Final Major Project
Diorama Photography
Diorama photography is taking photos a model that is based on either a real place or a fantasy world but is made to look really realistic with the correct lighting or paint. Normally the photographers of these dioramas are the also the people that create them and they post the making of these on social media which is something I will be doing during my FMP.
These dioramas are either exaggerated scenes, fantasy or comedy, these are things I will try and incorporate into my Final Photos.
Miniature Photographers
Lim Pui Wan
Photographer Research
Lim Pui Wan also known as pico-worm is a miniature creator who specialises in creating buildings that have a nostalgic feeling from her childhood. In the beginning Lin graduated with Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering however could not continue this career path because she couldn't get a certificate for that profession. This would make work difficult for Lin but she decided to take a completely different turn and become a full time miniature artist this would work well for her as it is what she longed for for years.
Image Analysis
For these images I like the fact that she had placed her hand inside the image showing the minuteness of the scenes.
In this image the use of colours in this image helps to show it off by showing the viewer the sheer amount of detail that has gone into it this is also amplified by the focus of the image making it clear for the viewer to sees these miniature details.
however in this image the use of colour is minimised by the use of depth of field in which the camera is only focused on the frying pan showing off the detail used to make it look realistic. I will be using the depth of field that this image has used in my photography.
Joshua Smith
Photographer Research
Joshua is an Australian miniature maker where he creates buildings based on urban setting and run down areas of cities. He has his own website in which you can buy these creations.
Joshua was a former stencil artist before being a miniature artist in which he continued for 18 years, he showed his art in galleries all over the world. After this he created his own espionage gallery based in Adelaide in south Australia, he previewed work of over 600 artists from many different countries. After the closing of his gallery he moved back to being a self taught artist in miniature art in which so far he has created 19 different types of overlooked urban buildings which can also be bought on his own website.
Image Analysis
In this image the photographer has used a macro lens to take a very close up photo on the diorama he has made. This close up image allows the viewer to spot the refined detail and show off the amount of work that has been put in to create it. The use of lighting in the image makes the brightness and contrast blend well to almost make it look like a real street shop. From this photo I will incorporate close up shots into my photos.
These two images are extremely different in the way they have been taken.
For this image they have used a default lens to show the overall detail within the diorama. The use of rule of thirds in this image and the plain coloured background makes the viewer drawn to the building and makes the detail stand out more. The brightness and contrast in the image isn't too high or too low making it an interesting piece however it could do with more brightness for the background or a darker more contrast tone on that back part. I will be taking the use of a plain coloured background in my photos.
Christopher Boffoli
Photographer Research
This American miniature creator from Worcester, Massachusetts, United States was born in 1969. Chris started his photography career in his teens when he got a camera for his birthday, he then worked as a student journalist in high school and college he then later started his own business while he was still and undergraduate.
Since this time Mr Boffoli has become a commercial and editorial photographer where his biggest achievement is his photography series called "big appetites" these photos have been showcased in galleries and private collections all over the world. The gif to the left made me think about doing a short animation or gif however i decided against it.
Image Analysis
For this photo the photographer has used a macro lens to capture the depth of field of the photo. Furthermore the use of a spotlight on the side of the hot dog is very creative and makes the viewer more drawn to the detail, this is also amplified by the use of a blank background.
In this image they have used a macro lens again to capture the minute detail and to photograph the miniature inside the wine glass. The use of bokeh in the image is extremely helpful to spot all of the bubbles and the detail in the main champagne glass. I like this image due to its simplicity and will try and add little element similar to the bubbles in my photos.
Tatsuya Tanaka
Tatsuya is a miniature artist and photographer, he was born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1981. in 2011 he started his miniature calendar, within this he has photography miniature people on normal day object to make them look like a scene taken from everyday life, for everyday there are one of these photos and each one is unique and different from the rest.
Tatsuya's photos are normally very detailed and use plain backgrounds to draw the attention of the viewer towards the image.. What i like about his images is the fact that they are scenes from normal life some of which are comedic or just blend in to make it look like a completely different photo.
Image Analysis
In this image Tatsuya has used like many a macro lens to get as close as he can to the miniature. The use of the spot light on the doctor figure in this photo is extremely effective and it makes the viewer question the image, Also the use of the plain background helps this. I will try and take the spotlight idea from this image and place it into my own whether it be through photoshop or through an actual light.
For this photo the photographer has again like everyone else used a macro lens to capture the action of the image. The use of depth of field and shutter speed help this image gain effectiveness on the viewer and make it a really well done photo, it also makes the viewer question how this was actually taken and the skill and work that has gone into this image. I will be incorporating the depth of field and shutter speed part of this photo.
