This will probably seem like the simplest of questions to people who spend a lot of their time with photography. Something bothers me: the difference between the sharp, black shadows of a sunny day and the diffused, fuzzy shadows of model railroad photographs. Is there a particular kind of lamp that produces less diffused, more direct rays of light--that makes sharper shadows, in other words? (Or is a giant, impossibly hot star that sits tens of millions of miles away the only really effective lamp for photography?) :sun:
Diffuse light is most of what we get in my area of the country, where it is overcast so many days of the year. I would imagine that any focused light that has accurate looking light color (probably need a sunlamp) would do it. Pete Nolan probably knows the product names of a few samples. Adam
Hmm, yeah. I know what you mean. I thought for my PNW lower deck I would make overcast skies to take advantage of that. Here in New Mexico, though--where I want to model my upper deck--the light is so strong that the contrast between light and shadow can be surreal.
There is a wide variety of lighting equipment available for photographic use. Some of these are soft focus and some are sharp focus. Others are variable. I would suggest you check the ads in some of the leading photo magazines, for starters. From there you can go to the web sites of some of the major advertisers in those magazines. I am sure that, from the great variety of lighting equipment offered, you should be able to find what will best fit your needs.
Hey from Pa., Chaya ! For photos of a small area, bright incandescent filaments with good reflectors can produce the dark, fairly sharp shadows you're looking for, but over a whole layout,you'll need several(LOTS of HEAT), and the sharp shadows will radiate from the direction of each bulb. They won't all point the same direction from one source, and multiple lights will produce multiple shadows. Maybe some of the less lighting/photography-challenged than I can give you some ideas. I'll be watching, too! Bob C.
A smaller source generates sharper shadows. You might try unfrosted (clear glass) bulbs to produce sharp shadows. The trick is to not allow multiple shadows from bulbs, this can reduce the effect.
Pierce has pretty much anwered the question when it comes to studio lights. I shoot under fluorescents these days, which can make things pretty soft. Limiting the light sources to one main, one background, and one key light will help for a more outdoorsy, contrasty image. A multiple flash system will also work. I was experimenting with that a few years back, but didn't have enough compatibility between flashes for it to work reliably. I can't yet justify something like the Nikon Intelligent Lighting System just to shoot model trains, but I would think three Speedlights would be excellent. It takes some knowledge to use flashes and maintain depth of field--most auto settings will default to 1/60 second at a large (i.e., f/5.6) aperture. You can shoot flash at f/16 or f/22; you just have to figure out how to set the camera. Most DSLRs also have a "slow synch" setting, which fires the flash(es) at the end of the exposure. Much of New Mexico is very high (5,000-7,500 feet above sea level) and dry. We're also fairly south, in the mid 30s north latitude. These factors result in a very bright sun, and a lot of contrast. I use a flash outdoors on most images except wide landscapes to reduce the contrast.
