Toy Photographers Podcast (Toy Photographers)

In this final installment of the special miniseries focused on toy photography from the beginner's perspective, Terri (@greenehenphotography) and Ariel (@those_wonderful_toys) had the opportunity to chat with Ben Piper of Project Piper Customs (@projectpipercustoms)--what a treat!

Toy photography has opened up such world of opportunities and a world of creativity for us all; whether we came to toy photography through our love of toys or our love of photography (or somewhere in between), we've all found a home where we can create, share, inspire, be inspired, and collaborate. What better to wrap up our series than to chat with another member of the community who, like so many, came to the craft of toy photography through the hobby of collecting and, later, customizing toys.

Ben Piper is a UK-based creative and photographer, and his passion is evident not only in his creations but also in his photographs, his YouTube videos, and his social media channels--and, of course, in this conversation!

Listen in as we chat about:

• How Ben's journey to toy photography began and where it's taken him
• How he views development and growth as a personal "leveling up" process
• How he views social media, the algorithms, and growth
• The case against needing allllll the gear--especially when just starting out
• The power of community and how reaching out to others forges friendships and collaborations
• Why he decided to share his process and tips via YouTube
• Advice for new and aspiring toy photographers

You can find Ben on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/projectpipercustoms), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/projectpipercustoms/), and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com). And be sure to check out Ben's series on YouTube focused on beginners--each episode is chock-full of fantastic info!

In this episode of Sabrina and Shelly talk about their month exploring black and white toy photography. They discuss what they learned, how black and white photography changed their perspective and what resources they used to get started. 

As always the full show notes and images referenced in this episode can be found on the Toy Photographers Blog. You can also find more articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, MeWe and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

In this episode of the Toy Photographers Podcast Janan Lee (@spideygoeshygge) and Shelly Corbett discuss Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. Why? Because the new year is often accompanied by New Year's Resolutions. While new year's resolutions can be controversial, the chance of the years is a great time to examine certain habits. But what happens when Shelly's new year's goal to use social media less runs head long into her favorite high value activity: toy photography. We hope you enjoy the discussion! 

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, MeWe and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

On this episode of the Toy Photographers Podcast, Alan Rappa hosts a roundtable featuring James Garcia (@thereelJames23), Arielle Nadel (@ariellenadel), and Trevor Williams (@onesix_shooter). The topic? All about creativity: Where to find it, how to harness it, and what to do when it gives you trouble.

Creativity is a pretty abstract concept. Can you define it? What does it look like? Is creativity something that’s tangible? Or you just know it when you feel it or see it? Does seeing others’ creativity inspire you or make you jealous? And does creativity only exist in artistic endeavors or can one express creativity through, say, spreadsheets? You might be surprised at the answer!

As always the full show notes and images referenced in this episode can be found on the Toy Photographers Blog. You can also find more articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, MeWe and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Welcome back to the Toy Photographers Podcast and our special series of toy photography from a beginner's perspective! I (Terri) am a former high school English teacher, and I find myself often seeing similarities between literature and toy photography. For example, when I taught novels, we talked a lot about character, plot, and setting. These days, I find I can definitely apply those same ideas to toy photography. Characters are our toys; the plot, the story we hope to tell in our photograph, and setting—well, that’s where we can have some real fun. Setting isn’t about where the action takes place. Setting can also create a mood and a feeling. The same is true for the settings of our photography! In this episode, Ariel (@those_wonderful_toys) and Terri (@greenehenphotography) talk setting and scenes--and all the decisions that come with each.

• How they conceptualize and set up their scenes
• Pros and cons of indoor vs outdoor scenes
• Props, accessories, and fabricated backdrops
• Using our natural surroundings to create images
• The joys of being outside and "on location" with our toys
• Creating a scene and image vs documenting a moment--is there a difference?

We'd love for you to have a listen to the other episodes in this miniseries where we chat about our journeys thus far in toy photography, the gear we use, and our favorite toys(so far!). As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Newbies and veterans alike, what gear do you love? Tips, tricks, and advice for those just getting started? Leave a comment on the blog or join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram!

For our January podcast challenge Sabrina (@theperrylegoadventures) and Shelly Corbett  challenged the community to show us their best hygge themed photos! We were so pleased by the response with over 50 entires this month! Clearly we all need to share a little hygge to combat the winter and Covid blahs!

What is hygge? The urban dictionary defines it as

A Danish word (pronounced HU-guh) meaning social coziness. I.e. the feeling of a good social atmosphere.

While most people associate a feeling of hygge with winter, it can be enjoyed in any season. Hygge's origins are from 18th century Norway but the Danes have embraced it and made it their own. According to visit Denmark - "in essence, hygge means creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people. The warm glow of candlelight is hygge. Cozying up with a loved one for a movie - that's hygge, too. And there's nothing more hygge than sitting around with friends and family, discussing the big and small things in life. Perhaps hygge explains why the Danes are some of the happiest people in the world"

According to our toy photography community coffee, hot chocolate, reading, going on walks, eating good food and sitting by the fireplace all represent hygge!

Check out our discussion and make sure you check out all the fabulous images from the tag #tp_sharehygge. This past month we learned that we ALL need a little more hygge in our lives!

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Are you new to toy photography? If so, what questions do you have? Not new to the gig? Share your insights and advice—we’d love to learn from you! Leave a comment below or join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram!

