Masters Class: Wrestling

 Here at the Masters Class we have been focusing a lot on styles and genres of figure photography. While that is highly beneficial and educational for us all, sometimes it’s nice to step away and focus on the figures and figure lines themselves. Everyone has their own favorites character and line of figures and their reasons for such. This Masters Class will be the second in a series of classes that will focus on a figure line or figure type, as well as some tips and tricks from the Masters on how they deliver their shots. 

For years men and women have ate their vitamins, said their prayers, and laced up their boots. They’ve put on some character centric theme music and marched to the squared circle and competed against one another for a brass ring and bragging rights. From Roman Reigns and Kenny Omega to Verne Gagne and Bruno Sammartino, professional wrestling has been a source of entertainment for many. As such, pro wrestling action figures have been a hot commodity. Wrestling figure photography, often lovingly referred to as “Fig-Feds”, take a certain panache and understanding of the sport to be able to pull off in a meaningful manner. 

So ladies and gentlemen boys and girls, children of all ages, making their way to the Masters Class, @HoodcastAF and @Blitz_Figz

When it comes to wrestling shots, what are some tips and tricks you’ve learned along every way to establish the action taking place?

HC- “Wrestling figure photography and especially shots where a move or action is taking place, I would always recommend trying different angles. A straight on shot isn’t going to convey a devastating move. If your figs are on a ladder. Get a low angle shot to show the height. Even a slightly tilted camera is better than an average up and down, straight on shot. But try everything and pick the best one.”

BF- “I have come to learn that the angle of your shot plays a huge role in capturing the action. Once you have your figures posed, the angle allows you to really feel the impact of what you are trying to capture.”

When taking your wrestling shots, what is your go to setup for in ring and ringside shots?

HC- “In ring shots I like to get some portion of the front side ropes or turnbuckles in the shot just to have some depth. Same with ringside shots. While setting up a ringside shot I like to have noticeable fans with expressive faces leaning over the guard rails. It makes the action of the wrestling figures (the main focus of the pic) more exciting.”

BF- “For in ring setup I mainly go for signature moves/stance something that hits the nostalgia for the era I grew up watching. As for outside ring shots depending on the character I go with, I look for the what damage they can do since each character is different.”

In pro wrestling there is always a lot of talk about “selling” a move, punch, or kick. What are some tips you can give to help “sell” these things in figure form? 

HC- “For my figures to look like their “selling”, I try to get an unnatural, mid motion pose. This is usually hard to balance so the use of fishing line or shopping out a stand is necessary. I generally try to do quick setups and poses. Limited time. I have too many ideas!”

BF- “ High flying moves are very difficult to pull off if you don’t use clear string to stage your figure in a pose. So I believe shutter speed definitely helps with that.”

A lot of wrestling figures come with one head sculpt that are sometimes smiling. Do you ever feel limited by this, and what are some tips to help overcome that?

HC- “I despise the smiling head sculpts. Unless that’s their character. For instance the new elite smiling Brock. For a while, WWE elites all had big smiles. I would usually hide these stupid grins by posing and perspective like I did in the MasterClass pic of Bret. Or not use them at all.”

BF- “I don’t think it limits me at all. For the most part the figures come with a serious head sculpt which is great to capture intense moments. But sometime the smiling ones help with a different style of shot such as promos and interviews. I find that if you want to overcome the smiling face of a figure for example Bret Hart, I would do his sharpshooter in a different angle so you can see the pain in the opponents face.”

Wrestling figures can often provide fantasy/dream match ups between wrestles of different generations, eras, and promotion. If you could fantasy book a match between two wrestlers in real life the way you can with figures, who would it be and why?

HC- “I’ve fantasy booked a lot. I believe we all have as kids playing with toys. I’ve talked about it on HoodCast AF Action Figure Podcast but one of my favorites is Hulk Hogan (red and yellow) Vs Robocop. It’s silly. Robocop is a heel (bad guy) because Millionaire Ted Dibiase has reprogrammed Robocop. Hulk eventually body slams the “part machine, all cop”, and it shocks Robocop’s system and he reverts to his old programming. Hulk and Robo start a tag team, the RoboManiacs! I know Robocop actually was on WCW with Sting.” 

BF- “Wow that’s a tough one I know they have faced each other before l, but I have to choose it would definitely be DX Triple H right after wrestlemania 14 when he took over vs Seth Rollins. At that time triple H was becoming a big time player and was hitting his prime and perfecting his class. I think that would have been an epic matchup.”

When setting up a wrestling shot, whether it be in ring, backstage, ringside, etc, what is your go to lighting setup? 

HC- “When I setup my figure federation arena, I’ll use a bunch of articulated arm book lights. I’ll have them clipped to the top of the extreme sets arena. I like to spotlight certain areas of action. It also makes it easier to comeback for an easy setup for a new pic idea. I also use a Smith & Wesson LED flashlight that has some color functions. I haven’t ventured into light cubes or anything professional. I use what I have and am happy with it.”

BF- “I have two rgb ligts which I always setup on the sides of the figures so there is no toy glare. Then I have a Lume cube which I normally face to the crowd from extreme sets. And a ring light that I mainly use to fill in any dark areas the other lights may have not covered. And then rotate and move them as I take photos.”

With wwe ultimate edition and aew supreme edition figures coming with greater articulation and versatility than ever before, what would be a character you would love to see come in ultimate/supreme edition and what would be their accessories? 

HC- “I could post a list of wanted figures and the majority are going to be made eventually. So I would say some figures that probably won’t or have slim chances of being made. First would be some Insane Clown Posse ultimate type figures. They we’re a huge impact to wrestling and I’m sure they’d sell.”

BF- “I really don’t follow aew but for a wwe ultimate edition would definitely be Mick Foley. And it come with accessories from cactus jack, dude love, and mankind. Especially Mr socko. I think that would be a real ultimate edition.”

Championship belts that come with figures notoriously are stiff and hard to pose. What are some tips you could give to make the gold look more realistic in your wrestlers hands?

HC- “I never really have a problem with the belts. But you could boil them, mold them to the shape you need then run under cold water. This works if you need to play the belt (I mean Championship) to lay flat on the mat or table. I usually have Stone Cold holding one end of the belt in a almost disrespect pose. The Rock holds his around one shoulder. Different wrestlers, different styles.”

BF- “The glare on the belts suck in photos so positioning in lighting is key first. And I tend to bend the belts to give them a more realistic rustic look to help give the impression that it’s a realistic photo.”

Lastly, what is your favorite wrestling figure/brand of figures to take shots of for wrestling figure photography? 

HC- “Mostly, I use WWE elite because there is so much to choose from. AEW Unrivaled are still relatively new and have their issues too like the heavy bags under the eyes but also offer a bit more articulation. I prefer to customize AEW. Their parts are easily removed. No hot water needed and painting realistic skin tones look great on them. I’d have to say my favorite is WWE ultimate editions.  So many different faces for different actions. Just solid figures.”

BF- “I love wwe figures specifically the ultimate edition line the extra hands, and head sculpts give you no limit to the type of photos you can do with that character. As for my favorite figure/character from the line is definitely ultimate edition Stone Cold Steve Austin.”