Story and photos by JASON LIOH
alltherage@thestar.com.my

IT’S not just the Singaporeans who are going crazy over collectible toys. Some Malaysians have been pretty gung-ho over the Despicable Me “minions” you get with your Happy Meal.

But instead of just buying it, playing with it and then dumping it once the craze is over, why not use these toys as your “models”?

There are quite a few Instagram users out there who have gained popularity thanks to their “toy photography”. Some of them are actually full-time photographers with fantastic portfolios, but it’s their creativity in posing and shooting toys and action figures that has really made them popular on the photo-sharing application. They really know how to breathe life into these inanimate objects.

While I’ve been resisting the urge to join the hordes who’re going crazy over the minions, I was lucky enough to be given two toys – Woody and Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. I’ve been using them as my subjects to practise my photography skills, things like composition, lighting, post-processing and, most importantly, creativity. These days, I keep both of them in my camera bag so I can add them to my photos whenever I want.

My journey to document the adventures of Woody and Buzz has only just begun, but already, I have seen many improvements in my photos as I get more and more familiar with my new camera.

Here are some of the photography skills you can work on with your miniature models:

Posing
As they are inanimate objects, you can pose them any way and at any place you want. They’re not going to ruin your shot by moving around or complaining when the sun is too hot and they’re getting too tired. Most importantly, they’re not going to ask to look at your photos and ask you to delete them because they think they look ugly.

But it really is a good way to practise posing your subjects before you move on to working with actual human subjects.

Composition
Composition is the key to a good photo, and it’s something you can practise easier with a toy subject. Work on finding the best angle, go wide or close up, create illusions, patterns and formations; and use leading lines to create a good photo.

These skills you discover through trial and error will help you greatly when you are in the field, helping you to think and act faster so you can capture the shot you want in the shortest possible time, and with the right settings.

Lighting
Chances are you will be shooting your toys in a controlled environmentsuch as makeshift studio from a light box. But because they are small, you can create your own “studio lighting” with your phone’s built-in flash light. They are generally powerful enough to create the same effect on a toy as a studio light on a life-sized subject.

If studio lighting is not what you are looking for, natural light works just as well. Pose them by the window with the sun shining on them and be amazed with what diffused directional lighting can do to your photos.

Be creative
They are toys! Go crazy with them. Get them to pose with anything you come across and bring them to see the world. I have seen toys at the base camp of Mount Everest, posing with the Eiffel Tower, scuba diving in the Caribbean Sea and having sushi at one of the finest Japanese restaurants in Tokyo.

It’s a great way for you to exercise your creativity, especially in how you pose them to appear more life-like. And now with mobile apps, you can easily add speech bubbles and other effects to make your photos even more fun.

If you’re interested in following my adventures with Woody and Buzz, you can do so on my Instagram profile (@jasonlioh). Some other toy Instagramers you should check out are @johandiyahya, @testone77 and @earth_curiousity. Have a look at their photos and be amazed!

Tag us on Instagram (@thestar_rage and @jasonlioh) if you’ve got some cool toy photography shots to share! We’d love to see how creative you guys can get. If you have any photography questions for Jason, you can also tweet him at @jasonlioh.