"Laye Haye Saint as the artist saw it?" Topic

Blimey. My apologies……..I would like to blame the bug..

Let me have one more try!

A recent small project to add to my KGL garrison at LHS. When I showed the Brigade Games Miniatures folk did compare them to the famous Northen painting, so I thought let's have a go at picking out some of the prominent characters. These are now Perry figures from KGL but even Nassau and ACW. Hope you like them and Merry Christmas to all!

A good combination photograph, well done.

I visited LHS a few years ago and was surprised about the neatness of the site and it's still a working farm.

You actually managed to get inside? cannot understand why the owners do not exploit its history more. OK, a working farm, they cannot have folk wandering at random.

But some of us would pay the proverbial arm and leg to gain admittance even for half an hour.

Wonderful execution of a starting inspiration!
We will have to get you to actually play a wargame at least once in your life, though!:-)

Have a great Christmas, and maybe some new figures under the tree…

Many thanks. I am sure everyone knows the original but I had meant to include it (at least a detail from it below).

Seeing the original next to my photos makes me realise just how skilled was the artist. Now, what about his Plancenoit work?

In a few minutes I created chaos above and I insist I have not had a drop of intoxicating liquor all day (so far).

Looking good! : )

Our visit to LHS was unauthorised, we entered the yard through an open gate, saw a bit of the barn/shed and then scuttled out after some dirty looks from the farmer.

Finally! The REAL TRUTH of LHS! It happened in 28mm!

Awesome work, thanks for sharing.

Yes, it's true. LHS was fought in 28mm. But it was done on a side table, and the results fed into the larger game. Waterloo itself was fought in 9mm. In fact, they still have it at the National Army Museum.

Nicely done,think of trying to add some smoke if you do this again.

Great action shot Liam!
Happy Christmas to you and yours!

Smoke….just tried it with Microsoft Paint 3D…….

Totally transforms the images. I'll do that properly and repost

Top notch work Liam, super stuff! May I ask which model of LHS you have? I'm assuming of course it's not just photos & you are using a model but I could be wrong.

Merry Xmas

Mike

The answer is both. I have a Hovels LHS for background to the models, but, for the photo I cheated with a print of a photo of the real thing.

I'll forgive a Geordie for beating us yesterday. I'd rather see NUFC stay up than WHUFC…….

Smoke…had a go and I think makes for a far better picture. Next I might alter the view to a higher camera angle

Brilliant!

Very impressive Liam!

Hi Liam,
I'll happily take the 3 points right now, an early Xmas present!
I've always fancied getting the Hovels LHS, I assume you're happy with it? It certainly looks the part & the Hovels buildings are pretty decent in general.
The smoke definitely adds another level of realism to the image, really good effort mate.
All the best
Mike

Gives it a real photograph feeling

Oh you were totally right…inspired and thanks!

I will work on it further and cannot think why I did not process the image a bit more, frankly.

Only just noticed the title. Surely I did not type that?

La Haye Sainte (although sometimes Haie) but certainly not as it now appears. This was posted mid morning our time and well before the sun went over the yardarm!

I often point out on another website that I read a artical that the brain figures out what is supposed to be there and moves on without a notice.

Totally. You read what you expect to see there…and what you intended.

Also, in proofreading, if you do spot an error, do go back to the adjacent text. There is, statistically, a much higher chance of a second, but yet reduced chance of you actually spotting it.

Fortunately our brains are however hard wired to "see" faces. Not one of the figures above has eyes painted in, just a dark wash into the eye sockets. But we "see" eyes there..

Sorry for the lateness of this . I get one of my lads to blow smoke/vapour from their ecigs over my models for photographs . Looks convincing I think

Hey, You have sons who do anything in the house, other than to earn Dad's payments to keep them in beer?

My younger two lads empty the fridge…but do little to fill it.

I have worked on this model since and the pictures are getting better.

I can now go back to seven years, when I joined this forum. The figure painting I did then is now getting better, but my photography is massively transformed. Maybe I should redo many of them, even if painting is not to my 2018 standard.

We all need sons (how old are yours'?) to guide us into IT. I have three.