Cinematic. That’s the word that comes to mind with even a quick glance at Tom Milton’s (@tomtommilton) images. Look further, and you’ll probably have a question: how does he do it? A few parts vision and inspiration, a boatload of talent, a fair share of intention—oh, and a really big and heavy camera setup! 

In this episode of the Toy Photographers Podcast, Shelly Corbett (@shellycorbettphotography)interviews Tom, someone whose work she’s admired for years. We’ll learn how Tom creates his images using two lenses (yup, two!!)—a fairly standard prime and an anamorphic lens bolted to that one. Manually focusing not only but two lenses and balancing a setup that weighs quite a few kilos, Tom’s images represent his style, vision, and intent. 

• Tom’s background as an artist and his journey as a toy photographer 
• How Tom’s setup and process forces him to slow down and how slowing down influences his craft
• The ways photography—and toy photography in particular—encourage you to look at the world differently
• The role of everyday objects, familiar places, and DIY ingenuity in Tom’s images
• His influences—from the cinematographer Roger Deakinsto Star Wars, LEGO, and popular culture 
• The amazing year Tom had in 2021—including winning the Lego Build and Capture Photo Contest 2021on Flickr with this incredible image
• How Tom attributes his range and ability to a matter of choosing what’s right/best to tell the story he wants to tell
• Tom’s favorite memories of 2021 (and it’s such an inspiring answer)
• Tom’s take on social media and his creative vision
• The two blog posts he’s written in the last year that stand out to him the most: “How Far Would You Go to Photograph a Toy?”and “Welcome to Mustafar”
• Goals and vision for 2022
• Advice for new toy photographers

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Are you new to toy photography? If so, what questions do you have? Not new to the gig? Share your insights and advice—we’d love to learn from you! Leave a comment below or join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram!

What does a self-portrait mean when you use a toy as a stand-in for yourself? In a sea of the same object, how can someone’s image stand out? When there are multiple versions of a toy/identity, which one do we claim as our own? Do we leave a little bit of ourselves in our photos? Sounds like an existential crisis waiting to happen, right? If you agree, then rest assured: you’re not alone! 

In this episode of the Toy Photographerspodcast, Shelly Corbett welcomes back member of the Toy Photographers team Sabrina Perry (@theperrylegoadventures) for a discussion of the I am Spider-Man self-portrait challenge (#tp_iamspiderman). Over the course of 30 days, Sabrina journeyed with Spidey to create not one but multiple identities—because, after all, aren’t we all more than just one identity—and came to a profound realization: we are all Spider-Man. 

We hope you’re inspired to take on the challenge and consider your own “I am Spider-Man” image. Or, perhaps you’d choose another toy to capture your true self—who/what would you choose? We’d love to hear your thoughts after listening to the episode! Leave a comment below or join our communities on MeWe,Facebook, or Instagram!

In the second of a mini three part series Kristina and Shelly discuss normal and how we portray such a broad topic in our toy photography. Spoiler alert: its a matter of perspective. In addition to talking about our own photographs we discuss two community photos and Kristina challenges Shelly to expand on her series.  

You can view all the images we discuss, as well as Shelly's response to Kristina's challenge here on the blog. In our next episode we will tackle Hope. I hope you will join us! 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Look up Chris Perry’s (@thecreativechip) YouTube channel, and you’ll see the tagline “Make Time for Your Creativity.” Perhaps that’s the best summation of Chris’s approach to toy photography: put in the time, make the commitment, and grow. And that approach definitely seems to working! 

Cinematographer, videographer, and toy photographer, Chris Perry, otherwise known as The Creative Chip, creates images filled with emotion and story. In this interview, Sabrina Perry (@theperrylegoadventures)—and no relation!—chats with Chris about his work, his inspiration, and his journey as a toy photographer. 

Listen in as they chat about:

•     Their journeys to becoming toy photographers
•     The personal stories and experiences that have motivated them and inspired their images
•     The emotional elements of toy photography
•     Being vulnerable on social media
•     The intersection of “real life” and their creative lives
•     The power of synchronicity
•     Music as inspiration
•     Goals for the future
•     And so much more! 

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts after listening to this episode: What are your goals when it comes to your own toy photography? What other art forms inspire you? Have you tried taking a “curated” approach to your feed? What photographers/artists would you like to emulate? Leave a comment below, join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram, and be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you’ll never miss an episode!

In their latest workshop episode, James and Kristina discuss the different ways to capture or imply movement in your toy photography scenes. 

You can view their photos taken for this episode here on the blog. 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Alan Rappa hosts a round table discussion about traveling with toys. He's joined by Matt Frederick, Joshua Kittleson and Shelly Corbett to discuss how best to pack toys and how to manage travel and toy photography. They share their personal stories, adventures and mishaps all the while planning what they will do as soon as we can all travel safely. Take a trip down memory lane as we remember those heady days when travel was possible. 

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This week, James interviews Trevor Farrow, the head of marketing at Lume Cube. In addition to chatting about Lume Cube's history and its unexpected embrace by the toy photography community, Trevor gave all of the details of a contest happening this month, just for toy photographers! 

To enter the contest and view all of the details, visit lumecube.com/giveaways.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. 

