Toytography Magazine (Summer 2024)

JUNE 2024

TIPS FOR CREATING EMOTION WITH A SINGLE IMAGE

THAT HOLD THOSE DYNAMIC POSES.

USING NATURAL SETTINGS AND BACKDROPS

MANDY BURTON SHARES HER TIPS ON TAKING PHOTOS WITH A SINGLE LIGHT

PATIENCE IS KEY WHEN MERGING NATURE WITH HIS TOYTOGRAPHY

TOYTOGRAPHYMAG.COM

A Message from Brian Carr

Expressing emotion through a single image

FEATURED TOYTOGRAPHER

14 MASTERING TOYTOGRAPHY 28 BEAUTY AND THE BASICS 33 42 T O Y F A R E ’ S T I P S CONTEST WINNER 45 Andrew Camera

Exploring backgrounds for captivating shots

Lighting tips from Mandy Burton

Photoshop tips for removing stands

Themed Contest #Relax

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CONT E NT S

2 STORYTELLING IMAGES 4

TABLE OF

NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER

A Note from the Founder

Recently, I took my family on trip to Yosemite National Park. It was my first time visiting the valley, so I did research on the location to make the most of my visit. As a Toytographer, I was already planning to bring a few figures with me to place them in memorable settings.

For some Toytographers, they may feel a little embarrassed to set up toys in such a public area, but I welcome the attention. Most of the time, people will find Toytography to be very interesting.

I encourage you to step out of your shell and explore the world with your Toytography. You never know what great photos you may capture and who you will inspire.

r r a C n a i Br Founder

In this issue We talk with Andrew Camera as he shares his brilliant idea on combining Toytography with the local wildlife.

Our feature interview is with Jason B Michael. He is a phenomenal storyteller. The emotions he expresses in his images are truly memorable.

We also have a new diorama build! Jordan Affonso from Oilers Workshop is lending his skills for an amazing design. Grab your crafting tools and prepare to create something that is out of this world!

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WWW.JAZZINCDIORAMAS.COM

www.onesixthkit.com

STORYTELLING IMAGES

Some of the most interesting toy photos are the ones that tell a story. It’s not always an easy task to create such a photo. Whether you’re using a single figure or multiple ones, the challenge is to create a story in a single image that is both engaging and captivating.

STORYTELLING THROUGH A SINGLE FRAME

The best type of storytelling photos are the ones that trigger some type of emotion. Whether it’s humor, suspense, fear or the like, your subject must display some type of relatable expression to the viewer.

By Brian Carr

This can be achieved through posing your characters or the arrangement of your setup. This can also include your camera settings and lighting. All of these are key ingredients to create an engaging story in a single image. Here are steps to get you started in creating some captivating toytography.

NOMADIC

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01.

Creating a central idea or theme you want to convey through your images is a great starting point. Themes like adventure, friendship, conflict, or humor are just a few examples. You can stay within the parameters of a character’s lore or personality or mix and match genres. Usually, when genres are mixed, the toytographer will stick with the character’s personality.

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CREATE THE SETTING

02.

Setting the scene for your story is just as important as the characters themselves.

Using various props, dioramas or even outdoor areas can provide the perfect environment to aid your story.

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SETTING YOUR LIGHTS

03.

Your lighting will play a crucial role in your toytography. Experiment with different techniques and sources to help create your desired mood for your image. From a simple desk lamp to natural light, there are a wide range of light sources you can use.

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GUIDING THE VIEWERS EYE

04.

The composition of your image is what you will use to guide the viewer’s eye.

You have the power to control what the viewer sees when telling the story of your image. No matter where the viewer is looking In your photo, the composition will guide them to where you want their attention.

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POSING YOUR FIGURES

05.

Positioning your figure(s) in a unique pose is the most important part of your photo. It is an even greater help if your figure comes with different expressions. Those expressions will allow you to create a more compelling story in your image. Whether it's a heroic stance, a moment of suspense, or a tender interaction, expressions and body language can speak volumes in storytelling. If you need inspiration, you can look to other source material, such as comic books, internet searches for images or other Toytographers.

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IT’S IN THE DETAILS

06.

Incorporating small details in the narrative of your image will enhance the viewer’s imagination. The longer they spend looking at your photo, the more details they will notice.

So why not add more details to carry them further?

