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. A few …

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 Sabr…

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 clut…

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 worl…

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 photo…

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 a…

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 i…

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…

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 a…

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…

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 day…

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…

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 fig…

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 Perr…

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 challe…

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 …

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 be…

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 chal…

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 wort…

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.…

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 …

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 ag…

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. …

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 rel…

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 y…

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 man…

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…

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…

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 neve…

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 w…

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…

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 …

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.…

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…

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 t…

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 photo…

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…

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 deep…

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 …

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, toypho…

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 …

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…

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 a…

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 …

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 o…

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.…

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 creativ…

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 Face…

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 …

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…