This week, we talk to award-winning LEGO builder and Crazy Bricks founder Guy Himber about the launch of his latest Kickstarter campaign: Bricks of the Mouse Guard 2! 

The new Kickstarter is live now! You can support it here. 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

As the old saying goes, there are no original stories. Perhaps that’s true; however, what IS new and unique is the way in which a story is told. As toy photographers, we’re also storytellers. The toys might be our characters, but we, the photographers, create and tell those stories through our images just as authors and narrators might. But the relationship between story and image might be as confounding as the chicken and egg question: which comes first? Story and then images to match? Or images and a story created to fit? 

As always the full show notes and images referenced in this episode can be found on the Toy Photographers Blog. You can also find more articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, MeWe and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

James is joined by Shelly, Brett, and special guest Sunny Ang to share lighting tips for toy photography, and review the Lume Cube!

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. 

This week on the podcast James interviews one of the most accomplished toy photographers: Johnny Wu, aka SgtBananas! 

Johnny sheds some light on his favorite toys of the past and present, what it's like working for big companies like Hasbro and Lucasfilm, tips on improving your photography skills, and the final leg of the Lume Cube Ultimate Toy Photography Contest.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. 

This week James interviews Sunny Ang, aka ZekeZachZoom. 

Anyone who's seen Sunny's work knows how unique it is - his already fantastic sense of humor is augmented by clever quotes he adds to each of his images, creating visual punchlines that enhance the viewing experience. 

In addition to peeling back the layers of his photography style, Sunny opened up about where he gets his inspiration, the storyboard-esque notebooks he uses to jot down his ideas, how his work as a graphic designer influences his photography (and vice versa), his experience with selling his work and hosting toy photography workshops in Singapore, and so much more. 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. You can find Sunny's work on Instagram, G+, and on his website. We also recommend you check out his articles on the blog. 

James and Kristina team up to discuss Reflections. In addition to sharing their interpretations and looking at the guest submissions, they had a fun time chatting about what they've been up to lately with our photography, and how good it feels starting and completing photo projects.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. 

As James recovers from a vacation and a cold, he opens the floor for questions and plays an interview with Twin Peaks cinematographer Ron Garcia.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, and on Instagram. Reach out to us with questions, comments, concerns, recommendations, etc. at toyphotographypod@gmail.com

We're back! After being ill for a few weeks James reunites with Kristina Alexanderson to discuss "Fear" and share their interpretations. They also chat about the future of the Toy Photography community now that Google+ has been discontinued, and James asks Kristina for some advice about finishing photography projects.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. 

Oliver talks toys with Chris Shaylor of Empire Toy Works, a toy maker, customizer and photographer who is doing amazing things in Rotgut Station Spaceport, a fully realized, room-filling world he continues to build and evolve above his garage.

As always the full show notes and images referenced in this episode can be found on the Toy Photographers Blog. You can also find more articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, MeWe and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Dave DeBaeremaeker comes onto the show to chat about photography scavenger hunts, writing for Toy Photographers, the Oregon Toy Photo Safari, working with LEGO, and more!

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, and on Instagram. Reach out to us with questions, comments, concerns, recommendations, etc. at toyphotographypod@gmail.com

In their latest season-themed podcast, James and Kristina talk about Spring, its symbolism, and how they're coping with Coronavirus. 

You can view all of the images discussed on this episode here on the blog.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This week, our good friend Tony Tulloch returns to the podcast to discuss our new Toy Photographers communities on MeWe and Flickr!

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This week on the podcast, we're replaying our interview with Leila Chieko and Cindy Dockter to celebrate the release of the documentary Toy Photographers: The Seattle Interviews and the news of our next toy photography meetup next April in Moab, Utah.

Watch Toy Photographers: The Seattle Interviews on Vimeo

Read the announcement for the Moab Toy Photo Meetup

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

If you read Scott Metzger’s post on the Toy Photographers blog, you’ll find this description under the “About the Author”: “I was a photographer. Then I wasn’t. Then I was again. Be present.” Beginnings, middles, and ends. We can apply that arc to just about anything—from a movie’s or book’s plot to where we find ourselves on this journey of life.

Scott Metzger is drawn to this arc, to trilogies, and to symphonic movements. He thinks in threes (or multiples of), as evidenced by his Instagram feed, where his past life curating art converges with his desire to offer not only a collection of photos but what he calls a “visual experience” for his followers/viewers. In this episode of the Toy Photographers Podcast, Scott and I dig into his journey to toy photography and what it means to follow one’s curiosity to see where it might lead. 

As always the full show notes and images referenced in this episode can be found on the Toy Photographers Blog. You can also find more articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, MeWe and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

For our last themed podcast episode of the year, James and Kristina tackled one of their biggest subjects yet: Portraiture!

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This week, James chats with Jon Aiken, the Seattle-based photographer perhaps best known for his work photographing toy dinosaurs. Under the @Dinoczars username, he helped foster a community of toy dino photographers with the Instagram hashtag #toydinosquad, which has been used on over 21,000 photos.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

James and Kristina explore the meanings and usages of the color red in their first photography exercise of the year!

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This week James talks to one of his heroes: Vesa Lehtimäki, who has influenced many photographers with his work as Avanaut. 

James asked Vesa about his process, his history with Star Wars, his book, Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy, and more!