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PERSPECTIVE AND SCALE

07.

These may be toys, but changing the perspective and angle of an image can literally change that view. Photographing your image from unique perspectives can add depth and dimension. If possible, use different lenses. Experiment with close ups, wide angles and unusual viewpoints to create visually dynamic stories.

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USE YOUR IMAGINATION

08.

Sometimes, the most interesting stories are those that leave room for interpretation. Allow viewers to fill in the gaps and imagine their own narratives from what they see in your photo. Like any form of storytelling, toy photography requires practice and experimentation. Don't be afraid to try new techniques, explore different themes, and push the boundaries of your creativity.

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

EKIAHobbies.com www.onesixthkit.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.

NATURE’S TOYTOGRAPHER ANDREW CAMERA

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Toytography Magazine: So, do you go by “Andrew Camera”? Is that your real last name or is it something else?

Andrew Camera: I get asked that all the time, especially when I went to film school….my peers thought I changed it as well. I go by camera, and that’s my real last name.

TM: Wow, that friggin’ awesome! So, what do you do?

AC: So, I am currently a video editor. I work remotely for a video production company out in LA. I do visual effects work for streaming shows, compositing, just to make sure the shows are getting the work they need.

On the side, I just do some toy photography whenever I can on the weekends. That’s really how I’ve been spending my time lately. It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve always loved the creative aspect of film and photography, so I always like to delve myself into any kind of aspect that includes that. Music as well.

TM: Oh, ok. Are there ever any times where you blend the two?

AC: Most definitely. I try to do that as much as I can, actually. So, really, before I get into it, it’s way too much… I started with photography. Then, you know, as I grew, with computers and all these amazing things that have come around, you know, color and sound effects, I just kind of added more tools to my toolbox. I can bring these pictures or scenarios more to life. I love the amazing things I’ve been seeing as well, in your magazine and from other people on Instagram. It’s a great community. I feel like the toy community has been just fantastic. People helping people, a sharing community that I just love being a part of. It’s fantastic.

TM: Yeah. Once you get further into it, for those who are just diving in… I’ve heard people tell me before, “You know, I don’t know if I’m at that level yet, because I’m only using my phone.” Then they realize that there’s such a big community. We embrace everyone. There are people who’s photos look phenomenal, then you find out they’re using their phones.

TM: Right! So, you said you did photography in high school. I did that as well. Did you get the exposure of working in a dark room and developing the film and all that?

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AC: I certainly did. I’m so grateful that I got that opportunity. I don’t know if schools still have dark rooms and stuff like that, but my high school, thank God, had that. It was really daunting. Trying to do it, and just the development, and making the sheets, just to line up the film… oh my goodness. I’m so glad that I got to get started in those roots. It was certainly fantastic, so I definitely appreciate all that time and patience, which is probably where I got it from. “Ok, I can’t just look at the photo now. I gotta develop it.” It’s amazing, you know?

TM: That’s true, because it does take a lot of patience. Also, just taking pictures and not knowing how your photo is going to come out.

AC: I know! Absolutely.

TM: It’s a lot of fun, and with something like that, you do appreciate the whole process of everything. But you also appreciate just how quickly you can have photos now.

AC: I know, right? In an instant. A hundred are good, but I’ll take one of those hundred.

TM: So, when it comes to the photography that you do, I’m just amazed at how you get those shots. How…? I can’t even begin to imagine the level of patience that has to come with something like that. Or is there a lot of patience required to take images like that?

AC: You’re certainly right. There’s a lot of patience. Something that I can start with to allude to it is, basically, I don’t go to the birds in a lot of cases. I let the birds come to me. That’s where the patience comes. So, I’ve since created a bird platform. Basically, a bird house, if you will. A four-foot, flat platform, right outside my room. It’s on my porch. I just set it up. I have a nice bedding of moss. I put some bird seeds on there. I attract them. I gain their trust. And I say trust, because it is so unbelievable the types of birds and the longevity of the trust that is gained. For example, I just got a cardinal that’s now coming every day to feast. That took a year because they are the most timid birds ever. Patience is a virtue, absolutely. But I don’t want to disrupt the birds. I want them to enjoy themselves in the environment that they’re pleased in, so I try to create that in my environment, for it to be welcoming. Then, all I do is add some guys on there. I give them the food they want and they don’t care who gives it to them as long as they have it. It could be Kirby, it could be Megaman, it could be anybody as long as they’re happy and they feel they’re safe. They have their environment in nature… Those toy scenarios come to life.

