Masters Class: Action

 When discussing toy photography, one of the most dynamic genres of photos is action. Fights, flights, or high speed chases, action shots are one of the most awe inspiring styles of toy photography. 

For this weeks Masters Class we are proud to offer a collaboration between two of the premier artists in the action toy photography genre, @the_un_human and @a.b_photos35

I have asked these exhilarating gentlemen a few questions regarding the process behind their shots, their inspiration and vision, and how they come to produce their edge of your seat works of action.

When it comes to setting up an action shot for your photography, what are some tips you can give to set the mood and atmosphere for the scene? 

AB- “Usually when setting up our shots my oldest gives me ideas of a photo or sometimes I have a image in my head already of a photo and how it looks. Sometimes I get my inspiration from music. At times I try to reenact the pose of the character or even take time to look up references on how that pose should look. After that we grab our diorama or look up a image on the computer and mirror that image to the tv as a background and toss some props around the figure and add some lights. We try and do some adjusting & moving around of the lights to see where the lighting looks best & where the props really stick out in the photo. But Even though your ideas sometimes might now work or even look right. DONT GIVE UP! don’t be afraid to move stuff around, sometimes you may even come up with a different and better idea”

UH- “Let’s be honest, the setup is where we get to play with the toys themselves, so it can be the most fun part of the process. for any shot, let alone action, i always try to create a sense of movement, i think that’s the key factor. instead of shooting just before or just after the character action, pose the figure so it’s mid-action, and then, using short focus, setting up some debris or perhaps using compressed air, create some sense of movement, and then use a fast shutter speed to capture it, if necessary. depending on subject matter, vary lighting and colour accordingly. vibrancy lends itself toward action shots.”

When shooting your action scene or sequence, do you prefer to be in tight on the action? Or a wider shot that can show off more of the background (dios, accessories, etc)?

AB- “It depends on the mood of the photo really. We usually try and shot a little wider to give a little story or maybe even a insight on what may have happened or caused the scene in the photo. Especially if we used props with the action sequence”

UH- “I’ve spent the last few months fighting myself to crop in on the action, as i was so stuck in trying to capture the “whole scene”. sometimes all that setup is for naught because zooming in tight on the action can really add to the intensity of the image and the movement you’re trying to capture, especially for one on one fistfights and the like. but it depends on the situation you’re trying to portray. obviously a kaiju scene would denote shooting a bit wider to capture the chaos!”

When building up your scene, how important is lighting to enhance the action in the shot?

AB- “Lighting is always important in my opinion. It is something that I’m currently working on trying to improve. Especially when your trying to show those crucial details, depth, & to bring that dramatic feel too your photos. It’s always good to  test out the lighting brightness, colors, angles, & positions of where your lighting is to bring your photos to life!”

UH- “Lighting is a major factor in capturing a sense of action, in my opinion. i think high contrast, dark shadows, sharp lighting can definitely add to the intensity of a scene, adding a sense of anxiety and tension. you can have an amazing, epic battle scene set up with all sorts of action, but if the lighting is flat, or dull, it calms the atmosphere of the composition, and takes away from the excitement and action of that image.”

If your shot calls for any kind of effects (fire, lasers, water, etc), do you prefer to use practical effects that are actually in the shot? Or digitally added effects?

AB- “We really like to do a lil bit of both in our photos. But we lean mostly to the practical due to the fact we have a lot of side effects that we mostly like to use. But I’m trying to learn a lil more on the digital effects side because of certain effects come out beautifully when digitally applied to your photo like water, ember, & lighting/thunder.”

UH- “I’ve always been a big proponent of practical effects and using lighting to create the effect i’m looking for, but obviously it can be limiting. i’ve been dabbling more and more into digital overlays and effects over the past few months now, and i’m seeing the potential, but i’m very wary of how i use them. for me it’s about the photography, even if it is digital, and when i see too much in the way of effects, it’s no longer photography to me, it’s digital illustration, which is an entirely different thing as far as i’m concerned.”

In your action shots, do you prefer to use support items to keep your figures in position (wire, flight stands, etc) that are edited out after the shot? Or is patience key in getting the figures to stay in position naturally?

AB- “We use like to use some blue hawk bendable wire for our figures (which you can grab at Home Depot, Lowes or Amazon for like $10-$15 bucks). I have some weights to hold the wire in place when we try and get our figs in some crazy or flying positions. But for this photo it was all done with no wire just balancing the figs on top of each other or props. I really wanted to try something new and see if I could balance them on my own. It did take a bit, kept dropping the figs or props but I was finally able to get it.”

UH- “That’s 50/50 for me. being lazy, if i don’t have to photoshop something, i won’t. so if i can get away with no wires or stands, i always choose that option. but, it’s inevitable that at some point, especially when shooting action scenes, it will be necessary. a good roll of a decent gauge wire is always handy.”

Lastly, what are your favorite figures to use to produce your incredible action shots?

AB- “Man this one is tough cause any figure with some good articulation fits well in this category and we have a few favorites, that we like to do some action shots with. Me personally though I would have to say Marvel legends just because of the Retro Spider-Man has been my favorite since I was a kid n I’m such a huge fan of the whole Spider-Man series! And with the articulation you can get out of them is pretty good But I’m getting into the whole starwars vibes of shots so hopefully I can do some action shots soon of starwars and for my oldest he really likes to shot with the Mafex Deadpool, or the Demon slayer figures from Aniplex Buzzmod, his favorite character is Batman! we still need to grab one of him but just so many to choose from!”

UH- “I couldn’t choose a line, they all bring something to the table, whether it’s the extreme articulation of kaiyodo revoltech or mafex figures, to the incredible detail in mcfarlane’s figures, to the sheer amount to character selection from hasbro or neca. any toy, any time, anywhere, i just enjoy the shooting.”

I want to thank these two artists for participating in this session of #uc_mastersclass. It was incredible to have the curtain pulled back and get a glimpse of how their creative process works behind the scenes. 

Be sure to check back in next Friday for Masters Class: Outdoors