Toy Story II | DIY Scale Model Photography

Toy Story | The Photo series | Part II

'Toy Story' is a one-of-a-kind photo collectible series exploring conceptual dystopian themes conveyed with everyday elements found at home and toys figurines used as props. The project was a product of my time at home during (Covid-19) quarantine, bound to my small apartment with my favorite pop culture action figures, with a desperate urge to tell larger-than-life stories visually.

I still feel I'm at the tip of the iceberg with the unparalleled possibilities to create with this genre. I'm only limited by my imagination which is quite an empowering thought. While other shoots keep happening, I'm determined to create whole set with my Toy story project and keep challenging myself with more storytelling images.

"We meet again at last” - Darth Vader

Concept - The last we saw Anakin Skywalker was with his epic battle against Obi-Wan Kenobi, set on a similar backdrop. But now the things have changed just a little bit. With news that Hayden Christensen has now taken up the role to play iconic Darth Vader, things couldn't have been come together better.

BTS - This was a fun one to recreate. I used spray painted aluminum foil and wrapped then around objects to create the landscape. Used orange plastic sheet and lit it from below to create the Lava effect. Used humidifier for adding atmosphere.

Thanos Vs Dr Strange

Concept - Doc Strange: "I went forward in time to see all the possible outcomes of the present situation. All Fourteen million six hundred and five."
Tony: "How many did we win?"
Doc Strange: "One."
This has been an idea to recreate since a while now, finally found the right LED strip light and that did the trick.

BTS- I used 2 mirrors for genuine reflections. Used an LED strip light to cover the figure in a similar way the film during the fight sequence with Doc strange.

Isolation

Concept - I live in a tiny apartment and with no sunlight shining through. I feel like a sloth sometimes wasting my time watching things that don't interest me. I wonder what happened to all those long-term plans I made for the year? I feel excited whenever I get to talk to another human or even when I see someone I know from the window. I miss my family and friends. I wish I had a dog who could pamper me sometimes. Maybe all it would take is one tight hug by someone, to cheer me up, but I'm also terrified of human touch now. I took so many things for granted. There have been lots of sleepless nights lately. One thought keeps me awake. One of those helpless situations where I feel like I'm sinking, away from the light. Helpless as though nothing I do can change things. I feel my body turning numb and my fingers freezing. My eyes losing sight. All I can hear is my heart beating louder. Suddenly though, I wake up, only to realize I have been sweating and panting.

There are moments when I'm not sure if I'm dreaming, nothing can convince me that it's just a dream. Those are truly horrifying." - Derived from a recent conversation I had

BTS- This image is shot with the Galaxy S20 Ultra phone. I was surprised by the dynamic range the Raw file offers for processing. It's always helpful when you have 'Pro' features built default in the Camera app. Used 4 exposures of smoke and added water surface and realistic bubbles in post.

Thalassophobia

Concept- My greatest fear. Thalassophobia is an intense and persistent fear of the sea. It can include fear of being in deep bodies of water, fear of the vast emptiness of the sea, of sea waves, sea creatures, and fear of distance from land. I wanted to recreate this scene from a nightmare that I had, I think I came close to it by using props available at home.

BTS- It is an intense and persistent fear of the sea. It can include fear of being in deep bodies of water, fear of the vast emptiness of the sea, of sea waves, sea creatures, and fear of distance from land. I scouted for things at home that remind me of the ocean. I had an aquarium a few years ago so used some of its contents like coral rock and a shell. An old Piranha display made for the perfect subject. The scale model sailing ship did wonders for the scene by adding rustic details. And yes I chose batman with his backpack as the human character. I made simple black paper cutouts for his swimming fins. I wanted to show a huge scale so the figure and fish were shot separately with matching perspectives and added to the scene.

Welcome to the Madness

Concept- I wanted to show a scene that truly justifies the characters from a game I love so much, Arkham Asylum (Game of the year). It did so well that I started off its own franchise with a series of games to follow. I came across this very impressive illustration by artist @vicbazaine and loved it so much that I wanted to recreate my own version of it. With my version I wanted to show how Batman being batman, would still go out of his way to save the life of Joker despite all their history.

