So from what I'm seeing here, the trick to good GID shots are tripod and long exposure? Correct?

or a long stack of trashcan, books, and boxes

Long exposure plays a huge part in GID shots. A tripod is also helpful as it will keep the camera steady. I don't have a tripod so I usually put the camera on top of a book or something sturdy.

I just took this shot and here were my settings.

Exposure: 4 seconds
Aperture: f/4.8
Focal length: 32mm
ISO: 100



I charged it with a black light but then turned off the blacklight and then took the pic. I also did not edit this so you could see what the final outcome was. I hope this helps.

Yeah, I'm tripod-less too so its books, magazines, space trooper cans , etc.LOL.

Black lights charge the GID vinyl faster? Makes it brighter? Gotta try that. I usually point my floor lamp to whatever I'm shooting for that night---bathed them under light for a good 15 to 20 minutes.

Eric (Tofu) has some exposure tips too that could be useful, I hope he post them.

Black lights do charge GID vinyl a hell of a lot faster and typically brighter. Usually I just shine the figure in black light for only a few seconds and you're ready to rock. There have been times though were I have charged the GID vinyl in the sun. But I hate putting them in the sun for very long so I usually don't do it.

I posted this one in the thread earlier and here were my settings:

Exposure: 10 seconds
Aperture: f/16.0
Focal Length: 30mm
ISO: 100



Now someone hook me up with a glow Hollis! I missed the release.

Very clean glow--I am still trying out some adjustments and tweeking with my GID shots---I like your photos zinc since its cooler to the eyes, not too much glow bursts. Have to practice more---but I found out that you really have to set the settings differently, depending on the vinyl's glow capacity.

All good tips. I really need to find a blacklight. Why is it when I was a teenager I could just go to an Osaka store and get one, now all they seem to sell are crappy bulbs that don't work. I'd love to find mountable blacklights for inside my detolfs. Does anyone make those?

I can't tell you guys the countless times I've flashlight charged all 4 of those shelves. It takes forever. You get one going, then you have to go back to the first to keep it going, then you move onto the third, and backtrack to the last two. It's quite frustrating. Blacklight would generate a longer charge I think.

An alternative would be an ordinary floor lamp and blast those motherfuckers for a few minutes---will long exposures under black light affect the GID vinyl??

Yeah, I try to go for the clean glow. Too bright and it looks distorted plus you miss some of the details. You definitely have to play with the camera settings depending on the vinyl's glow capacity. The pic of the Himalans with the Mika, is a perfect example. All of them glow bright except for the middle one which is the Ghost Himal, which is clear vinyl with GID paint. The others are just GID vinyl. So keep that in mind too. If you want, check out my Flickr. Under each picture, there should be a satellite button or link called "more properties". This will tell you the settings that were used for the photo. Maybe this will help. The best thing I could recommend is taking a gang load of shots with different settings and then choosing the best one.

Not sure if anyone makes them for detolfs. Mine is super old. I got it back in '95 and it still works. And that sucks that you have to charge 'em up with a flashlight. That would drive me insane!

I don't know. I am curious about this myself. Anyone?

A lot has been said on the subject here and for awhile I was really concerned with just natural sunlight (non direct) effecting my gid toys. I've come to the conclusion that while over time the Phosphorescent material inside the toy that makes it glow loses it's ability to recharge and glow, nothing besides direct sunlight (those beams you see on your floor) really does damage. Basically don't put your gid (or any toys) in direct sunlight for lengthy periods of time.

Sick shot Jay! I have that same figure waiting for me (I think), and it'll be my first Blobpus fig.

Thanks! Its my first Blobpus and I really like it. Kinda hoping started earlier with these guys.

I was about to pm you to find out if you got this.

Thanks Bert! Arrived safely.

that is such an awesome shot!!!

Thanks! Took one or two Photoshop tweaks to really make the details pop though...

FROM MY SUPPLIER:

How do I charge the powder?
Glow powder responds best to light sources rich in UV rays such as sunlight, black lamps and halogen lamps. Tungsten lamps (typical household bulbs) take longer to recharge the pigment because their UV output is low. Fluorescent lamps, which are rich in UV, provide faster excitation when Glow-Powder is placed near them.

Sun light - 5 minutes / UV light (Black light) - 5 to 10 minutes / Normal light - 20 to 30 minutes. Sunlight is the best source for charging the products, but practically any light source will do. Black light is a good provider of UV light (Glow-in-the-dark Bowling with black lights would be excellent).

How many times can I charge it?
You can charge the pigment OVER AND OVER indefinitely! Shelf life is a minimum 10 years. Once mixed in the medium of your choice, indoor life is 5-7 years and outdoor life is 3-4 years.

all of my glow gargamel (except green/red standing hedo)

Fantastic shot! Super bright; looks like with them all together they'd light up the room!

I wanna play!