Photographing Meccano Models

Producing good pictures of models is a widespread problem, as can be seen by a glance at any of the current Meccano publications.  Many, if not the majority of articles are let down by the quality of the photographs.

The faults include uneven lighting, distracting backgrounds, reflections, shadows, poor definition, low contrast (usually through underexposure) and most common of all, inadequate depth-of-field.  The last is particularly obvious in close-ups of mechanisms or small models.  Meccano is not naturally photogenic, being shiny, porous and strongly 3-dimensional.

Photographing models in situ at club meetings and exhibitions is notoriously difficult!  The photographer has little control over lighting; a hand-held camera and flash have to be used, although mounting the flashgun on a bracket (not directly on the camera) and using a diffuser on the flash head will produce slightly better results. With two assistants, a bedsheet can screen the background but not conceal distracting clutter on the table.

With a studio, a monorail camera and special equipment for lighting and background, all the problems can be overcome.  However, successful photographs can be taken without any of these in the modeller's own home.  A 35mm SLR camera and a solid tripod are all that is essential.

Film

Unless the picture is for the colour pages of CQ, use black-and-white film.  It gives cleaner reproduction for printed publications, especially photocopied newsletters, and gives higher resolution.

Particularly suitable is cromogenic film, ie Ilford XP2.  This is relatively new and differs radically from other black-and-white films in that its emulsion is dye-based like a colour film.  This means that it can be processed as a colour film by any photo finisher, even the high street in-house photolabs that offer a 1-hour service.  Glossy finish gives best contrast and definition.  XP2 is fast (400 ASA) yet gives better results in low, diffused lighting than conventional 125 ASA films.  It also has huge exposure latitude - with standard development it can be overexposed by up to 3 stops with no loss of quality.  Rate it at 200 ASA and incorrect exposure is almost impossible!

Background

The background is always more obvious in a photograph than it appeared when taking it.  Patterned wallpaper, even plain white textured paper, stands out like a sore thumb!

Cover the table with a white sheet or plain table-cloth.  This will also reflect light upwards onto the model. If available, a smooth, light-emulsioned wall is ideal as a background. Otherwise, pin a double bedsheet to the picture rail or fix it to a cane with crocodile clips.  Pin down the bottom corners to stretch the sheet flat.  Always position the camera square-on to the table edge and background.  For angled shots, just rotate the model! 

For colour photographs, a grey or black background can be preferable to white.  Avoid brightly coloured backgrounds if the negatives are to be printed on an automatic machine of the type used by high-volume processing houses - the colours of the model will be distorted on the prints.  Hand-printed negatives should not be affected.

Lighting

Use daylight if possible, in a shaded area.  A greenhouse or conservatory with glass above and on three sides makes an ideal studio.  Lighting is even and virtually shadowless if the sun does not shine directly in.  If there is sun in the garden, with XP2 exposure will be around 1/30th second at f11.

If using artificial lighting is unavoidable, ordinary desktop lamps are adequate.  Two, one on either side of the camera, should be pointed at the model, each with a sheet of white paper placed in front of it as a diffuser.  The lamps should be angled at about 450 from each other (each will fill in the shadow cast by the other), but look through the viewfinder and adjust them to minimise reflections from the model.  A powerful lamp or flash can be aimed at the ceiling to cast a shadowless light on the top of the model and kill background shadows at the same time.  With a more distant background, the light should be aimed directly at it. With a white backcloth, this light should be strong enough to make the background "disappear".

If using colour film (other than a special "artificial light" type), use halogen bulbs in the lamps or a blue colour-correction filter on the lens.  Tungsten bulbs, unless corrected, give a strong yellow cast. Halogen patio lights, advocated by Alan Partridge, can be bought for about £15 each, and being more powerful permit shorter exposures if your camera lacks slow shutter speeds.  They should always, however, be diffused.  White paint over the front glass may be sufficient.  With colour film, do not mix tungsten with halogen lighting or daylight.

Direct flash from a single gun is the least satisfactory form of lighting and is not recommended.  Ring flash is useful for small mechanisms when the camera is so close to the subject that it casts its own shadow.  However, it is very prone to reflections and other problems and must be used with care.

Exposure

Set the camera to manual and measure exposure from the palm of your hand placed in front of the model.  Automatic cameras will under-expose if the meter includes a light background in its reading, and over-expose with a dark or distant one.

With commercially-printed negative films, wrong exposure does NOT result in a lighter or darker print - the printing machines compensate automatically.  It is quality that suffers, and results in a flat, muddy-looking print.  That takes only a little under-exposure but a lot of over-exposure.  In fact, XP2 and all colour negative films give better quality if over-exposed one stop.  So, with negative films, if in doubt about the correct exposure, always err on the side of over-exposure.

Getting good definition

A tripod is essential, the heavier the better!  If yours is less than rock solid, use a cable release or the camera's self timer to release the shutter.  Lock up the mirror if your camera has this facility - surprisingly few modern SLRs have, though.

Most lenses give highest resolution between f5.6 and f11.  Where depth-of-field is critical, it is better, on balance, to stop down to f16 or f22.  A lens of between 35mm and 50mm focal length is best for all but extreme close-ups (rarely required for Meccano) where a telephoto lens will give the greatest depth-of-field.

Focus on the most important part of the model.  If a long model is positioned diagonally to the camera, focus on the part one-third back from the closest point and stop down.

Black and white - a filter tip

Red/Green Meccano often looks monotonous in black-and-white because there is no tonal contrast between the colours.  Using a coloured filter can increase the impact of a model shot considerably.  Filters lighten subjects of their own colour and darken others.  A photograph of a Red/Green model taken with a deep red filter will show the strips and girders as dark against light plates.  With a dark green filter it will show the exact opposite.  Similarly a Yellow/Blue/Zinc model, with a yellow filter, will have near-white plates; with a blue filter the plates will look dark but the blue parts light.  Colourless parts will look the same in all cases.  If coloured paper is used for the background, its tone (and contrast against the model) can likewise be altered.

The two photographs are of the same Red/Green model.  That on the right was taken through a red filter - note the increased contrast between the red and green parts.