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06-30-2018, 08:21 PM | #1 |
Mayor of Geek Creek
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Twin Falls, Idaho
Posts: 4,752
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People often suggest to me that I am lucky to have lived near so many cool settings for toy photos. And it's true.
However, you don't need to live near a giant canyon or within driving distance of the ocean to find cool places to capture toy photos. Accordingly, this post is designed to help you look at the world from a toy's perspective. Here you see, for example, a beat-to-hell water pump from our house in Pakistan circa 2012: It's not much to look at, but it made for convincing background fodder whenever I needed a vaguely industrial setting: You can kinda-sorta see a blue water pump in the background in this shot, too: I'm pretty proud of having spotted this next locale. Look closely at the sewer lid and you'll see two handles. They'd collect water whenever we'd water the plants, and so... Your own yard might have more potential than you expect, too: This was captured in a fireplace: This is the underside of an old car: Rubble can be a treasure trove of possibilities: Sometimes, another toy is the best setting! I hate when a large leaf interferes with one's suspension of disbelief, but when you can find leaves that are roughly to scale, they can add a lot to a photo: Keep in mind: that was just a cheesy little bit of brush on the side of the road. This next shot was captured on a set of stairs. It's not exciting, but for a plain backdrop that highlights the toy, it works: This might look like an epic natural setting: ...but it was a cruddy little roadside trickle of water that wouldn't move a G.I. Joe Devilfish. It was at the end of a high school field. Back of a post office: Dumpsters: Spending Much of Youth Exploring Tunnels and Sewers, Tunnel Rat Joined the Army in Order to Avoid Jail Time by Monte Williams, on Flickr Car wash: Tank treads are admittedly somewhat scarce, but if you have a National Guard office or something similar nearby, there might be a tank out front. If not, try to find a construction zone and use the treads of a tractor. This is a tank: Roadside drain tunnel: Stand on any road. Hold the toy aloft in one hand and the camera in the other to create the right sense of scale: Another one that might look like some epic natural spread... ...but this entire scene is in fact dirt embedded in the roots of a downed tree. The underside of a bridge: (I wish I still had a good bridge nearby) Another thing I miss is brick walls: Railroad yards: Abandoned buildings: He Did Not Mind the Fighting Itself, But He Did Not Enjoy the Company of People Who Would Soon Die by Monte Williams, on Flickr Local library: If I think of any others, I'll add them. In the meantime, please feel free to share your own easily overlooked toy photo settings! Last edited by Monte Williams; 06-30-2018 at 08:34 PM.. |
06-30-2018, 08:25 PM | #2 |
Hisstank.Com General
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Cobra Island & Massachusetts
Posts: 6,378
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You have a great eye for this and all your photos are awesome. Thanks for the tips
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07-02-2018, 03:44 AM | #3 |
Iron Grenadier
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: 38.8719° N, 77.0563° W
Posts: 533
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Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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07-03-2018, 01:32 AM | #4 |
Mayor of Geek Creek
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Twin Falls, Idaho
Posts: 4,752
|
Thanks for the kind words, truejoefan and PsycheOut!
For the photo of "Tunnel Rat" on the Harley Davidson, I suggested holding the toy aloft in one hand and the camera in the other. That was a simple but effective way to make it look like he was riding down an actual road, but it also works to make buildings and natural backdrops look in scale. Some of the following photos have beautiful backdrops, which would seem to contradict the point of this thread. But I'm sharing them to illustrate my point about holding the toy up off the ground to convey a sense of scale. And when I suggested a car wash as a setting, I neglected to mention that the vacuums make semi-convincing generic science fiction backdrops: Finally (and this only works right around sunrise or sunset), any collection of rocks can look epic if you capture them in silhouette: |
07-03-2018, 01:48 AM | #5 |
Rampage Nephew
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: A world without guns
Posts: 397
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I will be studying this thread closely.... Thank you for the tips.
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AFRICAN-AMERICAN SHAOLIN MONK |
07-03-2018, 09:57 AM | #6 |
I just want foam gliders.
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Tooele (two-willa), Utah
Posts: 18,727
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Can you share your camera's settings? F-stop, shutter speed, etc?
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07-03-2018, 11:01 AM | #7 |
Mayor of Geek Creek
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Twin Falls, Idaho
Posts: 4,752
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My pleasure, Chevy!
Quote:
I can add that, as I scroll down the various menus, these are the options I selected years ago after some hasty trial and error and have stuck with ever since, although I mostly have no idea what they mean: P/Program ISO: Auto Cloudy Vivid Evaluative Single Shot 12M 4000X3000 And for Exp, I tend to make it pretty dark, but I am careful not to go too crazy with that, because I can increase the darkness via editing later if I want. Oh, and I use Macro. My camera is a Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS. |
07-03-2018, 11:11 AM | #8 |
I just want foam gliders.
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Tooele (two-willa), Utah
Posts: 18,727
|
Thanks boss!
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Problems with the Club? Click me.... How to post pics to Hisstank? Click me.... BST Feedback |
07-03-2018, 12:03 PM | #9 |
Mayor of Geek Creek
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Twin Falls, Idaho
Posts: 4,752
|
My pleasure, sir!
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07-03-2018, 02:01 PM | #10 |
Commando
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Britain
Posts: 3,825
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is it cool if anyone else posts pics on here?
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