Gunpla Photography A
I NTRO/GEAR B
POS I N G C
LI GHTI N G D
FRAM I N G E
ED ITI N G Gunpla Photography
I NTRO/GEAR A1 - INTRO Gunpla is an awesome hobby. It takes all of the best parts of model building while taking out many of the more tedious aspects such as painting and gluing. This combined with the absurd level of detail, quality and posing capability makes these kits a photographer’s dream!
A2 - GEAR 1
3
2
Photography itself is more accessible than it’s ever been. Anyone with a smartphone can take amazing photos and use most of the techniques shown here. However, if you want to take your photos to the next level here is a bit of gear that I use and recommend 1. DSLR or mirrorless camera 2. Small Tripod 3. a small cool white light (or lamp)
A1 - SO FTWAR E While a straight photo can be great, being able to add colour grading and effects can be super helpful for creating dynamic images. Here’s what I’ll be using:
Gunpla Photography
POSI NG B1 - INTRO Before worrying about anything else you need a good pose! Gunpla is known for its ability to put Bandai’s models into any kind of pose you can imagine. But, with that freedom comes a lot of room for error. You could take photos in a professional studio, but if your model is standing in an akward position it would all be for nothing. Let’s look at a standard neautral pose to get the basics.
B2 - AKWARD There are a couple things wrong with this pose. big things like this Rx-75 leaning to the right and the legs being turned in are easy to spot and correct. However, some of the more subtle things can make all the difference. Make sure to keep a slight bend in your models limbs and to make sure the feet are making full contact with the ground.
Gunpla Photography
B3 - CON FI DENT This pose has a much more natrual feel. The head is slightly downturned and the shoulders are level giving it a solid and indimidating appearence. The slight bend of the arms and legs make it feel more alive. having the model at a slight angle also helps to increase the intrest of the photo.
LIGHTI NG C1 Good lighting is the difference between a good shot and a great one. It can take a photo from feeling flat and uninteresting to something completely dynamic. You can also use lighting to tell a story. For example, giving your antagonist in your scene darker and more dramatic shadows or making them underlit to feel more ominous.
C2
The two example images have been converted to black and white so that we can better focus on the lighing. The first image has a soft and even light that has very little contrast. While this is great for portraits, it feels a little boring for a giant robot. However the left image has a high contrast and is lit from the side. It gives the robot an almost angelic feeling as it sheds light on everything underneath it.
C3
Gunpla Photography
FRAM I NG D1 - INTRO Framing can completely change the look and feel of your shot. A close up can be a great way to show detail but can also feel claustrophobic if there is too much going on, whereas a wide shot is a great way to show the whole model and create space but can look stale if the model is just standing there.
D2 - TOO WIDE
This shot is way too wide and on an angle. we are losing all the fine details of the model and the pose isn’t interesting enough to keep the viewer engaged
D3 - TOO C LOS E
While better, this shot is too close. It feels cramped and doesn’t sell the scale of the model well, this angle also causes you to lose a lot of the background.
D4 - FINAL SHOT
Here is a finished shot. It was taken far enough away to see most of the model but close enough to view the crisp and intricate details of the kit.
Gunpla Photography
EDITI NG D1 - I NTR O Editing is a final, optional step in your Gunpla photography that can elevate your images from good to great. Much like icing on a chocolate cake it can enhance the flavour but if you put too much on it ruins the whole thing.
D2 - RAW PHOTO
D3 - EDITED
This is an example of the level of change that you can introduce through a colour grade in a program such as Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Photoshop. 3 Wildly different colour schemes have been created that completely change the look and feel of the original photo. While they are on the extreme end, it shows the potential for adjusting the colouration of your photography.
Gunpla Photography