5 minute read
Eat My Bricks: Telling Stories with Bricks and Pics
LEGOgraphy
Taking Your First Shots
Here are some examples of toy pictures taken with phone cameras. [TM Lucasfilm.] Where do you start? After seeing all these amazing photos in this issue, full of special effects, you’re probably wondering: Where do you start? Starting is as easy as taking your phone out of your pocket! In fact, many of the photographers featured started with their camera phones. The camera phone has many advantages compared to a full-sized camera or even a pocket instamatic: • It’s always with you • It has infinite depth of field • It’s perfect for getting below the figure • It can easily photograph a scene from a variety of angles All that you need is a toy or two, a little practice and a story to tell. Storytelling is where the fun really starts! Toy photography gives you unlimited possibilities. You can be the director of your favorite game, movie, or book. Characters as varied as Luke Skywalker and Gollum are at your fingertips. By starting with your favorite storylines, you can study the work of other artists and the original designers. How is the scene composed? What lighting angles were used? How are the subjects posed? Not only is this fun, but learning from the masters is always rewarding. By studying the images of photographers, cinematographers and artists that inspire you, you will often stumble upon your own original ideas. While it’s fun to recreate others’ work, telling your own stories through toy photography can be more fun. With the help of the LEGO minifigure and your imagination, you can construct entire worlds to photograph. Everything is literally in your hands!
How-To
Do not cross the warrior’s path.
Alan Rappa: Studio Lighting
Introduction
I feel like I should be using air quotes when I say “studio lighting,” because in the toy space, I only know a handful of photographers that have a legit studio setup for their work. For the rest of us, when it comes to toy photography, any workable space can be considered a studio. Just as well, it means that any light source you have on hand can be considered studio lighting. While shooting outdoors under natural light may be the preferred approach for many photographers, using artificial light in a controlled environment can provide an immense amount of creative freedom. That is, once you understand how to effectively manage your light. In this article I’m going to go over some basics of working with artificial light to provide a foundation for when shooting in your own studio.
Light Fundamentals
When it comes to light, there are three primary principles you will want to understand, in order to manage them effectively. These principles are the light’s intensity, direction, and quality. Intensity and direction are pretty self-explanatory. Intensity is simply how bright your light is, and direction describes where your light is coming from in relation to your subject. Light quality, on the other hand, may be a new concept to those getting started with photography.
How-To
Shelly Corbett: Taking Your Photography Outside!
Article and Photography by Shelly Corbett Instagram: shellycorbettphotography Website: shellycorbett.com
As a proud toy photographer, I’ve always gravitated towards capturing LEGO minifigures outdoors. Something about the mix of hard plastic with the natural environment is appealing to me. Plus, I find the process relaxing, challenging, and a great excuse to explore nature. Taking my minifigure friends with me hiking, to the local park or to the other side of the world, is always a rewarding adventure. Preparing for an outdoor adventure, I make sure I have a few gadgets with me. These tools include a camera, extra lenses, a bounce card, small portable light, sticky tack, plastic supports, pad for kneeling on, hand clamps, and a small towel. With these resources I can generally capture the images I’m looking for. My success as an outdoor photographer is often dependent on how well I’ve prepared. The sun moves quickly and the more complicated my setup is, the faster I need to execute it.
Top: “All work and no play” features a Mouseguard minifigure from Crazy Bricks. Left: “The road less traveled” is a promo photo taken for Crazy Bricks’ Dino Dudes Kickstarter campaign. Both photos use a Lensbaby composer lens and a wide open aperture to create a dreamy effect.
How-To Tom Milton: Next Level Photography!
Article and Photography by Tom Milton Instagram:@tomtommilton Website: www.tommilton.co.uk
I regularly add various effects to my photography in an effort to create intriguing visual imagery and storytelling devices. And while I am more than happy to use Photoshop and digital editing in my photos, what really gets me excited is the use of practical effects. Through lighting, or motion blur, or adapting my camera lens, I love figuring out how I can make this happen in front of the camera and capture it in real time.
Radiative equilibrium
For a long time now, I’ve been striving to get a cinematic feel to my photography, and a big change I made a few years ago was with the purchase of an anamorphic lens.
This is a repurposed projector lens (the gold bit); this is then added to another lens attached to the camera. In this case it’s my Samyang 100mm Macro. But what is anamorphic? Well, it is where a widescreen image we are used to seeing in the movies is “squashed” horizontally to originally fit onto 35mm film. With this lens it takes a 2.66:1 aspect ratio from the lens and becomes a 3:2 aspect ratio on the back of the camera. I then “unsquash” the image on the computer to create the wider final photo. Unfortunately, it does mean I have to focus twice, and it has to be done manually. One of the side effects of using a lens like this is the cinematic lens flare they create, streaking across the image. For this particular photo and the series of photos that have preceded it, I took inspiration from the glowing face on the classic movie poster of The Thing along with the feeling of 2001: A Space Odyssey, creating my glowing-faced astronaut. Inside the helmet I have 2x LED light-up studs with the helmet itself lined with aluminium foil to reflect the light and direct the glow out of the face hole.
