Food Shopping in the Time of Coronavirus
The COVID-19 / coronavirus has affected us all in odd ways. Here’s how one toy photographer processes the situation—through creativity and LEGO minifigures!
Category: Guest Authors
@3.75Galaxies Talks Star Wars, Silhouettes Storytelling & Toy Photography
Terry McEnroe, aka @3.75galaxies, shares his toy photography journey, love of 1:18th-scale Star Wars figures, storytelling and effective use of silhouettes.
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.
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 …
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 …
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 …
Expedition: A LEGO Space Narrative
A little LEGO brick robot gets more than it bargained for on a space mission Six Image Narrative by toy photographer Tomasz Lasek.
Noir Suites II
Final Touch Red-Handed This is a sequel to the suites you might have seen here.
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. …
The Problem with Spiders
I went camping out in the California desert last weekend. Aside from the normal camp gear I loaded out a bunch of LEGO sets and a few action figures to photograph. I set out on Saturday morning with some trucks and characters to shoot a Six-Image Narrative. As I wandered …
Comic Book Covers (A Quasi Six-Image Narrative)
Many of the characters who inspire me come from the pages of comic books. Beyond the characters and stories, comic book covers have a life of their own. Some covers have become iconic and many are proper art in and of themselves. Recreating these covers seems like a natural extension …
Escape!
Dave’s Log: Toydate 20191114 I preordered a sweet new Optimus Prime action figure from ThreeA Toys today. I can’t wait until it shows up! Dave’s Log: Toydate 2020128 Good News! My new Optimus Prime action figure arrived at my studio today! I don’t have time to play with him right …
Can Tim Picture That: Learning the Basics
I have dabbled in toy photography over the years and, in some instances, I’ve been reasonably happy with how things turned out. At other times I feel like my photo just looks like a toy placed in front of something. I’ve discussed this topic with Alan Rappaport on several occasions. …
Stormtrooper Snow Day
Toy photographer Matt McDonald takes his Star Wars LEGO Stormtroopers out for a day in the snow in the Washington state winter.
From Photos of Toys to Toy Photography
My journey from just taking photos of some toys to crafting Toy Photography with planning and purpose. I’m shooting these…
Finding New Places in the Real World
“Is this the real [world]? Is this just fantasy?” Okay, that’s now how the lyrics go, but with the January MeWe #tp_realworld2020 photo challenge fresh on our minds, this Six-Image Narrative from @eat_my_bricks got us thinking about the joys of making magic out of the “real world.” For a few …
Why I Recreated My Own Toy Photos
What inspired me to do this? I have been doing LEGO photography for about three years now, and when I started, I didn’t expect to be still doing it today. I also didn’t expect to ever improve my photography. I focus mainly on recreating shots from movies I love, and …
Noir Suites
Find Her! Easiest Case Ever