Nathan Smith

People

Bedman.

Eat My Bricks: Telling Stories with Bricks and Pics!

Article and Photography by Sören Grochau and Michael Feindura Instagram: @eat_my_bricks

Michael Feindura and Sören Grochau. Some toy photographers started LEGO photography when they realized the minifigure was a perfect subject to work with. Others, like Sören Grochau started when he played with his son’s LEGO and had fun goofing around with the figures. Sören tried a little bit, but the picture quality didn’t satisfy him, so he called his friend Michael Feindura. With Mic’s professional equipment and skills, they tried their first images together and had a lot of fun. Since then, they have met again and are staging new pictures under the name of Eat My Bricks (EMB). Photography ideas come from a lot of places for the duo. Sometimes an idea comes during an ordinary activity, like brushing teeth or bike riding. They also like to be inspired by art or political events. What makes EMB happiest, though, are the spontaneous ideas and the impulses that come serendipitously and are sometimes triggered by just a small everyday object. When they both agree on an idea, a small sketch is made. Parts and materials are gathered after a setting is determined. Sometimes this process can be very time-consuming, or this goes very quickly. During the shoot, different perspectives are tried and different lighting is used, as both are easier to do with a live image on a large display. Once done with the shoot, the photos are opened in Photoshop and Lightroom, where the images are optimized and any small auxiliary wires and dust are removed. The image should look perfect in the end—even as a large fine art print.

People Photographer Spotlight: Łukasz Więcek

[TM DC Comics.] [TM Lucasfilm.]

Article and Photography by Łukasz Więcek Instagram: @lukasdata

Łukasz Więcek began his photography journey seven years ago. Two years later, he started photographing toys. Joining Instagram encouraged him to share his photos with the world. When Łukasz first started on IG, there were already a few accounts with nice minifigure photos. Seeing them, he was inspired to try minifigures as his toy of choice.

[TM Marvel Entertainment, Inc.]

Photo inspiration is taken from everything that is happening to and around Łukasz. From watching a movie or riding a scooter, he can suddenly have an idea for a photo, which he usually writes down immediately. Of those ideas, he has made over 2000 photos. From that collection, Łukasz chose his best five for this year (which are seen in this article): • Iron Man (from the LEGO set) • The Haunted House set • Star Wars • Ninjago • Batman His all-time favorite LEGO photo is one he did of Captain America, as Łukasz loves super-hero poses. His favorite moment was when LEGO shared his Star Wars photo on their social media profiles. His was the first photo taken by a fan and shared by LEGO, and was spotted by Mark Hamill on Twitter, who commented on it. Łukasz has always loved to photograph nature and the outdoors, but an unfortunate knee and back injury forced him to try different photography solutions. Now he often uses a monitor for a background, sand, earth, and artificial grass as a surface and often uses bricks to build everything. His camera of choice is his Samsung NX3000, but when he shoots a big set he uses his smartphone— large sets are literally his biggest challenge. A large set can also make a memorable story. Łukasz was getting ready to shoot the LEGO Saturn V set, waiting for a blue sky and looking for a good place to take photographs. He found that one day, with a beautiful sky and a previously selected spot a few kilometers from Białystok. When he stood the Saturn V to sit

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People

Mickey and Minnie. [TM Disney.]

Photographer Spotlight: Yuri Badiner

Interview by Shelly Corbett Photography by Yuri Badiner Instagram: @y.badiner Flickr Gallery: www.flickr.com/photos/yuribadiner/

Spacemen. Elves. Popcorn. Yuri Badiner uses these props and more to make imaginative images that he can post to his Instagram account @y.badiner. For this photography issue of BrickJournal, I caught up with Yuri to find out more about why and how he makes his amazing images!

BrickJournal: Hi Yuri! How long have you been a toy photographer, and what first attracted you to this hobby?

