Masters Class: Funko Pops

 In 1998 Mike and Claudia Becker began a small company to create low tech affordable toys driven by nostalgia. Fast forward twenty five years, and that small toy company has become one of the largest toy companies in the world, holding the licenses to the biggest franchises in the industry. From Austin Powers to Power Rangers, Disney to DC, Funko Pops have something for every collector and nostalgic reminiscer. 

In the world of action figure photography, Funko Pop photographers are one of the largest groups of artists devoted to their craft. The sub genre of the art has a massive following with hundreds to thousands of artists contributing to collaborations with their creative genius on display. Pages that share and promote these artist are innumerable, putting out daily and weekly session tags to bolster the communities involvement. 

This week on the Masters Class, we are ecstatic to be bringing you into the world of vinyl figures (with or without spring loaded heads) and share some tips and tricks from two artists who have, without a doubt, mastered the art of Funko Pop photography. 

RavensEyeStudios21 over on Instagram has a plethora of amazing Pop shots for you to enjoy that be crafts with a story in mind and some imaginative inspiration from his children. And PresFirstLady on IG is second to none, not only in her artistic vision, but her supportive nature in the community. Along with her significant other, she runs and is an admin on one of the most active session pages on Instagram, Everyday_Treasures. 

So without any further ado, grab your notepads, pencils, and put your head on spring loaded attention, because Class is now in session. 

Funko Pop collectors have a knack for taking great photos of their Pops. What was it about Pops that drew you into collecting and photographing them?

FL- “I originally got into collecting Pops because I was struggling a lot with my mental health. I found comfort in watching Marvel movies and wanted some collectables of my favourite characters. After some searching, I found Funko Pops; purchased a Bucky Pop and never looked back. Photographing them then took me quite a few months later. It wasn't until I met my boyfriend, FunkoPopTreasures that I began to discover the fantastic creations that can be produced with Pops. He showed me some incredible work and gave me helpful tips; I began experimenting in my garden and after moving country to be with him, I ended up loving it so much that I haven't stopped over a year later.”

RE- “I stumbled into the Funko world when I was gifted one from my son for a birthday present. It was a Vader and he had purchased it knowing that he has always been one of my favorite characters since I was little. This was well before I started doing photography seriously and my collection was limited to just a few other characters from the Mandolorian series. That kind of kickstarted my whole fascination with them and them came the Godzilla set from the most recent movies…. Now I own over fifty (which compared to others is really small) but I also have my kids into them now and it is a way for us to bond and have an easy gift for any occasion! My inspiration for photographing them though came from their simplicity. They are static, unless you have the bobble heads, but they have so much character that they seem to call to the camera. My first Funko pic wasn’t even mine, they were my oldest sons and his idea to put his Flash set together against the Red Death and the rest is history. I started looking at them in a whole new light and now find very specific ones that seem to be the best fit not only for straight Funko pics but ones that can integrate well with my action figure photos.”

A lot of the time in action figure photography artists rely on their subject figure having dynamic poses from their articulation. What are some of your tricks for creating your shots given that Pops have little to no articulation?

FL- “Pops having little articulation can certainly be a struggle; occasionally it can take me some time to come up with an idea to shoot. A few of the tricks I use involve researching the Pops that I want to photograph, including the setting in which the characters appear, and then I try to find somewhere that matches it as best as I can. This past Summer, my boyfriend and I took over 20 Pops with us to the local beach. Having a large collection, we searched through it for hours the day before, settling on franchises such as Moon Knight, The Mummy, and Pokémon. After that, it's a case of placing the Pop and, for me personally, shooting from a close and slightly lower angle to help the Pop look more realistic.”

RE- “What I found in photographing Pops was that it is not the pop that needs to move but the environment around it. Most of my pictures are done in my garage because I have nerve issues from my time in the military that sometimes make it hard for me to be as nimble as I want for dynamic outside shots so, I have to find ways to create dynamic shots in a small space. I will take several proof shots with different lighting and things I can find around the house or backgrounds that I made from floor tiles. Then in the editing process I can draw in movement lines or use my fish tank props for background objects and scenery. It is a challenge that I face with my articulated figures but the extra effort that goes into creating that feeling with the Pops is what I love. They have taught me so much when it comes to lighting techniques and placement.”

