Hi res photo images that could be printed on vinyl material for backdrops.

I'm reminded of the incident a few years back, where the wife of one of our members decided to take panoramic photos of an industrial site from outside the fence; for the purpose of making a back scene for the club layout.  While she was there, she was approached by Security . . .

So, taking your own photos has its risks.   

MaxSouthOz posted:

I'm reminded of the incident a few years back, where the wife of one of our members decided to take panoramic photos of an industrial site from outside the fence; for the purpose of making a back scene for the club layout.  While she was there, she was approached by Security . . .

So, taking your own photos has its risks.   

It is important to remember that photography (in almost all cases) is not a crime when done from public property, or from private property with the permission of the property owner.  I recommend getting such permission in writing before you start, if you decide to work from private property.  I also recommend carrying a small 'Photographers Bill of Rights' card with you when shooting and making first contact with local police if security attempts to harass you.  Often times typical patrol officers may bot be aware of the law regarding photography so it is a good idea to keep a printed copy of your state/local laws on hand, and be prepared to have to ask for a supervisor.  Most of the time, it is simpler to move on, but it is important to know that you don't have to, and that it IS illegal for anyone to put their hands on you or your equipment.  

Photography is NOT a crime!

On the other hand, copyright infringement IS.  So, if for this planned backdrop you randomly download photos you may be unknowingly stealing intellectual property.  I recommend doing your homework on any images and being sure they are royalty free or have a permission granted to reproduce them.  You also have the option of using one of the many stock photo sites out there and paying a royalty for use, which is probably the best way to go for high resolution images.  

JGL

You can find many public domain panoramic images on the Internet. The easiest source is Wikimedia. They have a large collection of panoramas. You can also do a Google image search for "panorama", although not everything you will find will be public domain (although many individuals allow non-commercial use of their work).

Don't overestimate your resolution needs. Using a photo processing program to stretch and resample an image will produce a "soft" look that, viewed from across your train table, actually enhances the sense of depth and distance. Here is a backdrop that I printed. The effective resolution is only 30 pixels/inch, but it looks great:

Avanti posted:

Here is a backdrop that I printed.

What did you print it on?  What kind of printer?  Material and source?

Thanks.

MaxSouthOz posted:

I'm reminded of the incident a few years back, where the wife of one of our members decided to take panoramic photos of an industrial site from outside the fence; for the purpose of making a back scene for the club layout.  While she was there, she was approached by Security . . .

So, taking your own photos has its risks.   

Ha! This happened to me too. It was before 911 too. A loud speaker came on from nowhere and told us to not trespass or the "Authorities would be notified".

mwb posted:

Avanti posted:

Here is a backdrop that I printed.

What did you print it on?  What kind of printer?  Material and source?

Thanks.

It was done on a large format roll-feed inkjet printer we have a work. Not sure the brand--I'll try to remember to look. The stock was just fairly heavy plain paper--kind of like white butcher paper. Lots of commercial print shops have this kind of printer. Try Staples, Office Depot, or Kinkos.

The image was from Wikimedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...ountain_Panorama.JPG

It was printed as a single image 15 feet long. I had to stretch the image somewhat in order to get the right aspect ratio.

Avanti posted:

mwb posted:

Avanti posted:

Here is a backdrop that I printed.

What did you print it on?  What kind of printer?  Material and source?

Thanks.

It was done on a large format roll-feed inkjet printer we have a work. Not sure the brand--I'll try to remember to look. The stock was just fairly heavy plain paper--kind of like white butcher paper. Lots of commercial print shops have this kind of printer. Try Staples, Office Depot, or Kinkos.

The image was from Wikimedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...ountain_Panorama.JPG

It was printed as a single image 15 feet long. I had to stretch the image somewhat in order to get the right aspect ratio.

Ok, not something that the average guy has in his home office,   I could do it at work, but I'd like to not be told to retire this week...

Great thoughts here. 

mwb posted:

Ok, not something that the average guy has in his home office,   I could do it at work, but I'd like to not be told to retire this week...

Just for the record, the printer that my backdrop was printed on was the Canon ipf710:

They cost $4K or so (there is a used one on eBay right now for $1500). As I said, though, check your local print shop.

Avanti posted:

Just for the record, the printer that my backdrop was printed on was the Canon ipf710:

They cost $4K or so (there is a used one on eBay right now for $1500). As I said, though, check your local print shop.

Good info here all around,