The First Toy Photo Convention In The USA Just Happened

Few people that I know in the photography industry understand how popular toy photography has become. It is a mixture of macro, portraiture and scenic photography all rolled into one.

The convention was held in last week in Saratoga Springs, NY. It was called “TOYS IN ACTION” and was held at the local convention center.

Some well-known toy photographers held clinics, vendors selling everything from fake smoke to dioramas lined the exhibits area, there were panels and workshops, a raffle and toy photo opportunities using setups provided by the convention staff.

A young man named Jared Middleton (who goes by the name of “SirDork”) organized the event and it was well attended.

Photography conventions are nothing new. I’ve spoken at dozens of them when I was a working wildlife photographer, but never did I know that there was or ever would be a toy photo convention.

It just shows how popular this genre has become.

More and more YouTube channels are devoted to action figure/toy photography and there are even online classes from a few famous toy photographers.

CONCLUSION

I have been so surprised at how much I enjoy photographing my action figure collection. And since this is something I do in my home studio, I don’t interact with many people in the process. Finding out that there was a toy photo convention just makes me feel more confident that I am not crazy after all.

If you want to see a video about the convention, visit Jared’s YouTube channel.

Remember — Toys are joy.

P.S. I plan to try to hold a similar convention in the Seattle area next year. If you know anyone who might like to be involved make sure to let me know. a