Toy photography can get complex

Have you ever considered that toy photography can get complex? I have. And as I take more people down the road of toy photography exploration, via my workshops, I appreciate our underrated hobby more and more. Toy photography can be so much more than simply placing a toy in an interesting environment and taking a photo. While this is a part of the process, there are many steps and decisions being made along the way. Many of these decisions are essential but are often dismissed or overlooked in the pursuit of a fabulous photo.

Because I’ve been sharing my knowledge of toy photography through my workshops over the past four years I appreciate how complex toy photography can be. Watching photographers new to the process learning how to work with toys while also remembering how to take a photo, has helped me appreciate what we all do with fresh eyes..

I’m always recommending to photographers in my workshops to use the tools in their tool box. But what does this even mean? What are our tools? What tools do you need to be a photographer of toys? Well it turns out, quite a few. Let’s take a look.

What goes into a toy photo

When I begin creating a toy photo, the following flow chart approximates my thought process and the various decisions I have to make. I’m considering all the aspects of the photo from lens the choice of toy and even how this will connect with my audience. Sometime I create photos for me, sometimes I create images for my audience. The best photos are always ones created when I work in the intersection of my ‘needs’ and my audiences ‘wants’.

Let’s break it down

Are you confused and over whelmed after looking at my flow chart? I don’t blame you, it looks so dense and complicated! So let’s break it down. By the end of this process I hope that you can appreciate that toy photography is not as simplistic as you might first suspect.

Column one

It doesn’t matter if you arrive at this hobby as a toy collector or a toy photographer, the first task of the toy photographer is to master the craft of photography. Photography is both a skill and a way of seeing the world that is endlessly exciting and challenging. Many photographers spend years exploring all the many facets of the craft. Learning how to use a camera, capture an image, understanding light and then mastering some level of post processing is only step one of being a toy photographer!

Column two

Choosing a toy to photograph can be challenging. They come in all shapes and sizes and represent almost any movie, book franchise and pop culture touchstone that you can think of. They come in a wide range of characters that can be simplistic or highly realistic. Articulation, realism, pose ability, stability and the material they are fashioned from all have certain advantages and disadvantages. It’s these wide ranging parameters that the toy photographer learns to embrace and work with.

Learning the tricks of posing and supporting my toys was the first skill that I needed to master. I remembered when I finally had the courage to create images when my toys appeared to fly, leap and float. I was inspired by other toy photographers and learned from them. Watching action figure photographers helped me to understand the importance of posing for realism. An important skill to understand if you goal is to create an image where the toys feel ‘real’.

Now that we’ve explored the first two columns, I hope that you can see how a toy photographers skill set grows a little at a time.

Column three

Now that you’ve mastered the basics of photograph and have a working knowledge of how to pose your favorite toy, now it’s time to decide if you’re a studio or outdoor photographer. Of course there are toy photographers who bounce between the two easily. But in my experience most toy photographers gravitate to one or the other. Studio photographers often enjoy the control and pace of a studio setup. While outdoor photographers enjoy the fast pace and sense of discover that is the hallmark of outdoor photography.

There are no right answers to this decision of studio vs outdoors. Choosing one over the other is really a reflection of the images you want to create. I always recommend to the beginning toy photographer to choose the path that brings the most joy. Each path has its own lessons to be learned and challenges to overcome. Of course lighting is key to both paths and many of the techniques learned in one transfers to the other. While I gravitate to outdoor toy photos I enjoy challenging myself by creating image in my small studio.

Are you starting to see why I think toy photography is hard? Even the simplest toy photograph is a combination of many skills and creative decisions.

Column four

Purposeful storytelling emerged once I have mastered the technical sides of toy photography. Storytelling is naturally what happens when I want to create an image where the toys are doing something, I’ve heard that some people think that a single image isn’t a ‘story’. I think every toy photo is a story. While it may not be a complete story, any toy photo acts as a jumping off point for the viewer to create a story of their own devising. We are all storytellers. Why not create an open ended image that acts as the spark for someone else’s story?

After teaching my Storytelling workshop through several rounds, I’ve come to appreciate the effort that goes into the simplest story. Understanding basic character archetypes, different types of story arcs, thinking about climax and transformation is really taking toy photography into amazing places. Exploring personal stories that connect to universal themes and expressing these through the broad brush strokes of toy photography can be humorous, powerful and thought provoking.

I enjoy the many Six Images Narratives that have been created over the years. Each one is a labor of love where the sum is greater than the whole. This is where all the tools in the toy photographer’s toolbox get used. Like I said, toy photography is hard!

Column five

Even if you work with single image stories, you can go deeper by using symbolism, color theory, expressing specific emotions or layering on myth & mythology. It’s always important to consider the audience. Your audience can be your followers on social media or simply one person. Audience is always hovering in the back of my mind. Its a consideration but my own needs to explore and create always come first. With a little luck what I want to explore will also connect with another person’s expectations and lived experience.

But when I employ simple symbols such as animals, flowers, other art objects, common storylines like mythology, etc. I increase my odds of connecting with the viewer. Every object I place in an image helps to deepen the story. When I consider the hidden meaning of flowers, how we react to certain colors and of course body language I can clearly express emotions. It is this emotional connection that is at the heart of creative process.

When we start employing these additional ideas we can add meaning and layers to our photos. While not easy, its always fun and rewarding when it works!

Toy photography can get complex

I believe that many people easily dismiss toy photography as simplistic. But I’ve learned that truly great toy photography is so much more.

When I consider all the concepts that need to be held lightly in my mind when I create, the process can get overwhelming quickly. As one of the photographers I work with said: “No wonder it takes me two weeks to take a photo! The first one to think of an idea and the second one to execute it!”

Over the years I’ve noticed that toy photography attracts both the toy collector who wants to learn photography and photographers who discover that toys are a wonderful subject. However you find the hobby I hope that you can see that there is more here than meets the eye. And whatever you learn through photographing toys is easily applied to any photographic subject.

Whether you’re creating using the skills listed in columns 1-3, or occasionally challenging yourself and incorporating ideas from columns 4 & 5, the goal is always personal self expression. And if you can have fun while you’re doing it…all the better!

And take a moment to appreciate that toy photography can be incredibly difficult. If you’re struggling to capture the perfect toy photo now you know why. Because toy photography is more complex than first meets the eye!

Shelly

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