I run a small toy photography account on Instagram for fun. It's pretty basic stuff, I don't own a camera, but my phone has a 16 megapixel camera which is enough for me.

I often avoid taking action shots of my transformers because I can never get them to look right. Theyre usually ridgid and look like the toys that they are. I shoot a lot of my black series figures because they're extremely photogenic. My question is how do you guys who shoot your toys get your your transformers to look natural?

 

Would be helpful if you could post a picture you did on here. That would allow people to gage what you need to do improve.

I take my pictures with a Canon PowerShot SX60 HS. It allows me to zoom in for any shot I want. It also allows me to have a flip screen, so I always know how the subject looks in the picture. In my case, I take my figures outside to take the pictures. So the backgrounds help with the look and natural lighting and shade too. What I often tried to do is match the theme with the environment.

Like ROTF Brawl, the tank mode fits in a desert like background. So I went five hours away to a location that would work.



If the figure has translucent plastic for the eyes, the sunlight will make it look like the figure is actually alive. But not everybody can travel often to do something like this.


Or able to goof around for fun:


If you have some beast mode transformers, Dinobots, Predacons, Insecticons, whatever. Some place inside the home is not going to do them justice. Find a local park or if you have a yard, perfect places.


For vehicle transformers, since you have a phone and say you work in an office. The parking lot is a great place for car, truck, SUV, or cycle base figures during a break.



Though if you don't want to risk it and have a driveway, pavement or not works too for them.


Going to action shots, most of my stuff comes from my imagination. I see the subject or subjects moving like Toy Story. Once I have a idea, I try to see if it came happen in real life or not. I will often grab the figure in question and test the pose. If it can work inside, I can make it work outside then. Then I go out and try to match up what I saw in my head in the environment that I pictured the figure being in.

This picture here ties everything together. The characters are beast themed, I took the picture in my bamboo forest on my place. The sunlight and shade give each figure a realistic feel and look. The sunlight is going through Grimlock's translucent plastic eyes, making them glow. The pose is something I've been thinking about since June. I have my camera on the ground and I'm looking through the flip screen. I'm zooming in to find the right balance between focus and out of focus and I took the picture.

 

Agreed on the outdoor environment. I have no time or skill for studios and manipulating lighting/backdrop

Here's an example of a black series Scout trooper I did:


And here is MP Sideswipe and Bluestreak


For me, I stick with lower angles to give the figures a more natural perspective? If that makes any sense. Mind you this is all on a Samsung S7 so it will never be a true quality shot. They're just one of those things that are finicky about photography

 

Came here to recommend you to JetBolt but he already beat me to the punch. I absolutely love your scout trooper shot by the way.

 

Sending this thread over to Creative General Discussion, lots of ppl who do the same and can help as well.

Nice shots from both of you!!