Ideally, I'd like to shoot these on film in black and white, and as I intend that the photos will be the finished article, I'm open to adjusting the way I build the models to make the photography easier or to produce a more realistic shot.

My preference is for working entirely with in camera effects. For post processing, I will scan the negatives and as a general rule, I only allow myself to use digital editing for adjusting brightness and contrast.

The shots will be taken on a Fujica ST705 (my film camera of choice for almost everything - it's a sheer workhorse), and will be shot either on Bergger Pancro 400, or Ilford HP5, unless I can track down some very old rolls of black and white film online or at car boot sales. My one specific rule on film is that it will be pan-chromatic, hence my two preferred film types, however I'd be open to using other films if they would be more suitable to the task.

It's my intention to mock up shots with planes in flight. The airframe will be attached to a metal rod which will push through a back scene with clouds painted on it. I will then use a fan to spin the props, and use a smoke machine to blow clouds into the scene to simulate atmospheric vapour.

Given that I'm using pan-chromatic film and want to depict models of (mostly) WW2 aircraft, would painting them in normal green/brown/grey came colours give a suitable reproduction on film, or would I be better changing the colours for something entirely different to produce a better illusion?

I'm also unsure as to lighting. I'd like to give the effect of a plan flying through a thunder storm, and was considering multiple or long exposures with a flash going off quite far back from the scene to give the illusion of lighting several miles away.

Although I've found a few fairly old books on photographing model planes, they are all written from the perspective of showcasing the quality of the work, rather than the angle I want to go with which is more old fashioned special effects shots.

I'd also be grateful for any advice on what sort of lens to use for this. I had pondered investing in a decent 20mm, but I'm not sure whether this would give the illusion of the depth between the model and the sky scene, or show it up for what it is - a miniature against a painted background.

Any advice would be really appreciated, as would recommendations for books or other materials on the subject.

I'd like to shoot these on film in black and white, and as I intend that the photos will be the finished article, I'm open to adjusting the way I build the models to make the photography easier or to produce a more realistic shot.

It's likely that I will print directly from the negatives so I'd prefer to work with in camera effects and just scan the negatives for archiving (or scan the prints depending on how they come out).

The shots will be taken on a Fujica ST705 (my film camera of choice for almost everything - it's a sheer workhorse), and will be shot either on Bergger Pancro 400, or Ilford HP5.

The models will likely end up being repainted as display pieces once I'm done with them, so even if they need to be painted neon pink and orange to get a realistic effect, I am happy to do that.

My ideal outcome is to depict stormy scenes, and to use blue lighting and smoke to enhance the effect as well as strategic use of a flashgun to simulate lightning on clouds.

Given that I'm using pan-chromatic film and want to depict models of (mostly) WW2 aircraft, would painting them in normal green/brown/grey camo colours give a suitable reproduction on film, or would I be better changing the colours for something entirely different to produce a better illusion?

I'm open to trying different colours of paint and lighting if recommended, with the key aim that the photos will look as realistic as possible.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I very much doubt I'm the only person here who has wanted to do this, and I'm hoping that some advice can be sought before I start on this project.

I have been a big fan of model building since I was a very small lad sitting in my parents garage under a 40w bulb painting Airfix models in the early hours of the morning.

Now, I plan to revive the hobby, and to get some photos while I'm at it.

Ideally, I'd like to shoot these on film in black and white, and as I intend that the photos will be the finished article, I'm open to adjusting the way I build the models to make the photography easier or to produce a more realistic shot.

It's my intention to mock up shots with planes in flight. The airframe will be attached to a metal rod which will push through a back scene with clouds painted on it. I will then use a fan to spin the props, and use a smoke machine to blow clouds into the scene to simulate atmospheric vapour.

I remember reading about how makeup on older black and white films rarely matched up to the colours you would see in a natural setting (blue moon lips to look like red on film etc), as on film those colours didn't necessarily look quite right.

Given that I'm using pan-chromatic film and want to depict models of (mostly) WW2 aircraft, would painting them in normal green/brown/grey came colours give a suitable reproduction on film, or would I be better changing the colours for something entirely different to produce a better illusion?

I'm also unsure as to lighting. I'd like to give the effect of a plan flying through a thunder storm, and was considering multiple or long exposures with a flash going off quite far back from the scene to give the illusion of lighting several miles away.

Although I've found a few fairly old books on photographing model planes, they are all written from the perspective of showcasing the quality of the work, rather than the angle I want to go with which is more old fashioned special effects shots.

I'd also be grateful for any advice on what sort of lens to use for this. I had pondered investing in a decent 20mm, but I'm not sure whether this would give the illusion of the depth between the model and the sky scene, or show it up for what it is - a miniature against a painted background.

Any advice would be really appreciated, as would recommendations for books or other materials on the subject.

I very much doubt I'm the only person here who has wanted to do this, and I'm hoping that some advice can be sought before I start on this project.

I have been a big fan of model building since I was a very small lad sitting in my parents garage under a 40w bulb painting Airfix models in the early hours of the morning.

Now, I plan to revive the hobby, and to get some photos while I'm at it.

Ideally, I'd like to shoot these on film in black and white, and as I intend that the photos will be the finished article, I'm open to adjusting the way I build the models to make the photography easier or to produce a more realistic shot.

My preference is for working entirely with in camera effects. For post processing, I will scan the negatives and as a general rule, I only allow myself to use digital editing for adjusting brightness and contrast.

The shots will be taken on a Fujica ST705 (my film camera of choice for almost everything - it's a sheer workhorse), and will be shot either on Bergger Pancro 400, or Ilford HP5, unless I can track down some very old rolls of black and white film online or at car boot sales. My one specific rule on film is that it will be pan-chromatic, hence my two preferred film types, however I'd be open to using other films if they would be more suitable to the task.

It's my intention to mock up shots with planes in flight. The airframe will be attached to a metal rod which will push through a back scene with clouds painted on it. I will then use a fan to spin the props, and use a smoke machine to blow clouds into the scene to simulate atmospheric vapour.

I remember reading about how makeup on older black and white films rarely matched up to the colours you would see in a natural setting (blue on lips to look like red on film etc), as on film those colours didn't necessarily look quite right.

Given that I'm using pan-chromatic film and want to depict models of (mostly) WW2 aircraft, would painting them in normal green/brown/grey came colours give a suitable reproduction on film, or would I be better changing the colours for something entirely different to produce a better illusion?

I'm also unsure as to lighting. I'd like to give the effect of a plan flying through a thunder storm, and was considering multiple or long exposures with a flash going off quite far back from the scene to give the illusion of lighting several miles away.

Although I've found a few fairly old books on photographing model planes, they are all written from the perspective of showcasing the quality of the work, rather than the angle I want to go with which is more old fashioned special effects shots.

I'd also be grateful for any advice on what sort of lens to use for this. I had pondered investing in a decent 20mm, but I'm not sure whether this would give the illusion of the depth between the model and the sky scene, or show it up for what it is - a miniature against a painted background.

Any advice would be really appreciated, as would recommendations for books or other materials on the subject.