But then you get Granddaughters (I have two) to tell you about photo composition, as in "Frozen" or the latest Star Wars, or the Rogue Summat Movie, where the hero is actually a female…….weird idea…..they now think they can…..even though they are girls….

Deadhead I have three sons. My fridge is perpetually empty . Saying that one is in the army so isn't here often. Yes I often need them to navigate IT for me . I'll get some photos on sooner or later. My painting has also improved over the years ,to my satisfaction at least.

Does make you proud though…..

Best wishes

Great work!

@deadhead
Well done again sir. I admire your compositions and choice of figures. I asked before about previous compositions but again I would like to ask you what codes and manufactures are in the photo?
I'm starting to learn taking pictures, and still lot to learn. But do you use a special lens or just standard?
Cheers for the great pictures

You are both very kind indeed.

Most of the figures are Brigade Games Miniatures KGL Light infantry and light company of a Line battalion.

link

I wanted to show the wounded chap helped by his colleague as he is so prominent in the painting. I used a Perry ACW wounded pair of figures heavily converted (and the wrong way around but heck…..)

link

Then I added a Perry KGL Light Command set….and some Nassau…all in metal.

link

link

Finally the Baring figure is a converted Perry…I think a Hussar, with a light infantry sash added. Chap mounted behind is their standard KGL commander.

link

My Pentax is 15 years old (but it did cost £ 700 back then). Totally dated now. Lens is just 18-55. Bog standard.

Trick with photos is depth of focus. That needs a closed shutter f22 or even higher (select Av). Ah, but now how does the light get in?

Right;

Lots of bright lights
Long exposure (can be 2 seconds or more)
That means a tripod (even a £10.00 GBP one. Mine is an enormous heavy thing that I…let us say acquired….years ago)
Also needs a delayed shutter opening (2 secs), as even pressing the knob creates a shake.
Do not be tempted to sacrifice the ASA/ISO setting. You need sharp images as these will need cropping and zooming
Bracket your shots. Any camera now will take three slightly different exposures. Click, click, click. Choose the best

Low angles, lower than you might think and crop the images. Any PC these days does that.

Any phone or I pad these days can almost achieve all this. But a DSLR is still much more fun

Thank you for the detailed answer. Got most of the perry figures in my lead pile so I should sort them. On your advice on my previous question about the 51st light (I think) I ordered some Brigade Games miniatures and I must say they are wonderful additions to the perrys. I didn't realise that Nassau troops where also involved in the defence of La Haiy Sainte?
About the photo's: I use most of your settings, even a greycard to set the white balance. I guess the lighting must be the issue. I haven't found a way to link pictures here because I used to use Picassa. Any advice on what webapplication to use to host pictures?

Well done!

You clearly are well on the way with photography. I promise you I am no expert, (I recently bought DK's Beginner's Photography Guide. My sons were horrified, as they know how many decades experience I have. I learnt two new things in the entire book, at a reduced price. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant) but have learnt by just playing with the Pentax camera.

I am sure others can help, but I pay a small sub to Imageshack annually, purely because TMP sent everyone, newly joined, to them, years ago, when they offered a free service. I really do not begrudge whatever it costs, but I am sure there are still free sites out there.

La Haye Sainte defenders? Much doubt but

2nd Light KGL obviously (only question how many Baker rifles and how many smoothbores)

1st Light KGL reinforced. Small contribution, subtle differences in uniform, very subtle

Light Company of KGL line reinforced. Great excuse to show redcoats with moustaches and a Baker rifle with a sword bayonet (whether true or not, but in the painting and looks really unusual)

Nassau reinforced? Oh yes. The original painting above is cropped but, even then, you can see the officer with the Orange sash on the extreme right and a hornist behind him. The original show more soldats. Remember the story about the kettles they brought, which were used to quell the barn fire? Look at Warlord and see how they even modelled this.

A few Hanoverians possibly, who survived the cavalry attacks and were frying pan into fire basically. I think that was it…other than Richard Sharpe of course

Need more French in there – they did capture it you know :-)

Nice work Liam, as always