EXCLU DESIGN COLLECTIVE
Creative Lead
Jack Sturman jackexclu@outlook.com
Editor / Promotions
EXCLU DESIGN COLLECTIVE
Lewis Woollard exclulewis@outlook.com
@exclucollective Facebook/excludesigncollective www.exclucollective.com
Cover
Johnny Wu @sgtbananas
AN INTRODUCTION...
EXCLU is a design collective that combines artistic talent with contemporary popular culture. Our aim is to give both professional and amateur designers a digital exhibition space from where they can show off their work. We also strive to promote emerging sub-genres such as Toy photography and help to give them the exposure and recognition that they deserve. As a collective we actively encourage collaborations and themed projects with artists and designers in the the community that will strive to shine the spotlight onto new, and emerging techniques and practises. The artists that we look to feature all share a passion for popular culture in its various guises, from film and television, to games and comics.
Brought to you in partnership with ... Beast Kingdom ltd Facebook/beastkingdomglobal https://www.beast-kingdom.com.tw Instagram @beast_kingdom
CONTENTS
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BEAST KINGDOM Our Partners.
@beast_kingdom
TOP TOY PHOTO 2016 Competition winner.
JOHNNY WU
A conversation with... @sgtbananas
SHAHZAD BHIWANDIWALA Behind the scenes with... @sbphotographs
ISAIAH TAKAHASHI Artist Insight. @blksrs
ALEX CHAPMAN Artist Insight.
@onesitxh_avenger
CHASE WOODS Artist Insight.
@_visions_of_grey
ALEX BROOKS
Artist Insight/Behind the scenes with. @bg_toyart
TREVOR WILLIAMS Artist Insight.
@onesix_shooter
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JURIS TOBING Artist Insight.
@hanjuang_18
SPENCER WITT
Behind the scenes with... @swittpics
MAX SCOVILLE
A conversation with...
DALE SCHENCK Artist Insight. @darth_shank
RADIANSYAH SUKMANA Artist Insight. @agamdadam
ADAM MCGRATH Artist Insight.
@chip_monsters
ISAAC RENTERIA
Behind the scenes with... @isaac.renteria
MARK WALKER
A conversation with... @markwalkerphoto
ARTIST UPDATE’S
Spencer Witt/David Cubero Jason Yang/Shahzad Bhiwandiwala
OUR PARTNERS
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EXCLU DESIGN COLLECTIVE BEAST KINGDOM LTD At Exclu we always strive to bring appropriate industry engagement and interaction to the toy community, and we were fortunate enough to strike a partnership with Beast Kingdom! They are a Taiwan based toy manufacturer who work with some of the most popular licenses on the planet. We wanted to bring about a change in the way that toy companies interact with photographers by engaging with them over their content, as opposed to simply running competitions with no real artistic incentive. Our competition with Beast Kingdom set about to change this by allowing the winning artist to take photographs of their prize EggAttack figures in their own style and tone, and then have those images showcased by both Exclu and Beast Kingdom in a way which engages more substantially then any usual give-away could.
“We focus on four categories of business: Distribution, Production, Exhibition and Beast Kingdom Store. We have manufactured and distributed thousands of products, into thousands of shops in over 40 different countries and opened total of four concept stores across all the nation.
We would like to thank Beast Kingdom for their support and enthusiasm from day one of our partnership. We look forward to continuing the change the landscape of company to artist engagements to create a richer and more professional environment that allows people to be recognised for their effort and passion. Be sure to visit Beast Kingdom’s site where you’ll find a whole range of stylised figures and models that really compliment artistic Toy Photography.
Beast Kingdom’s Brand statement
Within all the hard work and effort, we have received awards consecutively since 2012, including Disney Best New Comer Award in 2012, and Disney Best Licensee Award in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Our goal is to bring the toys, the culture, and the entertainment to not only children’s world but also adults’ daily life.”
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TOP TOY PHOTO OF 2016
JAX NAVARRO The winner of our Top Toy Photo of 2016 competition in partnership with Beast Kingdom is Jax Navarro @plasticaction who has earned himself a full feature in issue 3 to showcase his photographs of his 2 new prize EggAttack figures. Congratulations Jax! 7
A CONVERSATION WITH...
JOHNNY WU We caught up with our cover star Johnny Wu also know as Sgtbananas to talk about his experiences as a high profile Toy Photographer and where he thinks the industry is heading...
Hi Johnny! How is everything going for you? Hey! Things are going well. I’m staying busy working on my book lately. So much work to be done, but very exciting! Other than that I’ve been shooting photos and working on some collaborations with various companies. I work a full time job as well so I stay pretty busy! Awesome, first of all, I must ask, where did the username Sgtbananas come from? Is there a backstory behind the account? Sgtbananas is a character from the ninja turtles. When I made the account it was a secondary account to post photos of my collection. When I had to come up with username, I just used it because he always stuck out to me. Over the years I had moments where I thought of changing the name, but that would be suicide now. The name is part of my persona now and I wouldn’t have it any other way! We think it’s great! At the time of this interview, you’ve smashed 52,000 followers on Instagram! Congratulations, did you ever dream your work would become so popular? Thank you very much! I never dreamed this would happen at all. As I mentioned previously, I started this page as a secondary account and a long the way, I got sucked into the world of toy photography. I remember having 19 followers on this account and being so stoked that 19 people wanted to see what I was doing, haha. Somewhere along the way I found that people really loved what I was doing and my page really started to take off. I never ask people to follow me and that’s something I feel strongly about. My account was grown organically and I think is a direct reflection of my progression as a toy photographer. Even with all the success my account has had, I still have a hard time believing that it’s grown to this amount. It’s just craziness! 10
You’ve got a featured article on the Wall Street Journal too! How did that feel to have such an honor to your work? If I’m remembering correctly, the initial contact was through direct message. I remember thinking that it was probably some spam account haha. After talking a bit, I quickly realized that it was the real deal and I was blown away. I never thought in a million years that I’d be interviewed by the Wall Street Journal… I still don’t know if I’ve fully grasped that whole thing to be honest. I have a hard time recognizing my accomplishments. I’m very hard on myself and I’m rarely satisfied with my work. It’s that very trait that keeps me striving to get better and achieve more. The interview with them definitely made me take a step back and appreciate how far I’ve come. This was definitely a highlight so far and I’m very proud of it! Would you say that this is your biggest achievement in your career so far? If no, what is? It’s definitely top 3. This year has been insane for me. I worked with so many companies, had my work feature at San Diego Comic Con and also signed a book deal. I’m always just as surprised when something new happens. I’m a very humble person and as I mentioned before, I’m really hard on myself. That being said, signing the book deal with dynamite has to be number one. Ever since I started and knew that I would never stop doing this, my girlfriend and I talked about making a book. It always seemed like it was just talk between the two of us though. When I was approached by dynamite I was so blown away. The book is a real dream come true for both her and I. I can’t wait to have an actual copy in my hands next year. I know that it’ll be the biggest thing I’ve ever done.
