Farewell, Lahore
I am moving in less than three weeks, and I thought I’d celebrate in self-indulgent fashion by sharing my ten favorite toy photos I produced during my brief tenure here in Lahore, Pakistan.
In cheerfully arbitrary order:
Clearly I Will Go Sailing No More:
The title is of course taken from Randy Newman’s “I Will Go Sailing No More” from Toy Story. In a fit of literal-mindedness, I decided on Shipwreck as the star.
Default Setting:
The alternate title for this one is “Ooh, Zartan Friended Me!”
Too many of my photos are traditional portraits or self-conscious attempts at capturing “action”. This one feels more natural and convincing.
Descent:
Renegades Tunnel Rat is one of the most photogenic action figures I have ever owned.
Doll Parts:
I have a decidedly odd back-story in mind for this Helix action figure. There are plenty of hints as to said story’s nature in this photo. I am also inordinately proud of the accessories I kitbashed for her.
Gravity:
I barely know how to spell PhotoShop, and so it pleases me that I was able to create this effect without any editing tools.
He Was His Own Sarcophagus:
This Zombie Viper portrait came together very easily, and the feedback it received on Flickr was quite satisfying.
Heavy Machinery:
This photo surprised me. It was something of an afterthought, but the lazy Roadblock kitbash really compliments the World War Robot (which was a gift from Poe Ghostal; I call the robot Poe in tribute).
Missionary:
This is the kind of static, obvious portrait I try to avoid these days, and yet I took this photo just yesterday, and here it is on my list of favorite photos. William Winchester here is my favorite kitbash, and this strikes me as the definitive William Winchester photo; he’s got his crucifix in one hand and a sentient stone in the other, with rugged nature serving as a backdrop. I find myself wondering what he sees.
Summons:
I use this Cemetery Warrior from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as an original character named Voodoo. Among his many powers is the ability to seemingly create dozens of himself; I have three of these figures, and I usually photograph them all together.
This photo was intended to serve as a canvas for more effects experiments, but I find it so compelling as-is that I have decided not to mess with it.
The Cemetery Warrior is an overlooked and underrated figure; the paint applications on the skull are somewhat strange, but I love the fraying at the bottom of the shirt.
Tyrant:
As seen in my previous post, I used the Focal Zoom feature at PicMonkey to add a sense of urgency to this photo. Ultimately, though, I prefer the original version, seen here.
In a few weeks, I will once again have the opportunity, if only briefly, to photograph toys at the Snake River Canyon. I can’t wait!
Two-Fisted Toy Talk! 