Im not the best at gid pics, but here goes nothing.

@ smo9monster - beautiful captures. So bright yet crisp.

I've been asked by several members on how to take GID shots. I just got done writing up my pm and I accidentally deleted it. So here is a short version for everyone.

1) Tripod - if you don't have one, you should get one. The camera needs to be completely still.

2) Manual Focus - I find manual focus better than automatic. Plus, once you've focused on your subject, the auto will not need to re-correct/refocus itself when the lights are off.

3) Procedure - Turn your lights off. Some glow figures loose their brightness fairly quickly. I recommend using a black light for charging the figure. When the figure is charged, turn off the black light and snap your photo. This will result in the brightest glow possible. Note: some figures do glow very bright. Turn off the black light and wait a few seconds before snapping the photo. This will help in showcasing the figures detail.

4) Film Speed - I use 100 ISO. Anything higher will result in a grainy photo or noise. The lower the ISO, the longer the shutter speed will need to be. I recommend anywhere from 3 seconds to 8 seconds depending on the figure. You will have to experiment. Also, since the shutter speed is slower, the camera will need to be absolutely still. Tripod recommended.

5) Leaving the black light on will produce different results however you will be left with a purple hue.

I hope this helps.

still figuring out how to get a graceful hq shot..

Amazing group shot

Now that's a glow shot!

Mikee, a perfect glow shot for me! Very nice and also, very challenging to execute. Admirable GID collection.

Great shot Mikeee, just my sort of collection. Several very lustable pieces in there.

Thanks guys! Been wanting to do a shot like that for years! However it seems a few pieces seem over
exposed (ex. Anraku Glutamine & Gorilla, Marmit Woos). But if I make adjustments then much more could
end up being under exposed. I fiddle around with some simple settings but not very experienced. My
Camera is a super zoom Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35. No SLR but works well enough for my needs.

you could bracket your shots and composite them for even exposure and detail across all your toys. regardless, this is a wonderful photo! has anyone tried gid hdri photos?

I had to look up everything you just said The bracketing function and compositing
them afterwards sounds like the way to go. I'll give that a try. Thanks!

Is hdri available in photoshop? I don't own it but have been thinking of purchasing a copy. My computer doesn't have the savvy features to edit photos.

Mikeee - I know exactly what you're talking about. It's hard to get a group shot of the GID's for some glow brighter than others. Bunching them all together, you're bound to get some overexposed and some under. Like this shot of the zags. The middle is GID vinyl and the other two are clears with glow powder. The other two just don't glow as bright or as long, so you can see now that the middle one is a tad overexposed to compensate for the other two. Still a great shot that you took. I need more colors that the standard green.

Wow that's a great picture!
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it sure does. unfortunately, though, in the latest version they added a faux-hdr filter so that normal photos can have the overly-processed unrealistic hdr look that seems to be so popular these days

mikee and zinc, your glow photos are amazing!

OK, so it's been over 2 years and I don't think this was ever asked. I've always wondered. What really happened to VGA and what happened to all his toys?

mikeee your pic makes a kickass desktop .....just saying

My phone just got a new background!

mikeee- Great collection and pic! I love all the colors and different shades of glow . Really nice!

zinc- Putting those army men to spectacular use. Top notch stuff.

Thanks jcat! You take some superb pics yourself. Any glow to share? I'd love to see some.



Thanks melek_taus! I've got a ton of them so they'll probably be showing up in a few more.

inspired by bert's eerie pic

With black light


I found the best way to charge GID is the sun or I use a separate flash to flash it a few times. The ones above were with a point and shoot but now I got my new SLR lens so I will re shoot them.
with SLR in 2006

^^^That Absinthe bottle looks cool!