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ARTIST FEATURE We can’t wait either! Back to your imagery now, your photographs are superbly cinematic and very realistic, but what has driven you to adopt this style? Firstly, thank you for the kind words! I think progression pushed me in that direction. I’m very big on using practical effects in my photos. Once I learned one effect, I was eager to learn another. First it was dirt and sand, then water and snow, then fire and smoke, and then blood. When you think about an action movie you’ll likely see those elements being represented in some way. I was always drawn to those types of movies and scenes. Now that I know how to implement them in my photos, it really opens a lot of possibilities when I’m out shooting. It’s weird, I never try to go for realism in my photos, but a lot of people tell me that my photos don’t look like toys. That’s definitely a good thing. We’re are huge fans of your Star Wars katana and high-action pieces here at Exclu, so is there any chance your fans can grab a print of your work? Thank you! Those samurais are my absolute favorite! My work is always for sale! I don’t have a website up yet, but for anyone that is interested they can just contact me directly through Instagram or email. In the future, I’ll have a store with prints for sale and other cool stuff as well. You’ve spoken about your book and it’s called on ‘Ten Frames Per Second’. We can’t wait to see it! Can you tell our fans a little bit about it? Have you got any secret exclusives for us? Yup! So for those who don’t know. I have a book coming out that will consist of my photos,
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behind the scenes and much more. The book will be published by Dynamite entertainment. I was originally contacted by them after my Wall Street Journal interview. As far as any secrets, I don’t have many haha. I know a lot of people love to see the behind the scenes, so I’ll reveal some of my secrets there but overall, it’s pretty much out there already. Certain photos will have a little background info/story on how they came about and the process I went through while shooting them. I’m super excited for the book to come out and as of right now, it’s scheduled for the 3rd quarter of 2017! I’ll have updates along the way so stay tuned! Moving aside from photography now, this edition of Exclu is heavily focused on the anticipated release of Rogue One! Are you excited for the release and what do you expect from it? How can you not be! We’re so lucky to be getting another Star Wars movie a year after The Force Awakens. I really hope this one shows Vader in action. We all know that he’s a bad ass, but have never really seen him take care of business on the big screen. I think this movie will be the most brutal of them all as well. I can’t wait! All of the new trooper designs look so good too! December 16th can’t come fast enough!! We couldn’t agree more. You don’t just photograph Star Wars figures; you’ve got a wide array of characters in your portfolio too, but if you could only photograph one character for the rest of your career, who would it be and why? Man, that’s a tough one! The reason I have so many characters is too keep it interesting, so to have to choose one is damn near impossible. 13
I guess if I had to choose just one, I’d probably go with my Hot Toys Chewbacca. He’s got so much personality and I feel like he looks good in any environment. Also, he’s easy to turn into different characters. I slapped a bandana on him and he becomes a Kung Fu master, I throw sunglasses on him he’s a goofball surfer; the possibilities are endless with him. Keeping with the theme of your figures, your collection must be massive now, so how many figures have you actually got and when did you start collecting? Well I’ve been collecting since I was really young. Action figures were always the coolest to me. I felt that if owned a figure of my favorite character, it somehow made me closer to him. The collecting never really stopped since I was a kid and it had grown so much. It would be hard to give an exact number, but my guess would be thousands. The thing about my collection is I don’t have them displayed on a shelf or detolf. My entire TMNT collection is in an old freezer in my garage (non working), hahah! I’m definitely no biased when it comes to collecting. I like anything that sparks my interest! Finally, one question we always like to ask at Exclu is, what do you think the future holds for Toy Photography? Great question! When I started doing this years ago, I had no idea how much it would change my life. Don’t get my wrong, this is still a hobby for me, but it’s evolved into something that I can possibly make a living from. I want to say the future is bright, but I’m not so sure. I see a lot people getting into this for the wrong reasons and it hurts people that really love doing it. We just need people that really have a passion for 14
this. Everything that has happened for me so far has been organic and I’m better for it. I never asked for a handout and I never had that driving me either. I just stuck to shooting photos and collecting, and that’s what I really Love. If people just focus on having fun with it, then I think toy photography will be alive and well in the future. Companies are starting to take notice of this art and it’s really cool, but it also makes people think differently about stuff. If I never received a free figure ever again it wouldn’t matter to me. I’d still buy all the figures and shoot photos just the same. I think it’s important to remember why you started doing this and why it’s fun for you. I haven’t lost sight of that and I never will. I’m still just a kid that never grew up and I’ll do this forever no matter what the circumstances. I’d like to thank you guys at Exclu to including me in this issue! Answering these questions was a lot of fun! Thank you! Thanks for your time Johnny, it has been a real pleasure chatting to such a famed artist! We wish you all the best for the future!
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BEHIND THE SCENES
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Shahzad Bhiwandiwala
@sbphotographs1
To take the photograph of the Herocross Predator, I went up to my terrace at about 1 in the afternoon. The reason being that between 1 and 3, while it might be really hot, you also do tend to get the best shadows and highlights on your figures if posed correctly. After getting to the terrace, I rearranged some of the potted plants there and kept the 1 pot with wild grass in it at the forefront, and then put the remaining at the back at a distance of about 2 feet and so, on till the last pot. I dropped down the aperture to around 4.5 to 5.6 and upped the shutter speed to compensate for the excessive amount of sunlight. Do note that if you have an ND or Polarized filter for your lens, now would be a good time to use that. By controlling your aperture you can decide on the amount of bokeh you get in the final image. After having taken the photograph, export it to Lightroom and proceed to mess around with the image till you get something you’re satisfied with.
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ISAIAH TAKAHASHI @blksrs My name is Isaiah Takahashi. I’m just a hair over 31 years old and I live in Southern California. In my daily life I work as a 3D Director/Animator in the advertising industry. I have an amazingly awesome, understanding wife, and a 1 year old daughter that I’m prepping for a life of Star Wars love! I posted my first toy photo in January 2016. After seeing The Force Awakens, it brought back so much of my love of Star Wars! I had been hunting for weeks online and in stores for The Black Series Captain Phasma 6-inch figure with absolutely no luck. Once I finally got my hands on her, I was so amped, I posted a photo on my personal Instagram to a somewhat lackluster reception. 19
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I had also come across @StarWarsTheBlackSeries who of course, showcases so many amazing photographers. Like many others, I was inspired to start my own account and just have a little fun with it. It has since snowballed into many figures and an absolute obsession! As far as influences, I have two major ones in my life right now! My fellow C3PBros Jason Yang @Workmoreorless and Spencer Witt @SwittPics, who you know well. I like to joke with them that they are bad influences on me. I’m constantly trying to keep up with them and their awesome work. It’s been great being able to feed off each other’s creativity. I like to think my style is always evolving. I try to approach each shot with a clean slate. My aim is to hopefully do something new and creative with each image. With that said, it is sometimes hard to find inspiration and it has been awesome doing the weekly themed hashtag #C3PBros_JSI with Jason and Spencer. I think for me, the most important thing is to just have fun with it. To be like a kid again, playing with my toys. It has been so awesome this last year seeing the Toy Photography community grow. There are so many talented photographers, and many more arriving each day. I think it’s definitely here to stay! All that said, what keeps me going is the awesome community and the friends I’ve made along the way. I’m not sure where it’s all heading, but I’m glad to be a part of it!
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ALEX CHAPMAN
@onesixth_avenger
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I’m currently a student and in my spare time I enjoy movies, gaming, drawing and, of course, photography! I first started engaging in toy photography in 2014 after purchasing a couple of 1/6th scale figures, as a result of me becoming engrossed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The detail and workmanship that went into these collectibles amazed me, and this led to the idea of setting up an Instagram account through which I could showcase them in film-like scenes. My brother was already into photography, which came in handy as he could give me some tips and tricks for using my DSLR camera. My strong interest in comic book and sci-fi movies continues to be my main influence. That, and the other talented people in the toy photography community who continue to inspire fresh ideas for the genre. I’ve also researched product photography and home studio setups, which has helped the progression of my photos. My aim in toy photography is to create images which at first glance may seem like the actors/actresses in costume themselves. The incredible craftsmanship of these likenesses has formed a new style of macro close-up portraits to add to my portfolio, and this has quickly become one of my favourite styles to shoot in.