BTS- Realized after a few experiments that I would need to photograph the subject and foreground separately and match perspectives and lighting in camera. Now that I had these in separate layers. Combined all the layers in post for the final image.

Ironman X Thanos - TVS NTORQ

Concept - I wanted to play around with this duo once again from the last round at Cyberpunk City. This time was looking for a world building subject to look like Ironman's lab space. This is when I got introduced to the TVS NTORQ SuperSquad Edition - Invincible Red. A scooter themed after Ironman himself with some kickass design integration.

BTS - I used a wire to hang the Ironman figure in position, Thanos figure was in the foreground close to camera. Created a bit of smoke with mist sprays. I used a laser pen to light up to air filter and combined 3 exposures for final result.

One of Us

Concept - "Their morals, their code; it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. You'll see- I'll show you. When the chips are down these, uh, civilized people? They'll eat each other. See I'm not a monster, I'm just ahead of the curve." The idea is that there is a side of us, all of us, that wants to break free from the norms of the society. We try to keep it as a small secret to ourselves, in our constant struggle to fit in. On a rainy day, all it takes, is a little push.

BTS - I had one bald man figure (Walter white), but had to show a crowd, so I photographed it 140 times with different placements and then combined them together. (It's actually a horizontal image, this is the cropped version). I used a hair spray with flash to get the rain effect. Used a beam torch to light up Joker.

Dark Humor

Concept - Let me take you back to the final scene from the 'Predator'. As he prepares for his meal, Predator removes his mask, to reveal his menacing face. I so prominently remember the how he then imitates a human laugh, and basically taunts his prey. What a brilliant way to reveal a deep character in the simplest way. I have always associated Predator with dark humor.

BTS - This image has 1:12 scale action figures, I wanted to show a standoff between two of my favorite movie characters. Created a mini jungle setup at home. Twigs and moms micro greens came in very handy. A simpler setup than my usual because the perspective didn't allow too much set building.

Defeated Titan - Thanos

Concept - There are a bunch of things we take for granted, one of them being health. It's only when you're limited from doing the most mundane tasks that you start realizing its essence. I had this realization recently and it has made me rethink how to value things in a better way. I wanted to put this idea of 'having no control over a situation' through a visual narrative. The look is derived from Soul world scene from the films.

BTS - This setup was quite simple really. The main source of light (CTO gelled) is behind a large diffuser. A transparent vessel of water and the #hottoys Thanos head sculpt, resting just above the water surface. Used a laser pointer of the eyes to capture genuine interaction of light with the face and masked the eyes

When Brain meets Brawn

Concept - "I could kill you... but death would only end your agony, and silence your shame. Instead, I will simply ...BREAK YOU! Broken...and done." –Bane Possessing a mix of brute strength and exceptional intelligence, Bane is often credited as the only villain to have "broken the bat" both physically and mentally. It's with this thought that I tried to approach this image. In this image I wanted to show batman being thrown through the wall to the otherwise.

BTS - In this image I wanted to show batman being thrown through the wall to the otherwise. I didn't have a super detailed batman figure, so instead I used Wolverine 1/6 scale. Oh yes, the perspective and lighting really had to convey that this batman indeed, one thing that helped is that batman isn't really showed with a ton of detail (Dark knight you see). This time I wanted to show some snow in the backdrop so I used a combination of shaving cream and corn flour. Again steam iron with strobe light for some of the smoke, a bit was filled in on post too.

Adamantium Rage 2.0

Concept & BTS- Ever since the X-men cartoon series came back in the 90's, #Wolverine is one character I would wait to see on screen! This is small tribute to how I always imagined a live action "Wolverine" film would look like in his original comic depiction look. Wolverine 1/6th figure is a prized possession for all collectors. It was a simple setup with light painting and some added sparks.