Returning to Rivendell
In truth I never really left Rivendell. I’ve been here all along, accumulating lots of photos into the back log. Does anyone else have a back log, I’d be interested to know? I think of my back log as photos that I’ve taken but haven’t published yet., I tend to have quite a lot. But I digress, we’re here to talk elves, trees and more pretty Lego architecture.
As I mentioned in the first part of this review, for me this set is all about the vignettes. Little pockets of imagery, or photo opportunities that appear as you explore the various angles of the set. And yes you read that right this is part two of a review. One, because this is a very big set. And two, we all know how I like to ramble on.
So lets get back into those vignettes and the resulting scenes.
Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens
Nothing particularly subtle when it comes to the story telling in this photo. Shining light on the soon to be king surrounded in darkness. With the light illuminating and framing Aragorn
There is a smith/weapons store hidden under the pergola. The back is open to allow the camera in nice and close. And the doorway provides a nice frame within a frame.
A very simple lighting setup for this one. With the light shining from behind at a high angle. Combined with the atmosphere it gave a soft light, that didn’t blow out from behind the minifigure. But with enough of a beam through the door to show it entering the room. Playing around to get the angle on the light can be worth it to get the right light to tell the right story.
I was conscious to twist the sword in Aragorn’s hand to better catch the light from above.
Something I particularly liked about this photo was how the light caught the various weapons. Sometimes strongly, sometimes subtly. I wanted there to be enough details in the dark to suggest the figure is walking into a location with lots to discover rather than total darkness.
Hear my voice, come back to the light
Going for a wider shot this time I reconfigured the different modular sections of the set to create a new scene. Moving the buildings themselves to create new areas of Rivendell. And as long as you don’t look at all the images together… oh, wait. Well hopefully the geography isn’t too confusing. Just don’t think about it too much, I guess.
Moving trees again. This time to create a little foreground interest.
Because I was shooting up, with the minifigure at the top of the steps it was easy to leave the desk unhidden as it was always just out of frame. Lazy scene setting perhaps, But you only need to do what you need to do, and I was also unwilling to bring anything Lego or otherwise into the photos from outside the set itself.
I wanted this scene to also be brighter so I lined up the three spotlights. Using bits of the set like the roof, towers and trees, along with the atmosphere I could create some haze and light beams through the setup. I didn’t want a spotlight on Arwen, but more some of the light catching her as it shone through the forest.
All you had to do was cast it into the fire
I know Elrond was never alone with the ring, but this little story popped into my head while playing with the various elements. It all comes from that amazing facial expression. And I just imagined how he was contemplating what could have been if the strength of men hadn’t failed. How long had he thought about what happened, to be confronted by it again?
This set comes with Elrond and Gandalf now having skirt pieces instead of legs. And as this presents something of a challenge when the key scene depicted in the set is all the characters sitting in a circle the designers came up with an interesting solution. Using a curved slope and some other pieces, both characters have brick built alternative legs for when they are sitting. Both do require stickers to finish the look, but it is quite a clever solution. Sorry I just don’t like stickers in a Lego set.
When it comes to the setup, it’s fairly typical for me. A spotlight in a dark room to help focus in on the subjects. And obviously a bit of atmosphere to fill the light.
I also removed the circle of chairs to get a better angle looking up at Elrond and the great tree behind him. I’m also very happy with how the light catches his ear. The hair pieces are dual moulded so the hair is dark and the ears are light. I guess it behaves like a real ear where light can shine through it on a real person.
Flame of the West
Upstairs from Elrond’s office is a plinth holding the Shards of Narsil. It’s very cool that Lego have a custom piece for the broken sword of the king. Although I did wish I had an unbroken version. Perhaps we’ll get another one if they keep making Lord of the Rings sets again. The plinth itself is a little brick built setup, but there is the minifigure of a statue to hold the remains of the sword. There are several statues through the set, significantly boosting the minifig numbers.
The upstairs section is little more than a narrow walkway backing onto the ornate pillars and decoration that surrounds the council seats on the front of the model. As soon as I saw this part of the set I knew it was all about a back light and some light beams.
The horizontal section of the plinth cut wonderfully through the beams to give that extra interest in the shape of the light. And with this photo I think that’s all it is. One strong light through the various shapes and atmosphere to create various light and shadow in the finished image.
Strangers from distant lands… friends of old
We’ve moved back downstairs again. And this time Elrond is meeting with Gloin. Yes, that Gloin from The Hobbit. But more importantly he has a wee lad named Gimli.
I probably keep saying it, but I just love this part of the set. How the light comes through this area of the build is so good for getting good depth in the photo. The various pillars and furniture all catching the light at different points create interesting silhouettes and add lots of detail. When you think about it, most Lego builds have very little depth, especially when it comes to building interiors. So this is a nice change and worth capturing on camera.
