MOC It Up Again: Updating My LEGO Exosuit Build
I had the itch to do some new building, and rather than a new kit it was prime time for a redo of the original MOC. This would be one base plate (3 sided) and loaded with…
Category: Behind the Scenes
Toy Photography Studio Tour: Studio Dave
Dave does most of his creative and toy photography work in his basement, aka “Studio Dave.” Enjoy a no-holds-barred tour of his creative home.
Diorama: A Tutorial, Part 4 of 4
Properly scaled backgrounds are hard to find. This tutorial series walks through building a simple diorama for 6″ action figures.
Diorama: A Tutorial, Part 3 of 4
Properly scaled backgrounds are hard to find. This tutorial series walks through building a simple diorama that is properly scaled for 6″ action figures.
Tips & Tricks: Indiana Jones Sunset Silhouette Effect
Alan offers a simple tutorial for creating a sunset silhouette with your toy photography. All it requires is a light source and some household items.
Diorama: A Tutorial, Part 2 of 4
Properly scaled backgrounds are hard to find. This series walks through building a simple diorama that is properly scalled for 6″ action figures.
Diorama: A Tutorial, Part 1 of 4
Dave offers simple tips for making a brick wall diorama for your toy photography. Part 1 of this four-part series covers carving the foam wall.
BTS: Painting & Weathering Action Figures
Adding paint to action figures can bring out detail and add an aged look. Dave tries painting and weathering a Black Series Baby Yoda figure.
Customizing 6-Inch Action Figures with Jon Black (@12parsecscustoms)
Star Wars 6-inch action figure customizer Jon Black, @12parsecscustoms on Instagram, shares his process, sources and tips for making custom figures.
Taking a Shot: How I Created Deadpool’s Bullet
A behind-the-scenes story of a plastic egg, spray paint, an inner voice, a Hot Toys Deadpool figure and how it all came together in a dramatic toy photo.
LEGO Death Star II Battle (GWP) Set 40407 Review
Alan reviews and shoots the LEGO Death Star II Battle (GWP) set 40407, was available free with $75 Shop.LEGO.com purchases for Star Wars Day 2020.
Shooting Into the Sun
Putting the sun directly in the background of your shot can make a dramatic image. Follow this tutorial to learn how to do it with your toy photography.
Making My Own Character: The Plague Doctor
Have an idea for a shot but can’t find an action figure to create it? Try taking an existing figure and adding your own accessories, like my plague doctor.
Troopers in the Mist: Creating Atmosphere
Atmosphere can be a fantastic element to your toy photography. We explore three options for doing so with Matt Frederick.
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 …
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 …
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…
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?
Lightshow – Four Lighting Sources, Part 2
In Part 1, we looked at an overview of Four Lighting Sources applied to the same subject. We also looked at a simple application of common modifiers. Compare & contrast Have a closer look at the nature of light and shadow qualities for these examples above. Open a much larger …
Lightshow – Four Lighting Sources, Part 1
In this series, we’ll look at four lighting sources that I’ve gathered for my own use. I’ll touch on some available modifiers and show a few examples. As a professional creative I’ve produced product photography for years: Tabletop, mannequin and on-body photos; all lit with large softboxes and studio strobes. …