Last week as I was sorting out my handbag I kept finding random bits of LEGO in the bottom. A mug, a wand, the wing of a chimera figure. You know, the normal stuff that lives with the crumbs and crumpled receipts.
It got me thinking about the toys we carry with us, regardless of where we’re going, or what we’re doing. It got me wondering about how many people there are out there with small collections of toys in their bags, ready and waiting for photographic inspiration to strike!
In addition to random toys lost in my bag, I carry a tin TARDIS. A tin that is, like its full sized counterpart, deceptively bigger on the inside.
At the moment my tin contains a bunch of my favourite figures, as well as a select few accessories. I thought it would be fun to see what lives in my bag and to see if there are any similarities with what other photographers carry on a daily basis (answers in the comments, please!)
My sig fig.
Out for a stroll at the London LEGO store
Of course, what LEGO photographer would go anywhere without a sigfig to hand. An essential part of the kit.
Snape.
Snape makes a visit to Diagonally, but it makes him feel a little small!
The Snape I carry varies between classic Snape, and one above that I got from minifigs.me. I love putting Snape in random situations, especially when he just looks so annoyed by it all!
A stormtrooper.
Drink Imperial Milkshake and bring all the Stromtroopers to your yard.
I’m probably not alone in carrying a Stormtrooper around. He can get up to so much mischief, or even just work as a simple photo like the one above. It’s instantly recognisable, and the stories just write themselves around this figure.
Skellewings.
Making some magic in the apple tree
I fell in love with Skellewings this summer, and he hasn’t yet left my portable toy box. He’s here just in case the light is perfect, although as the autumn days get shorter, I think he might be relegated in favour of some Christmas fun!
Pose Skeleton.
He’s such a poser (featuring Greyfriars Kirkyard)
This is a figure that can be both in and out of place, making for some great stories. He is pretty versatile as he can hold on to stuff and maintain a shape really well.
Accessories
Along with the above figures, I carry around a limited selection of accessories. I’m an accessory junkie, so it’s hard to keep this down, and the pile seems to grow if left unchecked. I will, given the opportunity, always look to photograph accessories by themselves in some way.
At the moment my tin contains: a pink umbrella; a camera; a pink wand; a coffee cup; a milkshake cup; a book; a teddy bear, and a magnifying glass.
Magic bear
What toys do you carry on a day to day basis? Do you have any regulars who always come out with you? Do you actually use them, or are they more of a comfort blanket, to know they are there if you need them?
– Lizzi
@stepping_on_bricks
I really enjoyed this post Lizzi. I do almost all of my photos indoors so I rarely ever carry minifigs around in my purse unless I have a specific plan to take a photo that day but I’m in awe of photographers who can come up with such wonderful photos on the fly. I especially love the one of your Sigfig strolling in front of the LEGO store. She looks very happy, so she must have found some great sets there 🙂
Lynn
Thanks Lyn! She found Lester’s umbrella, so she was totally happy! (Of course, I’ve now lost the umbrella so I will have to go back for another! 😉 )
Excellent post Lizzi! I really like the image you shared wit it. My favorite is the image of the Skelliwings. That is a great character that you seem to have a lovely affinity for.
I will admit that I rarely carry any figures with me. This can be embarrassing when people ask me to pull a few out and I cant. Maybe I should hide a few characters in a container like your Tardis just to have them with me. Who knows what would happen? But your post has inspired me to try.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Shelly! I think it’s certainly worth trying a figure or two tucked away, just in case! 🙂
I don’t have a Tardis. Nor do I have a handbag. And now that I’ve broken the camera on my phone, the only need to take toys out with me is when my camera comes too!
Luckily my camera sling bag has enough pockets that I can cram a decent amount of toys in there without having to take a separate bag.
I must admit, I don’t have a usual starting line-up when it comes to toys. I generally grab what I think will work with where I’m going. But maybe that’s because I get the chance to think and plan when I grab my camera. If my phone camera hadn’t decided to die, maybe I’d have a pre-packed gang that went everywhere with me? Just in case!
That sucks about the phone camera! I love having mine to hand! But, not having to take a separate bag is awesome. One of my big gripes about toy photography/photography in general is how much STUFF there is to cart around!