I’m Not a Photo Taker But a Photo Maker: A Podcast with Astrid Heyland
German toy photographer Astrid Heyland returns to the show to take a special deep dive into her work with interviewer Kristina Alexanderson.
Using Pet Store Aquarium Accessories for Toy Photography
During a visit to the pet store for some goldfish essentials I discovered an entirely new realm of toy photography potential. No, it didn’t involve incorporating animals into my photos, but it did require ‘borrowing’ some accessories from the aforementioned goldfish. Aquatic ornamentation My plan was to quickly run in …
Rom Spaceknight in: ‘New World’
Toy photographer Adam Ford takes us on a journey to new worlds using a mix of retro and modern toys in this six image narrative.
Building My Own Background: Learn to Make a Diorama
One of the largest issues with toy photography, especially for those of us who shoot primarily in a studio, is finding suitable backgrounds. I recently tried to build my own background using foam and some craft paints. This is the result. I got this idea from a channel I stumbled …
Gundam: An Introduction for Toy Photographers
Gundam has been around for 40 years. That means 40 years worth of giant mecha-based toys. But despite the sheer amount of Gundam figures available, I don’t see many toy photographers using them. Perhaps that’s because they’re not ordinary action figures: They’re model kits. Don’t let that deter you though. There’s a lot …
Film vs. Digital: A Psychological Study
Toy Photographer Matthew Wyjad examines the psychological effect of the digital age of photography, and challenges us to retrain our brains…
Toy Photographers Take On COVID-19 and Quarantine Life
Just like most of the world, the ToyPhotographers.com team is hunkered down while the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds. In an effort to bring some much needed levity during this difficult time, I asked to the team to chime in on how they have been handling their “social distancing.” Alan Rappa Schools …
Mia the Rabbit: Shooting a Custom Plush Character
Mia Rabbit is a small quiet bunny who loves to travel and eat sweets. Danboard—the cardboard box character from Japan’s YOTSUBA&! anime—first inspired me to create my own character. I started shooting Danboard in 2009 for fun, and in that same year I went to New York to shoot backstage …
Podcast 83 – Toy Photographers Review ‘The Rise of Skywalker’
This week, we’re taking a trip to that galaxy far, far away for a special review of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker—from a toy photographer’s perspective.
Join Us at the 2020 Seattle Toy Photographers Meet-Up
Its on!! I’m here to announce that we will be meeting in Seattle for the Sixth Annual Toy Photographers Meet-Up! Mark the calendar for September 11–13, 2020. I don’t know about you, but I need to hear some good news. I love anticipating this upcoming weekend that some have described …
LEGO Mandalorian Battle Pack Photos and Review
If you are like me and caught The Mandalorian fever and fell in love with Mando and Baby Yoda thanks to Disney+, you probably purchased the LEGO Mandalorian Battle Pack (75267) when it was released. I have not been disappointed with it. The four Mando minifigures made the price tag …
The Floor Is Lava: Creating a Diorama for Multiple Scales
Remember that game played as kids? “THE FLOOR IS LAVA!!!” Furniture became the high ground where play and fantasy ruled the day. One of the reasons I (and I’ll assume many other toy photographers) do this kind of work is just that – play and fantasy. For me its entirely detached from my career as a professional creative (although it does make use of related skills). Toy photography is a chance to create just for fun. And its a rabbit hole…
Protecting Your Creative Space: Social Isolation and COVID-19
As I write this, the world is rapidly shutting down due to COVID-19, the so-called coronavirus. Like many businesses, my office closed to encourage social isolation, and I am now working from home for the next month. My first thought was, “Woohoo, I don’t have to wear pants!” My second …
Customizable LEGO Easter Egg Photos and Review
Thanks to LEGO we got to take an advance look at the Customizable Easter Egg (set 40371 to be exact) that will be released soon. This limited edition LEGO set will only available as a promotion when you purchase $50 or more at LEGO.com from March 23–April 13. This set …
Community Q&A: What Camera Do You Use?
The Toy Photographers blog team explains what cameras they use and why, with hopes their wisdom will help new photographers choose their own kits.
Photographing Physical Sets with Digital Backdrops
I often share behind the scenes images along with images I post on social media. People seem to like the glimpse behind the curtain, so to speak, to see the lighting positions, the effects, the sets, props, etc. Several of my photos involve using physical sets—structures, plants, props, etc.—in conjunction …
Selecting the Right One
Toy photographer Tobias Schiel shares his process for selecting the best photo from a number of alternative versions. Which one best suits the vision?
How to Make Your Toys ‘Fly’
Our February MeWe challenge was “leap.” This required our community members to get their toys off the ground in any way they could. In today’s post I want to show you a few of those techniques from several toy photography viewpoints. Because when it comes to making your toys fly, …
Podcast 82 – Photographing Movement
One of the fun challenges of toy photography is bringing our plastic, inanimate objects to life. An effective way to do this is to capture them moving, or imply that they’re moving. We saw many great examples of this in last month’s MeWe community “Leap” challenge, and Kristina and I …
Connect the DOTS! LEGO DOTS Arts & Crafts Sets Review
Connect the dots is a well-known and popular graphic game. In it, players connect numbered dots with lines to gradually reveal a previously hidden image. This game captures the character of the new LEGO DOTS arts and crafts line quite well, though not completely—but more on that later. DOTS is …