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I have recently began to explore lighting techniques, light being the most important aspect of photography. This is through the placement of lighting in set-ups, coloured filters and an experiment with light painting. I have already seen a growth in toy photography since I started my account and I believe that it will continue to do so. The quality of content and creativity of the genre’s photographers is outstanding, and it’s great that it is getting the recognition it deserves in publications like this. I also think it’s great how ‘geek culture’ has gained popularity as comic book/sci-fi films have become a powerhouse in modern cinema.
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CHASE WOODS @_visions_of_grey_ Hi, my name is Chase Woods, I live Texas, and I’m 32 years old. I have been doing toy photography for around 4 years now. In the beginning, my original Instagram account was used to document my toy collection. At the time, I was collecting mint on card. I remember exploring Instagram and stumbling upon toy photography. I had come across some really talented toy photographers and showed it to my wife saying, “Check out what these guys are doing,” and eventually freed all my figures from their packaging. I started small, simply posing and photographing them on their shelves. At first, I used only my iPhone camera and had no real set-ups for backgrounds, but over time my photography evolved. I bought my first Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) Camera and began to build a type of mini studio set with framework to mount various types of lights, and even made basic dioramas. I studiously began research all kinds of documents about how to use DSLRs, as well as how to set up and adjust them properly. I was fascinated by all of it. After a few years on my first Instagram account, I had begun to feel bored and uninspired by my work. I felt that I was posting content simply for the sake of posting. I had fallen into a funk of sorts, and, to make matters worse, wasn’t really producing anything I could really feel proud of and decided to take a step back from toy photography and leave Instagram to look into other genres of photography. I started by reading magazines and various professional photographer blogs. I looked at wildlife photography, urban or street photography, portrait photography, anything I
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felt I could learn something from, I read up on and studied. I felt as if I had narrowed my view to only one genre and was overlooking inspiration and skills from other avenues that would allow me to grow as a photographer. In retrospect, I think a big defining moment for me was when I got my hands on a copy of Popular Photography which had a large article about black and white photography, where they interviewed professional photographers who spoke about why they preferred black and white as opposed to full color photos. Strangely, it really spoke to me. I had never really liked black and white photos, but their reasoning behind their preference was really inline with what I was hoping to accomplish. The sharp detail, high contrast, and general aesthetic inspired me. I began looking into B&W photography and how to efficiently adjust my equipment to suit said style. I also began to Google B&W photos (I love google). The more B&W pieces I saw, the more I fell in love with the genre.
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So, I ventured into experimentation of the grayscale world, and posted my then new shots to Facebook. After getting very positive feedback, I decided to give this a shot and come back to Instagram; thus, the birth of my current _visions_of_grey_ account. As you can tell, B&W has become my favorite style to shoot in. Most of my work isn’t the typical action, high energy scenes. I actually really enjoy trying to capture the more calm, somber moments. As much as the big battles determine who a character or hero/heroine is, I believe the moments before or following those pivotal moments equally shape the person they are. I try to imagine the instances when nobody is looking, or the emotions they keep locked away, and try to capture the subject in said moment. I also feel B&W really excels in expressing the many different aspects because it strips away all the color and distractions, forcing you to focus on the characters themselves. In addition, I always try to bring out as much detail as possible because I think that brings people back to your photos to look at them more than once. Whenever they can go back and see things they didn’t see the first time. It’s as if they are seeing it for the first time again, reliving that moment or emotion. 29
Finally, I’m not sure if toy photography will ever receive the respect it deserves in the photography community, but I hope that one day it does. Although I may not be certain of the future of this genre, I am certain that we have a great community of very talented and passionate people who truly love what they do. A community of people who accept everyone that shares their passion regardless of race, religion, or gender, and I feel that’s something to be proud of. Plus, with the help of hard working people like you at Exclu and the exposure your publication is giving to the toy photography community, I believe that we are certainly moving in the right direction. I am truly honored and proud to be a part of all of this, and cherish the opportunity that you have given me. Thanks again to Exclu for this chance to share something that I love with a greater audience, and thank you to all the people who have supported me and those who will continue to support me in the future.
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ALEX BROOKS @bg_toyart I’ve always enjoyed taking photos, whether that be on holiday or just out and about at the weekend. Being a professional Graphic Designer by day means I deal with all types of images on a daily basis. I’ve art directed a number of professional photographers on projects I’ve been involved with over the years, so it’s something I’m constantly fascinated by. I think my background in Graphic Design has helped me to develop a keen eye for good photography, although my own picture taking skills were pretty basic until I began my journey into Toy Photography. It all started back in Jul/Aug 2015 when I bought the first Lego set since my childhood (Ghostbusters 30th anniversary Ecto 1) a complete impulse buy driven by nostalgia. This happened to coincide with me acquiring my first DSLR camera. Lego had always a favourite of mine, but being an adult I obviously wasn’t going to play with it, so I kind of stumbled into the photography side by experimenting with my new camera. It all snowballed from there. I hadn’t used Instagram before 2015 but I soon discovered a massive online community of like-minded Lego photographers. I was in awe of the creations by the likes of Avanaut and Zenith Ardor - their stuff was on another level. It really inspired me to up my game and I started teaching myself to use my camera to better effect by watching youtube videos and reading lots of photography articles. Also, having many years experience in Adobe Photoshop meant I could employ those skills to add an extra dimension to my creations and sometimes make 32
an otherwise average photo look 10x better! Soon I began developing my own style and with that came more followers and features. I never set out to do it for recognition I just simply enjoyed doing it as a hobby. Nevertheless the attention my work received was very encouraging and spurred me on. In June 2016, I got caught the bug to diversify from Lego and try my hand at other figure photography. Again, Instagram was a great influence because there are so many cool artists out there and I wanted to see if the style I developed in my Lego photography would transfer over to more realistic pictures. Being a big film fan, I also couldn’t wait to recreate famous scenes and characters and try to blur the line between Toys and realism. I think my photo editing skills really drove the creative direction of my shots. It enabled me to only be limited by my own imagination. I could place my figures in literally any composition I could think of. For me, I can easily spend as much time creating the custom backgrounds as I do photographing and editing the figures. I always want my pictures to feel realistic, so I try to ensure my figures are blended seamlessly into my images. When someone struggles to tell if one of my images is real or a toy I’ve succeeded! Lighting has become very important to me nowadays. Lighting can make a massive difference to the mood of a shot. As with my camera techniques I’ve spend many an hour watching videos on lighting and reading up about it.
