Last weekend was unbelievably rainy here in Chicago, so we, thinking we were clever, decided to visit the Garfield Park Conservatory for a photo outing inside and away from the storms. As it turns out, greenhouse roofs, over the course of the century it has been standing, start to leak. Everywhere.
There were the usual gawkers and the occasional stink eye from people wondering what we were doing, but the rain inside made things more uncomfortable than having to explain why I had action figures out. The bright spot was this shot of a Cygnaran Ironclad. For those of you unfamiliar with it, and Warmachine in general, here is a synopsis from Warmachine: Prime:
The most recognized heavy 'jack in the Cygnaran arsenal, the Ironclad is a walking behemoth of metal nearly thrice the size of a man. Gigantic smokestacks blow sooty "breath" from its hearthfire furnace, and a bright orange glow emits from its face grill, lending a fiery and fearsome gaze.
Armed with a powerful quake hammer, the Ironclad smashes lesser combatants to shrapnel with its massive blows; sometimes just one strike from this hammer has toppled even another heavy 'jack. The Ironclad's durable armor - smelted from precious ores harvested from the roots of the tallest mountains - provides fantastic protection from all but the heaviest impacts, and because of these things, the Cygnaran Ironclad is renowned for leading most warjack charges.
Here is the original, straight out of the camera.
I love how it looks, but I thought I could do it one better. Shift the colors around and make it more dramatic. Make it's furnace glow. Darken the edges. Add contrast. Cover up the little spots where the paint had chipped. Ok, not so much that last one.
The final edit:
You know, I have so much fun shooting these miniatures. I wonder if there is a gaming manufacturer in the Chicago area that needs a photographer?
You. Will. EXIF:
| Camera: | Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi |
| Exposure: | 0.077 sec (1/13) |
| Aperture: | f/5.6 |
| Focal Length: | 55 mm |
| ISO Speed: | 400 |
| Exposure Bias: | 0 EV |
| Flash: | Off, Did not fire |
| File Size: | 3.0 MB |
| File Type: | JPEG |
| MIME Type: | image/jpeg |
| Image Width: | 3888 |
| Image Height: | 2592 |
| Encoding Process: | Baseline DCT, Huffman coding |
| Bits Per Sample: | 8 |
| Color Components: | 3 |
| Orientation: | Horizontal (normal) |
| X-Resolution: | 72 dpi |
| Y-Resolution: | 72 dpi |
| Date and Time (Modified): | 2009:06:13 12:31:15 |
| YCbCr Positioning: | Co-sited |
| Exposure Program: | Aperture-priority AE |
| Date and Time (Original): | 2009:06:13 12:31:15 |
| Date and Time (Digitized): | 2009:06:13 12:31:15 |
| Metering Mode: | Multi-segment |
| Color Space: | sRGB |
| Focal Plane X-Resolution: | 4433.295325 dpi |
| Focal Plane Y-Resolution: | 4453.608247 dpi |
| Custom Rendered: | Normal |
| Exposure Mode: | Auto |
| White Balance: | Manual |
| Scene Capture Type: | Standard |
| Macro Mode: | Normal |
| Self Timer: | Off |
| Quality: | Fine |
| Canon Flash Mode: | Off |
| Continuous Drive: | Single |
| Focus Mode: | One-shot AF |
| Record Mode: | JPEG |
| Canon Image Size: | Large |
| Easy Mode: | Manual |
| Digital Zoom: | None |
| Contrast: | Normal |
| Saturation: | Normal |
| Sharpness: | 0 |
| Metering Mode: | Evaluative |
| Focus Range: | Not Known |
| Canon Exposure Mode: | Aperture-priority AE |
| Lens Type: | Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 |
| Long Focal: | 55 mm |
| Short Focal: | 18 mm |
| Focal Units: | 1 |
