Gwangi's Dioramas (2015 Contest Entry, pg.5)

[Gwangi]

I had high hopes for this diorama idea, the Chinese feathered dinosaurs. Ultimately I wasn't very happy with any of them.







Lastly here is Jobaria and Afrovenator. Again I was not very pleased with any of these. Not enough to submit them anyway.











All in all I had a lot of fun preparing for and taking these. I had a lot of ideas on where and when in the Mesozoic my diorama would take place and it came down to the four I posted. I did a lot of research and I admit, I had to buy dinosaurs for the sole purpose of making my dioramas happen. Ultimately it had to be the Alamosaurus and Tyrannosaurus picture I posted though, that one was my first idea and a labor of love for me. I had to hike out a good mile or so through fields and gullies to get to my location on a blistering hot day but I truly loved every minute of it. I thought for sure I would at least place...until I saw the other entries. Everyone did a fantastic job and it was a pleasure competing with you all. I can't wait to do it again next year!

EDIT: I should note that this is just a small sample of the pictures I took. I literally took hundreds! These are just the ones I decided where the best to share with you guys.

[Coke]

I really like your pictures, specially the Jurassic Portugal series. The Postosuchus pictures are really awesome too 

[ZoPteryx]

I think you picked the right one (I voted for it ), it was a great concept and further more everything seemed to scale and accurate (no giant plants or grassy fields).  If I had to pick other good ones from what you posted, they'd be the shot with the Papo Allo and Diplo (scale of landscape looks a tad bit off though), and the two shots of the Allo attacking the Miragaia at night.

[Himmapaan]

I think you submitted the right picture. It tells your story of the Torosaurus' lucky escape most effectively, with a good degree of drama which isn't taking an obvious centre stage.

My brain is a little dead at the moment, so forgive me if I'm not making much sense.

[Gwangi]

Thanks guys. I tried to take the landscape into account. For example, there were a lot of good ones in the water but upon examination I would notice a large leaf floating by somewhere or something to mess up the shot. I remember though when I first starting taking these pictures that people commented on that so I took the lesson into account. In the one I chose to use though there is a blade of grass floating in the water and an ant actually on the frill of the Toro...I was hoping people wouldn't notice those. I didn't until it was too late to do anything about it.

Himma, I understand totally what you're saying and that was ultimately one of the reasons I chose that one.
Zopteryx, thanks for the vote. I must say I am surprised your entry didn't make the top 3. It looks like you did a lot of work. Either that or you found a living non-avian dinosaur.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

   I see a few considerations that might present themselves should the contest continue growing. Were I to have placed things in an ideal world given a wealth of foresight, I would perhaps have structured the contest to provide a first and second ranking for three seperate categories. The first would be toys or mass produced dinosaurs, the second kits or resin, vinyl or styrene assembly type models, and the third would be a free form fantasy format.
  In this way you could make a setting using the animals you wanted, regardless the time period or location, or even for that matter their specific known nature. This would allow for some very intersting dioramas, in a fantasy vein.
The other two categories would be more self expanatory. I do make note the grand prize this year did so using a well detailed model . Indeed my own entry tried to successfully(or not) merge both a model and toys, which is supremely difficult. I think the more elements you introduce into a scene, the more difficult the illusion of reality becomes. For the coming year, I have my picture already taken. It will be a single model, not a toy, placed in a setting with nothing else. Sometimes simplicity is the best path.
    Having said all of that, or basically nothing,  I will first tell you my entry was # 6, charge of the bull, which I am sure most already had realized based on my liking for south american dinosaurs. I am not sure most grasped that I chose all dinosaurs from south america, all known from the cretaceous, but even more all discovered by the same man, although the dinosaurs used, were not perhaps extant to each other, from the known fossils. You are welcome to toss your thoughts out there Gwangi or suggestions.
   In viewing your own pictures, I am quite taken with the rapids scene using the Miragia...to me that would have been a clear contender. The rippling water, the background, the dinosaurs, I find that I really love that picture. I am also quite fond of your picture using the Diplo and the allosaurus above...the textures and angles are stunning. You really have an eye, that I have not cultivated yet for composition.
     Your chosen entry, the picture that you went with to me was too busy with the Torosaurus, and the sauropod and the tyrannosaurs PLUS the reflections on the water in patterns from the sun. Remove any one element and the shot to me becomes rather easier for my eyes to sort. Also the angle from above looks like a helicopter angle where so many of your shots are from through the dinosaurs eyes. I even toyed a bit with removing the Torosaurus and replacing a third tyrannosaurs in that notch and liked it better. I think you did all you could with the toys you chose for the scene. A more realistic sauropod would perhaps have made a difference. Myself, I would be tempted to use a similar picture, but with the sauropod coming out of the water onto a sandbar, rather than a steep bank, with the torosaurus escaping across the river.Of course all of those things of course suggest that such terrain is right there and easy to use and yada yada...but thats what I see myself. I do love your shots and think you have a keen eye Gwangi. I also like your use of fairly accurate figures in your work. Feel free to throw some ideas out there for me too, in the same vein Sir, and thanks