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When I shoot a figure, I can sometime take up to 30 shots of the exact same pose, just changing the direction of the light each time. Then once I open the images up in Lightroom, I can make a judgement on which looks the best. A lot of the time I combine multiple shots so I can have complete control over where the shadows and highlights fall. To do what I do doesn’t require an expensive professional set-up, in fact my set-up is very basic indeed. I shoot all of my stuff whilst laying down or sitting on the living room floor in the dead of night! I have a simple tripod system that holds up either a black or white background using clasps (only recently acquired from China on eBay for around £20, before that I just used white card or whatever I could lay my hands on). I have a small Manfrotto tripod for my camera which is planted on the floor and triggered by remote, and I usually elevate my figures using a cardboard box if I want a low angle shot. I have the cheapest speedlite I could find which I hold by hand and trigger manually for each capture so I can move it around quickly and easily. I also have a light reflector (white one side, silver the other) for bouncing light around. Lastly, I have a Manfrotto 5 LED light with three brightness settings. A combination of all these are used in a nights’ shoot (4-5 hours) and I will produce on average about 250 shots to choose from. This will translate into maybe 8-10 final shots when edited - each one taking anywhere from 1-4hrs. It’s about playing to your strengths and what works best for you, and the style you develop. There are fantastic photographers out there who shoot outdoors on location with practical effects
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(sgtbananas springs to mind) but I just don’t think I could do that with my skill set (well, not without investing a huge amount of time learning how to do it justice). I know some people frown upon using Photoshop or heavy editing in Toy Photography but that’s pretty narrow-minded in my opinion - you should feel free to use whatever method you want, it doesn’t mean you’re any less creative or good at what you do. I would like to experiment with outdoor photography at some point but I just don’t have the daylight time to do it at the moment. I can’t use the past as a gauge because I’m relatively new to Toy Photography but from what I’ve seen there seems to be a steady increase in popularity and exposure. I’ve recently been very privileged to have been approached by Hot Toys to be one of their photo bloggers since starting my bg_toyart account and I’ve also done a fair bit for other companies on my beardy_giant lego themed account - so that’s proof that hard work and doing your own thing can pay off - there are people out there taking notice. I hope it becomes a more recognised art form in the near future because it’s more than a phenomenon and I don’t think people are going to stop producing awesome Toy Photography any time soon. I don’t think anyone reading this who is starting out in Toy Photography should be intimidated by what they see other people producing either. Be inspired. Have a look at my early beardy_giant photos - they’re crap! It just takes time, experimentation and a desire to better your skills - nobody starts out creating top-notch stuff, we all have to start somewhere…
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BEHIND THE SCENES Here’s a full list of the equipment I use for my shots (this is just what I’ve built up over the last year or so and it’s not necessarily the best setup out there!): • Nikon D3200 DSLR camera • Memory card USB device for transferring shots direct to my Macbook Pro • Spare battery (you never want to be caught having to wait for one to charge!) • Nikon shutter release remote • Nikkor 35mm prime lens • Tamron 90mm macro lens • Manfrotto 5xLED light • Speedlite with diffuser cover • 2 x Manfrotto mini tripods (one for the camera and one for my Manfotto 5xLED light) • 2-sided light reflector/diffuser • Lens blower + brush for cleaning lenses and figures • Simple tripod and clamps for holding up either white or black backgrounds Before I shoot I like to take a look, usually online, for figure posing ideas. If it’s a film character then I’ll look at stills from the films to find inspiration. It’s good to have an idea of what you want to achieve before firing up the camera. Posing the figures can take a while to get right especially when using a stand because you have to factor in how you’re going to remove the stand in the editing stage.
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As I’ve said before, I shoot all my stuff in my living room at night. Once a figure is posed, I will turn off all ambient room lights so it’s completely dark giving me absolute control over the lighting using my speedlite and LED light. I will then take the same picture, sometimes up to 20/30 times, each time using different lighting positions. This is why I tend to hold my speedlite and trigger it manually by hand, it just tends to be quicker for me and more flexible. I experiment with placing the light reflector in various positions too, to bounce/reflect light back on different parts of the figure. I prefer using diffused light as I find it gives less harsh highlights and it looks more aesthetically pleasing to me. In a typical nights’ shoot, I’ll try and capture maybe 6-8 different figure poses which equates to anywhere from 200-300 total shots. This takes me roughly 4-5 hours - a long slog! The next day I’ll download all the RAW shots to my Macbook Pro and load them into Adobe Lightroom. RAW photo files give you maximum control in Lightroom. I will process each shot I feel has worked (some fail) and adjust things like highlights, shadow, clarity, noise and colour temperature. Once happy, I export the files as maximum quality JPG files. I save my files into separate folders depending on the figure pose.
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So if I took pictures of 8 poses there will be 8 folders, each with 10-30 image files inside filing them in this way just makes your workflow easier. I then trawl through each folder and identify which of the shots I feel are my favourites, and label them using green ‘tags’ - something you can do on any Mac. Now it’s time for Adobe Photoshop - if you’re not familiar with this program then I’d suggest starting on YouTube with tutorials otherwise
the rest of this won’t make much sense! ARTIST FEATURE EXCLU I work on one pose at at a time so I open up the photos of that pose I identified as my favourites. I then open all the subsequent photos in that folder too. Using photoshop I then drag all the files into one PSD (Photoshop) file so I end up with one file with 10-30 layers. Now I align all the layers. Leaving my favourite image layer turned on, I then turn off all the other layers. I then turn the layers back on. One by one, to ensure they line up exactly with the base layer. If they don’t, I change that layers blend mode to ‘Screen’ or ‘Difference’ and manually nudge the layer with the arrow keys until the photos line up precisely. Next it’s time to cut the figure out from the background. Again, I turn all layers off, leaving just the favourite shot (base layer) turned on. Cut-outs can be achieved multiple ways but I tend to opt for either the quick selection tool and combine that with the refine edge function or manually use the pen tool to create a clipping path. A clean cut out is imperative to achieving a good blend with the background you choose. Never leave your cut-outs with a hard edge because they look too harsh. I add a very small gaussian blur or manually use the blur tool to soften the outer edges. Once the figure is cut out I put a black layer right at the bottom of the layer stack so see if any of the edges need attention.
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You might be wondering why I have a PSD file with 10-30 shots on it. Wel,l what I do now is turn back on each layer, working on one at a time. I add a black layer mask (so nothing is showing) and then I paint back parts of that photos’ layer using a soft edge white brush. This is basically combining all of your shots into a hybrid version whereby you can add in detail, shadow or highlights that you like from any of your layers. This is what gives my photos their look because I’m creating something you wouldn’t be able to easily achieve in one single shot. I’m not going to explain every step in creating my backgrounds, otherwise we’ll be here all day, but I will spend a fair bit of time layering up my backdrops using royalty-free images/ stills from films/custom created elements. I also swear by Photoshop brushes which can be used to great effect to add debris and weather effects. Free brushes can be downloaded from brusheezy.com so if you don’t use brushes have a go - they’re awesome! When it comes to combining my figure cut-out and background I create a new PSD file. I place the figure in a position that I feel works and then I begin the process of blending. One of the major tell-tale signs of a crap composite is a bad cut out and bad colour difference between the subject and the background. First thing I do is create a duplication of the background and place it over the top of the figure. I then use the ‘Average’ blur in the filter menu. This identifies the average colour of the background. I then change the blending mode of this layer to ‘Colour’ and knock the opacity back to
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somewhere between 15-20%. What this does is to add the same colour hues in the background to your figure so it looks as if they were shot under the same kind of conditions. To further the integration of the figure into the shot it’s quite essential to begin introducing layers over the top of the figure containing things such as dust/smoke, debris, sparks, weather etc. If there’s a prominent light source in the image, for example, a fire or explosion you will want to add some light from that to your figure. This can be done with ‘inner glows’ ‘outer glows’ and manual painting of colours to the edge of your figure - whichever looks best. Once happy, I will flatten all layers and save it as a new file (you don’t want to lose the layered version in case you spot a mistake etc.). I then add some finishing touches like colour adjustment layers, sharpening, vignetting the edges etc. and it’s done! This can take anywhere from 2-4hrs dependant on the shot/look I’m attempting to achieve. Lastly, I have Instagram PSD file templates with my standard watermark on that I use. One at 1080px square for square shots and the other at 1090px by 1350px for portrait shots. I take the final image file and drag it into my Instagram template. Scaling my images down to fit the Instagram templates allows me to then think about dynamic image crops etc. I do this last step because I don’t want to leave it to Instagram to compress my files down to the right size. All that is left is to upload, repeat the whole process 7-8 times for each figure pose and I’m done!
