Hi everyone and welcome back!
In this post, I’m going to pick up where I left off and talk about a very popular practice I’ve observed in the toy photography community. That being, outdoor toy photography!
Photography in the great outdoors!
A while ago I had the opportunity to visit Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve with my fellow BES peers. We had a great time spotting and photographing the various types of wildlife we encountered.
Of course, I took this opportunity to take my own unique photographers… of my figures!
Sometimes photoshop just does not cut it, and you’ve got to go out into nature to really find the perfect background for your shot. It’s a great way to create a truly immersive environment around your figure, breathing life into an inanimate object through its ‘interactions’.
Sometimes, setting up the perfect shot calls for a little alteration. It’s alright to shift a few dead leaves and twigs around, I tend to do that when setting up my shot, but its another thing entirely to tamper with existing vegetation and habitats. As this National Geographic article highlights, it is paramount for outdoor photographers to be sensitive towards the environment, taking care to DO NO HARM. As a rule of thumb, I do not interfere with any living plants or animals I encounter. Besides, if a photograph really requires you to start chopping up vegetation and destroying habitats, (A): it’s probably not worth the effort, and (B): it’s much more efficient to create a set-up of your desired background, rather than wrecking your surroundings. This is a very common practice in the toy photography community, where members find a barren strip of dirt in their backyard or a disused space to photograph on, rather than tampering with green spaces.
The article also emphasizes the need for transparency with regards to the methods used for photography. Many toy photographers do exercise this by posting a behind-the-scenes shot of their set-ups. Though the purpose is to share their creative process, it could also serve as an effective medium for disseminating good photography practices that are environmentally friendly.
Many of the aforementioned practices are also practiced in other forms of photography like wildlife photography. You can learn more about it at my fellow BES peer’s blog, Benjamin Seah!
That’s all for this week’s post, see you guys in the next one!
Hi Joseph
I am really intrigued by your blog on toy photography. I remember vividly that during the Sungei Buloh trip we went as a group, I was so captivated by the way you used the natural environment for your shots that I stayed behind and watched till you were done. I’d like to applaud you on your stance that we should not be modifying any parts of nature, just so we can get a desired shot. Nature should not be tampered with and should be left the way it is.
However, how much is much, with respect to changing natural landscapes to suit our ideal background for a good shot? Even by shifting a few dead twigs or stones around, we might be potentially altering habitats for small species that we are oblivious to. What are your views on this?
Hey Wen Han!
That’s a great question and I must admit i hadn’t even considered the effects of even the smallest alterations i make in green spaces.
I think the limit to changing the natural landscape is when you start making permanent and irreversible changes (i.e. uprooting plants). As long as you don’t pollute the green space and minimise what you remove from it (there’s always gonna be some soil on the figurine), it should be ok to continue photographing in these environments!
Cheers! Joseph.
Hi Joseph & Wen Han,
I really dig Wen Han’s comment & Q – Like you, I wouldn’t have thought about it like this, but IMO, he makes an excellent point and reminds me to always be mindful of scale. Love this.
jc
Thanks Dr Coleman!
Hi Joseph!
I really think your toy photography skills are so cool! The last picture, was very much impactful especially with the caption – take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints. However, I feel that our presence (leaving nothing but footprints) in the environment may already be a disruption to the animals and lives. Though we may not have moved anything in the natural landscape, we may be the ones affecting it through our noise or presence. As such, do you think toy photography in the environment should be encouraged?
– Jo
Hey Jo!
I do think that toy photography should be encouraged in the environment! It’s a great way to promote the beauty and importance of conserving our environment. However, it is definitely necessary to limit the number of people that visit these green spaces within a period of time so as to reduce the impacts you mentioned.
Cheers, Joseph.