#frenchafol

I recently built a hangar scene for an assignment with the @studshooters community. Before taking it down, I took the opportunity to do another shoot, as this month's theme at @brickcentral was a perfect match.

So I staged the fabulous Exosuit from set 21109, designed by Peter Reid, in this environment, imagining the armor as if hastily abandoned, one arm missing, the only traces of the former pilots being the helmet and oxygen cylinders. For the lighting, I used a setting quite similar to the previous photo, with under-lighting and a top light. I wanted to create a kind of central light well. I used a small mist diffuser to channel the light and give it the feeling of a hangar that had been lifeless for some time…

It's summertime! And for many, that means time off… But we're not the only ones enjoying a well-deserved rest.

Our figurines, mistreated, experimented on and photographed all year round, are also entitled to a little vacation!

Here's an album of their summer activities...

2023... He's back !

I took advantage of the vacations to shoot my entry to #bc_tipfest photo contest on @brickcentral

Go outside / Make it pop: I used a real set for the staging. In this case, a sunset on the beach. This helped to catch GoldenHours vibrant colors.

Pose your subject: The figure is deliberately placed from the back, in a static but serene position, with its face facing the sea/sunset to draw the eye towards the subject.

Use props: As the figure is from the back, a few props help us to understand that the figure is stand-up paddling.

I never really liked the initial rendering: the image wasn't transporting enough, the futuristic ice planet atmosphere didn't work, and in the end, this superb set (exosuit) wasn't well showcased. I went back to the raw image to try and give it another chance.

Here is the original version :

This Week Theme !

Vacations are often synonymous with a change of scenery, and therefore a good way to change the setting for your photos.

I always take a few figurines with me, and sometimes escape on vacation to stage them.

At the beginning of July, we went to the seaside, and of course I took along some pirates (and a few other figurines)!

My entry to #bc_tipfest photo contest on @brickcentral :

The Medieval Band

For my 2nd entry, I used other tips, just to vary a bit :)

- Build an environment: I'm more used to shooting outdoors in natural settings, especially at this time of year. But I tried to change my habits by creating a 100% lego environment. As the main subject is a group of minstrels, the setting had to be medieval. I based the set on the forge. I used natural light to illuminate my scene, but with a large gold reflector to give it a warm ambience. I added tree branches (bonsai) to create a frame around the group and create a "cosy" atmosphere :)

- Use props and add details: brick-build scenes are already detailed, but adding props reinforces the impression. In this case, I wanted to create a group of minstrels, so I equipped them with medieval clothes and instruments that existed at the time, to be credible. I could have chosen anachronistic instruments to make a gag, but that wasn't my intention or the emotion I wanted to convey.

- Pose your subjects : I hesitated for a long time over the choice of faces, but I finally found those that corresponded well to the joyful mood of the minstrels while being compatible with singing and playing musical instruments.