Toytography Magazine (Spring 2023)

MARCH 2023

A TOYTOGRAPHER'S GREATEST ASSISTANT

A TUTORIAL WITH TIPS FROM MICHAEL DUGGER

UNDERSTANDING F-STOPS AND EXPOSURE LENGTHS FROM WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER TO TOYTOGRAPHY CAREER

TOYTOGRAPHYMAG.COM

2 APERTURE PRIORITY 3 FEATURED TOYTOGRAPHER 7 TRIPODS 19 LIGHTING THE STORY 21 DIORAMA BUILD 24 33 T O Y T O G R A P H Y W A L L CONTEST WINNER 37 A Message from Brian Carr

Developing your focus to guide the eye

Mitchel Wu Photography

Because steady hands aren't always an option

Explaining its importance and how to use it.

Expert Michael Dugger explains what you need to build your own building.

Inspiring work from some of our readers

Themed Contest #Hero

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CONTENTS

TABLE OF NOTE FROM FOUNDER

A Note from the Founder One of the things that has fascinated me about the people I have talked to in the Toytography community is the variety of reasons for stepping into the hobby.

For some, toytography is simply a relaxing thing to do to pass the time. For others, it's an avenue they can use to improve their photography skills.

Then there are those who seek more. They take their love for Toytography and turn it into a career, pushing their limits and developing their skills to a professional level, in order to gain the attention of a major toy company and landing their dream job.

Whatever your reason is, I hope you find your inspiration and expand your imagination.

r r a C n a i Br Founder

In this issue We dive deeper into the understanding of aperture priority, lighting, and the benefits of using tripods.

Our feature interview showcases the incomparable Mitchel Wu. Find out how he discovered toy photography and turned it into a career.

Don't forget to check out our artist wall and this issue's themed contest winner.

Editor: Sue-Ann Bubacz

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APERTURE PRIORITY

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Guiding the viewer’s eye with lighting is not the only method you can use in your photos.

Another way, is changing the aperture priority settings on your camera. In its simplest explanation, when the aperture value is set by you, the camera auto selects the proper shutter speed based on how much light it detects. In other words, you decide where you want the camera to focus, and it makes the adjustments to accommodate your request.

This is a wonderful tool to use in your artistic arsenal because you now have more control over what the viewer sees.

For a clearer understanding, think of your camera lens as an eye. When you step into an area that is brightly lit, your pupils get smaller.

And when you are in a dark area, your pupils grow larger. They do this to adjust the amount of light coming in. Your camera lens does the same thing. The larger the F-stop, the smaller the aperture needs to be open to capture the image.

Aperture is especially useful when you are outdoors. Sometimes, the background has too much going on and becomes distracting.

Sometimes, objects behind your subject take away from the illusion that your figure is larger than they really are. I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t send the right message when you’re trying to express that your subject is life-size, but the blades of grass in the background say otherwise.

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Knowing the stops When you’re taking your photo and you want to blur your background, you typically want to have your camera setting between F4 and F2.8 or lower. These F-Stop settings are best when you want your photo to be focused on the main character in frame. Sometimes, you want to have your subject in focus, but you also want to give a little detail to your background.

F2.8 - 8/5sec

However, the critical thing to be mindful of is that even though the higher the F-Stop, the lower the aperture, you’re still letting in a lot of light with these settings. This usually happens when you have low lighting and your camera needs a longer exposure time. There are times when your camera will need a full 30 seconds of exposure to capture everything in frame and put them in focus.

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F7.1/10sec

For instance, when you have your action figure in frame, but you want to additionally draw attention to something else in frame. For this kind of shot, you want your F-Stop to typically be between F7 and F11. And finally, for those photos where you want everything in the frame to be visible, the higher the F-Stop the better. Personally, I sometimes have my setting at F32.

F32/30sec

MITCHEL WU Toytography Magazine: I have to admit, I’ve been watching your work for a while, and I did not know that Johnny was your nephew.

Mitchel Wu: A lot of people don’t know that. I would say, most people don’t know that. I mean… Interesting, right?

TM: Yes! So, just starting off, when I spoke to Johnny, he had mentioned that he was all into the Ninja Turtles and doing that stuff for a while. Is that the case with you? Have you always been into toy photography, or did it start later?

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MW: No, I’m in toy photography because of Johnny, basically. My history is that I have a degree in illustration, and as soon as I got out of school, I went into product design and product development, and that’s why I was at Disney. That was the full half of my career; product design and product development. The second half was photography. The photography that I began with was more like lifestyle photography, corporate photography, headshots, and eventually I started photographing weddings. I did that for probably 7 years. Like, hundreds of weddings. Then, in 2015, my kid was about to enter high school, and I was already beginning to miss a lot of her weekend activities. She was swimming competitively on the weekends, and the thing about weddings is about 99% of them happen on the weekends. I was missing so much stuff. So, I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I knew I was going to shoot my last wedding in 2015. Right around the same time, I was on Facebook, and I would see these… In my opinion they were bizarre. They were these toy photography shots from Johnny on Facebook! As you were saying, it was the Ninja Turtles. There was a Ninja Turtle on a BMX bike soaring through the air. My first thing, which is a lot of people’s question, is “How does he do that?” I mean, in my mind, he’s using his hands, he’s pushing it, it’s going off a ramp, and he’s trying to take the shot, and it’s probably taken him a million shots, right? And I’m going, “That is just trippy!” He was early in his toy photography journey, as well. So to me, it kind of looked a little tacky, but also wild and fun, right?

So, I started seeing more of these shots from him, and I thought, “Wow, this is crazy!” That’s all I thought. Then one day, he knew I was a photographer, and he says, “Hey, Uncle Mitch, next time you come up to San Francisco, bring up your gear, I’ll take you out, and we’ll photograph some toys.” I said, “Cool! I don’t have any toys.” He said, “Yeah, I’ll lend you some toys.” Several months later, I went up to San Francisco, he took me to a park, and that’s how it all started, you know? He lent me some Storm Troopers, set them up in this crook of a tree…

You know, I still look at that shot from time to time. It brings that whole day back to me, basically. How Johnny introduced toy photography to me, and the immediate impact it had on me. Up until that point, I knew I wasn’t going to photograph any more weddings, but I didn’t know what I was going to do.

