezi]

What a beautiful response from you! I do appreciate this very much and will think more of this project as you suggests here. In the meantime, I finally submitted my February 2016 P52 project this early morning that includes some more figures on food. I really do appreciate your comments and critiques and suggestions. I always thought of you as a technical guy hence I did not expect this compliment. Thank you again.

But yes, I am a techie guy. But your imagery touched my soul. You know us techies also once were children.

So dragging me back to techie mode I'll do some additions. It's not to put you down.
I looked at your P52 and am still greatly impressed. IMHO, you express the mind of an artist.

The issues that are techie:
I opened only one of your images, the Sumo mandarin one, to have a look at it, and I found that it looked a bit much exposed. I guess it could be the black background that tricks the meter, but not only that, maybe also PP.

Then one very problematic thing. You exported this image to ProPhotoRGB, a very wide gamut, a colour space that cannot be displayed on a computer screen. These wider colour spaces, aRGB and ProPhoto, should only be used for images that are for printing, and you need to have a very good monitor that is duly calibrated, preferably working in an environment that aids your colour vision. Not too bright light of good quality (D50-D65), neutral colours surrounding the workspace.

For presentation on the web, you should always export to sRGB, often only called RGB. That will give you the best chance that others will see your images just as you do.

When adjusting contrast and brightness, by curves or levels, try to not have many pixels to the right of the histogram reaching 255, but only those that are specular reflexes or light sources.

The left side of the histogram is quite different. When using a black background, you can let the histogram rise to the upper left corner, to get black really black. It is only to the right side of the histogram it is worth the while to strive having it end in an itsy bitsy tip at the lower corner. At the left side, with a low key picture, there should be a spike at the zero value.

Once again, your project is exhilarating, don't stop there. I really love those images of yours, your imagery and imagination.

[IzzieK]

But yes, I am a techie guy. But your imagery touched my soul. You know us techies also once were children.

So dragging me back to techie mode I'll do some additions. It's not to put you down.
I looked at your P52 and am still greatly impressed. IMHO, you express the mind of an artist.

Thank you. I hope it does not show that I am trying too hard...

The issues that are techie:
I opened only one of your images, the Sumo mandarin one, to have a look at it, and I found that it looked a bit much exposed. I guess it could be the black background that tricks the meter, but not only that, maybe also PP.

Then one very problematic thing. You exported this image to ProPhotoRGB, a very wide gamut, a colour space that cannot be displayed on a computer screen. These wider colour spaces, aRGB and ProPhoto, should only be used for images that are for printing, and you need to have a very good monitor that is duly calibrated, preferably working in an environment that aids your colour vision. Not too bright light of good quality (D50-D65), neutral colours surrounding the workspace.

For presentation on the web, you should always export to sRGB, often only called RGB. That will give you the best chance that others will see your images just as you do.

When adjusting contrast and brightness, by curves or levels, try to not have many pixels to the right of the histogram reaching 255, but only those that are specular reflexes or light sources.

The left side of the histogram is quite different. When using a black background, you can let the histogram rise to the upper left corner, to get black really black. It is only to the right side of the histogram it is worth the while to strive having it end in an itsy bitsy tip at the lower corner. At the left side, with a low key picture, there should be a spike at the zero value.

Once again, your project is exhilarating, don't stop there. I really love those images of yours, your imagery and imagination.

Thank you for this comments and corrections. Funny I was reading Dave Humphries' comments and he said the same thing. I have already have my setting on ProPhoto space because I print the images that I like. And yes, I do have an NEC 27" as a second monitor for my desktop and I like to see all the colours that comes out of my printer which is not the same as my goal this year is to buy me at least an 11-ink printer or something similar. I just bought a new calibrator a few weeks ago, the Spyder 5 Studio. I am slowly putting things together. I guess I better shift to sRGB before I send my images to CiC then shift it back to ProPhoto for my own use...

Thanks again for your help.

[Dave Humphries]

Oooh, I need to pick up on something here;

~ I guess I better shift to sRGB before I send my images to CiC then shift it back to ProPhoto for my own use...

I am far from an expert on colour spaces, but I suggest this is definitely not the way to proceed Izzie.

Once you have 'downgraded' the colour space to sRGB, when you go back, you won't get the full range you had before.

An analogy: If you have a quart of milk in a jug (ProPhoto) and tip it in to a pint bottle (sRGB), it overflows and you lose the excess, if you tip what's in the pint bottle back in to the jug, all you get is a pint in a bigger container.
And a lot of spilt milk we won't cry over
OK, that's vastly oversimplifying, but I believe the principle holds true.


What you need to do is convert (only) the 1200 px wide jpgs you are making for TinyPic to sRGB, leaving your original file in ProPhoto for your printing and monitor use.

It could be that this is what you meant (and what you'll do).

[Rob Ekins]

Izzie,
I love them all but #3 it's a cracker..you could do a lot with that comp and a single flash unit

Re: Little people...how about calling your next set "Miniatures" instead of little People?

[Inkanyezi]

What you need to do is convert (only) the 1200 px wide jpgs you are making for TinyPic to sRGB, leaving your original file in ProPhoto for your printing and monitor use.

Thanks for clarifying Dave - that's what I meant by export. Exporting implies that the source file is untouched.

For presentation on the web, you should always export to sRGB

[IzzieK]

Oooh, I need to pick up on something here;

I am far from an expert on colour spaces, but I suggest this is definitely not the way to proceed Izzie.

Once you have 'downgraded' the colour space to sRGB, when you go back, you won't get the full range you had before.

An analogy: If you have a quart of milk in a jug (ProPhoto) and tip it in to a pint bottle (sRGB), it overflows and you lose the excess, if you tip what's in the pint bottle back in to the jug, all you get is a pint in a bigger container.

And a lot of spilt milk we won't cry over
OK, that's vastly oversimplifying, but I believe the principle holds true.

Reading Urban's response, I was already thinking of doing a double job since I have the original RAW file and have to do it again for the sake of converting to sRGB...happily, with your explanation, I don't have to...Thank you.

What you need to do is convert (only) the 1200 px wide jpgs you are making for TinyPic to sRGB, leaving your original file in ProPhoto for your printing and monitor use.

It could be that this is what you meant (and what you'll do).

Thank you for clarifying that...that will be easy peasy...I will note that down and stick it at the bottom of my monitor so I do not forget...your help is really appreciated. I am learning little by little but I am getting there, I hope.Some things I may forget sometimes hopefully as I go along, it'll be automatically add to my repertoire. I am glad you are not giving up on me YET.

[IzzieK]

Izzie,
I love them all but #3 it's a cracker..you could do a lot with that comp and a single flash unit

Re: Little people...how about calling your next set "Miniatures" instead of little People?

We have a tv program here called Little People, I think you are right here in your suggestion as I have been searching other miniatures I can use this morning, not necessarily little people kind. It will expand my thinking too. Thank you very much for your comment and suggestions. I will put it into practice as soon as I can...'Appreciate your passing by.

[IzzieK]

Thanks for clarifying Dave - that's what I meant by export. Exporting implies that the source file is untouched.

Thank you for adding your comment...I look forward to that process next in my learning curve. If I cannot get it, all I need to do is ask again, sometimes I am too slow and it is frustrating.

I value your help a lot...especially this time that it is about my image and not about techie stuffs, well sort of semi-techie too...