You finished a miniature, took a quick photo, and discovered that the face looks dark while the background looks perfect. Before changing your paintwork, change the photo setup. A few deliberate choices can make it easier to show the details you worked on.
Clear a small space and choose the light
Use a plain sheet of paper or card behind the model and leave room around the base. Keep spare tools, paint pots, and other miniatures outside the frame.
Start with soft, even light reaching the front of the miniature. Turn off the phone's flash and check that deep shadows are not hiding the face. For repeatable photos, a consistent lamp setup is useful. Indirect window light can be a convenient starting experiment, but it changes with the weather and time of day. Avoid mixing very different light colors.
Warhammer Community's miniature photography guide shows how light placement and viewing angle affect the result.
Choose the angle before moving closer
Rotate the miniature until its face, pose, and key equipment are visible. Check whether a weapon is covering the body or disappearing into the background. Leave the whole base in the frame for your first shot.
If moving closer makes the subject blurry, back away until it becomes sharp. Take the photo there and crop modestly afterward. A larger blurry model in the preview is less useful than a smaller sharp one.
Set focus and check brightness
On iPhone, tap the subject to move the focus area, then adjust exposure using the control beside it. You can hold the focus area to lock focus and exposure. See Apple's camera-tool instructions for the controls. Other phones vary, so check your camera app's focus and exposure options.
Look for detail in both the darkest clothing and the brightest surfaces. Support the phone securely and try its timer so you can take your hand away before the shot.
Use a three-photo routine
Give every finished project the same small photo session:
- Character view: show the face, pose, and full base.
- Reverse view: turn the model around to record the cloak, backpack, or shield you painted.
- Detail view: choose one area you are pleased with, such as a freehand design or a scenic base.
Inspect each photo before putting everything away. If one looks wrong, change just one thing and try again. Keep the version you prefer and note the setup in your hobby journal.
Save the originals alongside any cropped copies. Over time, this little collection becomes a useful record of your painting progress and the ideas you want to revisit.
Featured image: AI-generated illustration of a suggested photography setup, created for this guide.