On Feb 15, 2014 my boyfriend Ryan proposed to me with a LEGO heart-shaped box and changed my life forever. The first change was obvious—I get to spend the rest of my life married to my best friend—but the second change wouldn’t become so obvious to me for another seven years.
A few weeks ago, I was asked to be a regular writer for this blog. Of course it is an amazing opportunity, but it also comes with the weight of coming up with new ideas to write about. The blog posts I find most interesting are the ones where the photographer talks about the “Why” of his or her toy photography journey. Don’t get me wrong, I love the “How,” but I am always fascinated by the why.
Here is my why:
Like I said, it all started back in 2014 with a LEGO heart-shaped box. Two years later I am struggling to come up with an idea for a Christmas gift for my husband. He is definitely more romantic than I, but I wanted to give him something special. While surfing the internet looking for ideas, I saw an article about Andrew Whyte, this photographer taking a LEGO minifig that looked like him around snapping photos and calling it LEGOGRAPHY. It was genius.
It was the perfect idea. You see, while I love photography and have always taken photos for some reason, I rarely take pictures of myself. I am really not great at the whole “selfie” thing, so I wasn’t taking photographs of myself with Ryan. In retrospect it’s really a shame. (Do yourself a favor, and take pictures with your friends and loved ones because there’s nothing like looking back at those memories). I wanted to be able to revisit those times in photographs, and since I didn’t have any, I decided to recreate them with LEGO, like Andrew Whyte. After all, Ryan had asked me to marry him with a LEGO heart-shaped box.
Thus The Perry LEGO Adventures began.
The hallway we first met. 
Our second date. 
A great place to go on walks. 
Where we said those 3 words for the first time. (I love you) 
A recreation of a “real” photo at our engagement party.
Spend time making memories. 
But, always match your outfit to your signature minifigure.
That, my friends, is why, seven years later, toy photography has become an integral part of my life. All because of a LEGO heart-shaped box.
You can follow my stories and photos at @theperrylegoadventures on Instagram.
This is a really sweet story! Great photos too 🙂
Lynn
Thank you Lynn. I appreciate that. Even now years later, I’m still proud of my original set of photos. I’ve grown as a photographer but the original intention is still very much alive in my heart.
Hi Sabrina – I love hearing the ‘whys’ of toy photography too. Thank you for sharing your sweet story and photos with us!