[Bokisaurus]

Great pictures.So, we can now look at our rejects! I need to post some of mine,too
Back to your... Seeing your rejects from the contest, I had mix feelings about  your final piece. One of the hardest things about diorama is finding the right figures that would look great together in a natural setting. Multi-species diorama is really challenging. I like your final submission, but I felt that the Toro was a bit out of place... take him out and I think it would be a much stronger composition.but that is just me. I love the Allo/Diplo and Jobaria/AfroV (in water, head shot) the most; it had great story, great composition, good figure compatibility, but most of all, it had that quality that is original you. Remember when I commented a while back that your photos have a very distinctive style that is unique ? For me, that was missing on your last set of photos. Of course you may have been experimenting with different style.
What your new photos have though is  lot of action and layers of story in each one of them. I would love to see how and where you take this approach in future dioramas.
Oh, and I  can totally relate to some natural object/creatures ruining a good photo. One of my first choice was ruined by a drop of water on a figure... did not even notice it until I got home

Cheers!

PS
As I already mention, I'm a fan of your photo style, especially that picture on your signature... it inspired me to try that same composition using the CollectA megacerops I will try and post photos of my diorama rejects soon

[Metallisuchus]

I think the Jurassic Portugal ones were the best. My eyes lit up for those. Finding a way to use your better-looking pieces should be the first step in my opinion, and those were more appealing to me than the ones you ended up using.

[Gwangi]

   I see a few considerations that might present themselves should the contest continue growing. Were I to have placed things in an ideal world given a wealth of foresight, I would perhaps have structured the contest to provide a first and second ranking for three seperate categories. The first would be toys or mass produced dinosaurs, the second kits or resin, vinyl or styrene assembly type models, and the third would be a free form fantasy format.
  In this way you could make a setting using the animals you wanted, regardless the time period or location, or even for that matter their specific known nature. This would allow for some very intersting dioramas, in a fantasy vein.
The other two categories would be more self expanatory. I do make note the grand prize this year did so using a well detailed model .

I know what you're saying about the differences between toys and actual models or sculptures. A nicely taken picture of a sculpture will probably always win over a standard toy but it should be noted that while a sculpture took the prize in this case both 2nd and 3rd place used toys. The winning picture was also just a really well done piece. As for fantasy versus reality I think people should just take a picture of what they want and let the chips fall where they may (let the voters decide).

The other two categories would be more self expanatory. I do make note the grand prize this year did so using a well detailed model . Indeed my own entry tried to successfully(or not) merge both a model and toys, which is supremely difficult. I think the more elements you introduce into a scene, the more difficult the illusion of reality becomes. For the coming year, I have my picture already taken. It will be a single model, not a toy, placed in a setting with nothing else. Sometimes simplicity is the best path.
    Having said all of that, or basically nothing,  I will first tell you my entry was # 6, charge of the bull, which I am sure most already had realized based on my liking for south american dinosaurs. I am not sure most grasped that I chose all dinosaurs from south america, all known from the cretaceous, but even more all discovered by the same man, although the dinosaurs used, were not perhaps extant to each other, from the known fossils. You are welcome to toss your thoughts out there Gwangi or suggestions.

I figured that one was yours right from the beginning. Due to your fondness of sauropods as well as South America. I liked your picture very much and immediately recognized it as a good contender for the win. You did an excellent job of blending the toys with the sculpture. Especially when you consider the Saltasaurus isn't even that good of a toy. If I had any criticisms one would be the roof that appears in the right side of the picture though it does hide well am I'm sure a lot of people didn't even notice it (like my ant). I also noticed all the subjects stand in profile facing the same direction, perhaps varying it up a bit would have been to your benefit. Try changing up the angles a bit. Personally I also prefer using species that actually lived with each other (Carnotaurus is far separated in time from Amargasaurus). That said your picture ultimately earned more votes than mine (over twice as much) so I don't have much room to criticize and I still really like the diorama. I didn't think the voters would be keen on using species that did not live together and perhaps that is what kept you from placing? I don't know because you still did make it pretty far.