But from the moment I took that first shot, I knew I was really going to dive into toy photography. That’s how it started.

TM: Ah, ok!

MW: For me it wasn’t because… You know, a lot of toy photographers begin their journey with it because they were toy collectors, toy enthusiasts, and they wanted to share their photos. They probably saw what Johnny was doing with it and thought, “Wow, that’s really cool! I want to try that out!” That’s how most people start. I came at it from a totally different angle, where I was a photographer. I had been a photographer for many years, then Johnny introduced me to toy photography, and the rest was history. I went full tilt into toy photography.

TM: Oh, wow! So, that was really your inspiration, your defining moment, right then.

MW: It was. I went to art school for illustration, and when I graduated, I had, in my head, the exact plan that I was going to take. I was going to get out of school, finish my portfolio, and I was going to start doing what my heroes of illustration were doing back in those days, which was movie posters, magazine covers, book covers, advertising illustration… But when I got out, I had an immediate opportunity to start doing product design, which was still, in my mind, “Ok, I’m still drawing. I’m still illustrating.” It’s not going to be on a magazine cover, it’s going to be turned into an actual product. It’s going to be sculpted. It’s going to be made out of porcelain in Taiwan. I thought, “That’s cool.”

I thought that would be a temporary thing, while I kept doing my thing, but one thing led to another. They offered me a full-time job. They offered me the chance to go to Asia. I worked and lived in Asia in my twenties.

It was an amazing experience! But not what I had planned. So, the whole thing about toy photography is I feel like what I’m doing now is almost exactly like I imagined I would be doing with my illustration career.

TM: Oh! Ok! MW: It’s been kind of a crazy, roundabout way of getting back to this creative place that I always imagined myself being in. I really do have Johnny to thank for that, because without him, I’m not really sure I would have discovered toy photography on my own.

He introduced it to me, and for that, I owe all of this to him.

TM: That’s good, to have that kind of person… And it’s a plus to have that kind of person who’s also family, to be able to have that moment where you can talk to that person and get inspirational moments like that.

So, that time that you took those photos with him, when you saw those images that you created, was that the time where you said, “This is what I’m going to do”?

Or was there another image later on down the line?

MW: Yeah, it was actually earlier than that. It was the moment I clicked the shutter on the camera.

TM: That was it?

MW: Yeah. You know, you look at your screen on the camera after, and you go, “Wow!” That moment. That’s what it was. I had no doubt that that’s what I was going to do. I had no idea if I was going to succeed at it, obviously. I didn’t know anybody that was doing it at the time.

I want to tell stories. Storytelling toy photography is really what I want to do...

Like, actually making a career out of it on a freelance basis, on an independent basis, as a toy photographer. I had no idea, but, for me, it was clear as day. This was something that I had to do. I had to photograph toys. I wanted to tell stories with the toys, and I wanted to make a career out of it. I was very laser focused on that. As soon as it happened, that’s all I did. I still had a website for wedding photography, so I’d still get inquiries from potential clients, and I would just refer them to other wedding photographers I knew. After I got more established, I’d also get toy companies asking me to do photos on a white background, and this is not what I wanted to do. I want to tell stories. Storytelling toy photography is really what I want to do, so I would turn those down. I just wanted to stay focused. In my past, I was so unfocused. That’s how I ended up doing all these different things which led me so far off my path of what I thought I’d be doing for my life.

I learned a huge lesson. To this day, I won’t do anything that takes me off of that focus.

TM: Wow, that’s great. So, when you took those photos, and you knew that’s what you wanted to do, the next step would be, “How do I turn this into a career?” What was that road like?

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MW: Yeah, so that road was, obviously, I had most of the gear that I needed from my previous photography.

I didn’t have any toys. And there was still a lot to learn.

I’m sure you will agree, that’s one of the fun things about toy photography, or art in general, is that you’re never done learning. There are always new things to learn. For me, I was really new to toy photography. I literally just started. I basically took a year just to focus on putting together a portfolio, learning the techniques that I love to do, and how to edit for toy photography. There were some gear changes I needed to make, primarily with my lighting. With portraits and weddings, I always used speedlights, full sized canon lights, and I would them have off camera with an infrared remote. I would trigger the lights with that.

When I tried to do that with the toys, it was too much.

It was too much to control, but also, the fact with those speedlights is you would only see the light when you clicked the shutter. It would flash. What I love about toy photography is you can scale down the size of your lights, if you want to, so I’m using much smaller lights.

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They’re continuous lights, so they’re always on. You can see in real time, if you adjust the lights, how it affects the scene. That was the main gear change that I needed, the lighting. It took some time for me to figure out how to get it all dialed in. And I haven’t gotten it all dialed in yet. I’m always refining lights and doing different things, but that was the biggest change. Yeah, the first year was just building mode, building and learning. So, I took my first toy photo with Johnny in late summer or fall of 2015. So then, through most of 2016 was what I mentioned, building a portfolio, learning the techniques, and trying to develop my own style of storytelling. Then, towards the end of 2016, I was on Instagram. As you know, the toy photography community lives on Instagram. I was on there much earlier, but I was only on there to spy on my kid.

TM: LOL!

MW: But after toy photography, I was actively on Instagram. I was doing something, and then I noticed that there was a Mattel brand called Ever After High, and they’re fashion dolls. They’re dolls based on if Snow White and Cinderella, and all those fairy tales, if they had kids, these kids are what make up this doll line, Ever After High, and they’re in high school. I noticed that brand started following me on Instagram. As soon as I saw that, I immediately sent a DM to them, and I said, “Hey, this is what I do, and I would love to talk to you about maybe doing some toy photography for you guys. Storytelling toy photography for your brand.” Within several minutes, I had a return message from them, and shortly after that, I had a one-year contract with them. I think that’s actually kind of rare, because I’ve tried to use that same “reaching out on Instagram” with others, and it’s never really led to the same result, but it can happen. Having gone through that, I know that it can happen, so that was my first really big, big contract. Prior to that, I had this one company called I Am Elemental, and it’s run by Julie Kerwin.

