10 Basic Toy Photography Tips
I got an email from a photographer I know who wants to try her hand at toy photography. So I gave her some tips and decided it might be fun to write a quick article sharing those tips.
These aren’t ALL the tips or the ONLY tips but they are SOME of the tips that might help you get started, in no particular order.
1. Think like a child. Before you even start to get your camera out watch how children play with toys and emulate them. This will seriously up your game.
2. Use a tripod or a Platypod and a remote trigger. You will be working close to the toys. Even small vibrations can knock a toy over. Steady your gear and use the remote to avoid causing a mishap.
3. Shoot dutch angles. (If you don’t know what a dutch angle is — read this Wiki article — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_angle) Pro toy photographers use this trick often. It takes the mundane and makes it interesting.
4. Shoot at eye level or shoot up at the toys. Don’t shoot down on the toys unless you have a creative reason to do so. Eye level brings the viewer into the scene.
5. Tell yourself a story about the toy as you make your photographs. Remember toys are supposed to be fun so think up some fun stories. This is more important than camera settings.
6. Try using very shallow depth-of-field to direct the viewer to the real action.
7. Try photographing toys outdoors in all sorts of environments. Don’t be afraid to get the toys wet or dirty. They will survive. (Caveat — you might not want to do this with really rare or expensive toys but anything you can buy at Target or Walmart — go for it. You can always get another one if need be.)
8. Macro lenses will get you life-size recreations of your toys and this always has big impact.
9. Spend as much time setting up your background as your main scene. Backgrounds shouldn’t be distracting and should help tell the story.
10. Remember SAS — Subject — Attention Simplify. What’s the subject? If you’re including things in the shot that aren’t relevant, get rid of them. Make sure to put all the attention on the subject. You can do this with a telephoto or macro lens, by keeping the background clean and/or special lighting. Lastly, when you think you have your shot just right, ask yourself if there’s one last step you can take to simplify the photo. When in doubt, leave it out.
CONCLUSION
Toy photography is just like any other kind of photography. It takes practice and passion to do it right. But no matter what, keep in mind it should be fun.
Remember, toys are joy.