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TM: Yes, they do. I’ve seen the other images you have of squirrels as well. Is that the same platform that you use, or is that somewhere else?

AC: That is the same platform. They make a ruckus of that, man. They’re messy eaters, man. They’re all over the place, and I have to clean up the pieces of seed that they leave. It’s so awesome, because some just work so well with the sizing of the figures. Sometimes, with the squirrels, I feel like I can up the scale of the figures as if they would be part of that particular size world. I love that so much. Squirrels are fun. I always welcome them, as well.

TM: Wow… I have to ask, are there times where everything just gets knocked over?

AC: Oh! Absolutely! Absolutely. Remember I mentioned those hundreds of photos? Those are, like, 98 of them.

They don’t care where they are. They just get all over the place. However, I did try to perfect that, so within that platform, I put screws underneath. So, I have the figures, and I kind of screw them on there to keep them really tight. Like you said, they’re very messy eaters and kind of run around a lot. So, it really has perfected more of my “good shots” to have those figures bolted down, when I can and keep it all nice and firm, because it can get messy.

TM: Yes, because I have to say, when it comes to photography, in this area you’re like Ace Ventura.

AC: Haha! Thank you so much. What a compliment.

TM: Just showing that love for them, it’s not really something anyone really thinks of doing. It’s really out of the box thinking, when it comes to photography. It’s really amazing. So, is there any kind of wire work? Do you have to do any kind of editing for your images? Remove the wires or anything like that?

AC: Well, let me just say that I try to stay away from as much editing as possible. Especially AI. I try to stay away from AI. I use zero AI. I try to keep nature and the environment as it stands. Having said that, there are certain things that I will utilize, like the practical effects that I mentioned. I made a shot where I have baby Yoda giving a bird, or a squirrel, a nut and I had that nut levitating. So, the little practical effects that I do is I have a toothpick and I put that toothpick in those holes that I mentioned, underneath the platform. I put the peanut right on top, then I composited an empty plate behind it. That way, I could just use photoshop and just erase that toothpick. Those are the mechanisms I use to manipulate those types of shots. A lot of the shots you see are really just the set up and storyboarding beforehand. This is where I want the photo. This is how I want the clean background. The rest is up to chance. Where is this bird going to land? I have no idea. Let’s see what’s gonna happen. It’s so awesome to experience.

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Aside from that, I might do a little contrast or coloring work in photoshop, some vibrance pickups, a couple touch ups on the figures. I love to keep my figures in pristine condition, but those birds will throw debris on them. So, I just try to clean them up and make them look their best, before they make it to the final post.

TM: So, I guess that leads to another question. Because the squirrels and the birds are so random, is there planning involved when it comes to your shots? What is your process for that?

AC: One of the things about doing it often, that I didn’t know at first, I learned that there are times where they go to eat and when they come back. It’s very strange. Certain birds have certain morning rituals and they come back late. For me, that’s all about lighting, because how am I going to light it if it’s dark? If it’s strong lighting… It happens randomly, so I kind of have to work the camera angles based off of that. It’s a challenge. I feel like I do the best I can, but there’s only so much you can do with what nature is going to present to you that day. So, I try to look for those nice, overcast days. Sometimes, I look up and I see a couple of clouds and I’m like, no harsh lighting. Golden hour. Sometimes, I’m like, “Oh, this is going to be a good day. Let me see who I’m going to set up. Hopefully, some birds come by.” Anything else, as far as where they’re going to land on the platform, I do my best to do blocking. They’re like my actors, so miniature blocking. If there’s a branch, I can put some kind of structure, a mini stone or something in the right corner, I know that they’ll potentially land on that. One of the things I read is that birds actually love the opportunity to land on any branch. More so than the ground.

Certain birds. If they see that branch there, it’s almost inviting. I’ll land there, and then I’ll see what’s on the ground. Oh, there’s food there. Let me jump down, and have that safety area where, if anything bad happens, I’ll just jump back on the branch. Things like that.

I’ll put water, all cultivating an environment where they’ll feel safe, I’ll put a bush right next to it, so if they get scared, they won’t go so far away. They’ll just go towards that bush. Then when everything’s quiet, there’s more of a chance for them to come back, rather than them getting scared completely, then having an area that’s kind of a no man’s land, for them to come back to.