Even back further, I still have to blow the dust off my gear sometimes. It keeps my camera at least a safe distance away. More recently, especially with this cold winter and the rain… I shoot outside a lot, but in the winter, it’s been really hard. I’ve been working in a studio, which is basically my office. When I’m shooting in there, I tend to shoot with the Canon 2470 2.8L, so I don’t have to be so far away. Because I’m inside, I’m not doing fireworks. I’m generally not making a huge mess, like I do outside. It’s not as much of a need to keep my camera so far away from the set.

TM: Ah, ok.

She’s the one who came up with this line, and I had been pestering her, since earlier in 2016, saying, “I would love to create some images for your new line.”

She would always get back to me and say, “I love your work, but I’m not ready yet.” Because she was a startup. Then a little later in the year, she finally said, “I’m ready.” So, she was technically my first client, Julie from I Am Elemental. I am always grateful, because she’s the first one that took a chance on a new toy photographer. Those two jobs were the first that I actually had towards the later part of 2016. From then, it was just building more clients.

TM: So, kind of backtracking a little from what you said, you were changing your gear… What are your go-to lenses now for your images? Are there certain lenses that you no longer use? And then you have your go-to ones? What are those?

MW: Yeah. Great question. So, I had a lot of gear from the wedding photography, and all the lifestyle and corporate stuff, and I know that most toy photographers have the 100 mm macro lens as their go-to lens. I didn’t have it in my kit when I was shooting the other stuff, and I didn’t really feel like going out and buying another lens, because I had so many other ones. So, my go-to lens is the Canon 135 mm. It’s an L lens, so it has the ring around it and it’s an F2. I like that lens a lot. When I was shooting weddings, it was one of my favorite lenses, because it’s so sharp and so light, and the images it creates are beautiful. For toy photography, it’s not the 100 mm macro. It’s obviously a little longer, so I have to go back a little further.

Which, actually, I like, because I’m the guy that’s always splashing water and shooting fireworks, and it gets really messy.

MW: You’re right, though. I have a lot of gear now that I don’t use, and I was just telling my wife the other day, I read somebody that said, “If you have any gear or lenses in a box, and you haven’t touched it in a year, it’s time to sell it.” So, I think it’s time for me to start selling some gear, because I actually have a lot of stuff. I have older bodies, tons of lenses…

TM: I can understand, because, when you’re doing a wedding, you have to have more than one camera, so you can be able to flip between the two. Whereas, when you’re taking pictures of a toy… For one thing, that’s one of the things that I like about toys. They will stay in one spot. They won’t move. They won’t complain.

MW: I don’t know. If you’re like me, they don’t always stay in that spot. They’re always falling over. Haha!

TM: Haha! Yeah, when you’re outside dealing with the elements and everything, that can be a little bit difficult. I understand!

MW: But you’re right. I do prefer toys to humans now.

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TM: So, can you give me an example of your creative process for an image? From the time you get your idea to actually taking the image? Your setups? How do you go about doing that?

MW: If it’s a personal shot, not a client shot, I keep a list of ideas on my phone. If I have a new one, I’ll add it to it. That’s not saying that I’ll ever get to it. Sometimes, I’ll look at them and say, “That idea’s crappy,” and I’ll delete it off there. Haha! But it all starts with an idea or a story I want to tell, and that can be driven by something I’ve experienced myself, personally. Like, spilling a cup of coffee. Something kind of mundane, but it can turn into a story that maybe I’ll want to create with Woody and Buzz or something. Sometimes, I get my stories through movies, or stories, or books, like a lot of toy photographers. For me, that’s either from my childhood memories, or more likely, it’s something that I experienced with my daughter as she was growing up. So, the reason why I have so many Toy Story photos on my page is because, when she was growing up, that was one of her favorite movies. We watched it so many times. One of the books I read to her at least once a week was Where The Wild Things Are. When I saw that McFarland came out with a set of toys years ago, when I saw those, I thought, “I need to get some of those.” They weren’t around anymore, so I bought them on eBay. It’s things like that. Nostalgia is a huge part of my inspiration. Another way that I generate a lot of stories is showing characters, really well-known characters, in different ways, unexpected ways. A real memorable one for me was thinking about Darth Vader, and is Darth Vader an evil villain 24/7? Or, when he’s off work, does he kick back in the cabin of the Death Star, and let his hair down, even though he has no hair because it got burnt off with lava? So, thinking about that, I came up with this idea of him at a park, pushing a Storm Trooper on a swing. I did that years ago, and if I were to do it differently, I would probably do it differently now, but the story for me is solid, so I still love that image. If I want to think about some new things to do, I like to think about characters and how I could get other people to see them in a different way. General Grievous is another one. I have the Black Series figure, and he’s such a cool figure. I wanted him, because I knew there was a story there to tell. I had him sitting on my desk, because I couldn’t think of one for quite a while. Finally, I was like, “Well, what would I do, if I had four arms?

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I’d be drinking four beers!” Haha! That’s how I came up with this image of him kicking back in a chair, four beers in his hands, and there was a bunch of Storm Troopers doing a barbecue right next to him. That was a really fun image. It was a fun one to set up, and a fun one to shoot. Those are good examples of how I would come up with a story like that. Once I come up with an idea, if it’s for myself, I won’t do a concept or anything on paper. I’ll just head straight to one of the places where I usually shoot around my house and start setting it up. That’s where I’ll work it out and refine the setup.

TM: Oh, ok! That’s actually really good, as far as the Toy Story is concerned. That whole story line is so open ended. You can say, “Ok, this is what they were doing that’s not in a scene.” It totally opens up the imagination for so much stuff. That’s really, really good. So, when you get an idea, and you want to do something really quick, on the fly… I was speaking to Johnny before, and he was mentioning that he has diorama sets and things. Do you have the same things? Do you have set pieces? Do you have things that you build? Where do you get your sets from?

