Behind the Scenes Archives -

Endor: Behind The Scenes of a Six Image Narrative

Dimitri Nicomanis April 9, 2019 8 Comments

I created my recent Endor series as a challenge to push myself and see if I could create scenes that were based in a more real-world setting compared to my usual brick-built backdrops. I also wanted to move away from creating direct recreations and instead use the Star Wars universe …

The Toying with bright ideas series: Using the Sun as your main light source

James Gibbs April 5, 2019 One Comment

So over the last little while, I have been watching a lot of Teletubbies, I find it rather relaxing… No, actually my youngest has become addicted. Now whether you have kids or not, you are all familiar with Teletubbies. So after watching a few episodes, I noticed something had changed …

The “Toying with Bright ideas” series: Barn doors, laptops and snoots

James Gibbs March 15, 2019 3 Comments

Ask anyone who has ever picked up a camera, whether they are a professional or just snapping on their smartphone, what is the most important thing in photography? I’m hoping that 99% of the responses say light… Without light, there is no photo… period… Now for those of you who …

The JJ Abrams Effect

James Garcia February 23, 2019 12 Comments

As a photographer I’ve always been seeking a kind of cinematic style that’s hard to describe. I just want my photos to have that “movie look” to them. Over the years I’ve come close but never felt like I really figured out the formula. Until now.

The “Toying with Bright ideas” series: Painting with light

James Gibbs February 8, 2019 6 Comments

Lighting, in photography, is one of those things that looks simple to do, right? Shine a light, pop a flash and WALA! You have a great picture. But being able to understand what the light is doing and being able to control it is a skill and can make or …

Behind The Scenes: After The Snap

Dave DeBaeremaeker February 5, 2019 4 Comments

Recently I created an image based off of Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet story (as featured in Avengers: Infinity War, and the Marvel comic books). I called it “After the Snap”. It is a fairly complex image, and involves some composite work. This is a behind-the-scenes look at how I …

Getting Deep – Creating depth in your photos

Alan Rappaport February 1, 2019 9 Comments

As I alluded to in my introductory post, Starting Small, my first foray into toy photography didn’t register high on the ‘interesting scale’. My best efforts consisted of planting toys in front of a bright background, pressing the shutter and slathering the results all over Instagram. The photos were what …

Toy Photography Jazz

James Garcia January 26, 2019 4 Comments

Earlier this month, Shelly wrote about singing the toy photography blues as she steps out of her comfort zone. I truly feel fo her when it comes to leaving photography sessions with more frustration than photos. Yet I couldn’t help but notice that despite having a few similar things on …

Creating Christmas Magic

Yuri Badiner December 23, 2018 8 Comments

Creating Christmas Magic by Yuri Badiner

Toy Photographers: The Seattle Interviews

Shelly Corbett November 16, 2018 30 Comments

In May 2016, a handful of toy photographers met up in Seattle, Washington, USA, to take toy photographs together. Over four days we played, laughed, huddled in the rain, swapped toys and shared meals together. And we made a movie to document the event.Continue reading

How do you Achieve Unlimited Power?

Tom Milton October 27, 2018 2 Comments

I offered a promise in a post quite a while ago to talk about my use of filters. Well I’m pulling my finger out of my ass and fulfilling that promise. I’ve included an equipment list below to show how many bits and pieces are required to take a simple …

BTS, a LEGO photography project

brett_wilson October 16, 2018 13 Comments

What goes on BTS when Toy Photographers work with LEGO?

Sticks and Stones

James Garcia September 8, 2018 5 Comments

This week I learned that sticks and stones don’t just break bones, they also make excellent additions to your indoor photo studio!

What’s all that stuff in my bag?

brett_wilson July 31, 2018 10 Comments

I never thought I’d walk out the door to take photos of toys and have more gear than toys with me? Gone are the days of patting my pocket to check that I’ve got my phone before I walk out the door to take toy photos. Now I’ve got gear …

How a toy photographer prepares to become a father (again)

Marco Zanconi July 30, 2018 8 Comments

Sleep is overrated. This is what my wife and I told each other before deciding to have a second child. With the first it was not a walk in the park, in the early times we were counting the few hours of sleep, remembering the good old days. Three years …

Mr. Chainsaw, Branch Manager

brett_wilson July 3, 2018 8 Comments

Just yesterday Tobias M. Schiel gave us a glimpse behind the scenes at creating his wonderful noir setting. Last weekend I too made something to accompany a chainsaw toy photo. Actually, it was more about destroying than creating. Over on the G+ community there’s a plethora of daily challenges. One …

For the love of light

Action Figure Workout May 26, 2018 8 Comments

For the love of light is a step by step deconstruction of the image: Backlit Warrior Deconstructed. These are the steps I took to create that image. Concept A friend wanted a “cool” shot of Agent May from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D in warrior pose. Obstacles Agent May, what Agent May? Why …

My Favorite Puddle

Shelly Corbett March 30, 2018 15 Comments

I’m no stranger to photographing toys in puddles. So much so, I even have a favorite puddle. (What a weird thing to say!) My favorite puddle is in a particular spot in my favorite park where I can consistently create photos I enjoy. It’s also a place that continues to …

Growing Little Worlds

Shelly Corbett March 23, 2018 16 Comments

Growing little worlds. Where have I we heard that before? Ah ha! Now I remember. Last year Brett wrote a wonderful post showing how to build a minute garden to photograph in. This post was incredibly popular. In fact it was our most viewed post in 2017 and it also had …

Bedtime Stories: a behind the scenes look

mitchelwuphotography March 19, 2018 8 Comments

As a toy photographer I draw inspiration and ideas from a variety of places and sources. Among those are certain movies and books, especially those that bring me back to my daughter’s childhood. Toy Story is one of those movies. I’ve watched the various Toy Story movies with my kid dozens …