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TREVOR WILLIAMS
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While I’m relatively new to toy photography, I’ve been a Graphic Designer and creative director for over 25 years, so I’m pretty well versed in photography and Photoshop. Soon after jumping back into collecting 1/6 figures about a year ago, (The Force Awakens “awakened” my love of SW again and I was just going to get “a couple”..ha!) I felt I needed to do something more creative with them other than just posing them daily on my desk! I repurposed my relatively unused IG account into my launching pad for my toy photography. It’s kind of consumed me since then! It’s a great creative outlet after working on websites, brochures, ads, etc. throughout the day.
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When I was young I dreamed of being a comic book artist. I drew and created all kinds of characters - total nerd. I got pretty good, but I never felt it was something I could crank out the way the pros do. At one point I wanted to go into film direction but pursued design (which I thought was a safer route) instead. I’ve found shooting these figures to be the perfect marriage of these old interests though. Framing shots and thinking of interesting angles to shoot a scene at to tell a story is one of my favorite aspects of this hobby. I had enough photography knowledge to get me through the years of needing to do simple product or model shots for ads, etc. but I have taught myself a lot in the last year or so. I experiment a lot with lighting. I regularly take 50-100 shots for every scene I shoot, trying lots of light positions/levels, exposures, angles, etc. My favorite style - maybe it’s just my default style for the moment - are the tighter portrait/ scene shots although I’m trying to stretch myself from that instinct. Recently, on vacation,
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I carried around a 6” Luke Skywalker with me through the woods at the base of Mount Hood in Portland, OR taking in the beauty of it all, but always looking for that perfect spot to pose him! I take a lot of care/time posing the figures to give them a very natural/real feel -right down to the way a wrist is turned. I think my past art anatomy classes and comic book drawing helps a lot in this. I recreated a Star Wars promo shot that took over 240 shots to get as close as possible to the original (and I still notice little differences!) I think there are generes within toy photography - the kind of things Issac Rentiera is doing for one example - that could easily translate to the “serious” pop-art world now. BUT, within the pop-art world I could see some of the work the artists I admire/follow and MAYBE some of the work I do (...maybe) becoming an accepted sub-genere of the “loftier” genre of toy photography. There is obviously an audience for it! I don’t know if I’m even striving for something at that level right now - I’m just having fun for the moment!
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JURIS TOBING @hanjuang18
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I’m a father of 3, an employee at an in-house legal company with a design and law background. I started toy photography in 2014 and at that time I had a website along my friends as toys collectors named www.toyzonus.com, but only for giving toy reviews not for art photography. Time went by and our packed schedule made the website inactive, so I created an Instagram account under Toyzonus instead. By late 2015, my friend @oviczulkarnaen introduced me to the toy photography society on Instagram, taking me in to sessions in the toy photography community using my own account. Taking part in photo liking session such as @toypops2 @toygroup @toydiscovery @toygroup_alliance @shf_indo @btstp_id and gaining appreciation, friends and followers, I’m getting more excited and eager to focus myself on toy photography. One of the reasons and motivational background for toy photography is that I have been a toy collector since 1997 and believe it or not, most of my collection is still in their box because I don’t have enough space to place it. That’s why I’m considering my Instagram page for my personal display for everyone to see my collection. I love to recreate movie scenes or concept art, as you can see on my SHFiguarts (Captain America versus Iron Man) that I have recreated from Ryan Merdening’s art concept, as well as my Hot Toys Princess Leia Star Wars close up look and my Hot Toys Groot - Rocket on prison scene. I also dig for a crossover scenario, such as Marvel and DC, and I really wish for this to happen, that’s what initiates me to make Supes versus Vision and Bat-Supes versus Avengers photography. I also love close ups and taking figures images in different angles because every figure has their own best angle.
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My toy photography is often using a dark room concept, against all the pros and experts with their amazing outdoors shots; I don’t think I can compete with that, so I focused on darkroom instead. And I also focus on specific 1/6 and 1/12 figures. My toy photography inspiration also comes from movies, concept art artists, my childhood comic artists like Jim Lee, J. Scott Campbell and Alex ross, as well as my toy photography friends with their inspiring work. These are @ovic_yulkarnain and @rams_ands for their great pose and lighting, @bmyhero for his wstunning close-up shots, @randy_syomin for
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most of his incredible works, and @hot.kenobi and @darksidesince77 for their epic scenes, and many others too. For my future toy photography, I hope it can gain more respect and attention. I think people will appreciate and value it more if we give them good result, so I think its a bright future. Toy photography has it own place in this matter and the toy community is also rising up, and this feature on Exclu Collective is one of many reasons us toy photographers keep on shooting. I hope I can inspire all my friends and toy photographers too! I really appreciate this opportunity, cheers! 49
Exclu Design Collective in collaboration with BigBadToyStore presents our ...
EXCLU ISSUE 2 LAUNCH CELEBRATION We are excited to offer you the chance to win a Star Wars Episode VII Movie Masterpiece 1/6 Scale Figure of Rey & BB-8 by Hot Toys. We want to know what your favourite feature is within this issue and why, and it could earn you a Hot Toy to add to your collection. To enter the competition simply follow the steps below:
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FOLLOW EXCLU DESIGN COLLECTIVE & BIGBADTOYSTORE ON FACEBOOK COMMENT YOUR FAVOURITE FEATURE FROM THIS ISSUE ON FACEBOOK
The winner will then have the opportunity to have their photos of their prize featured in a segment in our next issue. The closing date is the 19th of December with the winner being announced on 24th of December, so be sure to keep an eye on your inbox. Good luck to all who enter! Thank you to BigBadToyStore for supporting our community.
Promotional Image the property of Hot Toys Limited http://www.hottoys.com.hk/corporate.php
BIGBADTOYSTORE http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/default.aspx
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BEHIND THE SCENES SPENCER WITT @swittpics One of the genius aspects of The Force Awakens was Kylo Ren’s worship of Darth Vader, the ultimate movie Villain. While we don’t know where Kylo learned about Darth Vader, he at least knows he was a powerful dark-side force user. I loved the scene where Rey tells Kylo “You’re afraid you’ll never be as strong as Darth Vader.” Along with the scene where Kylo converses with the burnt Vader helmet. I’ve wanted to capture this emotion or longing of Kylo to be like Vader, and I knew I wanted to incorporate this into a photo. For this photo we have Kylo Ren walking and we see the Darth Vader reflection in the floor. To capture this shot, I combined two photos into one. I used a tripod, so the photos would be at the same angle and have the same background. I took one photo of Kylo and then one of Darth Vader, and combined these photos together. In Photoshop, I opened both the photos and then made one of them a layer mask – which allows you to composite the two photos together. I was able to use the top part of one photo and then add the reflection of the other photo. The trickiest part was to make sure that both Kylo and Vader’s feet were in an identical position; it helped the photos flow naturally.
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A CONVERSATION WITH...
MAX SCOVILLE We were fortunate enough to have a conversation with one half of the IGN show “Up at Noon” and serious toy fanatic Max Scoville, who shed light on his collection and his thoughts on the state of the toy industry.
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Hi Max, how are you? I’m being interviewed by a toy magazine, so I can’t complain!
when I was seven or eight years old. My approach to collecting is more like making a really solid playlist of catchy songs than acquiring the full discography of a particular artist. The left half of the desk in my photos belongs to my best friend/co-host, and there’s some overlap. Plus, we both have some more crap at home.
