repair garage photo backdrop

[chester]

I've wanted to be able to photograph larger vehicles in an interior backdrop similar to the barn I did a while back. What I came up with is a styrene two sided piece, similar to the barn, that will allow a wider variety of camera angles. I used Evergreen brick pattern and Tichy windows and door.


The first step was to install all the windows and door and I decanted spray can flat black into the airbrush and shot everything including some sheet styrene for the floor. I then mixed up some acrylic craft paints in Terra Cotta and Crimson Red with Windex and sprayed several coats allowing them to dry between coats. This was followed by a coat of clear flat lacquer. When this was dry I mixed powdered artists chalks in gray with alcohol and brushed this on. This was buffed off with a paper towel and another coat of flat clear to give me this look on the brickwork. The windows and doors were painted by hand Ivy green.


The floor, already black, had expansion joints scribed in it and was sprayed with the craft paints with Windex in gray, tan and black mixed and clear coated. There were washes applied over this with the acrylics.


Everything was moderately dusted with dry chalks. It was then a matter of gluing it all together, installing glass and tending to detail work.



I notice some light coming through where it doesn't belong and I'm sure I will be tuning the thing up for some time to come but I believe it is ready for some vehicles now. The photo opportunities seem to be as much fun to play with as the barn was.

[Ray Dunakin]

Nice! The concrete floor is especially convincing.

[Chuck Doan]

Oh Man! That is going to work out great.

[finescalerr]

Well, that turned out okay, didn't it? -- Russ

[SandiaPaul]

Looks nice, I especially like the little details like the shiny "brand new" tires.
You need a few hanging metal shade lamps with little bulbs!

Paul

[chester]

Thanks all, and Paul, you're right. But I can't figure out how to do anything overhanging without some kind of post at the end I want to photograph from (see first picture). I already have the lights worked out with fiber optic material that don't really shed much light but the lamps look good. I'd like to do a chain hoist too. Would rather not have to try to work around any obstruction when taking pics. I've been trying to work out some kind of cantilevered rafter to hold up a ridge beam that would support a half roof system. All of my construction training fails me.

[finescalerr]

In photography you don't have to be literal; you can suggest things. Example: Suggest a tree by including only the shadow. The tree itself would be out of the scene. Similarly, you could model stuff hanging from a "ceiling" that isn't there by building up a rack taller than your walls and outside of them, then hanging the hardware from long pieces of wire that attach to the rack's crossbar. You would never see the rack at all; just the lower part of the hanging hardware at the top of the photo. I hope that was clear. -- Russ

[Malachi Constant]

Similarly, you could model stuff hanging from a "ceiling" that isn't there by building up a rack taller than your walls and outside of them, then hanging the hardware from long pieces of wire that attach to the rack's crossbar. You would never see the rack at all; just the lower part of the hanging hardware at the top of the photo. I hope that was clear. -- Russ

Nonsense!  Chester will clearly have to build a BOOM TRUCK to suspend the desired details over the scene! 

Great concept on the dio ... and wonderful execution!  -- Dallas

[SandiaPaul]

Picking up from what Russ suggested...what about having the lights, hoist, etc, on a totally separate "structure" that can be moved around on its own. You wouldn't see any of it, just the stuff that hangs down. The "stuff" can even be adjustable up and down so you can alter the ht. of it, for example the hoist could be lowered to where it could be shown "in use" lifting an engine up, then raised to just show the chain, or taken away completely. It would be easy to add or subtract stuff from it.

Anyway...just my 2 cents...

Paul

[chester]

Thanks for the input folks. Here's what I came up with. I notched the beams and the walls to accept them to create a kind of key. This roof system won't support a lot of weight and isn't prototypical (no collar ties) but it allows me the lamp fixtures and it sits level. I think the idea of a separate fixture to hold chain and pulleys might be a good idea. The roofing material is out of scale ttoo but painted a dark color, I don't think it will be noticeable. After all the focus should be on the vehicles inside anyway.

[Hydrostat]

I think that's a good solution with the roof. The hole backdrop is very convincing and provides some nice opportunities to play with light. Maybe there's some room for improvement at the edges of floor and wall. The visible gap gives it away at once. Perhaps you can shorten the lower lamps to have them all on same ht, too.

Cheers,
Volker

[AlexG]

Nice work, Chester! In particular, I like the last 2 pics.
Lots of details and very convincing weathering. Gives no idea of what materials you used.

Alex

[Mobilgas]

Chester,  Nice Job...