Photographing Toys for Kids Room

[JayJeep]

I just got a new D3100 last month so I'm still getting used to it. I have the kit 18-55mm lens and just bought a 55-200mm Nikon lens. Anyways, my wife just asked me if I could take some photos of my son's toy dinosaurs for his dino bedroom. She wants some nice photos to frame and hang on the walls.

I have no idea where to start on making these look decent. I've been trying to think of how I would compose the shots and what the background should be. I decided to post here to see if anybody has some ideas.

Right now there is about 6-8 inches of snow outside so I would most likely have to do this inside (dinosaurs didn't make it to the ice age i don't think). Any ideas?

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome aboard.

That is a great idea. I kept meaning to photograph some of my son's favorite toys to hang in his room, but they get destroyed pretty quick and his favorites are always changing. His does love his dinosaurs though.

My nephew loves trucks and farm equipment. So one time I photographed some of his die-cast models and turned them into prints for his room.

There are a few key things that can help make them 'good' photos. First, as with all photography, is good light. This may be a bit tricky indoors but don't just use whatever light happens to be in the room. Think about what spots will give you the best light (usually some sort of side lighting). A north facing window (so not to get direct sunlight) is often a good choice.

Next is the setting. For example, I shot the farm equipment in their back yard where they have a garden and piles of dirt and gravel etc. So don't shoot the dinos on a table or plain carpet...find some sort of background that will make it look more authentic. A sandbox would work, but you probably don't have one of those in your living room. Maybe a large potted plant? Some rocks or uncut wood?

When shooting them, get down low so that you are not shooting down onto them (makes them look like toys). Get close to them. If you have a tripod that can get really low, I'd suggest using that but if not, try to support the camera with something as you shoot...a pillow etc. That way you can keep the camera as still as possible when shooting.

Lastly, don't be afraid to push the boundaries with digital editing. These are for kids, so jacking up the contrast & saturation would probably be seen as 'cool'.

I'll see if I can dig up some of the ones I shot.

 

[JayJeep]

Those are all good ideas thank you. I don't have any house plants big enough but I was trying to think of somebody that does. I wonder if I could go to the arboretum at the zoo in St. Paul. I would guess that it has good lighting because of the large amounts of windows.

 

[flow]

You could also try shooting them as silhouettes, or just straight against a plain background & then turning the images into silhouette shapes afterward. Little less realism, but can give you some good creative presentation options.

 

[sm4him]

As far as the houseplants idea--plants are relatively cheap. Go to a nursery, or the Home Depot/Ace Hardware/Lowe's sort of store around you, or even a Walmart and buy a $10 plant to use as a prop. OR--just go outside and grab a few branches and such, especially if you can find some things like holly or pine trees that are still green. I realize there are a lot more options for still finding green plants HERE than there probably are in Minnesota, but surely there's something.
Get a shallow box, fill it with dirt or sand (sand is also really cheap at home improvement stores), stick some of your plant props in there, get a nice solid sheet to use as a backdrop--maybe blue to simulate sky, or gray?--and voila! AND, by using small houseplants, or pieces of trees and shrubs, it'll have the effect of making the dinosaur toys seem bigger, too.

 

[JayJeep]

I will try some of those ideas. We have a sand table on the deck, I could move that into the house or maybe the garage (but would need better lighting for garage).

Which lens would be best? I'm thinking the 55-200mm....

 

[TCampbell]

I'd be thinking about an environment to shoot in. For example... you could just isolate the toy on a plain backdrop (or a colored backdrop.) Or you could dress up a "set" to shoot the dinosaur (e.g. grab some houseplants to create an "environment" for the toy.)

Edit: Sorry... started writing the response. Got interrupted by a phone call. Posted the response, and see that the houseplant idea was already covered. Didn't mean to be redundant.

As for the colored backdrop idea... that was really a room & dinosaur coordination thing. E.g. when looking for colors that "go together", you can use a color wheel. When it's just two colors... opposites usually go best. When it's 3 colors, you pick the primary color and then balance using the two colors that are each 1/3rd of the way around the wheel. etc. So based on room themes and the color of the dinosaur... if you wanted an isolated dinosaur but didn't want to use houseplants, you could use a backdrop with colors (or gelled lights to create the color) that coordinate.