Thank you very much for taking the time out to be interviewed! We’re huge fans of yours and IGN here at Exclu! For those who Awesome! We’ve also noticed your quite don’t know, just how much do you love a fan of the Star Wars character Boba Fett, toys? so where did that love come from and just how many items of him have you got in That’s hard to quantify. I’ll put it this way: I’ve loved toys consistently since I was only enough your collection? to understand what they were, possibly earliOkay, so the Boba Fetts are definitely something er, and there’s never been a point when I’ve I collect in a conventional sense. I just counted thought, “Pfft, I’m over toys.” I know some thirty-eight Boba Fett-related items, including people outgrow action figures and then return Slave Ones, not counting comics or tee-shirts to collecting as adults, but there’s never been or books or whatever the Hell else I might have a point in my life when I haven’t been drawn toward a store’s toy aisle or perked up at the site lying around elsewhere. of a Toys R Us. In high school, I checked collecting sites like Rebelscum and Figures.com daily, People like to crap on Boba Fett because he and even in college when I was broke and more doesn’t do anything in the series (which is true, concerned with chasing girls, I was still keeping much to the chagrin of the dudes at ILM who built his costume) but he has one of the an eye on which companies had what licenses, coolest character designs in the whole trilogy. and what was coming out. He’s like if The Millennium Falcon was a guy, totally embodying that whole broken-in used-fuWe’ve seen a few snaps of your toy colture aesthetic that makes Star Wars what it is. His lection and it’s pretty big, but just many appearance was my initial attraction to Fett, but pieces does it contain? that led me to all his badass expanded universe adventures, where he’s basically a cross between I have no idea, but you’re welcome to count. I don’t collect in a conventional “collector” sense; Judge Dredd and The Man With No Name. I’m morally opposed to leaving things carded, Then of course, there’s the realization that he and I’m way too sane to be a completist, so I was the original Holy Grail for Star Wars toy tend to cherry-pick stuff that appeals to me. I collectors, a mail-away exclusive that advertised used to have a ton of Marvel Legends and a bunch more McFarlane stuff, but that got given a rocket-firing jetpack, but showed up with no away or sold over the years. A few pieces, I’ve had projectiles, just because some kid shot his brother in the throat with a missile from a Battlestar for ages. The Toy Biz Deadpool hiding behind Dovahkiin and Rico Tubbs is the same one I got Galactica spaceship or whatever. 56
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Haha! You’re a serious fan then. Sticking with the theme of Star Wars, what is it that has kept you hooked with it since your first viewing? Unlike toy collecting, my interest in Star Wars has definitely had its ups and downs. Following the prequels, I was genuinely heartbroken at the state of the series, worrying it’d just devolve into direct-to-video low-budget garbage with no heart, but thankfully, the franchise seems to be in a really good place right now. As an adult, I’ve gotten really interested in the history of Star Wars, and its significance both culturally, but also technologically. J.W. Rinzler’s “Making Of” books are fascinating reads, and I really loved Brandon Alinger’s book on how the costumes were made. Fantastic! Also, on ‘Up at Noon’ you recently compared Star Wars toys from the original Kenner lines to the new Rogue One range and you highlighted
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the notable difference. Do you think the passion and heart has disappeared from the toy industry? I don’t know what’s up, honestly. I feel like [actual, literal] kids who still care about toys are less fussy about quality, and the rest are playing iPad games or buying Amiibo. I know how old and grouchy that makes me sound, but there are tons of factors: Disney might have higher profit margins and Hasbro has to cut corners, maybe there are new international tariffs or trade regulations or something, or it might just be one of those things where someone looked around and said, “Hey, why are we catering to a bunch of weird old collectors? Toys are for kids, kids are stupid. Lose the ball joints, limit the accessories, and use as few paint ops as possible.” I know there’s the six inch Black Series, but Star Wars action figures were 3 ¾ inches tall for over thirty years, you’d think they’d show a little bit of love to that collecting legacy. It’s a big part of what made Star Wars successful.
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Back to your personal collection now and what was the first guilty purchase that you remember, and even more, your last impulse buy? Guilty purchase? I dunno, but when I was a kid I really wanted one of those Stretch Armstrong Vac-Men, which are just… So awful. They’re like a penis-pump hooked up to a condom full of cat litter, but they look like burn victim weight lifters. God, why did I have that toy? Last month, I bought the chunky little Revoltech Mini Metal Gear Solid Venom Snake on impulse, because I was dressing up as him for Halloween. I told my Fiancée it was “reference” for my costume, even though my costume was 80% done and there are a million high-res images online, plus in-game models. My Fiancée was like, “Honey, it’s okay if you just wanted to buy a toy.” Stretch Armstrong will definitely not live on as a great… And what would you say is the next figure you know you need for your collection? My finger’s been hovering over the pre-order button for that Medicom MAFEX Boba Fett. Also, Figma just revealed Edvard Munch’s Scream as part of their Table Museum. I’m so ready to start buying action figures based on Famous Paintings. I want super-articulated Hieronymus Bosch toys so badly. Nice choice! Speaking of upcoming toys, you were at New York Comic Con in October looking at some of the new lines, but which ones would you say you’re most looking forward to bagging when they’re released?
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Sideshow’s doing a 1:6th scale Dengar, which I’m dying to get, as well as Jack Burton from Big Trouble in Little China. Many toy collectors have an all time favorite piece, so what we want to know is, what is the one figure that you couldn’t part with and why? My Sideshow Boba Fett was one of the first big, stupid, expensive toys I ever bought, kind of a celebration of landing a job that actually allowed me to buy dumb stuff. It was kind of like that episode of The Simpsons where Homer buys Tom Landry’s hat. Finally, if you could have one figure from any license that doesn’t already exist, what would it be and why? Probably a 1:6th scale figure of Talking Heads’ David Byrne in his big giant suit from Stop Making Sense, or a McFarlane Toys line based on Quentin Blake’s illustrations from Roald Dahl books. Look at McFarlane’s Where The Wild Things Are figures, and then imagine it’s The Twits or Willy Wonka. Thanks again Max, it has been a pleasure speaking with you and we hope to work with you again in the near future! You can catch Max every Thursday on his popular culture entertainment show “ Up At Noon Live “ over on IGN.com
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DALE SCHENCK
@darthshank
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I still consider myself a newcomer to toy photography, as I only started this past February. I was already a toy collector and a photo major, so the two kind-of just came together while trying to fulfill homework assignments. I’ve been collecting toys for as long as I can remember, it started with Ninja Turtles in the late 80’s - early 90’s and then moved to Star Wars shortly after. When I was in middle school I used to make stop motion videos with my figures; I haven’t seen them in probably 18 years but I’m sure they’re horrible. When I first started with toy photography, I really had no idea which direction I wanted take it. It wasn’t until I started looking at the work of @x_captain_kaos_x and @the_whaler_ that I really saw the possibilities within the genre. Both of them have been a huge inspiration for my work and I still consider them my two favorite photographers. I’m currently a member of the Epictoyart team, and the Wampa Toy Crew (don’t bother looking for our page, we’re not that cool). Every one of those guys and so many others have been super supportive, and that’s what I love about this community, the willingness of absolute strangers to reach out and pat you on the back. Without that support I doubt I would still be doing this, so… Thanks guys!
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I like to think that I don’t have one defining style; there are a few that I tend to gravitate back to but when I find myself getting comfortable doing a certain style I try to make a conscious effort to reinvent myself as a toy photographer and try something new. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but it always helps me grow. Of all the genres I’ve explored, my favorites are definitely practical effects and portraits with dramatic lighting. Practical effects seem to get the best response but the ability to manipulate light in the studio and completely change the mood of the shot by simply changing the
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direction and/or distance of the light source is something that still amazes me, no matter how many times I do it. I think the future of toy photography is really up to us as a community. Photography in general was once shunned by the art community but has managed to at least be in the conversation for being fine art. I think the same will be true for toy photography so long as we keep pushing the boundaries. There are so many amazing artists within the community and I feel really fortunate to be a part of it.