MW: I’m really late to the diorama game. Johnny, and a bunch of other photographers, have been doing it for what seems like years. I’ve always been one to just go into my backyard and set up a bunch of rocks, or I’ll find a spot on the porch. I have photographed so many things on the railing of my porch, it’s ridiculous. The railing on my porch is probably 5 or 6 inches wide, and if you were to go through my Instagram page, probably about 60% of those shots were done on that little railing. It’s crazy! It’s not just the railing. I put a larger board balanced on it, and I put a bunch of rocks, so it doesn’t tip over.

It’s pretty ridiculous, actually, but so many things would be shot there. One of the things about toy photography, as I’m sure you know, is that you can create the most amazing worlds in the smallest of spaces. It’s completely different than working with people, because they’re huge, compared to toys.

TM: Haha!

MW: My house is on the side of a large hill with trees, so if I want them to be in a forest, I just go over and look for dead tree branches and cut them up. I stick them in foam, and there’s my forest, basically.

TM: You have your own diorama area!

MW: Yeah! You know, we’re supposed to move, and I’m really afraid of moving. I have so much here. A lot of the water shots that you see on Instagram, if it looks like it’s done in a lake, or the ocean, all of that is done on my stone patio in the backyard. It’s pretty amazing. I will just pour some water onto that patio, and it has to be less than 1/8 of an inch deep, but when you do that, and it depends on how you dress it up with rocks or whatever, I can turn that patio into an ocean. I can turn it into a lake. A river. I’ve done rapids in there with whitewater. It’s been really fun, so for this reason, I never really felt the need to go with dioramas. But with more client stuff that I’m doing now, there’s calls for certain things that I just can’t recreate with rocks, or on my patio, or on my porch railing. So, this past year, I have started dabbling with dioramas. I have worked with @urthlings on Instagram. Her name is Tracy, and she is absolutely incredible. So, I’ve used her for a few things, and I’m hoping to use her for more things in 2023. But on the other hand, I’ve also started doing some foam carving and painting myself. A couple of projects I’ve done recently, it was a client project actually, and Tracy wasn’t available, and the background was supposed to be rocks.

I thought, “I can handle rocks!” So, I actually carved some, painted them, and Tracy could have done way better than I did, but for what I needed, it actually worked pretty well.

TM: That’s good! Actually, that was the other thing I was going to ask. When it comes to taking photos for clients, do they give you creative freedom to do whatever you like, or do they want something specific?

MW: It’s both, actually. For example, one of my primary clients is Boss Fight Studio. They are an amazing client. They have so many different toys, and they’re always getting the wildest new properties. What’s cool about them is they’re creator owned. There are several partners, and I think they came from Hasbro as sculptors and painters. So, they’re kind of like you and I, maybe they’re even geekier than you and I. They are all in with the toys.

What drives a lot of their choices about what licenses to get is what they love. For example, some of the things that they’ve licensed is The Little Prince, because someone on their team is a Little Prince fan.

Same with Popeye. There’s a huge Popeye fan on their team, one of the owners. That’s the reason I ended up with them, because I saw a press release that they were coming out with Popeye, and Popeye was my favorite cartoon, when I was a kid. It was the cartoon version, which I was really waiting for, and that’s basically how this whole thing transpired with them. I really wanted to work with them on Popeye.

So, for Boss Fight Studio, they generally give me the freedom to do what I want, which is a dream, really.

There are other clients, and they’ll have whatever toy line it is, and they may have a specific idea on how they want that presented. So, they’ll say, “We want this character, and it has to be seen with these two other characters, and maybe this kind of action scene.” They won’t get super specific. They’ll just tell me they want it to be action oriented, and maybe show this background, and then I’ll run with it. So, it’s usually one of the two.

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I never get super detailed instructions on how to create the image and what they want, which is great.

TM: Yeah. I would think that kind of removes the fun out of it, really, if they’re saying, “Can you do it exactly like this?” Well, I’ll give you what you want, but at that point, it’s almost feels like a job, than actually having fun.

MW: Right.

TM: So, out of all of this, since you’ve started until now, what was your most challenging photo that you have ever had to do?

MW: Somewhere on my Instagram feed is a photo, a Toy Story photo, and Woody is cracking an egg into a frying pan.

TM: Oh! MW: It was a fun idea, but I probably went through a dozen eggs. The way I did it, if you look at the photo, he has to the two halves of the shell in both hands, and the yolk is pouring out of one, into the frying pan. I already had the shells in his hands, puttied into place, so they were in his hands. The first thing is his arms are kind of loose. The first time you put weight in them, they go down, so I had to prop up his hands. The way I got the yolk to come out was cracking another egg, and pouring it in, then letting it go out. The first time that yolk flowed out, it seemed like it went a million miles an hour, so it took forever to get that shot. It took forever.

I’m a person that, whether I’m golfing… Well, since I had my kid, I don’t golf anymore. She destroyed all my fun, basically. Haha!

TM: Hahaha!

MW: But what happens is, if I take an hour setting up figures, and they fall over, or this egg thing, I tend to be very vocal with the F-bombs. I’m usually by myself. There were so many F-bombs dropped on that shoot. It was unbelievable. It was definitely the most challenging. I’ve had a lot of challenging shots, but that one is always in my memory.

TM: When you finally got that shot, would you say that was your most inspirational shot that you’ve done? Like, “Finally, I got it!” Or was there something way better than that shot, where you said, “Yeah, this is what I do this for”?

since I’ve been doing this almost 8 years now, I have a lot less headaches.

MW: By no means is that my favorite shot. That was my most challenging shot. If I were to do that shot today, I don’t think it would be nearly as challenging.

It would still be challenging, but not nearly as challenging. I’ve just noticed that, since I’ve been doing this almost 8 years now, I have a lot less headaches. The setups, they tend to go a lot smoother and quicker. My attention to detail is much stronger now. In the past, when I set things up, I would start editing, and I would notice that there is something that should have been done that I didn’t do. Or, I did do that I shouldn’t have done. Now, it just becomes more of an instinct thing, where you’re looking out for certain things. It makes the whole process go a lot smoother.