Lighting is often crucial in action figure photography. What is your typical lighting method (ie natural lighting, light bricks, etc) for your Pop photography? 

FL- “I always aim for natural sunlight when I photograph. I know it's harder to control as nature can be unpredictable depending on where you live. I live in Northern Ireland, where rain is a normal occurence for me; however, I prefer the way it makes the Pops and my photographs look. I've tried using lights, but I haven't quite captured it yet in a way that feels natural and fitting to my style.”

The First Lady’s submission to the Masters Class puts on a display of her use of natural lighting using this Leshen pop from The Witcher 

RE- “Lighting is where I used to struggle. I mainly use a three light system of one panel light, a block light with gels and a second block light that has a multicolor function. I have recently started using a multi function ring light above the area that I am shooting to add a little extra color but it is all in the placement and getting the shadow lines right. The editing software I use can help a little but having the small block light makes a world of difference. It can be placed anywhere and easily edited out of frame if need be.”

Dioramas, backdrops, and scene settings are often a key component to action figure photography. Do you like to use anything of that nature for your Pop photography? And do you ever struggle with finding props and dios that scale correctly or fit with your Pops?

FL- “I have the luxury of living just a few minutes away from a forest, so I haven't had much experience with dioramas up to this point. I've picked up a few props here and there, but I've struggled to find items the correct size to fit properly with the proportions of the Pop to make everything look natural. What I have managed to gather so far, I've found on Amazon, including tiny Santa hats that I never got round to posting.”

RE- “Backgrounds and scene elements I thought would have been a lot harder to do. I first started with just basic floor tiles glued to 2x2 wood panels but then I found some old fish tank decorations and started playing with those and it seemed to work for everything. They were inexpensive to buy and if positioned or used with other props right could create a whole world for these figures to come to life in. I have also used the boxes themselves for doing just figure work and shining a light through the plastic of the box itself added a cool distorted light effect that worked really well for some of them.I also use a backdrop on an old for adding a more intricate scene element. I don’t usually worry about scaling them to much because of how fun they are and fitting them with my 1/12 figures gives it that carton effect like watching live action movies that have cartoons intertwined in them, not sure if I can name my favorite but it involves a rabbit and a redhead being chased by a judge and weasels…”

A few weeks back the Masters Class featured action figure customizers and figure customizing. Have you ever dabbled in customizing Pops? Or is it something you would enjoy trying?

FL- “I've only been a spectator of customising Pops at home. I've never dabbled in it; I've always been too nervous incase I damage them. I would love to eventually try it though, but wouldn't know which character to start with. There's still loads of characters that Funko hasn't made, so perhaps I might start with one of those. When I do, all I know is that it begins with a microwave, a bowl and some water...”

RE- “I have never tried altering my Pops or customizing any of my figures… My artistic side only extends to being behind a lens unfortunately, LOL! I think they are perfect they way they are and the only real change I would like to make to some of them would be adding some black light paint to my horror icons or my Godzilla pops. They just seem to be the best fit for something like that if I had any painting skills. A lot of my customization comes in my editing process and throwing a picture of the figure in procreate and adding fine details or light flares where I think they should be. This I found has been a way for me to be able to add those little extra touches and keep the Pop in its natural state without risk of having to find a new one!”

RavensEyeStudios submission to the Masters Class is an intense scene featuring Godzilla wreaking havoc in the way only the King of Monsters could. 

Creating action figure photography often takes a lot of thought about how to set up a shot based on what poses a figure can be placed in. Given that Pops come with a set pose, do you craft your shot based on the pose it’s in? Or do certain Pop’s poses automatically speak to you on a possible shot idea?

FL- “It depends on the Pop and what pose it's in. I think Funko Pops have a bad reputation among people because a lot of them look identical. But, they've come a long way since their original design. I feel like there are definitely some that speak to me and I can easily come up with an idea for how to shoot them. On the other hand, there are some that can be challenging. To overcome this, I watch scenes from tv shows and movies to see what kind of locations and angles they frame characters. Then I try to base my work off of that, experimenting until I find something I feel both works and that I love.”