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Happy New Year! After a brief break the podcast is back, and we're hitting the ground running with two special guests: #jANTMANuary creators Krash Override and DoctorNvrmore.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This week, go behind the scenes as Kristina interviews James about the podcast! Why he started it, how it's produced, how our first year went, and more. 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This week, James chats with South African toy photographer Robert Whitehead, known for his cinematic toy photography under the name @Shundeez_Official. Robert is a filmmaker who discovered toy photography about 5 years ago. Since then, he's made it his full time job. 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Lizzi Standing returns to give James advice on starting, working on, and completing photography projects. 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

For their first themed podcast episode of the year, James and Kristina tackle their toughest challenge yet: Diptcyh photography through toys. You can see their photos and the listener submissions here. 

For a limited time, the 2018 Toy Photographers Yearbook is here! Featuring the work of 61 toy photographers from around the world, the book is available in softcover, ebook, or PDF formats.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Enter the world of HO scale miniatures as James interviews German photographer Astrid Heyland.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

October: What comes to mind? Apple cider and pumpkin spice? Goblins, ghosts, and monsters? Foliage and fallen leaves? Slasher films? All of the above? How did toy photographers capture the season? Well, listen in and find out, as Sabrina Perry (@theperrylegoadventures) and Shelly Corbett (@shellycorbettphotography) discuss the latest monthly challenge: seasonal photos (#tp_seasonal)

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Are you new to toy photography? If so, what questions do you have? Not new to the gig? Share your insights and advice—we’d love to learn from you! Leave a comment below or join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram!

Hold onto your fronds Planty, because Leila (@brickandmordor) and Cindy (@coneydogg) have returned to the podcast to help James review The LEGO Movie 2! 

The podcast is spoiler-free for the first 17 minutes, and then we dive into our full thoughts on the film, plot developments, new characters, musical numbers, and more. 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This week, James is joined by Dave DeBaeremaeker, Oliver Peterson, and Arielle Nadel review Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker from a toy photographer's perspective. What did they think of the film? Does it inspire them to take photos? And most importantly, what about the tie-in toys?? 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Toy photographers face a lot of choices each time they set out to create an image. Which camera? Lens? Aperture? ISO? Shutter speed? What story am I trying to tell? Where do I want to set the scene? And the whammy of them all: which toy(s) would best serve my purpose and intention? With SO many toys to choose from–LEGO, Playmobil, Funko, action figures that run into the hundreds, and so many more, where’s a newbie to start? Especially a newbie without any toys? Spoiler alert: if you’re just starting out and have few or no toys, that will quickly change…very quickly!!

In this episode of the Toy Photographers Podcast, your hosts, Terri (@greenehenphotography) and Ariel (@those_wonderful_toys), discuss the many choices facing newbie toy photographers when it comes to toys. For Ariel, toys came before photography; Terri, on the other hand, didn’t own a single toy before embarking on a daily photo project in January 2021. Together, they’ll chat about the choices they make for their own photography and some of their favorite toys to photograph.

Listen in as they discuss:

• The toys that have been a part of their lives—past/present
• What they consider when deciding to purchase a toy 
• How they manage the financial implications of toy purchases
• Lens considerations
• Experimenting vs. nailing down a niche/focus
• Props and accessories
• Advice for other newbies–especially re: social media!
• Buyer’s remorse
• And so much more!

To see images of Terri's and Ariel's favorite toys, head over to toyphotographers.com 

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts after listening to this episode: What are your favorite toys to photograph? What’s on your wish list? What advice do you have for newbies? Leave a comment below, join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram, and be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you’ll never miss an episode! 

This week on the podcast James chats with Anna Bitanga, aka Four Bricks Tall, the new community manager and site admin of BrickCentral, one of Instagram's oldest and biggest lego communities. 

In addition to discussing all of that fun news, they spoke about her work as a portrait photographer in Brooklyn, her affinity for custom characters over licensed properties, the importance of understanding your gear, and more.

Find Anna on Instagram, and check out everything new happening at BrickCentral on their new website and forum.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Considering diptychs are composed of two separate images that make a whole, it's fitting that we covered them twice on the podcast. And as it turns out, it may have been my favorite challenge to date.

Make sure to check out their photos and the listener submissions here on the blog.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This week, James chats with Los Angeles-based action figure photographer Jax Navarro, aka @PlasticAction. Though he's only been photographing toys for a little over three years, Jax has made his mark. His work has been shown at Toy Fair New York, Star Wars Celebration, and San Diego Comic-Con, and shared by outlets like ESPN, Entertainment Weekly, and Nerdist.

In addition to those topics, they discuss Jax's history with dog photography, doing commission and client work, his love of basketball, and more. 

You can find Jax's work on Instagram, Twitter, and his website. 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

On this week's show, Dave DeBaermaeker returns to discuss the age-old question: What do you use for your toy photography, LEGO or Action Figures? Listen as James and Dave discuss their history with photographing each, the pros and cons, and more.

You can follow Dave on his website, and on Instagram. 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

On the latest themed episode, James and Kristina tackle recreating and paraphrasing another artist's work. What makes a successful recreation? Is imitation really the most sincere form of flattery?

Make sure to check out their images, along with this week's amazing listener submissions, on the blog. 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This week on the podcast, take a tour inside the mind and workshop of photographer and custom toy creator Dennis Taylor, aka Krash Override!