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TM: Oh, ok. So, out of all the toys you have, I notice you mentioned that you do the Toy Story, are your Toy Story toys your go-to line? Are those your favorite to work with? Or do you have some toys where whenever you want to do something personal, this is the toy line that you go to?

MW: Yeah, it’s not so much Toy Story anymore, maybe because I’ve done so many of them. It really depends on the day, I think. But in general, I think it may be Disney/Pixar related. When I first started shooting toys in 2015, I jumped on the Star Wars bandwagon, because The Force Awakens came out that year.

Everyone was shooting Star Wars left and right. So, I felt like, “That’s what I have to do. I have to shoot Star Wars, because everybody’s shooting it.” So, I started shooting Star Wars, and I really wasn’t feeling emotionally invested in it. I think that really comes through in the photos, if you’re not shooting something that you absolutely love, right? It was only when I got my first Toy Story figure of Woody, and it was a cheapie one, it probably had 5 points of articulation, but when I started shooting Toy Story, the stories came easier. That’s when I realized that the toys you shoot really make a huge difference in the photos you create, and your enjoyment of the process. It’s tied to the toys that you photograph. Like Johnny, he really loves Ninja Turtles, so that’s what he shot, when he first started shooting them. You can tell, because they’re really fun, and to this day, if he shoots a Ninja Turtle, it’s going to be outstanding. Another thing about when I first started taking photos of toys is, you know how Picasso had his Blue period, I had my loitering period. I would just have two toys standing around, kind of loitering.

It was fine, because I put them in cool locations. I’d go to this place called Vasquez Rocks that looks exactly like Tatooine. The environment is amazing. I would get cool shots of them standing around. But it wasn’t until I discovered that until you can create some kind of story and have them doing something, that’s when the images really come to life. There was one shot that I did, which was kind of a milestone for me. I went to Vasquez Rocks, and I found this really cool boulder. I placed one Storm Trooper lying down on the edge, reaching out towards his friend who had fallen off the edge. I caught one Storm Trooper midair, and I got the other guy reaching down, trying to catch him, which he didn’t. I actually threw some little pebbles into the scene. So if you can imagine, there was some rocky surface above the cliff, he slipped and went over, knocking some of those pebbles off with him. I was really, really happy with the end result. It did really well for me, at the time. It was a milestone image for me, because I don’t think I’ve ever captured a character midair like that. So, there’s a couple things going on, and it was a cool story. My caption on Instagram was, “Gravity really brings me down.” Haha!

TM: Haha! That’s perfect!

MW: It was a huge learning moment for me. Yeah, they don’t have to just stand around. They should be doing something, and you should be telling a story with your images. The emotion and the motion really combine to create something pretty cool. I try to keep that in mind, when I’m creating images. My priority would be, “What is the story that I can tell?”

And if there’s some way to create action in that, that’s even better. And of course, practical effects. If there’s a way to throw in a practical effect, like those pebbles falling with him, that’s even better, because it supports the story. I have a pet peeve, and it’s just my pet peeve, but it’s seeing practical effects for no reason. Like, they’re not there to support a story.

They’re just there. Like, there’s dirt flying around, but the dude is just standing there. Why is it flying around? And I was guilty of doing that myself, when I first started out. But right now, unless there’s a good, solid reason for dirt to be flying around, or water to be splashing, really think hard about whether you should do it or not, because it’s just gratuitous at that point, right?

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TM: Yes. I’ve noticed that as well. Because there are photographers out there, like yourself, who use those effects, someone will see that and think, “Oh, I want to do that!” They end up doing it, and it’s just there. Like, if they’re using an Ironman, and Ironman is standing there and there’s dirt flying everywhere, and it’s like, “Ok, did he cause the dirt? Or did someone else? Why is there dirt all over the place?” Sometimes, it’s just somebody who just wanted to use it.

MW: Yeah! I get it, because I was there, too, when I first started. I was like, “More dirt!” But there comes a point where it’s too much. I don’t want to be judgmental on anybody, because toy photography is such a fun hobby. If that’s what’s fun for you, then I would be a jerk to say, “Don’t do it.” For me personally, I try to avoid doing it. I’ve done scenes where I’ve had a character walking through some dirt. I might do just a tiny, tiny little splash of dirt under his foot. Maybe, you wouldn’t even notice it, but in real life, I could almost imagine that happening. There are instances where I’ll use it very judiciously. Just a tiny bit. Very nuanced.

TM: That’s good. So, leading into that, for people like me who look at a lot of your images, they look at Johnny’s images, and other photographers… I know you mentioned that you’ve been doing it for 8 years, but there are some who have been doing it for 8 months. Just through experience, I’ve spoken to people, and they didn’t even know toy photography was a thing. Now, they’re starting to get into it. So, for those who are just starting to get into it, who are looking for new techniques or new things to learn, is there any advice that you can give to them as far as where they should start? What kind of things should they look for? I know you mentioned lenses and things like that, but lights as well. Any kind of advice you can give them to get them started.

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MW: Yeah. First, I will comment on toy photography as a genre. You’re right. I mean, we’re in the community, so it’s easy to feel like everybody knows about toy photography, but I could be at a party, or dinner, or going down the street, and somebody will ask what I do. I’ll say, “Oh, I’m a toy photographer,” and they will immediately think I take photos of toys against a white background. That’s a great career, don’t get me wrong, but that’s not what we do. When I show them what I do, I’ll pull out my phone, it’s pretty jaw-dropping, because they’ve never seen anything like it. But there’s definitely a lot more people aware of it now, than there was in 2015. In 2015, nobody knew what it was, except the people on Instagram who were in the community. Now, it has a lot of coverage in the media, magazines, and newspapers, so a lot more people know about it. Still, the majority of people don’t, I don’t think. Now, to go back to your main question, I think, if you shoot toys, and you do it consistently, you’re going to get better, you’re going to develop your own style, and you’re going to learn the techniques. I mean, it’s all out there on Instagram. Everyone is doing behind the scenes. I do a lot of them. It’s no secret how I get my dirt to fly around, how explosions happen, and how the water splashes. But my answer has always been the same to this question. I think a new toy photographer should focus on telling stories, because I would much rather see a technically deficient image that tells an amazing story, than a really, technically excellent image that tells me nothing, or makes me feel nothing. A good analogy is, it’s like a summer blockbuster. I’ve been to so many blockbusters where it’s all about the explosions, the loud noises, and the special effects. Then, a week later, you’re thinking, “I know I saw a movie last week, but I can’t even remember what it was.” You can have a movie with all those great special effects and action, but if it has a great story, you’re never going to forget it. Like the newest Top Gun. That was actually really good. I was not expecting it to be that good, but it was a good movie, and it had the action and the effects to back it up. It started with a good story, then it had everything else. So, my advice to people is to really focus on telling stories, because that’s really how you get an image to make an impact.