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TM: Wow. That’s actually quite the thought process. How did you decide to use the outside environment and animals in your photos? Where did the thought even come from to do that?

AC: It really came from natural lighting being the best. I mean, I praise a lot of the photographers that really create their own environments indoors. I have so much respect for that. Oh my God, it looks gorgeous, and their backgrounds. How it looks so real, and they put the soft lighting. It is unbelievable. I love that myself. I would totally jump in on that when I have the opportunity to do that. But I always tell myself that you can’t beat the natural lighting. So, that’s what brought me outside. Ever since I was young, I always felt like natural lighting always gave for the best shots. It was something that made for me to kind of learn easier from that start. Then, to kind of see, “Oh, I can manipulate lighting? I can shine this here and block light here, bounce light off here…” So, that’s where I started, and it’s always been my true love to shoot outside.

TM: Ok. And did you just have a love for birds and whatnot? Or is that something that developed as well?

AC: It has definitely developed. Throughout the pandemic, I’ve always, and my parents too, have always welcomed the backyard to birds. I remember one time we had… Gosh, twelve bird houses in my backyard. It was unbelievable. It was a whole environment of different types of birds. It was really fun, so I always did love that environment. Then, by happenings, sometimes I’ll take those photos, like I mentioned back in the day of the Lord of the Rings, and they would just jump in. It was inspiring for me because I was like, “Oh, that’s a really cool photo.” I kind of tried to make that grow and see if I could get that to happen more. Since the pandemic, I really homed in on that because I would just take the time to go on nature walks and a lot of the preserves that are on Long Island and kind of see the habits of birds. What they love. What particular birds like. What type of seeds.

Then, it kind of just clicked from there. I’m going to try to create this environment for them, and I want these toys to interact with these birds as if there’s this miniature world. And that’s how I came up with the name and that’s the goal I have in all my photos. It’s that love of those fantasy worlds. Taking you to a world where you’re forced to look at it from a new perspective. Learn the rules. Maybe Kirby is being friendly with this bird, helping out nature, and you come up

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with these ideas in your head and it’s just something that does it for me. I don’t mind the patience. I don’t mind the messiness. As long as I can have that idea of “What if” or “Imagine if”. If you get something like that, that’s the drive, man. Throughout all toy photographers. I’m sure you feel the same way. It’s just getting that photography, you know?

TM: Yeah, that’s the thing I really love. I definitely get more excited when the weather starts to clear up. I can go outside and get photos.

AC: Oh, yeah. You know it. That’s what we look for. “You want to go play in the gym?” “Oh, no. That grass patch over there looks really green. I can get some nice sun. I’m gonna get my camera. I’ll be right back.”

TM: Haha! Yeah, because it’s true. Nothing beats natural light. Even still, which I’m sure you can attest, natural light brings its own challenges. Catching things at the right time of day. Like you mentioned, sometimes the best photos are in that golden hour, when that beautiful light just hits and it casts shadows at just the right angles.

Nothing really beats the natural light. So, when you have your shots and you see something, has there ever been a time where something just happens to land there on the platform and you’re like, “Oh, let me get that shot”? Or how does that work?

AC: Yeah, um… I just have two words and it’s the Blue Jays. Blue Jays are so predatorial it’s insane. They are not afraid. So, sometimes they’ll have a little bird party around there and a Blue Jay will just swoop in and just collect all the seeds, make a mess, rip up the moss that I have, and I’m like, “Let me get another figure.” And I’ll get someone who’s all (makes attack motion), like it’s trying to attack this thing because that’s how menacing these birds are. I did not plan for a lot of the Blue Jay shots that I have but you can guarantee that if they’re out there, and you can hear them, they’ll make a stop. Blue Jays are very… They’ll see the food and they don’t care who’s around. They’ll go and it’s not safe for a lot of birds.

TM: So, for as long as you’ve been doing this, have you become accustomed to the birds sounds to where you know what’s in the area?

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AC: Absolutely. Yeah. There’s been a lot of things I recently came into that I didn’t know existed, starting with what you mentioned. Bird sounds. Knowing the sounds of a Bewick’s Wren, a Cardinal, a Black Chickadee, a Finch, a Dark-Eyed Junco’s… I didn’t know these birds’ names a year ago. It’s insane. Or when they come by it’s unbelievable. It’s really a science.