| Max Aperture: | 5.6 |
| Min Aperture: | 32 |
| Flash Activity: | 0 |
| Flash Bits: | (none) |
| Focus Continuous: | Single |
| Zoom Source Width: | 0 |
| Zoom Target Width: | 0 |
| Photo Effect: | Off |
| Manual Flash Output: | n/a |
| Color Tone: | Normal |
| Focal Type: | Zoom |
| Focal Plane XSize: | 23.04 mm |
| Focal Plane YSize: | 15.37 mm |
| Auto ISO: | 100 |
| Base ISO: | 400 |
| Measured EV: | 1.75 |
| Target Aperture: | 5.7 |
| Target Exposure Time: | 1/13 |
| White Balance: | Cloudy |
| Slow Shutter: | None |
| Sequence Number: | 0 |
| Optical Zoom Code: | n/a |
| Flash Guide Number: | 0 |
| Flash Exposure Comp: | 0 |
| Auto Exposure Bracketing: | Off |
| AEBBracket Value: | 0 |
| Control Mode: | Camera Local Control |
| Focus Distance Upper: | 0.27 |
| Focus Distance Lower: | 0.35 |
| Bulb Duration: | 0 |
| Camera Type: | EOS Mid-range |
| Auto Rotate: | None |
| NDFilter: | Unknown (-1) |
| Self Timer2: | 0 |
| Flash Output: | 0 |
| Canon Firmware Version: | Firmware 1.1.1 |
| Serial Number: | 1220842575 |
| Canon Model ID: | EOS Digital Rebel XTi / 400D / Kiss Digital X (and rare K236) |
| Num AFPoints: | 9 |
| Valid AFPoints: | 9 |
| AFArea Width: | 78 |
| AFArea Height: | 78 |
| Original Decision Data Offset: | 0 |
| File Number: | 126-4814 |
| Bracket Mode: | Off |
| Bracket Value: | 0 |
| Bracket Shot Number: | 0 |
| Noise Reduction: | Off |
| WBBracket Mode: | Off |
| WBBracket Value AB: | 0 |
| WBBracket Value GM: | 0 |
| Filter Effect: | None |
| Toning Effect: | None |
| Lens Model: | EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 |
| Internal Serial Number: | H1858035 |
| Dust Removal Data: | (Binary data 1024 bytes, use -b option to extract) |
| Tone Curve: | Standard |
| Sharpness Frequency: | n/a |
| Sensor Red Level: | 0 |
| Sensor Blue Level: | 0 |
| White Balance Red: | 0 |
| White Balance Blue: | 0 |
| Color Temperature: | 5200 |
| Picture Style: | Faithful |
| Digital Gain: | 0 |
| WBShift AB: | 0 |
| WBShift GM: | 0 |
| Color Space: | sRGB |
| VRDOffset: | 0 |
| Sensor Width: | 3948 (52-3939 used) |
| Sensor Height: | 2622 (23-2614 used) |
| Black Mask Left Border: | 0 |
| Black Mask Top Border: | 0 |
| Black Mask Right Border: | 0 |
| Black Mask Bottom Border: | 0 |
| White Balance RGGB Levels: | 2461 1024 1024 1382 |
| Color Temperature: | 6000 |
| WB_ RGGBLevels Measured: | 2151 1023 1024 1785 |
| Color Temp Measured: | 4512 |
| WB_ RGGBLevels Custom: | 1910 1024 1024 1594 |
| Color Temp Custom: | 4535 |
| Set Button Cross Keys Func: | Set: Picture Style |
| Long Exposure Noise Reduction: | Off |
| Flash Sync Speed Av: | Auto |
| Shutter- AELock: | AF/AE lock |
| AFAssist Beam: | Emits |
| Exposure Level Increments: | 1/3 Stop |
| Mirror Lockup: | Disable |
| ETTLII: | Evaluative |
| Shutter Curtain Sync: | 1st-curtain sync |
| Magnified View: | Image playback only |
| LCDDisplay At Power On: | Display |
| Compression: | JPEG (old-style) |
Be good,
-Dave
|
From Privateer Press.com:
Possessing the most advanced magic and technology in the realm, the Kingdom of Cygnar fields a well-rounded force that battles for the good and just King Leto Raelthorne. Caught between its old enemy Khador and the newer threat of the fanatical Protectorate of Menoth, Cygnar will need every ounce of ingenuity and bravery it has to survive the coming storm.
The Ironclad and Centurion are wargaming miniatures produced by Privateer Press.
I submitted this photo to the No Quarter magazine. Hopefully it will appear in the next issue!
