I find it extremely difficult to get correct colour results when photographing indoors with artificial lights even if I use three halogen spots. without superduper bright photography lamps the pics usually get colour shifts. often the used background (e.g. large sheet of coloured paper produces additional colourings...)

So whenever possible I take pics of my mini with daylight.
even if this is weak (still weak in the morning or already weak in the evening) and seems too dark, the digicam usually uses this rest light to make the mini look bright enough.

I avoid direct daylight/sunlight as edges or metallic pigments tend to appear over exposed/too bright then.

I do also choose a background that is brighter than the mini. otherwise the background will appear overexposed and the edges of the mini appear ‘alit’.
(I might put this under a new topic...)

btw: not sure, if this is okay now, just posting short tips one by one instead of long recommendations...

A fluro bulb is good , i use that. I find it works well. People sometimes take pictures with the flash , that also works well in some cases.

Daylight can not show the true colour and look of the mini and can sometimes show it better , or worse . But in most cases is a good Supplement.

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This is my hour!

Half of the year it's too dark and cold to take pictures outside so I have had to figure out ways to take pictures inside without natural light coming even from a window.

My camera has a setting that allows me to set the white balance or tint manually. I point the camera to something white (normally the paper behind the miniature) and tell the camera that "this is white, scale your colours accordingly".

In Canon A70 this is found in 'P' mode, then 'Func', scroll down to white balance, choose the symbol that looks a bit like two triangles and a circle, point at white spot and press 'set'. May work similarly in other models too and it's worth trying.

-- Pasi

Use the colour correction in Paintshop and others to make colour and brightness corrections - you are talking about 2 clicks and under 10 seconds at most.

Daylight can be a little harsh on minis due to their small scale. A light overcast cloud can be a real help whereas full sunlight exaggerates highlights and deepens shadows.

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Published ebooks:
Instrument of the Empire
A Note of Defiance
Phantom Ships, Ghost Flotilla
More to come!

yes, direct daylight should be avoided.
too often, the mini might look right at certain areas, while everything else is too bright.
see sample: direct daylight on the left and middle pic
daylight but no direct sun on the right.

once areas are over- (or under-) exposed (=white or black) even shadow/highlight / level correction will no longer help to get details of this areas back.

When I take pictures in daylight, I always wait for part of our balcony to be in shade and I take the miniature to the shadow for photographing. The reflected light from the white walls provides less harsh highlights/shadows.

-- Pasi

I have a lamp that is specifically designed to show the 'true colours' of anything under its light, however, the colours in photography still come out all wrong.

Taking pictures in daylight in my honest oppinion is definetly the best way to take a photograph.
Unfortunatley, living in Newcastle is like living at the North Pole, and being able to go outside only happens 7 months out of 12 :s

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There are fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world

I have a lamp that is specifically designed to show the 'true colours' of anything under its light, however, the colours in photography still come out all wrong.

Taking pictures in daylight in my honest oppinion is definetly the best way to take a photograph.
Unfortunatley, living in Newcastle is like living at the North Pole, and being able to go outside only happens 7 months out of 12

_________________
There are fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world

Tut Tut Spam posting???and from an Admin

When you say take it in daylight but not direct I am confused???
Are you saying take the picture outside but in shadows? or outside on a cloudyish day eg lots of light but not direct sun?

and I did not know Newcastle got 7 months of sun, I thought it was more 7 days

There is considerable confusion so I will try to break this into component points:

1. What we call daylight has a colour temperature of 6500K; it is 'white' light, and shows true colours

2. Artificial lights have different colour temperatures according to type, e.g., incandescent tungsten bulbs can range from 2500K up to about 3500K, and fluorescent lights come in around 4200K. The incandescent lights give an arange cast to an image, and the fluorescents cause a greenish cast.

3. Daylight bulbs are available, for desklamps, bulbs and other types of light fitting

4. The amount of light affects the level of illumination, with the entire range from full noon to midnight (kind of obvious). Weather, vegetation and structures may limit the duration and amount of light getting theough to your subject(s).

5. Light may be direct from source, or reflected (indirect). This trick is used a lot in portrait photography.

6. Cameras and their accessories (e.g., interchangeable lenses) are not generally optimised for miniature photography, so we try to work within the limitations of what we have; of course we need to know the limitations so read the manual and experiment.

7. Look at a wedding photographer portfolio and one thing becomes very apparent: if a set-up has worked, they will reuse it over and over. So when you find a combination of light, position, reflected light, background etc, that works well for you, use it again!

_________________
Published ebooks:
Instrument of the Empire
A Note of Defiance
Phantom Ships, Ghost Flotilla
More to come!