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 …
As I travelled on my journey as a photographer and digital artist there was one concept that took me a long time to fully grasp. That is the importance of the photographer’s vision, and the lack of importance of the camera. Once I fully grasped this concept it became one …
Ideas come and go. Sometimes you can feel overwhelmed with possibilities, other times ideas can be a very scarce commodity. I often hear from people who are trying to stretch their artistic skills that they want to do things, but they don’t have any ideas to work on. It can …
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 …
Last week I struggled with focus. This week I’m stacking it. I’m focus stacking!
Somewhere near the end of my time in The Arcanum, I was given the following challenge, which was basically: watch a Hollywood blockbuster style movie, then create an image in the style of that movie. Movie makers are masters at telling stories. If you recall from a previous post, I …
This series is about sharing the lessons and insights I’ve gained throughout my journey as an artist. So far I’ve covered my formal learning in The Arcanum, and I’ve covered the importance of story in our images. Today I want to step back and discuss one of the major insights …
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 …
Thinking back on my journey as an artist so far I think the biggest and hardest lesson for me to internalize was that we, as artists, are responsible for everything that goes into an image. This includes removing distractions that detract from the image like dust, blades of grass and …
Its been nearly three years since I last talked about what’s in my bag and a lot has changed. I’ve become better at my craft and I know what I need to create images in my style. With the next Toy Safari looming on the horizon, I thought now would …
Hi, my name is Joey and like to take toy photos using practical effects. I want to share what I have learned and inspire you to try your hand at incorporating practical effects into your own toy photography.
Behind every good photo there is always a good shower. Or at least that’s what happened to me.
I have two favorite lenses, my 90mm macro and a Lensbaby Composer. For me, these two lenses act like a painters paintbrushes.
You’ve probably heard the quote: The Best Camera Is the One That’s with You This quote became ubiquitous when Chase Jarvis used it as the title of his 2009 book on iphone photography. His goal was to legitimize mobile phone photography. The idea being that it’s better to take a …
Authors note: Before going any further, you may like to play this great song whilst reading. We do what we must because we can. I am not responsible for any earworms that may occur. One of the best books I have bought for understanding some simple things about photography was ‘Read this …
I wrote about why I wouldn’t manipulate my photos beyond the simple edit before. I wrote about how the perfectionist in me would still see me in front of my computer hours later if I embarked down this road. However, I’ve established a middle ground. And this medium is thanks …
I don’t just write posts. I also read them. And then I write about reading them. Today I put some of Shelly’s tips into practice. And wrote about it! Beating Baader-Meinhof to the punch! I’ve written about Baader-Meinhof before, the term coined to describe a concept or a thing you …
I’ve been taking photos in and around water for as along as I’ve been a photographer. There is something magical about water; the movement, the sound, the reflections. Being in and around water feeds something basic in my soul. Because of this, it’s only natural that water would make it …
Selective focus is another tool you should add to your photographic tool bag. When you’re a landscape photographer being able to focus to infinity is important, but is that skill really important for toy photography? What happens when you play with the focus point on your toys? Can you tell …
Do you have your own web site? I was recently surprised by the number of toy photographers in our community who don’t. I feel strongly that in the shifting quicksand of social media platforms every semi-professional photographer and artist should have a personal home on the internet. A place where …
