pictures of your layout: everything you need (part 2)

In the first part of this mini series we explained from which perspective you take the best pictures of your shaal N layout. In this second and final part you will read which materials you need at least for the best results for your photos on social media.

This mini series is for the hobbyist who likes to take pictures of his or her model railroad. And want to achieve good results with relatively limited resources. It can always be more professional and more expensive. It doesn’t always get better for photos on social media. Photos on Instagram, for example, are displayed in a reduced size – often on a mobile phone – and viewed briefly. This makes different demands on the (image) quality than a recording for a trade journal.

It can always be more professional and more expensive. It doesn’t always get better for photos on social media.

indirect lighting

Lighting is essential in photography. And then it is about indirect light. The difference is as follows: in direct light, the light source (lamp) is aimed directly at the object to be photographed, for example a locomotive. Direct light is quite “hard” and gives very dark shadows. That is why you choose indirect light, there is something between the lamp and the object. A few practical examples:

• You aim the light source at the wall or the ceiling so that the light falls indirectly on the train track.
• Hang a white sheet in front of or over your layout and shine the lamp on it, the light is nicely diffused over your track.
• If there are windows where (sun) light enters, it often works better to blind them, for example with a (roller) curtain or roller shutter. This way you have complete control over the light that comes in.

the right light source

You want to avoid direct light from outside, so you need artificial light. A simple solution is an LED construction lamp that you aim at the ceiling or wall. The indirect light is sufficient for reasonable photos.

A better choice are the cheaper LED photo lamps. Various lamps are for sale for about 50 euros. An advantage is that these are often adjustable in strength and have transparent colored filters so that more heat comes into the light.

Always buy two. One for the main lighting, this opens you wide (bright) and shines indirectly on your track. The second set you on the lowest setting and focus on the train, wagon or landscape you are photographing. This ensures that the dark parts in the photo are slightly highlighted, and do not become dark black.

tripods and other useful aids

It is hardly possible to take a photo freehand, especially at scale N. The slightest movement – the moment you touch the screen to take the photo – causes a blurry photo. Especially on this scale where the smallest detail counts.

Therefore, invest in a (bluetooth) remote control for your phone. So you can shoot remotely. This prevents unwanted movements of your phone as soon as you press the button on the screen.

Second, tripods are a must have for better photos. The price here is between 50 – 75 euros. You’ll probably want three:

1. For indirect lighting (the largest light source)
2. For the direct guidance
3. For the camera / phone

Small tripods where the legs can be shaped in all kinds of ways are useful, but very coarse for an N scale landscape. It is best to avoid these. This also applies to lenses that you can mount on the mobile phone. A big accident lurks in a small corner here. We tested a macro lens for this (for close-up shots), the lens worked perfectly, however the 3 centimeters extra on the front of the phone led to all kinds of minor damage on the layout.

GIMBALL

A gimball is a smart device that always keeps the camera (phone) straight. And with that you get smooth movements in movies. The gimball also offers the possibility to maneuver the phone into the correct position with a ‘control stick’.

Smart software is also included with these devices. This allows you to automatically track objects or change specialist settings. In practice, tracking N-scale objects turns out to be too difficult a task for the software.

Are you going for the likes?

As you can read, limited investments are enough to take better photos of your layout. Instagram has a very active model railway community. Scale N jobs are also well represented. Search for ‘hashtags’ like #spurn #1zu160 or #scalen . And what if you would like to have a lot of ‘hearts’ on Instagram? Three tips from the practice of 123 N Scale:

1. Provide a light photo. Photos that are dark get much less attention.
2. Use the right hashtags with your photos (look at others, reuse them)
3. Rolling stock photos are the most popular, so make sure there’s always a locomotive, wagon, or train in the picture.

Share your results on Instagram and mention @123_n_scale in your post.

In part ONE: THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE

In part 1 of this mini series you can read all about the right perspective . This series was published in 123 Schaal N Magazine in January 2022. Don’t miss out, take a free subscription .

This article is also available in: Nederlands