Shifting our focus...
In a small cameo layout we have the ability to really get close, immerse ourselves and enjoy the feeling of getting lost in a miniature scene...
As we look at the layout up close our view point changes, and what we can take in becomes more closely cropped. Our eyes do a good job of removing distraction outside of the box, our brains look for something to focus upon and help us interpret the view. Perhaps it is the locomotive itself, crossing the road as we wait for it to pass...
Shifting our position slightly and the focus shifts too - we notice a gap in the fence, and imagine or remember squeezing through something similar ourselves, politely trespassing to enjoy the railway beyond whilst respecting the weight power and danger of being caught un-awares by a locomotive if we wander on to the tracks. The bicycle suggests that either we've cycled here ourselves, or enticingly, a figure is just out of sight enjoying the same spectacle we're watching.
However, we can't keep things all in focus at once, our eye picks out details like this sign post... putting the rest of the scene into soft focus somehow only adds to the experience. The arrangement of signs, fence and road leading our eyes naturally to what lies beyond, to hope to catch a glimpse of the train beyond.
These three photos were taken one evening as I enjoyed shunting my Bachmann Class 08 and Accurascale HUO wagons on Pont-y-dulais.
The consideration I place on these elements during design are what helps them become a success, a key success when designing smaller layouts - however, what can the builder of a larger layout learn from these experiences? How can you apply the same ideas to a layout several feet deep, how can design and layout of structures, roadways, fences and details like bicycles, broken fences and signs help the viewer interpret, understand and even emotionally connect with their own memories as they watch and engage with your own layout - wither through physical presence at an exhibition, a visitor to your home or a photo you share on the internet.
I offer a layout design and or build service, and specialise in smaller schemes. If you'd like some help distilling your needs and requirements to produce a realistic buildable artistic composition then get in touch for a no-obligation proposal. Prices for layout design start from just £120. More soon...
TBH if you see a bike left like that the more likely explanation is the call of nature!
ReplyDeleteOn a serious note this leads me to two observations about exhibitions. The first is how often I see people taking photos with no apparent attempt at composition. It does make me wonder how many people "see" layouts in an intentional, thoughtful way.
The second and related observation is more of a question. Does how a home layout differ in how it attracts that look to an exhibtion layout?
Yes perhaps, squeezing through the fence for a pee by the tree!
DeleteI'm not sure exhibitions are a great place to observe how others perceive our layouts. They are often busy, with many layouts presented at less than optimal heights and with poor lighting. That said, it's not always the case. When I visit an exhibition I might take a few snaps, trying to get a good feel for a layout in the composure but this isn't possible if the show is busy... in the main though I absorb the 'atmosphere' (of the layouts, not the stale sweat and bacon butties).
At home though, at least in the UK, many of these layouts are only seen by us, and a few friends. I wonder, how we might present them if they took more of a centre stage?
James,
ReplyDeletevery well made.
It could be 7mm scale as well.
Any critisism ? Well, I would have locked my bicycle... ;-)
Best wishes
Dirk
Thank you Dirk, very kind and yes, perhaps they should have locked up that bike! Especially as it looks like a nice racing bike!
DeleteI think a well-written caption for a photo does just as much, if not a better job of drawing the viewer into a scene. I find photos of any railway scene have so much more depth and offer much more interest when someone that knows the location, or has worked for the railway depicted, relays "the story of the photo" to the viewer. In our case, when dealing with fictional lines, I think creating a plausible back story does so much to bring life to a scene, something both you and Chris are very talented at doing. I used to create role playing games many years ago, and I exploit that experience to create a back story with a good array of characters that work on, or for the railway. It adds so much depth to the story line, and spins a tale with much more detail than is usually added to a photo of a modeled scene.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rob, yes that's another angle to how to draw the viewer in, constructing a written narrative that guides the view of the photograph. As James says, less useful at an exhibition where I wonder could we do more to encourage a layout to be viewed as we intended?
DeleteI've been wondering lately (prompted largely by this post by Lance Mindheim https://lancemindheim.com/2022/01/the-next-big-wave/) what unique thing a model can give us, that simply looking at a photo of a prototype can't, and I think you've captured something important here. We can variably position ourselves with respect to the model (either consciously or unconsciously) to experience it in different ways, which is not something you can do with even the best 2D representation of a railway. I'm starting to think about the best way to experience a model itself rather than through some intermediate medium (although your work with depth of field here certainly demonstrates the validity of that). I'm also starting to think about alternatives to the 'framed scene' way of presentation of a railway that works so well but may not best allow this variable positioning.
ReplyDeleteThere is I think an important question around layout design and presentation that must be part of the design process, but that I've never known to be made explicit: who is the audience? For an exhibition layout it's the general public, for a club layout it's the membership, and for a home layout it's the builder and whoever they wish to share it with, but I'm not sure how well we appreciate the significance of this. Should a home builder make use of visual illusion, given that they will know it's there and therefore it may not be convincing? Does an exhibition layout need a large station yard, given that it likely won't be operated, or is there something more engaging that can be substituted? To my mind, asking questions such as these can help the design process.
Tim
Tim, I think you have articulated what I was trying to. My current micro will have an audience of one, sat on my desk, but I've tried to buld in one main view and a couple of subsidiary views from which it, hopefully "works" as a 3D view. Can a lrge exhibition layout be built that is in effect a cameo layout on the grand scale?
DeleteI always think Inkerman St failed in one way. Although it looked great in photos it was/is quite hard to "see" it like that in the flesh.
Tim, James - great conversation. James, that last point has me thinking about layout photography too - I try to photograph my scenes realistically, but the viewing height is similar to that in the photo so it's easy to put yourself in the same position and the camera. This is perhaps less possible with how layouts are photographed commonly in the press, and how we view exhibition layouts traditionally. Whenever I talk about eye level, or close to eye level viewing there is always someone who mentions disabled viewers or children. I'm talking about home layouts where this isn't a problem, but if it's a concern, then there is no reason a layout could be designed for exhibition viewing by a seat or bench infront of the layout. Mind, I suspect you'd struggle to shift people once they sat down!
Delete