7mm Layouts and Dioramas by Stephen Fay, including Pontycwm, Newton Mills and St Stephens Bank

Overseer

Western Thunderer
Steve,
Am I allowed to say I prefer the photos you have taken to the magazine shots? Especially the outside ones from August last year, they look far more real to me. Something about the magazine shots just doesn't look right and makes me think of Thomas and friends. I think it is the bright sunshine appearance and blue sky with the lack of hard shadows. Changing the sky to one with high cloud or light overcast could make sense of the fuzzy shadows. If realism is the aim, losing a bit of focus in the distance is not a bad thing either.
 

Ian@StEnochs

Western Thunderer
I agree with Overseer. The Nevard photos may be technically perfect but the scene looks artificial. Everything is in focus but at the expense of atmosphere. Pity as the modelling is first class.
Ian.
 

Compton castle

Western Thunderer
That's ok, I was surprised how good the shots I took out side last year came out especially as I only used an iPhone.
I don't think anything beats natural light pictures.
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
I would suspect the magazine photographs are heavily post processed.

I don't think that's in doubt! It's the hyper-sharp saturated colours that kill it for me. No atmosphere, just sharp as a tack and painted with a rainbow. I was - and still am - very much influenced by the atmospheric black and white model photography of Barry Norman. Like the current MRJ cover photo, Barry's work always makes me stop and check carefully that is actually a photo of a model railway and not a real scene sneaked in to fool me!
 
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