Follow Krash on Instagram, check out his awesome Youtube channel, and keep an eye out for his latest creation when the Utah toy photo meetup goes into full swing later this week!

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

How do we define creativity? Where does it come from, and how can we channel it? James and Kristina try to answer these elusive questions, and explore their own creative processes in this week's episode. 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

In this off-season podcast miniseries, Kristina Alexanderson and Shelly Corbett explore the question, "What is toy photography?" In this first episode of a three part mini season, Kristina and Shelly talk about toy photography and its relationship to fan fiction.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

In this off-season podcast miniseries, Kristina Alexanderson and Shelly Corbett explore the question, "What is toy photography?" In this second episode of a three part mini season, Kristina and Shelly talk about using humor in toy photography. 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

In this marathon episode Kristina and Shelly talk about the images submitted from attendees of the 2021 Virtual Toy Photographers meet-up. With 23 images to get through, there isn't a lot of time to talk about the details of each image. But there are plenty of threads running through the group. Themes of loss, struggle, and hope are seen in many of the images. We invite you to stop by the blog (toyphotographers.com) and look at the slide show of all the images as your listening to this episode. 

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, MeWe and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

James returns to the podcast to chat with Kristina about the challenges of recreating your own work, and the lessons they learned along the way.

You can view the images discussed in this episode here.

Find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

James is joined by podcast editor Joshua Kittleson to review the 2018 film Welcome to Marwen, and how it compares to the original Marwencol documentary.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This week on the podcast James chats with Bay Area LEGO photographer Doug Gary about the Utah Toy Photographers Meetup, his theater background, and moving from shooting on an iPhone to a DSLR.

Doug's son Tye also makes a special guest appearance to discuss having a toy photographer dad, and his experience attending last year's Oregon meetup.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This week James interviews LEGO photographer Alan Rappa about going from photographing Disney parks to toys, his indoor studio setup, toy collecting, and more!

Follow Alan on Instagram and Flickr, and check out his blog posts here!

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

In this final episode of a three-part series on photo recreations, James and Kristina remake one of each other's photos - and learn quite a bit about themselves in the process. 

You can view our images and the listener submissions on the blog here.

Find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

It's double James week on the podcast! James chats with James "Gibbo" Gibbs about how Toy Story made them believe toys really did come to life, how their histories in marketing affects their photography, lighting and compositing tips, and more!

You can follow Gibbo's work on Instagram, and read his great blog posts here.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This week James interviews toy packaging artist Jerry Wilson, whose extensive portfolio includes work for Hasbro, Marvel Legends, Star Wars, Nerf, My Little Pony, and more!

You can find Jerry's work on Instagram and on his website.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Have you ever wanted to print your photos? Then this is the podcast for you! I brought in two printing experts - Shelly and Kristina - to discuss not only the how, but also the why of photo printing.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

James and Kristina photograph summer, discuss what the season means to them, and even talk about the importance of color on this week's podcast!

You can view our photos and listener submissions on the blog here. 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This week James geeks out with a real-life Stormtrooper! Peter Ross, aka Stormtrooper_Pete, is a member of the 501st Legion, a wonderful toy photographer and the creator of the SabreTHIS app, which allows you to add amazing lightsaber effects to your images on mobile and a portion of the proceeds goes to support the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

James and Kristina are putting the relaxing days of Summer behind them, and going "back to reality" for this month's podcast theme exercise. Check out their photos and the listener submissions on the blog.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This week, James chats with Hue Hughes about indoor photography, practical effects, creating Star Wars landscapes in the garage, and more!

You can find Hue's work on Instagram and on his website.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

A new year is in full swing, and big changes are coming to the Toy Photographers blog. Shelly Corbett and newly appointed Editor in Chief Alan Rappa return to the show to discuss the news, and chat about some fun ideas we have for 2020. 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Like Summer before it, our latest seasonal podcast theme appears to have captured the imaginations of many toy photographers!

View all of the photos from this week's episode on the blog here.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Alan Rappa returns to the podcast for an impromptu chat about traveling with toys, Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, social media anxiety, and more!

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Art about death has been around since there were artists to depict it. Join James and Kristina as they tackle death themselves for our latest podcast theme!

View their images and the listener submissions on the blog here.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This month James and Kristina tackle a theme as old as photography itself: Monochrome or black and white images.

You can find their photos and the listener submissions on the blog here.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Kristina and Shelly have started a new podcast series! Once a month, Kristina will talk to other photographers about their work, what they do, and why, highlighting some of the creative aspects of photography.

In this first episode she talked to German toy photographer Tobias M Schiel. If you follow the blog you know Tobias already because he is a regular contributor of several great series of six image narratives (you can find them here). In this talk they discuss two of his six image narratives: Gregor S, and Nemisis, as well as inspiration, art and literature. To see more of Tobias' work check out his blog, Empire of Lights (named after René Magrittes painting), and website tmschiel.com just for his toy photography.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

In todays episode Shelly Corbett talks with Vesa Lehtimäki about his current and past projects. Ships and space travel suffuse much of this legendary toy photographers work. The conversation covers his earliest LEGO models and spaceships all the way to his current work in progress: a K-Spinner. Their conversation also touches on Vesa's inspiration and where he finds it, even during a global pandemic. Check out the post for all the visuals discussed in the podcast. 