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ADAM MCGRATH @chipmonsters ChipMonsters, on the surface, is meant to look like it is produced by a large collective of designers and photographers but in reality it’s created by a small family of five from South Texas who love munching on all kinds of chips and have a deep affection for Star Wars, photography, art and design. The toy photography is predominately done by myself, Adam McGrath. You could say that I’ve been a Star Wars fan right from the beginning, even though I did not see the original 1977 release of Star Wars in the theatre. I was only 4 at the time. I did watch the original film on VHS tape hundreds of times growing up and in 1980 my parents took me to see The Empire Strikes Back at a movie theatre. It was a day long remember. Star Wars just blew my mind and I was instantly hooked, but it wasn’t just the films that I was crazy about, it was everything else that came along with it - Books, action figures, toys, trading cards. Star Wars was this galaxy far, far away that you were absorbed into, which made everything around you seem irrelevant, and when you were in it you never wanted to leave. I grew up with the Kenner Star Wars toys and action figures but as a kid, I had no concept of how much these figures could be worth 20 years down the track. If only I kept them in the packaging and just admired them on a shelf! Instead they were eventually passed down to my younger brother who broke off their heads, lost their accessories and fed some unfortunate 68
characters, hopefully the rebels, to the dog to chew on. It wasn’t until Hasbro released a new line of Star Wars action figures in the 90’s that I actually became a serious collector. My collection has grown, been sold and grown again over the years for various reasons. I’ve never been one to keep the figures in the original packaging. I always wanted them to be on display but is an issue when the collection gets bigger and the shelf space gets smaller. To avoid clutter I usually only display small segments of my collection and the rest would just go into storage, which honestly felt like a waste. I can’t remember when or where, most likely on Instagram, but I came across some photography by Matthew Callahan (galactic_warfighters) featuring clone troopers in battle. I was amazed how he visually convinced me that his subjects were real living breathing troopers and not collectable toys. I had previously seen the MARWENCOL documentary and was really impressed by Mark Hogancamps’ work and his story but the subject matter didn’t appeal to me like this; these were Star Wars figures, STAR WARS FIGURES! Being a graphic designer, photographer and a Star Wars fan, this was the creative outlet I had been looking for and also a new reason to collect more Star Wars figures. Just take my money Hasbro! My creative direction is pretty straight forward.
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I want my photographic work to look and feel like teaser images from an upcoming Star Wars film - new, exciting but somewhat familiar. I try to hold myself to a simple set of creative values when producing my work. I want my images to look candid. I try to steer away from images that looked overly staged, unnatural or overly Photoshopped. I look to compose shots using unique angles to give fresh perspectives and I look for locations or environments that represent the Star Wars brand. The techniques I employ are also very simple. I shoot predominately on an iPhone 6S Plus, as I feel I can get tighter close-ups and unique perspectives due to the slim form factor of the camera. I sometimes shoot on a Canon 60D but only when the shot requires it. As for locations, I mostly shoot outdoors using natural light. I look for environments that look weathered, used and could fit within the Star Wars universe. Star Wars is everywhere; large mechanical objects, rocky terrains, lush gardens can all 71 become great locations for shoots.
I think the future for toy photography is incredibly bright. I don’t see this as a passing fad and it should be taken as a serious form of image making, especially when you consider the level of detail that is involved in creating dioramas and customizing figures for shots. The technology is also going to get better as toy manufacturers are going to produce even more realistic, detailed figures. Toy photographers will be able to take those products and produce imagery that could be impossible for viewers to recognize or distinguish subject as an actual toy. Also camera technology, as in smart phone cameras, is always improving. Ultimately, the sandbox is huge and the possibilities are only limited by your creativity.
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BEHIND THE SCENES
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ISAAC RENTERIA @isaac.renteria
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“Bind� is my latest photo project. It has taken me about a month to finish as it was more than just a photo session. It started from sketching the ideas, then planning measures to starting in the workshop to build the stage, do the paint job and finally the photoshoot. Contrary to my latest works, this time, colour is not an important element. In fact, I worked using only Black and white or very desatured colours, with the purpose of letting the main subject stand as the meaning of the photo. Each photo of this series is a metaphor where the subject shows different elements such as textures, weights and temperatures which will help the viewer to find the best interpretation.
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With the results, “Bind� my latest project, has come to an end or maybe to a long pause. As has happened in every project before, I will keep some ideas that may be interesting in order to polish them and create something new in the future. This was the first time I used cement in my concepts; it was pretty fun regardless of all the mess and dirt in the studio. I feel quite satisfied with the results because the final photos came up just like I imagined at the begining of the project. From the first ideas and sketches, I knew I wanted some kind of museum feeling on the photos; wide angles, desaturated colours, straight lines and clean compositions. For this series I used a 35mm Nikkon lens, due to this lens doesn’t compress the perspective as the 40 micro lens does, it helped me to simulate the wide angle perspective. The lighting was quite simple, a pair of softboxes as main light (continous light) and a variation using a 3 Watt led lamp. Also, I build a kind of snout with honeycomb at the end.
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The binded objects were chosen with the intention of building metaphors; like the wheel which loses its main purpose by being binded in cement but in a way... It is in a “better” place (museum). Sometimes we’re in a “better” place at the expense of denying our nature or main purpose. Of course it has many interpretations, and the viewers point of view is always the best. I think for my creative growth “Bind” has become as important as “In the upper room” was; both are the result of going a step further in the long way of creating new concepts in toy photography. Also clearly, it sets a new direction of my style and the break of mental boundries about what’s “good or bad” in toy photography. Talking about future projects; there are two at the gates of being started. “Catharsis” and “Cabaret Voltaire”, both ideas need a lot of post photo session work, so the process will last one month approximately but in the middle of these projects, there are some smaller works like painting or splash painting over prints, also some collages and a lot of experimental photography. I almost forgot! There’s a pretty big project using cement again. I can’t tell you any details but for sure you will find info here at Exclu! Again, I would like to thank Exclu for giving me the opportunity to talk to you and show you my recent work. 79
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A CONVERSATION WITH...