I failed my EXIF test:
| Camera: | Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi |
| Exposure: | 0.04 sec (1/25) |
| Aperture: | f/11.0 |
| Focal Length: | 55 mm |
| ISO Speed: | 400 |
| Exposure Bias: | 0 EV |
| Flash: | Off |
| File Size: | 3.9 MB |
| File Type: | JPEG |
| MIME Type: | image/jpeg |
| Image Width: | 3888 |
| Image Height: | 2592 |
| Encoding Process: | Baseline DCT, Huffman coding |
| Bits Per Sample: | 8 |
| Color Components: | 3 |
| X-Resolution: | 72 dpi |
| Y-Resolution: | 72 dpi |
| Orientation: | Horizontal (normal) |
| Software: | Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows |
| Date and Time (Modified): | 2009:02:25 19:43:27 |
| YCbCr Positioning: | Co-sited |
| Exposure Program: | Aperture-priority AE |
| Date and Time (Original): | 2009:02:25 14:17:27-06:00 |
| Date and Time (Digitized): | 2009:02:25 14:17:27 |
| Metering Mode: | Multi-segment |
| Color Space: | sRGB |
| Focal Plane X-Resolution: | 4433.29532497149 dpi |
| Focal Plane Y-Resolution: | 4453.60824742268 dpi |
| Custom Rendered: | Normal |
| Exposure Mode: | Auto |
| White Balance: | Auto |
| Scene Capture Type: | Standard |
| Compression: | JPEG (old-style) |
| Global Angle: | 30 |
| Global Altitude: | 30 |
| Copyright Flag: | False |
| Photoshop Quality: | 12 |
| Photoshop Format: | Standard |
| Progressive Scans: | 3 Scans |
| XMPToolkit: | Adobe XMP Core 4.1-c036 46.276720, Mon Feb 19 2007 22:40:08 |
| Orientation: | Horizontal (normal) |
| Metadata Date: | 2009:02:25 19:43:27-06:00 |
| Creator Tool: | Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows |
| Format: | image/jpeg |
| Color Mode: | 3 |
| ICCProfile Name: | sRGB IEC61966-2.1 |
| Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type: | D50 |
| Measurement Observer: | CIE 1931 |
| Measurement Flare: | 0.999% |
| Measurement Illuminant: | D65 |
| Color Transform: | YCbCr |
| Flash Return: | No return detection |
| Flash Mode: | Off |
| Flash Function: | False |
| Flash Red Eye Mode: | False |
Be good,
-Dave
|
"It saddens me how many of those poor boys are buried out there in my kingdom, but I hate to think where we would be without their noble sacrifice."
-King Leto Raelthorne
From Warmachine: Prime
Trencher infantry fall into two categories, those who are just too hard to say quit, and those who mouthed off to someone important at the wrong time and ended up in the trenches. Trenchers, also known as "gravediggers", are the first to go to the battlefield, and often the last to leave it, if ever. It's their duty to precede even the van by a few hours, if possible, and prepare a potential battlefield for the main force. With trenches, burrow holes, and farrow spike rows, they attempt to make the conflict area favorable for their comrades.
Cygnaran Trenchers are wargaming miniatures produced by Privateer Press.
Who would have thought, in a fantasy world where wizards fight each other with giant steam-powered robots, that you would even have need of guys like this? Obviously my army thought the same way, because my Trenchers ran away at every opportunity.
As for the rain, it was fun to do, but I think there are a few things I will do differently next time. The first of which is to add a little blur to the drops, in wild defiance of the tutorial I followed!
That's how I roll.
Affix EXIF!
| File Size: | 5.6 MB |
| File Type: | JPEG |
| MIME Type: | image/jpeg |
| Image Width: | 3888 |
| Image Height: | 2592 |
| Encoding Process: | Baseline DCT, Huffman coding |
| Bits Per Sample: | 8 |
| Color Components: | 3 |
| X-Resolution: | 72 dpi |
| Y-Resolution: | 72 dpi |
| Orientation: | Horizontal (normal) |
| Software: | Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows |
| Date and Time (Modified): | 2009:03:09 19:27:19 |
| YCbCr Positioning: | Co-sited |
| Exposure Program: | Manual |
| Date and Time (Original): | 2009:03:09 20:09:08-06:00 |
| Date and Time (Digitized): | 2009:03:09 20:09:08 |
| Metering Mode: | Multi-segment |
| Color Space: | sRGB |
| Focal Plane X-Resolution: | 4433.29532497149 dpi |
| Focal Plane Y-Resolution: | 4453.60824742268 dpi |
| Custom Rendered: | Normal |
| Exposure Mode: | Manual |
| White Balance: | Manual |
| Scene Capture Type: | Standard |
| Compression: | JPEG (old-style) |
| Global Angle: | 30 |
| Global Altitude: | 30 |
| Copyright Flag: | False |
| Photoshop Quality: | 12 |
| Photoshop Format: | Standard |
| Progressive Scans: | 3 Scans |
| XMPToolkit: | Adobe XMP Core 4.1-c036 46.276720, Mon Feb 19 2007 22:40:08 |
| Orientation: | Horizontal (normal) |
| Metadata Date: | 2009:03:09 19:27:19-06:00 |
| Creator Tool: | Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows |
| Format: | image/jpeg |
| Color Mode: | 3 |
| ICCProfile Name: | sRGB IEC61966-2.1 |
| Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type: | D50 |
| Measurement Observer: | CIE 1931 |
| Measurement Flare: | 0.999% |
| Measurement Illuminant: | D65 |
| Color Transform: | YCbCr |
| Flash Return: | No return detection |
| Flash Mode: | Off |
| Flash Function: | False |
| Flash Red Eye Mode: | False |
Be good,
-Dave
|
From Warmachine Prime:
The most recognized heavy 'jack in the Cygnaran arsenal, the Ironclad is a walking behemoth of metal nearly thrice the size of a man. Gigantic smokestacks blow sooty "breath" from its hearthfire furnace, and a bright orange glow emits from its face grill, lending a fiery and fearsome gaze.