That’s how you get an image to become memorable, through the story. When I say story, we are talking about one photo.

It’s not like it’s going to be a novel. When I say story, it could be an actual story, or it could just be a way of making people feel some kind of emotion. You’re making them laugh, but it’s not just explosions, it’s not just dirt flying around. It’s really speaking to somebody on some level. I really think part of the reason why I built the client base that I have is because I’m always telling some kind of story. For the most part, I feel a lot of quirky stories, and I think there’s some kind of appeal to that, to people as well as companies. So, I feel like, focus on telling stories, and the rest is going to come. Every time I go onto Instagram, I’ll see people I’ve never seen before, and almost all the time I’m on Instagram, my jaw is dropping, because the level of talent is mind-blowing these days! I think a lot of that has to do with the work that’s being done is incredible already. People see that, and they’re learning how to do it. So, we’re just getting an influx of super talented photographers right now, which is pretty incredible.

TM: Yes! I have noticed that from companies as well.

Before, the photos used to just be the figure itself, but I think a lot of these companies are recognizing, “Hey, these people are doing a lot with our figures.” So, now it can’t just be the character. That character has to have a lot of really movable joints and extra heads and stuff like that, to help tell stories.

MW: So, maybe 15, 20 years ago, Disney would go after anybody for using their properties or images. There were stories about daycare centers who had painted Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck on the walls, and they would get a cease-and-desist letter from Disney saying, “Those are our characters. You can’t use them.”

So, there was a point where we wouldn’t be able to do what we are doing. But, to address your point, those companies are beginning to see the value in what toy photographers are doing. Essentially, what we do on social media is free advertising for them. What you see is the companies like Hasbro almost… not almost. They are catering to toy photographers, at this point. “What can we do that you guys want to shoot?” So, I think toy photographers are influencing a lot of the decisions that are made, as far as what toys get made and what toys do not get made. Toy photographers and toy collectors have become a pretty big force for determining what’s going to get made, for some companies.

TM: I totally agree with that.

MW: Another point regarding everything changing so much, and how Disney would not let you do anything...I did an image of Toy Story, and I got a DM from Pixar. They said, “Is this your image?” Then, of course, you go, “Oh no!” But then I read on, and it said, “If it is, we’d love your permission to be able to post this on our page.” So, that’s how much things have changed.

TM: Yes! There are a lot of companies that are taking notice and recognizing this as free marketing.

MW: One of the things that I really love, but I don’t do enough of, is just walking around somewhere with some toys and looking for spots. My kid graduated from high school in 2019, so we went to Japan and Taiwan. When we were in Japan, we went to these historical places, and there’s a lot of people. It was really beautiful. So, I was there, walking around, and I would find these locations.

I remember there was this one rock, and I had a little figure of Goku. I put him on, and to get the right angle, I had to lay down. There were all these Japanese school kids walking around, tripping out, looking at me. Haha! That was fun. I really love doing that, though. I love walking around, looking for locations to shoot toys in. It makes you look at things differently. It makes you think a little differently.

When I do that, I’ll still use my Canon body, which is now a R6, and throw on a smaller 35 mm 1.4.

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It’s a pretty compact setup. It makes me shoot a little different, too. When I’m out doing that, like if I’m on vacation, I like mixing it up and shooting differently than I normally shoot. It just opens your eyes to a few different possibilities and mixes it up, which is good to do, every once in a while.

TM: Yes. That’s the good thing about toy photography.

Even at our scale, the world is a big place. When you go down to that scale, it makes the world seem even larger. So, you have to look around for different locations, and sometimes it’s like what you said, “I’m just using my little rail.” But to a toy, it’s huge. That’s like this park where I took the Mandalorian photo. To me, it’s just a sitting area, but they call it a mini park.

When I was looking at it, I was like, “I’ve never even heard of a mini park.” But when I go there, to me, this is nothing. But to a toy, this is a massive world.

MW: It could be a universe. Yeah.

TM: That’s the great thing about it. Getting down to the ground. Getting down to that area that you normally wouldn’t look at. It puts so many things into a different perspective. That’s the great thing about what we do and what everyone sees. You’re already going into another world, and when you show that image to someone else, you’re bringing them to that world.

MW: Absolutely.

TM: I’m sure those kids got a kick out of watching you laying on the ground. I’ve had adults look at me like, “What are you doing?” But when you show them what you were doing, that’s kind of the reward that we get.

It’s like when you tell someone that you’re a toy photographer and they look at you kind of weird. But when you show them, then they say, “Oh my gosh!”

Yes. Now, you understand. I know I seemed like some kind of nut.

MW: Haha! It’s really hard to explain. It helps to be able to show them a photo.

TM: Yeah, that’s a rewarding feeling, in itself.

toy photography has been so satisfying and gratifying

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MW: It is. I’m probably like a lot of other adults. We played with toys as kids, and as you get older, you eventually forget about toys. I’m talking about the average adult. In our community, it’s not mostly average adults. Haha! So, it was amazing to be reintroduced to toys as an adult, and to, in a way, play with them again through photography. Having done that, when I look at kids now and I see them playing, it’s so natural for them. They can go from being in this different world in their minds to being back in our world in a split second, if a parent talks to them for a second. Then, as soon as that parent is done talking to them, they can immediately go back into that make believe world. Looking back at that now, it’s really magical. The ability that they have to use their imagination to transport them to these different worlds, in a split second, without any effort, really. It’s so natural to them, and it’s kind of sad that, as you get older, you kind of lose that. So, toy photography has been so satisfying and gratifying, to be able to use that sense of imagination again in ways that I haven’t done since I was a kid. That has been really cool.