MARK WALKER We catch up with our Rogue One competiton winner MARK WALKER for an insightful conversation about his love for Toy photography and his ideas on what the future holds for the community. 81
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Hi Mark, how is everything going for you at the moment? Great thank you! Thanks so much for this feature. It’s been a really fun year starting with my discovery of the joys of action figure photography. Back in January, to meeting and interacting with some incredibly talented photographers who are always keen to share tips and our mutual love for toy photography. First of all, you were the winner of our magazine feature competition on Instagram! Congratulations and thanks for entering! How does it feel to be our first winner? It was a genuine honor to have been chosen as the winner of the Rogue One challenge. The competition had so many entries from so many talented tiny photographers - it was quite humbling to have been selected. Thank you. No problem! It was a sublime entry. You’re obviously very active and popular in the community, but what are your thoughts on Toy Photography on Instagram as a whole? When I first started dabbling into tiny photography, I had no idea the online community existed - and certainly not in the scale that it is! I think with so many creative people out there, more and more seam to be taking up the hobby. I’d say there may be those who view platforms like Instagram as becoming a little saturated, but personally I say the more the merrier! If you enjoy it, then why shouldn’t you join in? No matter you skill level, as long as you’re having fun that’s all that matters. 83
We often see you liking and commenting on other people’s photography, but have you got a personal favorite artist? I’m very lucky to be part of a group of photographers on Instagram who have a constant group chat going on behind the scenes. There, we share tips, discuss new toys, inspire and encourage one another and generally geek out at all things toy photography - mainly Star Wars. Amongst the ‘members’ we have the likes of @yingkeet0675, @worfles, @dansparkes23, @ chevy2who, @swittpics, @blksrs, @r2ktroopers, @ workmoreorless and @shotsofstarwarsfigures. A real high point for our little micro-community was when a few of our group were selected to feature on Hasbro’s stand at this year’s San Diego Comicon as part of their #hasbrotoypics Black Series challenge - we were all buzzing that day, for ourselves and for each other! What an achievement, congratulations! Back to your winning image now and it was a beautiful, in-depth shot of Rogue One’s K-2SO. How excited are you for the release of the movie and what are you expecting from it? As a life long Star Wars fan, I’m bubbling over with excitement for Rogue One! As soon as the ‘Star Wars Stories’ movies were announced, this was the type of film I’d hoped we be getting - something focusing not on the Skywalkers or the Jedi, but on the side characters and situations away from the core storylines. Although I’m looking forward to the now confirmed Han Solo movie, I hope this film gets enough support that Disney make more in a similar vein and we see more side story focused movies featuring new characters. And Storm Troopers, everyone loves Storm Troopers. 84
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We are huge fans of your images, so keep up the good work! Have you got a favorite image from your collection so far? I’d be hard pressed to choose a favourite between the ones featuring the SHFiguarts Luke Skywalker from Bandai - not because I think I’m so amazing, but because I just love that figure! That was one where as soon as I saw it, the ideas for shots just seamed to flow. The articulation is great for posing and the detail is incredible for a figure of this scale, so the macro stuff comes out great too. If I had to choose though, it would probably be either the shot of Luke looking at his Father’s light saber hilt, or the one of him looking into its ignited blade. I just can’t get enough of that figure. Great choice! Now, It’s clear to see you’re a very experienced photographer, so what advice would you give to anyone wanting to start toy photography? Probably what I tell people if they ask about photography generally… always have a camera with you, and never stop seeing what’s around you. The first one is easy in a world where even if you don’t have a DSLR at your side, most people have a good camera equipped smart phone to hand 24/7. The seeing bit though, goes out more to people like myself who don’t have the biggest toy collection to shoot. I don’t have the awesome array of toys to photograph that some photographers do, but that’s cool - it becomes more of a challenge to keep things fresh by finding new locations, props and lighting techniques. The old ‘think big’ adage doesn’t always apply here - instead ‘think small’! Look at the world around you, from your local park to the contents of your kitchen cupboard or garage for things to use in your photography. They may purposefully enforce the real size of the toys, or they might give the illusion of something bigger. Once you start to see the world in 1/12th scale, a pot plant becomes a jungle, an engine block becomes an industrial wasteland and a sandpit becomes the Dune Sea of Tatooine!
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Brilliant advice. Finally, you shoot images of a wide range of characters from Ninja Turtles, to The Lego Joker, right through to the Star Wars universe, but what three characters from pop culture would you bring to life if you could? Great question! My all time pop culture hero has always been everyone’s favourite scruffy looking nerf herder, Han Solo so he has to be first. Which makes my second easy, because where would Han be without Chewie? The Solo/Chewbacca friendship has always been one of my favourite elements of Star Wars from the moment Luke and Ben meet them in the cantina, through to Chewie’s heart wrenching cry when Han (spoiler alert!) dies. For my third, I’ll go with Batman. Although we’re not faced with the level of super villainy Gotham has to deal with, I think the world might be a better place with the Dark Knight having our backs. Thanks for your time Mark! We wish you the best of luck with your future projects and hope to work together again soon!
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SPENCER WITT @swittpics “I just got back from a vacation from Disney World, and I purchased the Disney store Dewback - which scales perfect with the Star Wars the Black Series, 6 inch figures. I love the Sandtrooper figure, it’s probably the best 6 inch figure of that line. As soon as I got the Dewback, I wanted to recreate the scenes from A New Hope where the Sandtroopers are searching for the Droids. I went to a nearby park and found this sand pile which I knew would work perfectly. I love the orange Pauldron Trooper because the orange stands out. I like black and white photos where there is some color that stands out; and so I was editing this photo I wanted the orange to stand out, and I liked how it turned out. Over the next few months, I hope to get out and do some more shots, especially in preparation for Rogue One. Also, Winter is coming and hopefully it snows as well. I’m excited to do some snow shots.” 88
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DAVID CUBERO @suppaduppa666 “C3PO is a character with reduced mobility so the concept of a highly dynamic scene with the golden Droid is funny in itself. You’d never imagine him doing things like this when he can’t even climb a simple step in the movies. Revoltech figures are perfect for this kind of shots in all senses, pricing, ressemblance and good level of articulation. This series of C3PO riding his skateboard has been the one that has kept me more busy lately, I have been punishing him so much these days that I have had to order a new one!”
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JASON YANG @workmoreorless It’s fair to say that I’m hooked. Never would I have imagined that collecting and taking pictures of toys would ultimately become my preferred creative outlet! Since sharing my first toy photo as @workmoreorless less than a year ago, I’ve been fortunate to build some great relationships with a multitude of people, across all walks of life. I’ve come to realize that these connections are really what make this little hobby so enjoyable. It’s the people, not the plastic! For one of my recent shoots, I wanted to pay homage to one of my favorite games, Star Wars Battlefront. Although most photo sessions come together with relative ease, occasionally I’ll run into a few challenges. To capture the sense of victory in this scene, I chose to shoot the Troopers from a low angle. The problem was that my monitor wasn’t able to fill the frame entirely. However, I realized that simply rotating my monitors was the perfect solution to accommodate for the additional height. Although it was a relatively simple solve, I still considered it a victory!
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SHAHZAD@sbphotographs1 BHIWANDIWALA The past 3 months have been really eventful for me when it comes to toy photography. I have had various collaborations that materialized and even got published in a couple of places. It seems that toy companies are finally reaching out to us toy photographers and are getting involved in the community. I was lucky enough to have BuzzFeed India interview me. That was a massive boost for me as a photographer and was also really nice to see how people reacted to toy photography, as it is still a relatively unknown style of photography in India. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the team over at Asmus Collectibles who were the first guys to collaborate with me, and I doubt any of what has happened ‘till now would have happened, had it not been for that collaboration. Thank you guys. The image above is, as most of you know, that of Obi Wan Kenobi, a figure that I recently got and is definitely my new favourite. The figure is what I’d definitely say is a must have in any Star Wars fan’s collection. An absolute masterpiece. 91
EXCLU DESIGN COLLECTIVE OF THINGS TO COME...
We here at EXCLU would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to all of our featured artist’s, without whom this issue wouldn’t have been possible. As new-comers to this close knit community, we have been taken aback by the support and good-will directed our way in the run up to the launch of our second issue. This issue solidifies our commitment to showcasing the talented individuals that make up the close-knit community of Toy Photographers. Moving forward we can offer an even larger platform in the form of our website where we can offer more in-depth features and interviews, as-well as product reviews and previews. Thank You.
For submissions/ all general enquiries please contact Jack at jackexclu@outlook.com. For information on on how to advertise/promote through us contact Lewis at exclulewis@outlook.com The material used throughout this issue may not be reproduced without written consent from Exclu and/or from the featured artists. All images remain the property of the appropriate photographer(s) and cannot be used without consent.
Issue 2 December ‘16
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DESIGN COLLECTIVE