In viewing your own pictures, I am quite taken with the rapids scene using the Miragia...to me that would have been a clear contender. The rippling water, the background, the dinosaurs, I find that I really love that picture.

Thanks. If you're talking about the one I think you're talking about I decided not to use it because of the size of the fallen tree in the background.

I am also quite fond of your picture using the Diplo and the allosaurus above...the textures and angles are stunning. You really have an eye, that I have not cultivated yet for composition.

Looks like I should have used that one perhaps. I didn't because I thought it would appear too "uninspired" and "unoriginal".

Your chosen entry, the picture that you went with to me was too busy with the Torosaurus, and the sauropod and the tyrannosaurs PLUS the reflections on the water in patterns from the sun. Remove any one element and the shot to me becomes rather easier for my eyes to sort.

I can see that. I kind of wanted a chaotic feel but the reflections on the water made it a bit much.

Also the angle from above looks like a helicopter angle where so many of your shots are from through the dinosaurs eyes. I even toyed a bit with removing the Torosaurus and replacing a third tyrannosaurs in that notch and liked it better.

I think I'm better at taking pictures from the dinosaur's eye level. I'll take that into account next time.

I think you did all you could with the toys you chose for the scene. A more realistic sauropod would perhaps have made a difference.

Probably. Shame Papo or Carnegie didn't make an Alamosaurus! It was the only one I was aware of and seemed to fit in nicely with the other subjects.

Myself, I would be tempted to use a similar picture, but with the sauropod coming out of the water onto a sandbar, rather than a steep bank, with the torosaurus escaping across the river.Of course all of those things of course suggest that such terrain is right there and easy to use and yada yada...but thats what I see myself. I do love your shots and think you have a keen eye Gwangi. I also like your use of fairly accurate figures in your work. Feel free to throw some ideas out there for me too, in the same vein Sir, and thanks

Thank you very much for the detailed post, I think I may have learned a few things from this exchange.  Hopefully my suggestions help you out as well in the future, you were so close as it was.

Great pictures.So, we can now look at our rejects! I need to post some of mine,too
Back to your... Seeing your rejects from the contest, I had mix feelings about  your final piece. One of the hardest things about diorama is finding the right figures that would look great together in a natural setting. Multi-species diorama is really challenging. I like your final submission, but I felt that the Toro was a bit out of place... take him out and I think it would be a much stronger composition.but that is just me.

I was hoping you would put in your 2 cents Boki. You've given me a lot of good advice before on diorama photography. The picture does looks a bit busy I suppose, I was trying to do a lot with one picture.

I love the Allo/Diplo and Jobaria/AfroV (in water, head shot) the most; it had great story, great composition, good figure compatibility, but most of all, it had that quality that is original you. Remember when I commented a while back that your photos have a very distinctive style that is unique ? For me, that was missing on your last set of photos. Of course you may have been experimenting with different style.

Funny because I considered both of those pretty weak. I mean I liked the pictures but when I took them I said to myself "anyone could do these, the figures practically photograph themselves. I need to do something different!" So yeah, I guess I really was trying to do something...different, I guess I tried too hard.

What your new photos have though is  lot of action and layers of story in each one of them. I would love to see how and where you take this approach in future dioramas.
Oh, and I  can totally relate to some natural object/creatures ruining a good photo. One of my first choice was ruined by a drop of water on a figure... did not even notice it until I got home

Thanks, gets me eager to take some more. If I do I better hurry...winter is coming.  Speaking of natural objects in the photo, your picture was #18 right? The Last Supper? I can totally see cat tracks in that picture. 

As I already mention, I'm a fan of your photo style, especially that picture on your signature... it inspired me to try that same composition using the CollectA megacerops I will try and post photos of my diorama rejects soon

Damn, if only I have saved that Postosuchus picture! Thanks, I appreciate your feedback and look forward to seeing your "rejects".

[Gwangi]

I think the Jurassic Portugal ones were the best. My eyes lit up for those. Finding a way to use your better-looking pieces should be the first step in my opinion, and those were more appealing to me than the ones you ended up using.

Yup, you're probably right. The better looking figures like the Papo Allosaurus though, they're just too easy. I guess that is partly the idea behind this but nearly every diorama picture I see with that guy in it is just fantastic simply because he is in it. Those figures photograph themselves. I was really trying to go for something different and unique and I guess that was part of my downfall. Perhaps I need to keep it simple and straightforward. I really like the Field Museum figures though, the Alamosaurus one the other hand leaves something to be desired however.