There’s a whole world to explore about it and it’s so amazing. It doesn’t even have to come from me. It can be someone who looks at nature and just wants to know what they are.

Someone who just enjoys seeing the birds and just feeding them and just knowing the sounds, just to have that extra knowledge. But it has brought me closer to that world and it’s been amazing. Flight patterns. When do they come by? Certain birds, like what I was telling you with the Cardinals, how timid they are. How much you have to grow the environment to make sure that they will stop by. It’s rewarding because you feel like you gain knowledge for doing something that you love. It has helped me a lot. Also, there’s this app I didn’t even know existed. It’s called eBird and they literally tell you the birds in your environment. Turn on your location and they can tell you hotspots in your area within the United States. So, I’ve been trying to capitalize on that and you learn a lot. A lot of people, a lot of birders, are so willing, similar to the people in the toy community, just to give ideas, locations, thoughts and processes of how to capture these birds. So, I try to take anything I can to try to make my photos better.

TM: Wow, that’s cool. Literally, your toy photography and someone else’s love for birds… You bridged that gap. In a way, you kind of expanded toy photography awareness into another area.

AC: Similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I try to take all the movies and try to make a little cameo appearance in other communities to try to bridge that gap in one final ending.

TM: Haha! Right! Before you know it, you’ve stretched it and it’s this bubble that keeps getting bigger and bigger.

AC: I appreciate you saying that, though, because that’s what I love. If I can just bring two areas together, and have more people enjoy toy photography and bridge the gap between bird photography… Because there are similarities, like you mentioned. Knowing natural lighting. Knowing where to shoot. What’s good for toy photography can also be good for welcoming birds. I love bridging those similarities.

TM: So, since you’re pretty much in the movie industry, how many people are aware that this is also what you do?

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AC: I do tell a few. It’s funny… When you mentioned back in the beginning about how a lot of toy photographers would be self-conscious, I really was that. In the beginning, I would get really self-conscious that my work wasn’t at the top level of all you guys and all the fantastic work I would see a lot. And it’s intimidating sometimes. It’s like, “How did they capture this?” “How did they rig this?” Spiderman is like slam dunk on Thanos, and I’m like, “How did he do that?” So, I was very self-conscious. I would love to share more. I do open up to a lot of people to see if there’s anything I can give to their tools for their toolbox as well. But, yeah, my job. I haven’t shared as much to them because I feel like I have room to grow more. But I am very fortunate for the spot I’m in now. It’s getting a lot of positive reception, so I’m always open to share. I love doing vendor fairs. It’s one of my favorite things now. Just talking to people. Meeting them. Seeing them smile. So, I certainly do want to share more and cultivate that community of talking about it. It’s really rewarding for me, so I can’t imagine how it can be for other art appreciators as well.

TM: Yeah. For as long as I’ve been looking at other toy photographers, that’s the thing that makes what you do unique. When you’re looking at all the various toy photographers out there, when you start to see the same pattern over and over again, you begin to look for the things that are unique. The things that stand out. We love photographers like yourself who take pictures of the animals with the toys, then looking to people who only take pictures of Legos, or someone who only takes pictures of stuffed animals. Toy photography is really such a broad term that there’s really not one specific area that you can home in on. But that’s the unique thing about toy photography. Yes, you can learn what you need to as far as learning the camera, and techniques, and things like that, but you learn it to the point where you start to develop your own thumbprint and create your own thing to where you are the one who’s unique.

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So, I have to say, my hat off to you for the type of photography that you do because it’s not the norm. That’s the great thing about it. There’s this one phrase that I learned a long time ago and I stick with it now and that’s, in whatever thing that you do, be the thermostat, not the thermometer. When it comes to the difference between the two, the thermometer just tells the temperature. This is what it is, or in the realm of society, this is what everyone’s doing. But the thermostat is like, “THIS is what it is. I’m setting it. This is how it’s going to be. This is the temperature now.” That uniqueness is what people are drawn to. So, when it comes to your photography, what camera do you use, and do you have a variety of different lenses? How close are you able to get your camera to these set ups, or do you have to be quite a distance away?