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Welcome back to the Toy Photographers Podcast and our special series exploring toy photography from a beginner’s perspective! In this episode, your hosts Terri Greene Henning (@greenehenphotography) and Ariel Figueroa (@those_wonderful_toys) talk about editing and post-processing images.

It's easy to look at a photograph and think only of the photograph itself--not all the work that went into planning and creating the photo or all the work that went into the image after we pressed the shutter. Some of us (Ariel!) love to edit images, while others (Terri!) much prefer creating and taking photos to making edits after the fact. Listen in as we discuss our styles and what works for us:

• What it means to "edit" our photos
• Tools and programs we use in post-processing
• Why and how we edit (and why we don't)
• A walk-through of our editing process
• How we view post-processing as part of the creative process
• How to learn from others through behind-the-scenes videos and social media
• Opportunities and limitations in editing

Be sure to check out all the images discussed in this episode on the blog! 

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Are you new to toy photography? If so, what questions do you have? Not new to the gig? Share your insights and advice—we’d love to learn from you! Leave a comment below or join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram!

In this episode Kristina Alexanderson and Shelly Corbett discuss the idea of Escape and how this can play out differently using toys as the subject. 

You can view the images we discuss here on the blog.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Kristina and Shelly discuss low-key and how this lighting challenge can really be used to create a moody image. Just like in past episodes they take a critical look at their images as well as images from the community. On this episode we feature work by Scott Metzger, Tpbias Schiel, Sunny Ang and Janan Lee. 

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

This episode of the Toy Photographers Podcast is the second of our special series focused on newcomers to the toy photography community. In today’s episode, your hosts, Terri (@greenehenphotography) and Ariel (@those_wonderful_toys), talk about the gear they use and have found helpful in their journeys as newbie toy photographers. 

Much of the talk about cameras and gear can get pretty technical and into the weeds. Those just beginning can become quickly overwhelmed or, worse, hesitant to even begin! Rest assured, this episode will NOT get into the nitty-gritty. Instead, we describe what has worked for us, how we're still growing and developing, where we go for resources and information, how we manage to not spend a fortune on gear, and our advice for just getting started—regardless of the gear you may or may not have!

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Are you new to toy photography? If so, what questions do you have? Not new to the gig? Share your insights and advice—we’d love to learn from you! Leave a comment below or join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram!

Danny Neumann is known for his multi panel stories including Home with the Super Neumann's and The Quiet Life of G Rider. Shelly Corbett sits down with Neumann and talks about inspiration, his creative process and what its like to stand in one room surrounded by every image he took in one year. For more information about Neumann and his work check out the related post on Toy Photographers. 

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Kristina and Shelly take a step back from toy photography and look at the bigger picture of being a photographer. In this episode they take a close book at the classic book: Photographs Not Taken" a collection of Photographers' Essays edited by Will Stacey. Has their been a time when you've put down the camera and let the photo pass? Whether you're a street photographer or a toy photographer, we make choices about when and what we photograph. It is this idea that dives this episodes discussion. I hope you will join us. As always you can join the discussion on the blog and leave your own thought on these ideas in the comment section.  

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

For this episode of The Toy Photographers Podcast Shelly & Sabrina discuss minimalism in toy photography. If you're not familiar with the concept of minimalism the Adobe website defines minimalism as: “like other forms of minimalist art, minimalist photography is about stripping a subject down to its essence. Create photos that cut through the clutter with clean lines, empty spaces, and only the essential elements.” So we decided to challenge our community to create photos where 'less is more'.

Toy photography, like other photography communities, isn't immune to trends. In the past few years Ive seen a shift to elaborate set-ups featuring multi characters. We wanted to see what would happen if we eliminated complex set-ups. How would the story be effected if the viewer was presented only with the essentials? As always, our community came through with a variety of ideas that showcased the idea of minimalism and how this approach can effect both the story and viewer response. Check out a few of our favorites that we discuss over on the blog. 

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts after listening to the episode; leave a comment below or join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram! Also, please be sure to “revisit” the blog for all things toy photography-related! 

Same toys. Same setting. Same month of year, day of the week, time of day. Same photo? Perhaps that depends: Are YOU the same photographer you were? 

In this latest episode of The Toy Photographers Podcast, Sabrina Perry (@theperrylegoadventures) and Shelly Corbett (@shellycorbettphotography) discuss the latest monthly toy photography challenge: #tp_revisit. During November, Sabrina and Shelly encouraged each other and the community to revisit a previous photograph, concept, or composition and recreate it anew (#tp_revisit).

Throughout the conversation, Sabrina and Shelly highlight specific community photos tagged in the challenge as well as their own and discuss a wide range of topics, including: 

• Prior challenges and podcasts related to revisiting and recreating photographs
• How revisiting prior ideas or compositions can be a practice in reflection and growth and show the passage of time
• The subtle—and not-so-subtle—changes photographers made from one photo to the next
• The transition from taking a photograph to creating a photograph
• What changes over time and what stays the same
• Giving yourself permission to go back to photos to revisit and recreate them—and learning from the success andthe failures!

The next challenge focuses on nostalgia and trips down memory lane; to join the challenge, use #tp_nostalgia when you post! Want ideas to jumpstart your thinking about toy photography and nostalgia? Check out the posts and podcasts related to the theme here, here, and here. And remember: there are no right or wrong ways to think about this challenge or any of the others!

