Toy photography opens up a whole new world of creative photography, one where you are only limited by your imagination. Shelly Corbett explains how her passion for this genre and Lensbaby lenses come together to create these fantasy scenes.
I’m a toy photographer. Or more specifically, I photograph LEGO mini-figures. I stumbled into this photographic micro-niche through my family’s love of LEGO. I had to do something other than endless sorting!
One of the many joys of photographing toys is that no one expects your photos to look realistic. It’s in this fantasy world that my love of the Lensbaby and toy photography intersects. I want my viewers to feel like they’re stepping into another world; a world where the toys are alive and where dreams do come true.
I photograph my 4cm tall muses almost exclusively outdoors with a short depth of field. I approach bokeh as a compositional element as much as the mini-figures themselves. The variety of bokeh I can capture with a Twist 60 or a Composer Lens helps me to create interesting backgrounds to frame my subjects and give my photos a painterly effect.
My fascination with photography has always centered on capturing the unexpected. When I discovered the Lensbaby line of lenses I knew I had found the right lenses to accompany me on my artistic journey.