TM: Yes. It really pulls your imagination, and sometimes when I’m done, I feel like I just had a therapy session. I feel so relaxed after it’s done, and I look at the final product. I’ve had my time where my mind was somewhere else, as far as my imagination, then when you’re done, you get a reward. The reward is seeing that final image. It’s really inspiring.

MW: I’ve told this story before, but I do love it. When I was a kid, I have two older brothers, and we had a station wagon. We would always take these long trips in the summer, and if you were lucky, you got the very back of the station wagon. This was back in the times where you could ride in the back of pickup trucks, and you didn’t have to wear seatbelts. A lot of the time, I would get the back of the station wagon. Back there, you would have some luggage, maybe some sleeping bags, some blankets, and maybe a toy or two. On the trip, stuff would start to get messed up back there. As a kid, you’re imagining the folds of the blankets could be waves, or sand dunes in the desert. Maybe there was a dragon or a dinosaur coming out from under there, and you had to fight them. Your imagination would go crazy in the back of that station wagon. It dawned on me, not that long ago, when I was shooting at one of my locations around the house, I basically traded in the back of that station wagon for my studio. I use that same sense of imagination, and I have these wild stories in my head. The only difference now is I’m taking photos of them. The comparison of the back of that station wagon to what I do now is pretty accurate and amazing.

TM: That’s a great moment. Having those memories, then creating new ones as an adult.

MW: It is. And the toys that are being created nowadays are pretty mind blowing, I have to say. The variety, the quality, the articulation… It’s a good time to be a toy photographer.

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TRIPODS...

because steady hands aren't always an option

By Dan Hickman

Picking the right tripod is sometimes almost as essential as picking the right camera. A good, sturdy tripod will all but ensure that your photographs are stable, crisp, and that any blur exists because YOU put it there. There are a number of good tripods on the market, most all have collapsible legs for easy storage and transport. There are a number of great tripods with flexible legs, which allow you to get your camera low and right "into the action" per se. I, personally, have a very lightweight, 50" tall unit, with a level built into the camera mount. This is a tremendous help, especially when setting up on uneven terrain.

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Mine also has three locking mechanisms on each leg, in order to adjust the height to my desired setting. I find it helpful when setting up shots on my desk workspace, to be able to raise and lower the camera for more dramatic angles. Really though, the most important reason to have one is camera stability and consistency. Once you have the camera set up with the background you want, being able to leave it in place while you finish setting up the shot guarantees a consistent look to your photos. This is especially important if you are getting into stop motion photography. A stable camera guarantees that each shot taken will keep the background fixed in place, while you are making the necessary figure adjustments. I have learned, the hard way, what inconsistent pictures in a stop motion video look like.

Additionally, having the camera on your tripod allows you to work on the scene set up, figure positioning, effects, etc... while not worrying about dropping your camera or banging it against something while it's dangling from your shoulder strap. Best of all though, if you are a fan of longer shutter speeds, tripods allow photographers to use slower shutter speeds for long exposure images while reducing the amount of camera shake. Why would you need slower shutter speeds... low light photography, of course. Having a stable base so that the camera can hold a 10, 15 or even 30 second shutter speed ensures the max light entering and a steady, even focus.

Lastly, using a tripod also helps with longer exposure photography. As the camera stays still, the scenery around it moves, creating an amazing display of blur in the moving objects and sharp focus on the stationary object in front of the lens.

While it's always fun to find the perfect shot and move around, having a tripod helps to slow you down, set up the perfect shot, provide stability, and expand the photographer's full use of their camera and settings! If you aren't using a tripod, definitely make it a point to find one and see the difference in your photo quality! As you can see, there are several different types of tripods available. The Background image is the tripod that I personally use for my camera. Also, you'll be able to use your cell phone with many of these tripods as they come with adapters. While there are tripods designed specifically for cell phones, your best bet would be to grab on that you can use for both phone and camera. You really ought to have at least two tripods available so that you can set up different shots and angles with both tools simultaneously. Best of all, you don't necessarily have to worry about breaking the bank as tripods can start as low as $15. Amazingly enough, as I was researching the article, I learned that there are tripods out there that retail over $1000! That's a bit too rich for my blood, so I'll stick in the $20-$40 range, myself! If you haven't, definitely invest in a good, sturdy tripod, your camera and your photos will thank you for it!

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Lighting the Story

by Sue-Ann Bubacz

If photography has a hero, lighting holds the title.

Without light, there is NO photography—yes, it’s that integral to the process! You must have light going through a camera/lens to capture any image.

Still, when you learn, understand, and know lighting techniques, you can better control a subject’s environment to capture a concept or theme for your images as you visualize or imagine.

By unharnessing the power of light, you unleash extraordinary abilities to craft a story, illuminate feelings, and create a mood at a glance.

However, lighting is a complex and evolving topic for photographers. It requires study and experimentation to master. But, a solid understanding of lighting lets you optimize and use light to enhance your photography.

The first thing to know is that lighting plays off of many other elements of art, including color, shape, contrast, lines, hierarchy, and more.

Remember to optimize this capability in your design thinking.

As important as blending these elements to develop an impactful scene is another key concept. First, you never know what type of lighting you’ll have to contend with on a photo shoot. You may have a mix of light sources or none. Knowing how to deal with different types and sources of light, whether natural, artificial, or an ambient blend, helps you create the atmosphere or feeling you want to portray. In addition to recognizing the different types of light, the direction of the light source is just as impactful and plays a key role.

But don’t worry, even outdoor lighting, often called natural light, can be effectively managed for an improved result. For example, using flash lighting (yes, outdoors) is one way to enhance natural light for surprising results.