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts after listening to the episode; leave a comment below or join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram! Also, please be sure to “revisit” the blog for all things toy photography-related! 

In this episode Shelly talks with Matthew Wyjad and Terri Greene Henning about their respective 365 toy photography projects. Why would anyone challenge themselves in such a way? What can be gained in this madness? Check out the episode and maybe you too will leave inspired to challenge yourself. Maybe not with a photo-a-day, but something more manageable like a 30 day challenge. Matthew and Terri have lots of great tips to keep you inspired! As always all the images talked about in this episode can be viewed on the blog. 

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, MeWe and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Recently Shelly Corbett chatted with Sabrina Perry and Chris Whitlow about one of our photo challenges: #TP_Geometry. We had a lively discussion regarding Geometry - what's it good for? It turns, a lot! Geometry is an important compositional tool and can turn your photos from ok to fantastic with a little awareness of how and when to use it.

With any good discussion, our insights were many. Here is a partial list of what we cover in this conversation:

• Using any word associate with math is probably not the best selling point
• Formal composition is your friend. In fact, its really important!
• Understanding the various forms of mathematical composition can help you understand why an image works. This gives you a stronger base to work from.
• Composition is only one tool in your photography tool box. Photography has a lot of moving parts to keep in your mind at once.
• What? Those guidelines on the back of my camera and phone have a purpose! Yes, turn them on!!

Check out all the image that we discuss over on the blog. 

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts after listening to the episode; leave a comment below or join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram! Also, please be sure to “revisit” the blog for all things toy photography-related! 

The toy photography community is a diverse group, and there are some incredible veterans out there—folks who have long been into both toys and photography! But what about the newbie toy photographer? Where to even begin? Well, we created this special series just for you—and perhaps for those out there who haven’t forgotten what it’s like to be a beginner! 

In this first episode of a planned 8-part series, your hosts, Terri (@greenehenphotography) and Ariel (@those_wonderful_toys), both of whom have been photographing toys for less than a year, share their journeys thus far. 

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Are you new to toy photography? If so, what questions do you have? Not new to the gig? Share your insights and advice—we’d love to learn from you! Leave a comment below or join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram!

If you’ve been watching any TV in the past year, chances are you’ve seen (or at least heard about) Marvel’s newest installments on Disney+: WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Solider, Loki, and it’s most recent offering, What If…? Now, you can get LEGO Marvel Collectible Minifigures to match your favorite shows and characters! But are they worth it? Listen in as Shelly Corbett and Sabrina Perry discuss the set and you be the judge (spoiler alert: YES!).

As always the full show notes and images referenced in this episode can be found on the Toy Photographers Blog. You can also find more articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, MeWe and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Let's talk lighting! Alan Rappa hosts a lighting round table. He's joined by Dave DeBaeremaeker, Oliver Peterson and Adam Burke to demystify the topic of studio lighting and toy photography. They share their personal tips and tricks to create toy photographs and attempt to demystify a complex topic. 

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

On todays podcast Shelly Corbett talks with Alan Rappa, Sabrina Perry and Joshua Kittleson about Criticism: how to find it, how to take it. We all want to get better at our craft of toy photography. One way to get better is to practice, but without constructive feedback, it's hard to know what's working and what isn't. But as I’m sure you’re well aware, constructive criticism is hard to find on social media. So where do you go?

In this roundtable discussion we will:

• Discuss the importance of constructive feedback to help take your work to the next level
• What to look for in constructive criticism
• Share times when we've received criticism
• The pros and cons of social media and criticism
• Discuss when and how we've sought out criticism
• How to find a trusted circle of friends to turn to for criticism that matters

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts after listening to the episode; leave a comment below or join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram! Also, please be sure to “revisit” the blog for all things toy photography-related! 

I was thinking the other day about how the Covid pandemic has changed my creativity. Soon I wondered "am I the only one?" There is success a definite marker between pre and post pandemic that I wonder if I'm the only one who has noticed a shift. I decided to reach out to members of the blog and see if anyone else has noticed any changes. Enter Sabrina, Joshua and Dave...all friends willing to come onto the podcast to discuss how the pandemic shifted their creativity and their process.

During this roundtable we tackle topics like:

• How did you use creativity in your life pre-pandemic?
• In the two years since Covid entered our lives, has that changed?
• Has this change been related to the pandemic or just a shift in your own creative growth?
• How do you use creativity in your life now?
• How has your creativity impacted those around you?
• What changes have you noticed in the community at large?

Check out a the image that we discuss over on the blog. 

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts after listening to the episode; leave a comment below or join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram! Also, please be sure to “revisit” the blog for all things toy photography-related! 

German toy photographer Astrid Heyland returns to take a deep diver into her work with interviewer Kristina Alexanderson. 

You can find more of Astrid's work on Instagram. Listen to her previous interview on the show here!

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Kristina and Shelly discuss the concept of Kindness and discover that depicting this nebulous concept is really tough using only toys.  They look closely at their own images as well as images submitted by Tomek Skog and Doug Gary. As always this is a fascinating discussion of toy photography between two friends as they take the time to look for deeper meanings in their work as well as the work of the community.