AC: I try to keep as far away as I can. I have a Canon. I’m a Canon guy. I have a DSLR. I grew up with that.

That’s what they taught me on, so I really gravitated towards those cameras. I was just in a bird photography class, and they were telling me that Nikon had been coming out with a lot of AI integrations where they could actually have a motion detect a bird setting, like, “Show me a bird.” Each camera has their own detection, but Nikon has been homing in on that. I’m not a spokesperson for Nikon but I heard that, and I’m like, “Oh! That sounds amazing.” But I stick with Canon. I have a Manfrotto tripod. The sturdiest… And just light. Sometimes, if I’m on the move and I don’t want to make a lot of sound, that’s really the key. So, I just want to be able to move and not make any subtle noises. I try to be pretty far, not to be right not top of them. Then, of course, there are some other areas where the birds are actually more friendly towards humans. There’s a big nature preserve where they’re all around and you don’t have to be so far away. They’re always there. People go out there and feed them a little bit, even though they say you’re not supposed to feed them that much, but they’ve just become kind of unafraid of humans for that reason. It’s a nice preserve, so there’s not a lot of harm that would come to them there. They’re still very friendly but sometimes I go there and I just set up the figures and you wouldn’t imagine. Sometimes they go right in front of you as you’re setting up the shot and *click click* it’s done. So, different environments bring out different bird behavior. That’s number one.

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Number two, I never try to disturb the birds. Like I said, I try to get the birds to come to me but I always try to make sure they have that habitat, so they’re not afraid. In addition to that, I never try to be a menacing force on top of them, so I try to stay away. So, I guess I didn’t mention I have a 300mm, a 70-300mm, so I’m usually all the way zoomed in to try to keep away from them. So, just a lot of different angles. My tripod’s on a swivel. Sometimes I sensor activate, so I don’t have to be right up on there. I have the Cannon Connect app, so I don’t have to be anywhere around. I hit the button, and it clicks. I do those in certain occurrences because in rain, or certain shots where I’m protecting the camera, I don’t want to get drenched. They’re out there. They feed in the rain. It’s beautiful.

TM: Actually, I do have that on my camera as well. Just being able to have that remote shutter, that’s definitely one of the cool features for a lot of these modern cameras. So, can you think of a shot that was your most challenging?

AC: I took this one shot; it’s called Bird Seed Stew. It’s a shot where Shrek is sitting on a chair, he’s holding seeds, and he has a cauldron, which I put seeds in. It was so hard because they don’t really make those figures anymore. Those were from the original 2003 shots. I was like, “I have to have this.” He looked amazing. The background was great, too. But the birds were so intimidated by him. I don’t know if it was the color, or just how he was looking at them, but they just did not want to fly towards him. I had the blocking and the storyboard that we were talking about. I just need the bird to land here and this will be a great shot. It just needs to land here. So, in that case, I was looking for something specific, but it was taking a lot of time and waiting through days of weather where I wouldn’t want to move the figure because he sat perfectly. Then rain would come down and I was like, “Oh God, it’s going to damage the figure!”

But I didn’t want to jeopardize the chance that a bird would come by. It was a waiting game. It took a long time. That was a lot of patience, but eventually everything cleared up and they’re watching. The birds are watching.

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So, he comes down, I think it was a Bewick’s Wren, and he’s still intimidated. It’s so… Your hand’s on the trigger and you don’t want to click it too early because you don’t want to scare him with the shutter sound… It was such a high stakes moment because I wanted that shot where he’s looking over the cauldron. I envisioned it.

He was so antsy. He did not want to get there. His tail was outside the frame. I was like, “Just budge over.” You want to go, “Come on. Come on.” But you can’t, so it was a lot, a lot, a lot of patience. Thank God I was rewarded that time, but not a lot of times you are. I understand that. But that time. Ah! I really love that photo because of that. It’s one of those things where, on the outside it looks good, but we as artists know the time it takes to get it done. It’s unbelievable. . I actually left a comment on Sir Dork, which I saw was one of your first interviews in the ToyTography Magazine. He’s a photographer who does excellent behind the scenes work, I have to say. I credit him for a lot of the inspiration that it took for me to go out there. The motivation.

So, I commented on one of his time lapses because he has a long time lapse, showing a lot of time happening.