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Lighting Palettes

Using color in your lighting design gives you the power to style an ambiance, or palette, to a photograph, lending an atmosphere to stir the story. Colors are dramatic, and soft, or add contrast, boldness, or surprise to your work.

Colors call on our emotions, memories, and flavors, adding substance to your photo.

Color gels are another way to mute or completely change color saturation and style. Photographers use two types of gels in their photography: Creative color effects gels Color correction gels These gels help you create color casts, and others are for light temperature adjustments and tint color control. One thing to note, color gels automatically reduce all light output. With that in mind, you may want to start using gels with your most powerful light sources. Have fun discovering the possibilities these color gels give you.

Backlighting and bouncing lighting are ways to enhance or remove shadows, changing the look and feel of a shot. Also, these tactics can offset a strong light source. Lighting diffusers help soften a look or simply even out the lighting on a set.

Using a single color or color combination enhanced by the lighting you use gives you the ability to dramatically conjure the mood— from murky to in-your-face— grabbing the attention of viewers. And hopefully tugging at their hearts, minds, and feelings.

The Avenues of Lighting

There are many aspects to lighting and much to investigate to hone your skills. But using lighting design in your photographer’s toolkit propels your work to a higher level and gives you unlimited creative flexibility.

When you know how to manage, control, manipulate, and plan your lighting to highlight the story you are trying to convey, the results are amazing; sometimes, they’re even surprising.

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Echo base toys www.echobasetoys.myshopify.com Currently residing in Irwindale, Ca (Southern California, Los Angeles area)

Also located at Frank and Son's Collectible show Booth 612/Row 6

1518 Arrow Hwy, Suite F La Verne, CA 91750 Tel: 1-909-593-4912

EKIAHobbies.com We are your last stop for various collectibles and toys. We have been an experienced online retailer since 2011 with the fastest, easiest, no hassle service for your entire collecting needs.

www.onesixthkit.com

DIORAMA BUILD

H T I W MICHAEL DUGGER Have you ever wanted to create a diorama for your toytography, but don't know how? Well, Michael is here to lend you a hand. He will share with you the materials you will need for the best results.

BUIL DING MATE RIAL S & TOOL S The first material you're going to need for your diorama build is pink XPS insulation foam. You can pick up this foam from just about any hardware or hobby store.

The foam is a sturdy material that is relatively thick.

They're usually sold in square pieces, and they can be easily cut to any shape you desire. In this particular case, they will be used for the walls of your building.

The best tools to use to cut your foam to the correct shape/size is either a box cutter or a hot wire foam cutting tool. Be sure to use a tape measure or ruler for proper measurements before you make your cuts.

When you are cutting the brick pattern into your foam, you want your spacing to be 1 inch by .5 inches.

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you for when er p el h d o are a go ave been Push pins her that h et g to es c ld pie stay in one need to ho d pieces to ee n u o y en h glued, or w t dries. in a p place as

ient for be suffic n a c e r to u eas you're able A tape m if , r e v e w ents. Ho st for measurem per is be li a c l a it a dig get one, ements. te measur a r u c c a g gettin

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PREPARATION

To create that "stone" or "brick" look, use a balled piece of foil and rub it over the foam in a circular motion. The texture depends on how hard you press the foil to the foam.

(door ood" look w " t a h t e foam eal), you To give th window s f o s e g e the d ed k and us ic frame an t s le ic s ide pop ss the run acro break a w ly t n e g o wise) dge t m (length a broken e o f e h t s it acros foam. Run the lines. to create

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PAINTS

a use for your brick is The color you want to w Ho n, black and yellow. mixture of red, brow is entirely up to you. much of each mixture For your stone pieces, you will nee d to use a mixtures of greys, white and blac k. The amount you use in your mix is up to you.

For the "cemented" areas, there is a product called AK Terrains. They make all different sorts of terrain material. It will give you the best results for concrete.

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you are Here is where the push pins will come in handy. As push the use to gluing the foam pieces in place, you will need it is pins to keep the foam in the same spot as it dries. When completely dry, that is when you can remove the pins.

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At this point, your diorama construction is complete. However, you can add extra cosmetics to your build for more realism. If you have access to a 3D printer, you can construct pieces like this store sign. for more information about this piece in particular, you can contact Michael Dugger.

Instagram: Insightful_Imagery Website: Insightfulimagery.com/toy-photography YouTube: Insightful Imagery

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To give your window more of a rustic appearance, you can cut away parts between the window and the "damaged" brick to create a space to insert a painted (wide) popsicle stick to give the look of an exposed window seal.

Note: If you're interested in adding the sidewalk to your diorama building, you can visit Michael Dugger's YouTube channel for a full tutorial.

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Instagram: Insightful_Imagery Website: Insightfulimagery.com/toy-photography YouTube: Insightful Imagery

www.onesixthkit.com

! e r e h e r e w u Wish yo

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Congratulations to the themed contest winner!

3rd

#Hero

Name: Anthony Sixth Scale Posers Instagram: figureposing YouTube: Figure Posing Channel Country: The Netherlands Camera: Canon m50 About the photo: I really don't focus on taking photos, mainly poses which I happen to photograph. So mostly it's just trial and error.

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2nd

Next Contest Theme: #Friendship The theme for our summer issue contest is friendship. Create an ORIGINAL photo that is your interpretation of friendship.

Use the hashtag #friendship.

To submit a photo for the next contest, just post your photo in the Toytography Magazine Facebook group. The photo with the most votes wins. You must preorder the coming issue for your image to be accepted.

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SHARE YOUR

PHOTO

Photo Submission To submit a photo for the Toytography Wall in the next issue, post your photo in the Toytography Magazine Facebook group and use the Hashtag #issueno4 You must preorder the coming issue for your image to be accepted.

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NEXT e u Iss

Featured Toytographer: Nico Ongena Camera lenses: Which one is best for you?

Natural Light: Using the sun to your advantage.

Camera Angles: Positioning makes all the difference

Website: Toytographymag.com Instagram: Toytography_Magazine Facebook Group: Toytography Magazine

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