 

[Big Mike]

I will try some of those ideas. We have a sand table on the deck, I could move that into the house or maybe the garage (but would need better lighting for garage).

Which lens would be best? I'm thinking the 55-200mm....

If the sandbox doesn't have snow in it, then you could shoot right out on the deck (don't be afraid of the cold). The outdoor light might be good (especially at the right time of day).

As for which lens, I'd say whichever one lets you get the most 'close up'. The 55-200mm obviously has more magnification, but it may not allow you to focus as closely as the other. So figure out which one will still focus when you get really close to give you the closest position.

Also, shoot with the largest aperture possible (lowest F number). That will give you a shallow depth of field, which may add to the 'realism' of the photo.

Here are the ones I did...although I seem to remember that my final prints were a bit more stylized (boosted color etc).

 

[personalt]

the above pictures are great.. I am going to try to do something similar with my sons favorite trucks this weekend. I am also thinking about trying to set up his Curious George monkey in the tree and maybe set up some of his Thomas trains tracks outside. I would love to see anyone elses toys shots for ideas. I was farting around 500px this morning for some ideas and some of the best toy shots I saw were lego shots (ie storm troopers in the snow (baking soda)) but my son is not yet in to legos yet.

 

[Mully]

You can find many things at hobby/craft stores like Michaels .... snow being one of them. Small logs make nice backgrounds for trucks and tractors

 

[cgipson1]

I shoot toys quite a bit, just for fun. It all depends on how you want to shoot them. Based on your stated experience, outdoors (slightly cloudy day) or good window light would probably be best. Make a reflector out of white cardboard, or get a piece of white foamboard. Put the reflector on the side opposite of where the light is coming from, and move it around... you will see the light change on the dark side of the toy. Play with it.. be creative. Feel free to ask questions...

Couple of the toys I have shot...but these are all with very diffused flash, and reflectors.


Iron Man 2 by CGipson Photography, on Flickr


B&W of toy Allosaurus by CGipson Photography, on Flickr

 

[weepete]

Cgipson1- that's a couple of really cool photos mate, good job!

 

[cgipson1]

Cgipson1- that's a couple of really cool photos mate, good job!

Thanks... they aren't as much hassle as girlfriend or models! lol!

 

[ph0enix]

I shoot toys quite a bit, just for fun. It all depends on how you want to shoot them. Based on your stated experience, outdoors (slightly cloudy day) or good window light would probably be best. Make a reflector out of white cardboard, or get a piece of white foamboard. Put the reflector on the side opposite of where the light is coming from, and move it around... you will see the light change on the dark side of the toy. Play with it.. be creative. Feel free to ask questions...

Couple of the toys I have shot...but these are all with very diffused flash, and reflectors.


Iron Man 2 by CGipson Photography, on Flickr


B&W of toy Allosaurus by CGipson Photography, on Flickr

Great shots, Charlie! I love your Flickr stream. If I'm lucky, ...no, scratch that ...if I work hard at it, one day maybe/hopefully I'll be half as good a photographer as you.

 

[cgipson1]

I shoot toys quite a bit, just for fun. It all depends on how you want to shoot them. Based on your stated experience, outdoors (slightly cloudy day) or good window light would probably be best. Make a reflector out of white cardboard, or get a piece of white foamboard. Put the reflector on the side opposite of where the light is coming from, and move it around... you will see the light change on the dark side of the toy. Play with it.. be creative. Feel free to ask questions...

Couple of the toys I have shot...but these are all with very diffused flash, and reflectors.


Iron Man 2 by CGipson Photography, on Flickr


B&W of toy Allosaurus by CGipson Photography, on Flickr

Great shots, Charlie! I love your Flickr stream. If I'm lucky, ...no, scratch that ...if I work hard at it, one day maybe/hopefully I'll be half as good a photographer as you.

I do OK with some types of photography, but I am hardly an expert. It just takes a lot of practice and shooting. I do find digital much more forgiving in some ways than film was.... I need to learn photoshop better. I try to get it right in camera, but there are times when PS can save the day. I do appreciate your saying that, Ph0enix! (and don't forget that none of the failures are out on Flickr... lol!)