Masters Class: Phonetography

 It’s a tale as old as time.. or at least as old as action figure photography. The age old debate on what is the best way to take your action figure photography, with a camera or with a smart phone. Well, here at the Masters Class we don’t believe in telling anyone HOW to take their shots. However, we ARE all about making sure to cover all the bases and bring you the behind the scenes looks at all of the ways to bring your game up a level. We strive to provide the insight and tips from the best to pose ‘em and shoot ‘em. So for this edition of the Masters Class we decided to find two of the absolute best at using their smart phones to deliver some stunning action figure photography, @coxcreate and @onetwelvewonders!

So make sure your phone is fully charged and your notes app is opened, because class is now in session. 

With the advancements in technology when it comes to cellphones, there are nearly limitless options for devices. What type of cellphone do you use for taking your action figure photography?

CC- “ I use the Google pixel 6 pro. It takes amazing photos and is very versatile when it comes to different scales.”

1/12- “ I use an iPhone. I’m not even sure which one it is, it has no distinguishing markings suggesting the model, haha. It’s got two camera lenses in it, I do know that much.”

Aside from your phone itself, is their any other equipment you use when taking your shots? (Shutter remote, tripod, lense, etc)

CC- “I use 2 ulanzi light sometimes a ring light or if I'm shooting outside during the day no lights just phone.”

1/12- “ The main one I use is a small tripod to help with stability when taking long exposures. I use an app called Camera+ 2 for this, which I’ll talk a little about later on.”

What is your typical lighting set up for your figure photography?

CC- “2 ulanzi lights”

1/12- “ Typically I keep it simple. I love shooting low light and single source. I have a really good little Ulanzi RGB camera light that works perfectly for what I need. I’m also very fortunate that my workshop (where I make my dioramas and do my shoots) is south facing with a big door to my garden, so I get to capitalise on all that gorgeous natural light that floods the room.”

One Twelve’s submission is a chilling look at The Lizard in a custom dio. 

Once you’ve taken your shot on your phone, do you transfer your shots to another device for editing or edit right on your phone? And what are some editing apps you use for your shots?

CC- “ I snap on my phone the pixel has an awesome magic eraser to get rid of stands or other things you don't want in your photo. I also use a combination of PicsArt and Snapseed when editing.”

1/12- “ I always edit on my phone. I use a variety of apps and often combo them. I use LensFX and/or Picsart for adding effects, then I import the photo into Lightroom where I do all my general tweaks, colour correction or light manipulation and that sort of thing.”

Do you prefer using your phone for your photography for streamline ability (shot on the same device as editing app)? 

CC- “ yes it's very good for quick shots no transfer to computer or phone to do editing. I feel I can get really good angles easier than when I used a camera it also handles motion very well if you have a shakey hand.”

Coxcreate submission is a stunning look at Batman

1/12- “ Absolutely. I have a lot going on, haha, I have 6 children and run two businesses so the very streamlined nature of snapping a photo quickly and editing it all on the same device is what keeps me using a phone rather than buying a camera.”

Do you ever feel like your capabilities are limited by using a phone for your photography? (Resolution issues, focus issues, stability etc)

CC- “Not really the only thing I wish it could do is focus on different characters at different depth at the same time.”

1/12- “ Sometimes. It definitely can’t argued that a phone camera produces an objectively lower quality output than most manual cameras. I do use an app called Camera+ 2 which I find to be invaluable as it allows you to shoot fully manually and in macro, increase or decease the ISO number, speed up or slow down the shutter (allowing you to take long exposures) and save images in RAW format. These features all help to elevate the quality of the output.”

If you were given the chance to convince someone to use a phone for their photography over a camera, what would your top 3 reasons to be?

CC- “ versatility, less hassle for setup, cheaper you are already going to own a phone.”

1/12- “ I don’t think I would. I think people tend to gravitate to the to equipment that suits them. If someone struggling with the technical aspects of working a manual camera asked me for advice I might encourage them to try using a phone camera. Similarly I might suggest it to someone struggling to find the time to use a manual camera and edit on a computer, but I don’t tend to try and influence the practices of others, I just enjoy watching people do what they do.”

And lastly

What is your favorite action figure or figure line to shoot for your figure photography?

CC- “sentinel miles morales, have Peter b on pre-order so could change. Miles is an awesome figure to shoot and he is made really well.”

1/12- “ I think volume of shots must dictate this and the answer would therefore have to be Marvel Legends. It’s nice to have such a broad pool of characters to mix and match.”

I want to thank these two extraordinary artists for participating in this weeks Masters Class! You can find both of these gentleman on IG under the handles above! You cam also visit One Twelve Wonder’s Etsy shop to see all the incredible dios he makes, and you can see more of Coxcreate on the Toy Talk YouTube channel. You can always find their links on the link tree in @unworthycollector’s bio along with plenty of other amazing links from amazing members in the community! The Masters Class will return next Friday as we travel to Eternia for Masters of the Universe!

Until then, class is dismissed. 

~The Curator