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Welcome back to the Toy Photographers Podcast and our special series exploring toy photography from a beginner’s perspective! In this episode, your hosts Terri Greene Henning (@greenehenphotography) and Ariel Figueroa (@those_wonderful_toys) pick up where they left off in Episode 4 and their discussion of photo backgrounds, and move into chatting about lighting.

• Foam and printed dioramas
• Digital backgrounds
• How to find/use digital backgrounds 
• Lighting options and what we use 
• The frustration of keeping lights charged!
• Paying attention to light
• Importance of creating routines
• Where we look for inspiration, tips, tricks
• How this simple trick by photographer Reggie Ballesteros helped Terri understand light/direction of light!

Be sure to check out all the images discussed in this episode on the blog! 

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Are you new to toy photography? If so, what questions do you have? Not new to the gig? Share your insights and advice—we’d love to learn from you! Leave a comment below or join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram!

Before digital platforms made putting songs together in playlists a breeze, many of us (of a certain age, perhaps) remember spending hours at a time carefully curating sets of songs and then recording them onto cassettes and passing them along to friends and loved ones. Ah, the classic mixtape—and the inspiration for the latest toy photography challenge. 

In this episode of the Toy Photographer’s Podcast, Sabrina (@theperrylegoadventures) and Shelly (@shellycorbettphotography) break down September’s community challenge: using music and song lyrics to inspire toy photography (#tp_mixtape). What started out as an idea and a pitchto the toy photographers community from Sabrina led to an incredible month of inspiring photos paired with music spanning decades and genres. More than 180 photos were tagged with #tp_mixtape!

As always the full show notes and images referenced in this episode can be found on the Toy Photographers Blog. You can also find more articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, MeWe and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Lets talk LEGO! Shelly goes down a LEGO rabbit hole with Marco from BrickCentral in this episode of the podcast. They have a far ranging conversation about set reviews that have inspired them and what they look for in a LEGO set before they purchase. They also touch on ways to save money on LEGO sets when the photo is more important than the set as well as what sets they are looking to purchase next. Listen in and then join the conversation on the blog. 

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Kristina and Shelly discuss the concept of Abyss through the lens of toy photography. They look closely at their own images as well as images submitted by The Grey Klerik and ZekeZachZoom. As always this is a fascinating discussion of toy photography and the deeper meanings that can be found when you take the time to look. 

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Happy new year! As has become tradition, James and Kristina have devoted their first chat to looking back at the previous year of podcasting. And what a year it was!

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

On this episode, Oliver Peterson chats with toy photographer Chris Lynch, aka @chezpics66, about Star Wars, shooting outdoors, fatherhood and much more

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, MeWe and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Shelly Corbett, founder of the Toy Photographers blog chats with current editor and chief Allan Rappa, frequent contributor Luigi Priori and Community Manager of Brickcentral Anna Bitanga about how Covid-19 has affected their creativity. 

You can view all a few of the images we discuss here on the blog.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

Kristina and Shelly go deep and personal as they discuss the idea of Hope and how to portray the concept using toys and macro photography. Besides discussing their own submissions on the topic, they look at the work of two community members: Matthew Wyjad and Chris Rose. 

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flic

In the latest conversation between Shelly Corbett and Kristina Alexanderson they discuss Mythology and their potential to inspire toy photographers. Armed with their own photos as well as samples from @verysmallworlds, Tobias Schiel and @zekezackzoom, they show the potential these ancient stories contain. 

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

We're back!! After an extended break Shelly and Sabrina take a look at the intersection of toy photography and surrealism. Inspired by a recent photo challenge in our MeWe community, our hosts look at their images, as well as community images, through this unique lens. Do you think toy photography is surrealistic? Check out the conversation and let us know what you think on the blog. As always all the images talked about in this episode can be viewed on the blog. 

You can find articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, MeWe and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email roundup so that you never miss a post, and join our communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

On this episode of the podcast Sabrina Perry(@theperrylegoadventures)and Shelly Corbett(@shellycorbettphotography) discuss the latest toy photography monthly challenge #tp_nostalgia.

Nostalgia comes from two Greek words Nostos meaning homecoming and Algos meaning pain or ache. For some people, nostalgia is about remembering the good old days fondly. For others, nostalgia is a bittersweet remembrance of the past. A lot of times it can be both. This challenged seemed to be the perfect way to end the year. It felt like a way to share a little bit of the good old days in our toy photography, and people did that. But, it also was a bittersweet way to remember the past. A time before the pandemic.

Is toy photography inherently nostalgic? Do we as toy photographers gravitate towards certain toys, and ideas because they stir feelings of nostalgia in us? What makes a photo nostalgic? Listen in as Shelly and I discuss these questions and more as we tackle toy photography and nostalgia in the midst of a pandemic.

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts after listening to the episode; leave a comment below or join our communities on MeWe, Facebook, or Instagram! Also, please be sure to “revisit” the blog for all things toy photography-related! 

In this third and final episode of their "off season" podcast miniseries exploring what toy photography is, Kristina Alexanderson and Shelly Corbett look at nostalgia and its role in toy photography. 

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr. 

On this very special, 50th episode of the Toy Photographers Podcast, James is interviewed by his wife Jordan, who shares her perspective on his hobby and what it's like being married to a toy photographer.

You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly email round up so that you never miss a post, and join our new communities on MeWe and Flickr.