Yuri Badiner: In 2015, our local LEGO office ran a contest on Instagram called “I am a LEGO Photographer.” It was then that I first became acquainted with the world of toy photography. I have never seen anything like this before and didn’t have any photography skills; I just subscribed for several accounts to follow this topic and was a passive viewer. In 2016, I decided to try my hand and started photographing minifigures with my mobile phone. I think many people started with this. Over time, my collection grew and my mobile phone was replaced by an DSLR camera.

Where do you get your best photography ideas?

This is a good question! Sometimes ideas come to my mind spontaneously and I immediately write them down in notes. Sometimes I hatch an idea for a week or more. In any case, I draw inspiration from everywhere, and very often the source of the idea is not associated with toy

photography—I just recreate the images and situations I have seen or imagined.

Tell us about your process in creating an image from original thought to final photo ideas.

Most of the time, my plots are built around the character: I take a minifigure and begin to come up with events and situations for it. In some cases, I first come up with a situation, and then place characters in it.

What photography editing software do you commonly use in your image creation, and how does it help you express your ideas?

I use Photoshop and Lightroom. I can’t say that I have good post-processing skills, but I believe that these applications help me to achieve the final image that I intended. Post-processing is an important step in photography, and since I started to learn it, my photos have been transformed. With the help of photo editors, I try to emphasize everything important in the image and sometimes hide the excess. I almost never use heavy special effects, to keep the photo natural. It is very important not to overdo it and not cross the line between photography and digital art.

What are your top five LEGO themes images you have photographed?

When I started photographing, most of the time I worked with Star Wars and LEGO Batman. Over time, my priorities have changed and now I prefer not to stick to any specific hyped themes. Increasingly, I strive to create classic LEGO moods in my works wherever possible, and look for my own style on it. It’s really hard for me to name even one topic, but it would probably be Space.

What is your current equipment set up and why is it your favorite? Do you have a ‘high-end’ and ‘low-end’ set of gear for your photography?

I use a Nikon D7100 DSLR, 35mm lens, several YongNuo flashes with softboxes and a couple of LED panels. I think this is a fairly budgeted set that still allows me to embody my ideas. I’ve been shooting LEGO for almost six years and still haven’t answered the question myself, “What interests me more in this hobby—LEGO or photography?” Probably, all the same, I am really interested in buying LEGO more often than photographic equipment, so I very rarely buy additions to my set of equipment—only if I need something specific, without which I really cannot implement my current plan.

Tell us your favorite photography environment (indoor or outdoor) and why it is the place where you like to create your best work.

Shooting outdoors has to deal with almost uncontrollable light, wind, and other weather conditions, so I definitely love shooting at home or in the studio. At home, I have absolutely all my minifigures and parts and all my equipment at hand. It is very comfortable for me to realize that I am in control of the situation. In such conditions I manage to shoot my best shots. Towards 10:00pm, when my whole family is getting ready to rest, I empty the cutting table in the kitchen and bring everything I need to shoot there. This is my territory for the next 2-3 hours.

Lift-off.

Fairy journey.

People

Photographer Spotlight: Natasja de Vos

Article by Shelly Corbett Photography by Natasja de Vos Instagram: @by_a.n.n.a Website https://www.byanna-photography.com

Natasja de Vos is a photographer that has gained fame for her toyinspired photos on Instagram. When I interviewed her for BrickJournal, her answers were returned with the accompanying photos; the interview became a storyboard of her work! Enjoy!

Where do you get your best photography ideas?

My ideas don’t come from a place, so “where” isn’t the right word… my best photography ideas pop up with music… or what I read in papers or magazines… or what happened in the news… or by stories told by friends… or by things which happened in my personal life… or even the garden… I can get inspired by everything.

A photo inspired by the lavender and the LEGO bouquet.

How long have you been a toy photographer and what first attracted you to this hobby?

I started shooting photos of LEGO in 2016. My boys were young and had a LEGO collection (like I did when I was younger) and we built a lot together. I love to photograph and one day a minifigure came in front of my lens… and I thought that could be fun. That was the start.

My sons’ collection… bought with their saved and birthday money.