In case you’re a movie buff who desires of capturing cinematic motion sequences, then wanting hiring a military of actors, set designers, and a sensible results crew – or embarking on a profession as a movie stills photographer – cinematic toy images is as shut as you are going to get. So after I determined to seize a queen dealing with off with a fiery dragon, I connected the finest macro lens I may discover to my digital camera and turned to everybody’s favourite development toy, Lego.
I used the Lego Lion Knights’ Fort as a backdrop for my fantasy scene, however with a bit creativity, you possibly can use any Lego units or motion figures you might need mendacity round. And whereas a big set gives you with extra freedom, a bit artistic framing, and out-of-the-box considering could make even a tiny setup work simply as nicely.
Whereas I used a bit little bit of Photoshop magic to boost this picture by including flames popping out of the dragon’s mouth and some embers, the lion’s share of the particular results was sensible. I used the PMI Gear Smoke Ninja, a conveyable smoke machine to supply the smoke. Whereas the bokeh, used to simulate flames, is just scrunched-up items of aluminum foil positioned very near the digital camera, reflecting orange and crimson lighting from the finest LED panels for images.
The PMI Gear Smoke Ninja
The PMI Gear Smoke Ninja is a good toy images accent. It permits you to push out exact plumes of smoke in three totally different types (Picture credit score: Future)
I enhanced my fiery particular results through the use of the PMI Gear Smoke Ninja. This transportable little machine is designed for photographers and has three totally different smoke settings. Its small measurement and skinny nozzle attachment make it ideally suited for exact toy images purposes. In case you have a standard smoke machine at house, that ought to work, too. Much less is commonly extra, so do not create an excessive amount of haze as this could hamper picture high quality.
I photographed my setup at house on a small desk, utilizing a pop-up background and LED lights (Picture credit score: Future)
1. Place foil within the foreground
The way in which aluminum foil displays gentle makes it a good way so as to add fiery bokeh to your toy photographs (Picture credit score: Future)
You should utilize scrunched-up sheets of aluminum foil to replicate gentle and create bokeh, simulating flames. Make sure the shiny aspect is on the surface and place the foil far sufficient away from the purpose of focus so it is blurred into enticing discs of bokeh. This implies positioning it suitably far into the foreground or background (I did each). A neat trick is to arrange a few layers of aluminum foil within the foreground to create different-sized discs of bokeh. This may add depth to your fabricated flames. I used a tripod to carry the foil in entrance of the lens.
LED lights such because the Lume Dice RGB Panel Professional 2.0 will let you immediately add colourful lighting with out having to connect gels (Picture credit score: Future)
I positioned key and fill lights on both aspect of the setup, directed a crimson LED gentle onto the foreground foil and a second crimson LED gentle (hidden behind the fort) onto the background foil. LED panels are a terrific alternative as they are not too shiny; in any other case, it is simple to flood close-up topics with an excessive amount of gentle. Fashions corresponding to my Lume Dice RGB Panel Professional 2.0 will let you emit varied colours. If you do not have coloured lights, gels will do. And you probably have no devoted lighting, get artistic with torches, lamps, and even the crimson gentle on a head torch.
3. Dial in your digital camera settings
Utilizing a tripod means you possibly can afford to maintain your ISO low and your shutter pace gradual (Picture credit score: Future)
Engaged on a tripod will will let you fastidiously refine your composition and depart your palms free to regulate lighting and function your smoke machine. As such, you do not have to fret an excessive amount of about your shutter pace, as long as it is quick sufficient to freeze any plumes of smoke. Hold your ISO low to retain as a lot picture high quality as doable. Macro shooters will typically choose fairly a slim aperture, however I settled on f/8. This offered a beneficiant sufficient depth of subject to render my topics sharp whereas offering loads of blurry bokeh.
4. Focus in your topic
Zooming into reside view will enable you to refine your focus and guarantee your focus is tack-sharp (Picture credit score: Future)
I used a 90mm macro lens, however any close-focusing lens will do the trick. Until you are utilizing a contemporary macro lens just like the Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S, you may need to keep away from autofocus altogether and focus manually. I positioned the dragon and queen on the identical focal aircraft, so that they’d each be sharp, even with my macro lens’s shallow depth of subject. When focusing, zoom into reside view to essentially refine your focus. Even if you happen to’re utilizing autofocus, it is nonetheless finest follow to zoom into reside view as soon as it is locked on to test important focus.
5. Add a bit smoke
Masking can be utilized to mix a number of pictures, leading to a extra even and attention-grabbing utility of smoke (Picture credit score: Future / Adobe)
It may be arduous to direct plumes of smoke the place you need them. Set off your smoke machine, seize a couple of pictures, anticipate the smoke to clear, and repeat. Then choose 4 or 5 pictures with enticing plumes throughout the body and open them in the identical Photoshop doc. Use the very best picture as your prime layer, then place the picture with the plume of smoke you need so as to add on prime and add a layer masks. Invert it (Cmd/Ctrl+I) and use a comfortable, white brush to selectively paint the plumes in. Repeat this course of with the opposite pictures till completely satisfied.
6. End with a couple of embers
Add fiery embers in post-production to improve your scene into one thing actually cinematic (Picture credit score: Future)
End off your fiery scene by including a couple of embers in post-production. The simplest approach to do that is to go to a royalty-free inventory picture web site corresponding to Pixabay. I used picture 3332789. The black background is essential, as a result of while you’ve imported it into Photoshop and resized it accordingly, you will need to change the mixing mode to Display, so the black background disappears. Add a layer masks and use a black brush to color away the components of the picture you don’t need. I used the identical course of for the hearth from the dragon’s jaws (4177539).