Someone else always has to carry on on the story
To the side of Elrond’s office and as part of the tower build is a library that extends the interior space. I really liked the architecture of the arches and hand rails that can be seen on the side of the build. Unfortunately due to the wide aspect ratio of my lens I was unable to get them all in the frame. But I did like this angle looking through the model. I was able to position Bilbo as if he’s exploring the library for old maps of adventures long gone.
I tried to catch some sunlight in this photo, to create some contrast around Bilbo in the further reaches of the image. However as mentioned in the first part of this review the weather in this part of the world is rubbish so I still had to use an spotlight to help.
The ambient light of being by the window in the day did help light the archways though. Giving them enough definition from the darker middle ground of the scene. I usually take photographs at night to make using the spotlights easier and more dramatic. We all love a bit of dram, right?
Visions of far lands and bright things that he had never yet imagined opened out before him
Sean Bean is arriving in Rivendell. It’s not quite his arrival by horseback in the movie but he strikes a heroic pose as he crosses the little bridge.
As usual I’ve got a high, rear spotlight. It’s a regular lighting position for me. This time to mimic the sunlight shining through the various trees and pillars. I used one of my coloured filters to change the light to an orangey hue as the sun begins to set. Obviously I combined that with some atmosphere to get some rays of light. Hopefully you are seeing the pattern to how I light many of my scenes by now.
All your long years we have been friends. Trust me as you once did, let it go
Hidden on the back side of the set is a small bench. I wanted to use it for this quiet scene where two old friends could spend a moment in each other’s company. I imagined that while Frodo was unaware of Biblo’s new home having left Bag End and the Shire, Gandalf was all to aware of where he was. And that to two would reminisce about being a bit younger and the adventures they’d had together.
I used two lights for this scene. The first was fairly typical as a top light just catching the edge of the leaves in the tress above. I wanted this to mimic some natural sunlight without being to harsh a light. I also added a second light to shine through the building and highlight some of the pillars and architecture. I’d tried with just the top light first but the interior of the building became too dark and sinister. Something that I’ve felt throughout photographing this set, even when using darkness and shadows. Is that Elven architecture would likely be open, bright and welcoming. And it’s been a lot of fun to play with lights to try and create that feeling.
I mentioned before that Gandalf had some special sitting legs. Well so do some of the hobbits. Compared to the previous the Lord of the Rings Lego, hobbits now come with dual moulded legs to show off their short shorts. But as this are kids legs there is no movement at the hips. So to make Bilbo and Frodo sit you can build legs from a headlight brick with a tan square stuck to the bottom for feet. It’s a clever solution, but you have to be careful that when shooting from behind the two visible studs don’t look like they’ve been working on their glute definition at the gym.
I need to stop taking more photographs
This was the sixth or seventh day of shooting for the review and I still couldn’t stop myself. So begrudgingly on my part this was the last photo I took for the review. Apologies for going on and on. But it’s such an inspiring model to photograph and there were so many elements I wanted to show off in these posts.
But enough is enough, not every photo needs to be in the review. More can come in the future.
Even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not
To finish up it seemed appropriate for another photo with the whole fellowship present. But I must admit Sam, Merry and Pippin snuck in there at the last minute. A nice reference to the movies where they sneak into the fellowship itself.
A simple spotlight from above did the job on this one, along with some atmosphere. I tried back lighting the model so the light shone through the pillars behind the council but it just didn’t work. It was this simpler setup that resulted in a better image.
Now the light radiates out from the ring in the centre. I wanted it to shine out from the ring and not be a shaft of light down from above. I tried to find the balance on how focused the light was and when I sprayed the aerosol. After a few attempts I got exactly what I wanted.
It was a bit of a challenge to make sure the ring and Elrond’s expression were visible in the shot. Frodo was sliding left and right quite a bit until I got it right.
So should you buy this Lego set for toy photography
Hoping you are still with me after two posts. And apologies for taking so many photos, but I just didn’t know how to do this set justice without covering as much as possible. My feeling is I’ve only just scratched the surface of the photos I can take, and I think that’s the biggest compliment I can give this set. And as mentioned I haven’t even got it outdoors yet, due to the weather.
So if you are asking, should I buy this set? From me it’s an unequivocal yes. I know it’s super expensive. And I know it’s enormous. But this thing is nothing short of beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed building and photographing this over the past few weeks, it’s simply wonderful. And I’m happy to say, it is easily one of my favourite Lego sets from all the sets I’ve ever owned.
I must also say it does look good next to the Lion Knights Castle and the Medieval Blacksmith on the shelf. I’ve got my own Middle Zealand going on over here.
Now I’m off to clean all the atmosphere grease off of the various surfaces in this set before I start taking more pictures. The road goes ever on and on…
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