Toy Photographers Podcast Toy Photographers

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 of our take aways

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! 

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! 

 
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! 
 

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!

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!

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.
Listen as Terri and Ariel discuss:
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!