[Metallisuchus]

I think the Jurassic Portugal ones were the best. My eyes lit up for those. Finding a way to use your better-looking pieces should be the first step in my opinion, and those were more appealing to me than the ones you ended up using.

Yup, you're probably right. The better looking figures like the Papo Allosaurus though, they're just too easy. I guess that is partly the idea behind this but nearly every diorama picture I see with that guy in it is just fantastic simply because he is in it. Those figures photograph themselves. I was really trying to go for something different and unique and I guess that was part of my downfall. Perhaps I need to keep it simple and straightforward. I really like the Field Museum figures though, the Alamosaurus one the other hand leaves something to be desired however.

Speaking from personal experience, sometimes it's not good to over-think these decisions. Naturally, you were probably thinking of using the Allo but then you thought about it too much... I make these sorts of mistakes all the time, and I probably would've had the same thought process as you, had I entered.

I was actually looking forward to your diorama the most because I enjoy the Postosuchus one so much which was the main inspiration for me actually buying the figure a few months ago. Initially, I thought the Croc/Para one was yours because of the simplicity and the water.

[Gwangi]

Taking from personal experience, sometimes it's not good to over-think these decisions. Naturally, you were probably thinking of using the Allo but then you thought about it too much... I make these sorts of mistakes all the time, and I probably would've had the same thought process as you, had I entered.

Yup, and I certainly do over think everything. The Alamosaurus idea was the one I wanted to do from the beginning, I had my heart sold on doing it. It just seemed so unusual and uncharacteristic.

I was actually looking forward to your diorama the most because I enjoy the Postosuchus one so much which was the main inspiration for me actually buying the figure a few months ago. Initially, I thought the Croc/Para one was yours because of the simplicity and the water.

Wow, I'm glad everyone likes that picture so much. I must admit though, it was much easier to take that Postosuchus one than it was the contest picture. I just sat the thing in the water and used my camera's macro feature. I must have spent a good hour doing the Alamosaurus one. Just goes to show you...
I am fond of that Postosuchus one too though.

[Metallisuchus]

The Alamosaurus is an unusual choice, I suppose. What brand is it?

What makes your Postosuchus photo so good is that when I see your signature, it looks like it could've been out of a documentary or JP movie. It doesn't look like some $6 figure sitting in a stream.

[Gwangi]

The Alamosaurus is an unusual choice, I suppose. What brand is it?

What makes your Postosuchus photo so good is that when I see your signature, it looks like it could've been out of a documentary or JP movie. It doesn't look like some $6 figure sitting in a stream.

The Alamosaurus is by CollectA. A 2011 release I believe.

I know what makes that Postosuchus one so good, it was just a great quality figure. Like the Papo Allosaurus it pretty much photographs itself.

On the subject of the Para/Croc picture that you thought was mine. I must admit I'm surprised it did so well. The idea was a really good one. I actually used to film frogs and such by putting my video camera in an aquarium and moving it about in the water so I have an idea of what he did. The reason I'm surprised it did so well is because of the lens reflection and glare on the glass. That and the faces of both subjects are obscured so much. I'm not trying to knock it, it was a great idea and a cool shot. I just didn't think it would end up taking third place.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

The Alamosaurus is an unusual choice, I suppose. What brand is it?

On the subject of the Para/Croc picture that you thought was mine. I must admit I'm surprised it did so well. The idea was a really good one. I actually used to film frogs and such by putting my video camera in an aquarium and moving it about in the water so I have an idea of what he did. The reason I'm surprised it did so well is because of the lens reflection and glare on the glass. That and the faces of both subjects are obscured so much. I'm not trying to knock it, it was a great idea and a cool shot. I just didn't think it would end up taking third place.

What I questioned in that , is would the Croc generally be entirely submerged like that? I had always pictured them as gliding along jsut below the surface, rather than on the bottom as depicted, which made me question if the Croc could breathe and if the picture therefore was accurate. It was indeed a very unique idea, no question at all there.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

  I figured that one was yours right from the beginning. Due to your fondness of sauropods as well as South America. I liked your picture very much and immediately recognized it as a good contender for the win. You did an excellent job of blending the toys with the sculpture. Especially when you consider the Saltasaurus isn't even that good of a toy. If I had any criticisms one would be the roof that appears in the right side of the picture though it does hide well am I'm sure a lot of people didn't even notice it (like my ant). I also noticed all the subjects stand in profile facing the same direction, perhaps varying it up a bit would have been to your benefit. Try changing up the angles a bit. Personally I also prefer using species that actually lived with each other (Carnotaurus is far separated in time from Amargasaurus). That said your picture ultimately earned more votes than mine (over twice as much) so I don't have much room to criticize and I still really like the diorama. I didn't think the voters would be keen on using species that did not live together and perhaps that is what kept you from placing? I don't know because you still did make it pretty far.