RE- “I will usually set the Pop down on a blank background and base tile and then just imagine where it should, would or could be. My kids help me a lot in this area because they are always coming up with out of the box ideas that really spark my imagination. My shot of the turtle selling donuts to a Luke Skywalker figure came from my youngest son who is a donut hound and stated very matter of factly “ I think Luke needs donuts and Michelangelo has some, can’t they share?” So, I sat down with him and we talked for a good 30 minutes about TMNT giving Luke Skywalker donuts in an alleyway… It’s always about a story for me and the Pop, with a little bit of help from the mind of a child, tells this to me and I simply try to capture the right moment.”

Lately there has been a sort of resurgence of cell shaded action figures and Pops driven by nostalgia for animated television series and comic books. Do you ever photograph these style Pops? And do you ever have a hard time making that color stylization work for a shot?

FL- “I don't own any of the cell shaded Pops currently, but I'm sure I'll be tempted at some point. I have a shared collection of over 900 Pops, so I don't tend to collect gimmicks, unless it fits the character. Otherwise, my collection would be double the size it currently is as we like practically every fandom. Being a toy photographer of nature, I feel I probably wouldn't shoot the cell shaded if I did own them because it would be difficult to place them. I do own plenty of other nostalgia based Pops, because they are reminders of some of the amazing characters that I grew up with.”

RE- “I have only gotten one of these pops so far and it was a Vader with Hoth coloration. This character did present somewhat of a challenge for how to light him because its easy to do the black Vader with hints of reds and maybe yellows. This one though with its bright whites and light blue lines weaving through it made me really have to think about how to light him right and still maintain the menacing presence of the character. (Still working on that part by the way, LOL!!) I do have plans to get some of the Star Wars line in the future that have the retro paints because those look like they could really challenge me with lighting techniques and positioning to get them to “feel” right in a picture. And of course anything related to Horror Icons, Godzilla or TMNT!!!”

Lastly, what is your favorite Funko Pop that you own, and what is your favorite to photograph?

FL- “My favourite Funko Pop that I own is the Marvel Avengers: Endgame: Loki Holding the Tesseract (GITD), because it's the Pop that I purchased from my eventual boyfriend and would change my life forever. A late night toy purchase from eBay led me to a relationship in a different county, a new hobby that I love dearly, and to this awesome collab. My favourite Pops to photograph are animals and creatures; especially the Jurassic Park dinosaurs, mythical creatures and Pokémon. I find it so easy to have them blend in with nature and look more life like compared to the human Pops.”

RE- “This is probably the hardest question because I am very selective about which Funkos I collect. There are three favorites of mine that I cherish. The first one being my Light and Sound Vader which was given to me by my kids. He is so much fun to place and actually play with but the pictures of him have not been to the standard I would post, yet! My second choice is definitively my 10” Godzilla! He was all I watched growing up! From every movie to the cartoons and is massive! This, by itself, makes him a great adversary for my other figures and will be showing up in more posts in the future. My final pick is my Steve Irwin, not so much for the pictures but for the fact my kids and I admired this man so much and we would bond watching him during his wild adventures. He was such a positive influence to the world and his untimely death was very saddening. I have always thought about doing a picture with him that would emulate this but just have not got it right yet. I have had my eye on the GI Joe classified Croc master set for Fiona and her babies because they would make a great addition to one of the Pops I have of Steve and a true dedication shot.”

I want to thank RavensEyeStudios21 and PresFirstLady for joining in on this edition of The Masters Class and for sharing their tips and tricks for how create their amazing shots, as well as their story. You can find them on Instagram at @RavensEyeStudios21 and @PresFirstLady. Also be sure to check out @Everyday_Treasures on Instagram and join in on their daily sessions that run Sundays through Fridays. The EDT sessions are a great way to interact with other great artists in the action figure community and enjoy their artwork. 

The Masters Class will be back February 3rd for another exciting episode with two more artists sharing more tips and tricks for action figure photography. 

Until then, Class is dismissed. 

~The Curator