Inspiration
MiniBricks.co
Mini bricks.co is a DIY YouTube channel that specializes in creating dioramas where it be a huge king Kong, an abandoned flooded city or humongous creepy crawlies coming out of the water.
The main creator on the channel is Roman Khramov and the channel itself is based in St.-Petersburg (Russia). This being said there are only two studio creators the owner himself and a female known as Vilém Mareš she is the owner of the social media account they have which pumps out thousands of photos of the dioramas and videos of them making of them.
For their materials they use a mix of polystyrene, dirt, natural fauna and stones. For their equipment they use airbrushes, normal brushes, 3d resin printers, glue guns, UV lights to dry the glue faster and an arsenal of paints .To the right is a video showing how they create one of their dioramas, I will be trying to attempt to make shorter versions of me creating my piece to give me some extra bits.
The diorama they did that completely made me want to do my project was their Warhammer 40K one which was of a ultramarine dreadnaught fighting an Ork Boy. I loved the way the lights of the explosion behind it and the bullet smoke the attention to detail in the photo is incredible in which I will try and do this in my diorama. I also liked the use of a plain black background as it give the image a more vibrant feeling I also feel that the depth of field in the image is well worked and helps the image bloom.
Warhammer 40K
Basic Lore
Warhammer 40K is a fictional universe set in the year 40,000. There are many different races/factions that control different areas of the Milky Way galaxy these include: The Imperium of Man (humans), Orks, Tau (aliens that cant use melee weapons), Tyrinids (similar to a xenomorph), Chaos (4 gods of chaos which can manipulate and change a humans form to fight for them), Necrons (robots that have a Egyptian feeling to them) and The Eldar (humanoid aliens), And all of these races have the same priority, to kill everything that isn't their own race whether it be feeding, expanding, research or blood lust. The image bellow is showing a member of the Imperium of Man ( a Primaris Ultramarine) and below him are a large quantity of Necrons.
The Lore/ Description Of The Diorama
From this universe full of war and suffering I have taken two factions that are very well known: I have chosen the imperium of man (specifically the ultramarine space marines) and the Orks (from this faction I chose the Goff Boiz) to fight in my diorama these two factions have fought a lot in the given past and in the universe they are both well known of each others presence. For the diorama I have chosen to do the toxic wasteland of Armageddon with the Ultramarines getting ambushed by the Orks on all fronts, towards the hill of my diorama I will place an Ork Nob Boss to show the ultramarines that the Orks are here to slay and not to scavenge. Lore wise for the planet Armageddon: Armageddon is an Imperial hive world (a human populated world) where the third war for Armageddon took place, this war was started by Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka ( an enormous Ork who's body is primarily metal and his brain is held in by a metal plate with rivets) crashed the largest ever space hulk recorded (a space hulk is an amalgamation of large ships that have been fused together by the warp, an alternate dimension of chaos) in which billions of Orks poured out and fought the imperium of man which included: "25 Space Marine chapters, dozens of Imperial Guard regiments and several Titan Legions. The war was only just won by the Imperium of Man due to the fact that Ghazghkull retreated after getting a vision of their gods telling them they should leave.
Brief description of miniatures i will use
The miniatures i have chosen to use in my diorama for the Ultramarines are: a 4 man squad of first born Space Marines, a 3 man squad of Primaris Space Marines, a 5 man squad of Space Marine scouts and my custom Razorback. I have chosen these due to the fact they are all different and the amount is just right to throw the numbers at an imbalance for the sides. For the Orks i have chosen: a group of 11 Ork Boyz with a small Nob Boss, a group of 10 Ork Boyz with a huge Nob Boss and my custom made Ork Truck.
Audience Research
This is some audience research in which I created a questionnaire which I asked questions about photography and dioramas. I decided to do this to give me some help on how to take my final images.
After reviewing the feedback on the questionnaire I have found out that people mainly prefer a scene background, people people like dioramas and think that they are very interesting and that the most popular photography style is landscape. This helps me as now I know to incorporate a scenic background with my final edits and to take them in a landscape format with wildlife.
Target Audience
Age : 16/26
Sex : either males or females
Location : GB
Language : British English
Education : any
Occupation : any
Personality : calm, short tempered, kind and good sense of modern humour.
Likes : Warhammer 40K, Star Wars, Alien, Predator, drama tv and comedies.
Dislikes : Anime, soap tv, operas and musicals.
Hobbies : Gaming, painting, photography
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