Armed with a powerful quake hammer, the Ironclad smashes lesser combatants to shrapnel with its massive blows; sometimes just one strike from this hammer has toppled even another heavy 'jack. The Ironclad's durable armor - smelted from precious ores harvested from the roots of the tallest mountains - provides fantastic protection from all but the heaviest impacts, and because of these things, the Cygnaran Ironclad is renowned for leading most warjack charges.
The Ironclad is a miniature wargaming model produced by Privateer Press for use in Warmachine. It can be ordered via the PP website or purchased in any local hobby shop.
Taking the Ironclad outside, I found a nice little divot in the ground that, once I got the figure balanced, hid both his legs and base. While this effectively cuts the figure in half, but by showing some of the ground, it gives the impression of the machine climbing an embankment, getting ready to smash you with that big hammer of his.
Cleanup in Photoshop consisted of tweaking the saturation and Lab Color, then painting the glow on his face. Finally, I used the clone stamp to create the "smoke" by cloning some of that white sky down just over the tops of the smokestacks.
Roll 2d6 and add the weapon's EXIF:
| Camera: | Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi |
| Exposure: | 0.025 sec (1/40) |
| Aperture: | f/11.0 |
| Focal Length: | 50 mm |
| ISO Speed: | 400 |
| Exposure Bias: | 0 EV |
| Flash: | Off |
| File Size: | 4.0 MB |
| File Type: | JPEG |
| MIME Type: | image/jpeg |
| Image Width: | 2592 |
| Image Height: | 3528 |
| Encoding Process: | Baseline DCT, Huffman coding |
| Bits Per Sample: | 8 |
| Color Components: | 3 |
| X-Resolution: | 72 dpi |
| Y-Resolution: | 72 dpi |
| Orientation: | Horizontal (normal) |
| Software: | Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows |
| Date and Time (Modified): | 2009:02:13 13:24:59 |
| YCbCr Positioning: | Co-sited |
| Exposure Program: | Aperture-priority AE |
| Date and Time (Original): | 2009:02:13 13:28:13-06:00 |
| Date and Time (Digitized): | 2009:02:13 13:28:13 |
| Metering Mode: | Multi-segment |
| Color Space: | sRGB |
| Focal Plane X-Resolution: | 4433.29532497149 dpi |
| Focal Plane Y-Resolution: | 4453.60824742268 dpi |
| Custom Rendered: | Normal |
| Exposure Mode: | Auto |
| White Balance: | Manual |
| Scene Capture Type: | Standard |
| Compression: | JPEG (old-style) |
| Global Angle: | 30 |
| Global Altitude: | 30 |
| Copyright Flag: | False |
| Photoshop Quality: | 12 |
| Photoshop Format: | Standard |
| Progressive Scans: | 3 Scans |
| XMPToolkit: | Adobe XMP Core 4.1-c036 46.276720, Mon Feb 19 2007 22:40:08 |
| Orientation: | Horizontal (normal) |
| Metadata Date: | 2009:02:13 13:24:59-06:00 |
| Creator Tool: | Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows |
| Format: | image/jpeg |
| Color Mode: | 3 |
| ICCProfile Name: | sRGB IEC61966-2.1 |
| Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type: | D50 |
| Measurement Observer: | CIE 1931 |
| Measurement Flare: | 0.999% |
| Measurement Illuminant: | D65 |
| Color Transform: | YCbCr |
| Flash Return: | No return detection |
| Flash Mode: | Off |
| Flash Function: | False |
| Flash Red Eye Mode: | False |
Be good,
-Dave
|
