Capturing Photos 

In order to create our 3D digital model of Merida we used a process called photogrammetry. Photogrammetry involves capturing visual information of a subject by taking multiple images of it from different angles, aiming for at least a 60% overlap, which the software, in our case Agisoft Metashape, then aligns into a 3D digitalisation. This technique is called Structure-from-Motion (Papadopoulos, n.d.). We put Merida inside a lightbox and set her on a turntable, which we turned in small increments, taking several photos along the way. The camera was set on a tripod and positioned at various angles to create the illusion of building a dome of photographs around Merida. To capture the underside of Merida we also took photos of her upside down, with her head stuck in some floral foam to stabilise her. 

One challenge we had in taking the photos was getting the whole toy in focus. Although we used a narrow aperture, the combination of focal length and distance from camera to subject that we needed to get Merida to look correct in the camera meant the depth of field was very shallow. In our first attempt there were too many out of focus areas and the software struggled to make a full 3D model. We therefore decided to have a second session taking photographs. To further assist the software we added stickers to the model to help it find common points to align. As Agisoft Metashape struggles with reflective materials such as plastic we also sprayed her with a matte spray and added baby powder to the base, which was made of clear plastic.