Last year I took a number of panoramic photographs on the way back from the 2023 NG convention.
I was hoping for fall colors, but was a tad early for the Aspens to change. However I did get some great “test shots” on backdrops. Placerville, Ridgeway, Dallas Divide, Rico, and a few others along the way.
A friend of mine has a large format printer and is an fantastic photographer. Has a fantastic layout as well. Under his guidance we did a test print. I figure this will help me figure out the scenery, colors and placement of the structures.
With the help of my son and wife, we braved the heat and put up the backdrop today. I’m building a test section to work out construction methods as I wait for the long processes of adding the train room. This is being done in my garage and with the western US heat wave..
The backdrop went up without a hitch. First observation is that I likely will need to use different paper. This one occasionally reflects the lights off of it. For lighting I’m using RGBW with a controller that is also used for my fast clock. The goal is to change color based on time of day. More on that project later.
Since this is all temporary, I’m using clips to hold it to the back.
I am happy with the first looks of Dallas Divide. However, blending the model to the backdrop will be hard. The ground around the real tracks sloped up, and my photo I’m on a slight ridge with the ground sloping down. Oh darn I may need to drive back to Colorado to take another photo. 😉 I also need to tone down the color on the backdrop.
Enjoy!