Ready for some more amazingly creative photography featuring cool action figures? … Of course you are!
This week my spotlight falls upon Ed Speir IV, a very dedicated collector and highly skilled photographer who has assembled a massive collection of beautiful images which you can find over on his Flickr page.
The more I investigate the world of toy photography the more I realise that two specific things always make me stop and just grin like an idiot. The first is careful, intense lighting and the second is clever positioning. To me there is nothing better than giving an image some depth by having either the foreground or background ever so slightly out of focus, throw in some mood lighting and I’m hooked.
I reached out to Ed because he is a master at combining both of these skills and so much more. He photographs everything from mini Lego up to huge Hot Toys figures and anything you can think of in between.
Here is a little insight from the man himself …
“My favorite part of toy photography is finding a way to bring these toys to life via lighting, backdrops, filters, etc. A toy in a box or on a blister card looks just like a “toy”…but when you remove and pose it, and put it in a unique setting it can sometimes transcend the “toy” status and become art.”
“The main challenge I have is trying not to repeat myself (which I freely admit seems to be a losing battle on my end). I generally do not use natural settings and environments – all of my photos are taken with props in my photo tent. So, coming up with unique ideas or new props and settings to use is quite difficult at times.”
Ed has taken pictures of figures from every genre you can think of but today I will be (obviously) concentrating on his work that has a horror / monster vibe. Selecting some favourites to post here was NOT an easy task, it could have easily been 40-50, but here are my personal highlights from his magical portfolio.
“McFarlane Military vs NECA Alien IV”
Evil Dead Ash
“Kenner Aliens – Panther Alien”
“Mezco Cinema of Fear – Stylized Michael Myers (Halloween 2)”
“NECA Bioshock – Big Daddy (Bouncer/LED Version)”
“NECA Dead Space – Isaac Clarke vs Alien”
(Behind you Isaac!!!!)
“NECA Evil Dead 2 – Henrietta”
“Lego Monster Fighters – The Zombies”
“Hot Toys Terminator: Salvation – T-700 Endoskeleton”
“McFarlane The Walking Dead TV Series – Riot Gear Zombie (Gas Mask)”
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