Toy photographers face a lot of choices each time they set out to create an image. Which camera? Lens? Aperture? ISO? Shutter speed? What story am I trying to tell? Where do I want to set the scene? And the whammy of them all: Which toy(s) would best serve my purpose and intention? With SO many toys to choose from—LEGO, Playmobil, Funko, action figures that run into the thousands, and so many more—where’s a newbie to start? Especially a newbie without any toys? Spoiler alert: If you’re just starting out and have few or no toys, that will change quickly—very quickly!!
In this episode of the Toy Photographers Podcast, your hosts Terri (@greenehenphotography) and Ariel (@those_wonderful_toys) discuss the many choices facing newbie toy photographers when it comes to toys. For Ariel, toys came before photography. Terri, on the other hand, didn’t own a single toy before embarking on a daily photo project in January 2021. Together, they’ll chat about the choices they make for their own photography and some of their favorite toys to photograph.
Listen in as they discuss:
- The toys that have been a part of their lives—past/present
- What they consider when deciding to purchase a toy
- How they manage the financial implications of toy purchases
- Lens considerations
- Experimenting vs. nailing down a niche/focus
- Props and accessories
- Advice for other newbies—especially re: social media!
- Buyer’s remorse
- And so much more!
Sample images of some of our favorite toys:
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts after listening to this episode: What are your favorite toys to photograph? What’s on your wish list? What advice do you have for newbies? Leave a comment below, join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram, and be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you’ll never miss an episode!
Great listen guys .. a good reminder to photograph the toys that make you happy. There are a lot of toys out there and its a beautiful deep rabbit hole!
I will admit that LEGO mini figures at their most expensive can’t hold a candle to that Mexco Gomez figure. :0
And Ariel…you’re right I was rolling my eyes at that one moment. You know me so well!!! 😀
Thank you, Shelly!!
Another really great episode. Terri and Ariel. I do agree that you should just go out there and try everything you want to. Take photos of whatever you want to. I do agree that out of experimenting and the longer you are in the hobby the more you starting figuring out what you like to photograph and gravitate towards certain toys, aesthetics or scale. It can be for financial reasons, or practical reasons. There simply is not enough space to have so many scaled versions of your favorite characters. Even though it would be cool.
Thanks so much, Sabrina!