And in that time, you can see his figure fall down, and even me watching it in time lapse, I’m like “Ohhh! That sucks!” I was a little tense when that figure fell. I was a little upset, too. You feel for that, when that happens, because you don’t know how long it takes to get them to stand and stay.

TM: Oh my gosh, that reminds me of a shot I took. Not too far from where I am, there’s a fountain with rocks.

AC: Oh, I don’t like that already. It’s not a smooth surface. Haha!

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TM: Haha! So, I had my Cyclops figure and I just had him leaning on the rock. You know, it was totally cool, the setup was nice, but there was a little bit of wind that day. So, I got the shot, and right after I took the photo, he fell over. Instead of falling forward, he fell backwards into the water. I ran over, snatched him up real quick, and started to dry him off as best as I could. I kid you not, as I was driving home… I didn’t want the jacket to stain the outfit that he had, so I took the jacket off, and on the way home, I’m driving as I hang the jacket out the window. The jacket is flapping in the wind, and I’m like, “This is going to be my air dryer right here.” People are watching me drive with this jacket flapping out the window, and the whole time, I’m like, “Please don’t mess up. Please don’t stain.”

AC: Haha! I love that. That’s such a great story.

TM: The things that we have to deal with to get those shots, it’s just amazing. It falls into the lines of those who don’t really do a lot of editing. You want to do little to no editing, so it’s how can I get this whole setup just right? Get my lighting just right? All so you don’t have to be concerned with anything else. One thing I like to do is, after I take my shot, I love being able to just take my picture and, when I look at it, say “It’s done.

Upload.”

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AC: Oh, yeah. Those are the gems. Absolutely.

TM: To do something like that, it’s like you said. It requires a lot of patience, getting everything just right, and when you hit that sweet spot, it’s like, “Oh, yeah. This is what I worked for.” Because we critique our own work.

Some people may look at it and say, “Oh, wow. The picture’s great!” “Yeah, but I can see this…”

AC: Big time.

TM: So, I can totally understand all of that. So, for those out there who are in the position you were in, where they may say, “I don’t know if I’m good enough for this” or “I’m a little intimidated”, is there any kind of advice that you could give to them that can kind of encourage them or inspire them to take that next step?

AC: Certainly. The toy photography community is very welcoming. There are a bunch of artists similar to us who have all started where people come in. So, it’s not a hard thing to learn, if you have the passion for it. You’ll certainly find the drive to get to that point. They’re very welcoming. Also, do research. When you get that camera, it’s not always about getting the highest dollar amount for a camera or a lens. Know how your camera works, inside and out, because you wouldn’t believe the kind of details that you read and settings… There’s over 3,000 settings in today’s modern camera. If you just know where these things are and just have an understanding of how to utilize them, I can guarantee your shots will bolster. They will grow. Have that confidence to share it with others, be open to critique, and don’t take it personally. The goal is to love what you do. If you love taking these photos, just keep that inside and work with it. It’ll grow. I wish anyone who was thinking about showing it, get in there, show it. It has been my light as well for dark times. Something I can always fall back on when times are tough in the entertainment industry. It’s really great.

TM: Thank you, man. I really appreciate this interview. This has been really good.

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By: Brian Carr

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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.

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L L L L L A A A W W W T T T S AAARRRTTTIIISS

O O O D D D R R R A A A N N N LLELEEOOO NIII SSSAAALLVLVVIIINN

Z Z Z A A A O O O B B B JJAJAAYYY L L L A A E A E L E L L O O I O I I R R R A A A MMM

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M M M A A A H H H G G I G I I H H H W W W N N N A SSSEEEAA

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F F L F L L U U U W W W L L E L E E A A A H H H C C I MMMIIC

S S S P P I P I L I L L L L I I I H H H P P P K K K R R R MMMAAA

L L E L E E A A L A L L A A A U JJOJOOSSSHHHUU

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Winner!

Congratulations to the themed contest winner! #Relax

Name: Jay Boaz Country: Canada Instagram: Jbotography What type of camera do you use: Pixel 3 How long have you been doing Toytography: Since 2020.

Tell us a little bit about your photo. When I first laid eyes on this Chester Cheetah figure from Jada Toys, an image of Chester swimming in a pool of Cheetohs, ala Scrooge McDuck in his pool of gold coins, sprang into my head.

Chester strikes me more as the type to sit back and relax at the pool rather than swimming laps though

3rd

2n d

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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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