Little People
Did you see the ‘Little People’ on Monday? Over 25 members did. David Gilliver's tiny figurines have travelled the globe as they continue to make it into publications all over the world. Each figure stands at only 2cm tall meaning that creating this work is a very delicate process. David gave a fascinating talk on Zoom on 11th December 2023, when he revealed that his passion for this style of photography probably comes from playing with toy cars as a child. David feels he has developed a relaxed and "child way" of thinking which has enabled him to utilise macro photography to produce these humorous, and sometimes bizarre, images.
Over the years, David has accumulated a vast collection of tiny figurines of HO scale (1:87) which is very near OO gauge often used in model railways. He recommends Preiser figurines as they have a huge variety. They are available from www.preiserusa.com and other sites such as www.gaugemasterretail.com.
David emphasised the importance of having a good backdrop, which can be homemade or based on an existing photograph. He places his camera on a tripod, uses a 100mm prime macro lens, and will take 50 or even 100 photos varying the lighting and camera angle. The macro lens gives a very narrow depth of field and throws the background out of focus. However, a macro lens picks up all spots of dust which appear huge on the image, resulting in heavy use of a spot removal tool.
All images by David Gilliver
For anyone interested in this style of photography, David suggested three possible ways of starting a project:
- Think of a concept based on a set of figurines, and find a prop to include in he scene.
- Identify a prop, probably an item already in your house, and think how the little people could interact with it.
- Start with an inspiring title, and build a scene to demonstrate the title.
It is important that the scene is "convincing", enabling the viewer to suspend disbelief.
For more about David Gilliver and his work see www.davidgilliver.com
Big Score at Match That!
Sue Biggart (our Competition Secretary) reports on the Match That! contest held last night.
Droitwich Camera Club's annual Christmas competition against Stratford PG and Vale of Evesham CC was played out yesterday evening (12/12/23). This year the competition was hosted by Stratford who gave visiting teams a warm welcome and laid on a fabulous spread enjoyed by everyone.
There was a large audience heckling the judge and cheering on their team. I’m pleased to report final scores as follows:
Droitwich CC 43 points
Stratford PG 39 points
Vale of Evesham CC 30 points
Another win for Droitwich Camera Club!
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