Taking good photographs of replicas

I have great problems to take good photos of my models. Usually images are slightly deformed and showing something that sometimes I can´t even recognize as my figures.

However, I can see that some of you can take good pictures even with cells. Can anybody post a simple tutorial to make acceptable photos of models?

In any case, thank you very much for your attention!!!

Well, we have this SUY https://sts-forum.forumieren.de/t13260-show-us-your-photo-setups-and-or-cameras

One thing I have experienced is that if you want a picture of the whole model, you can't go too close.
I just have a cheap camera, so I take pictures with high solution, from some distance ( 30-40 cm ), and then cut out the motive I want in a freeware programme.

It depends on the camera you use, and the location of course.
The topic Susanne shows is a very good topic to make your own photo place.

Some tips (depends on the camera you use )
- Light: If it is a sunny day, you can use the natural light, which is mostly better.
If you are in a dark room with no light, use a lamp that can be placed near the figure.
- Take several photos: Not just one, take more, even if the first photo looks right. You can sort them out on the computer later on.
- Not that close: Just as Susanne mentioned, taking photos of animals very close can result to blurry photos. Unless you have a macro lens.
- Focus: Try to focus good, or at the head or body. This requires some practice :)
- Angle: Very important is the angle. How do you photograph you models. From above, eye level, sideways, try different positions and see which angle is right for the model.
- Background: Also very important. Your customs are gray/white then you begin, so a white background can 'swallow' the details, try a blue or a green background. Or experiment with other colors, just look how the models are coming out of the photo.

Hope this will help you a bit

Everything, what Susanne and Karin pointed...
and also some from me:
I`m still using my cell phone..with not so good camera.
When I`m taking photos indoor, I`m trying to use more then one lighting fixture, maybe two..from diferent angles...the white light is better then the yellow..
Also it is good, when you fixed the camera, to stay static...for better focus.
And every time , after I took photo, I`m using a program, to put more contrast..or sometimes , to make it lighter or darker...or with more strong colors....depends on the photo and model

One of my favorite blog posts on the subject - this is geared toward model horses but in essence it's the same for any animal. http://horseguru.blogspot.com/2013/12/photographing-your-model-made-simple.html

Whenever the question of taking photos comes up I have to stress how awesome photo cubes are. And you don't even need to buy a super expensive one - if I want something but it's too expensive, I'm the type of person that will make one myself. So I made a photo cube, which you can read about on my blog here: http://mistystarstudios.blogspot.com/2014/04/photo-light-cube-and-my-weird-cat.html

Photo cubes really help reduce glare (not as much as an issue on the major brand models, but definitely a huge issue on model horses, especially glossies.

As Kosta mentioned, you can use an photo editing program to adjust colors, crop the photo, add text - whatever you want. I use GIMP which is basically the same thing as Photoshop, I find it easier to use than Photoshop and GIMP is free.


A few other tips while I'm at it:
~Crop closely to your model. Don't leave a lot of space around it.
~Use the Rule of Thirds to lay out your photo
~Choose an appropriate background color for your model. Use neutral colors, such as black, white, blue, or green. Another thing to keep in mind is to use simple backgrounds - nothing with a wild floral print or anything. Small prints that aren't distracting are fine, but try to stick with solid colors if you can. You're taking a photo of the model, not the background. Same goes with outdoor photos - try to keep buildings out of a shot that's supposed to look like the desert, for example. If need be you can always edit these things out in a photo editing program.
~Allow your camera to focus in on the model. Don't just point and shoot.
~If you have trouble with your hands shaking when you hold the camera, invest in a tripod or just put the camera on a stack of books. Even the slightest movement will give you a blurry image.


Hope that helps and doesn't cause more confusion

Thank you all!!!! your responses will be undoubtedly very usefull!!!      
A lot of to do work...    
Check my coming photos and see....