I confess, I like taking photographs of T-Rex chasing little helpless mini figures; it never gets old.

Whenever I set up one of these shots I snicker and I’m happy. If I can’t make myself laugh, then how can I make you? If I can’t please myself with my photography, why should I expect you to like them? So here we are, it’s Monday and I’ve posted yet another one of these silly photos and my day got a little better.

How does a lego photographer end up photographing dinosaurs you ask? Well, I have to give credit, or blame to my friend, Jon Aiken, aka Dinoczars. Jon and I have been shooting together for about three years now. (What!!! Where did the time go?) I’m in love with Jon’s hyper realistic photos of dinosaurs and I’m always amazed by the photos he’s able to capture. Often we’re shooting in the same location and his photos are very different from mine. You would never know we were standing only a short distance apart.

With Jon’s influence, it didn’t take long before I started collecting my very own dinosaurs to add to my toy bag of tricks. I love the raptors and I always have one or two with me on our toy outings, but this T-Rex has stolen my heart. Maybe I empathize a little too much with the mini fig in peril? Maybe I want to be that T-Rex? Maybe I simply have a twisted sense of humor?

The best part of shooting with other toy photographers, especially ones that have different toys than you, is the pleasure of dipping into their toy bags for some toy crossover over fun. (I have seen this happen at every toy meet-up I’ve had the privilege of attending.) In fact I’m amazed at the different skill set you need to photograph different toys. You can’t approach a lego mini figure the same way you would approach a dinosaur or a 6′ black stormtrooper. As a toy photographer you have to respect that every toy interacts with the environment differently, handles differently and has a different story to tell.

So while I’m thinking up new mini figures to run from the jaws of T-Rex (because you know, it never gets old) I hope you’re thinking about joining us for the upcoming toy photographers meet-up in Seattle on May, 20th. We already have an amazing group of photographers who’ve committed to attend, each specializing in their own brand of twisted humor and toy fun, but we want to make sure everyone knows they’re welcome. We want to introduce lego photographers to dinosaur photographers, we want our storm trooper action friends to experience the fun of the LEGO mini figure; we want to encourage as much cross pollination silliness as we can. It doesn’t matter if you’re into action shots, or photos filled with exquisite bokeh, I’m sure we can all agree, toy photography never gets old.

Our next big Stuck in Plastic sponsored toy photography meet-up is only six weeks away, but it’s not too late to plan a last minute trip to Seattle!

Even if you can’t make this event I hope you will reach out to a toy photographer in your area and set up your own gathering. Even a drive of a few hours is well worth the effort as many a toy photographer can attest to. Maybe you will get lucky and meet a dinosaur photographer like I did.

Yes, photographing lego mini figures running  from T-rex never gets old; neither does meeting up with other toy photographers. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small local get-together, or a major meet-up like Seattle, ideas are exchanged, tips are shared and life long friends are made.

If you’re one of those already planning on coming to Seattle, I urge you to get your thinking caps on and you can help me add to the #stuckinjurassic tag. I think you’ll also find that making mini figures run from a T-Rex never gets old.

~ Shelly

If you would like to be counted as an associate member of the Stuck in Plastic community I urge you to register here on the blog. We have a few opportunities in the works that we want to offer to our core community first. So go… sign up…be counted as a part of the stuck in plastic community! 

Gotta run....!

Gotta run….!