Ha Ha I totally missed that roof and the funny thing is there was a power line right above it that I did shop out using copy and paste !!! You can see the difference in skyline and its because I pasted over a power line right at that juncture and totally missed the roof further down till you mentioned it. While we are on that picture, did anyone else make note of the sauropod neck sticking up from behind the hill? It was a dinosaur lying on its side from a previous picture, totally accidentally but when the photo was done, I said, sure, I will take that.
     I did somewhat toss the whole extant thing around...Carnotaurus, Saltosaurus, and Amargasaurus. The mean figures I came up with were...saltasaurus 70 million years ago, carnotaurus 75 million years ago and Amargasaurus 125 million years ago. So you could somewhat possibly be able to place saltasaurus and carnotaurus together, without twisting the framework too much. The problem is Amargasaurus, BUT....remember that dinosaur is known from one specimen in total. It is quite possible when more are found it might have had a wider range in time than currently given. Sauropods generally seemed to be long lived in species from my understanding. Of course knowing my luck the thing will be found and it will go backwards to the end of the Triassic, rather than forward to the onset of the Cretaceous, cause thats how it works of course.
    What I had hoped to do was give all dinosaurs from south america, all found by Bonaparte, and all from the same era of the mesozoic, which I managed to do. They were just widely spread within that era HA. !

[Bokisaurus]

I think the Jurassic Portugal ones were the best. My eyes lit up for those. Finding a way to use your better-looking pieces should be the first step in my opinion, and those were more appealing to me than the ones you ended up using.

Yup, you're probably right. The better looking figures like the Papo Allosaurus though, they're just too easy. I guess that is partly the idea behind this but nearly every diorama picture I see with that guy in it is just fantastic simply because he is in it. Those figures photograph themselves. I was really trying to go for something different and unique and I guess that was part of my downfall. Perhaps I need to keep it simple and straightforward. I really like the Field Museum figures though, the Alamosaurus one the other hand leaves something to be desired however.

For me, the Alamosaurus worked actually, it has a great action to it, and worked really well with the rexes. It's just the Toro that did not work for me, it just distracted from the Alamo/Rex story

[Gwangi]

I think the Jurassic Portugal ones were the best. My eyes lit up for those. Finding a way to use your better-looking pieces should be the first step in my opinion, and those were more appealing to me than the ones you ended up using.

Yup, you're probably right. The better looking figures like the Papo Allosaurus though, they're just too easy. I guess that is partly the idea behind this but nearly every diorama picture I see with that guy in it is just fantastic simply because he is in it. Those figures photograph themselves. I was really trying to go for something different and unique and I guess that was part of my downfall. Perhaps I need to keep it simple and straightforward. I really like the Field Museum figures though, the Alamosaurus one the other hand leaves something to be desired however.

For me, the Alamosaurus worked actually, it has a great action to it, and worked really well with the rexes. It's just the Toro that did not work for me, it just distracted from the Alamo/Rex story

I was trying to tell the story as the Torosaurus' in that particular picture. Something like "here is a picture of Torosaurus...OMG! Look behind him! Must be his lucky day." All well, I think I've gotten enough tips here to help me take a better picture next time. All I can do is grow from here and learn from my failures. I appreciate the insight everyone. Still, if anyone has anything else to add I'm all ears.
As for the Alamosaurus. The thing I don't like about it would be the size of the scales, they're huge and make the toy that much less believable to me.

Amarga, I did notice that sauropod head behind the hill. I couldn't figure out if that was intentional or an accident. Thanks for the clarification!

[DC]

Hi,

I though the Alamosaurus used with the Field Museum figures was perceptive and well matched.  I did not think it was too busy but instead rich in detail.  The only other alamosaurus is the Dino train and it would need to be repainted.   I thinking of trying a an Alamosaurus fauna after seeing your diorama.  A note track evidence for saurpods seems to indicate only the back legs touched the bottom.  Not sure how yo would pose that.

[Jetoar]

I didnt know that you had done a lot of dioramas and photographs Gwangi. Congratulations of all  .