Toy Photographers Podcast

James and Kristina welcome listener Luke Jones, aka LJToyPhotography, onto the show to discuss our month's theme: Magic!  You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. 

This week on the podcast, James interviews IntangibleDandy and things get super nostalgic! In addition to the regular questions about his toy photography beginnings, James asks Eric about his love of 1980s cartoons like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Thundercats, Transformers, and G.I. Joe. He sheds some light on his past and present storylines, his creative process, how toy safaris have changed him as a photographer, and his recent panel at the Washington State Toy and Geek Fest in Puyallup, Washington. You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram.  You can find more of Eric's work on Instagram and connect with him on G+.   

Since we didn't end up doing a full review of the new LEGO Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them collectible minifigures here on the blog, we thought it would be fun to do so in podcast form!  James is once again joined by fellow Potterhead Lizzi Standing for this episode, as they discussed each of the 22 new minifigures, the various new sets, and of course the upcoming 6,000 piece Microfigure-scaled Hogwarts Castle. They also opened up about their histories with the Harry Potter franchise, their thoughts on the various film adaptations, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and what Hogwarts Houses they're sorted into.   You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram.   

Can you effectively capture a landscape photograph using nothing but toys? That's what James and Kristina set out to do in this month's theme episode! Listen as we discuss what makes a good landscape photo, look at listener submissions, talk a bit about LEGO Voltron, and more. You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. 

This week on the podcast I interviewed Dan Leonard, the UK-based toy photographer behind the #WithToysInMind hashtag on Instagram.   I've written before about my own struggle with depression and how I've used toy photography as a therapy. So it should come as no surprise that my ears perked up when I first discovered #WithToysInMind on Instagram. I truly believe in what Dan's trying to accomplish with this hashtag. He wants to raise awareness about mental health, fight against the stigmas that keep people from seeking or receiving help, and creating a safe space to open up about their own struggles. I was happy when he said he'd be willing to discuss the project, and his own history with depression.   You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. 

In a very special edition of the podcast, I'm joined by Shelly and Brett to discuss our recent LEGO Ideas Voltron project! Due to scheduling conflicts and the last-minute nature of this recording, I wasn't able to assemble all of our Voltron Paladins. Anna, David and Janan were sadly absent from our conversation. Still, the three of us had a great time reminiscing about the project.  We discussed what it was like shooting this ingenious monstrosity, how a product shoot like this differs from doing our own work, and more!    You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. 

This week on the podcast, I'm joined by friendly neighborhood photographer Janan Lee, aka Spideygoeshygge!  Janan is relatively new to toy photography, but has already become an integral member of the community. He’s originally from Singapore but now lives in Melbourne Australia, where he recently co-hosted the Melbourne Photo Walk with our pal Tony Tulloch. I talked to Janan about why he loves and photographs Spider-Man, whether becoming a father has affected his photography, the great power and great responsibility that comes with social media, and more!   You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. 

On this week's episode of the podcast, Kristina and I tackle Still Life photography! The Still Life genre is classified as "A work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or man-made (drinking glasses, books, vases, jewelry, coins, pipes, etc.)." Through composition, a Still Life should capture "a sense of life in a single moment." We discuss our interpretations of the theme, and critique some listener submissions. Enjoy!    You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram.   

This week we’re jumping into hyperspace and travelling to a unique corner Toy Photography universe, because James interviewed Belgian photographer Brecht Cuppens, who goes by @xwingtmgphotography on Instagram. Brecht exclusively shoots miniature Star Wars ships from the popular X-Wing Miniatures Game, bringing them to life in a cinematic and photorealistic way… but that’s actually not where he started or what he originally wanted to capture! James talked to Brecht about how he started photographing such a unique subject and his history with Star Wars, and he gives some great photography tips and takes us a bit behind the scenes. Enjoy!   You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram.     

This week's episode of the podcast is a special one, because it's the first show with two guests! And if that wasn't exciting enough, we're recapping the Oregon Toy Photo Safari. Leila Chieko (@brickandmordor) and Cindy Dockter (@coneydogg) have been on my wishlist of podcast guests since the very beginning of the show. Leila was one of the first friends I made in the toy photo community, and I've been a huge fan of her and Cindy's work for years. They have a contagious energy and enthusiasm that comes through in their photography, and I just knew that they'd make for a fun double interview. I shared a house with them at the Oregon Toy Safari, and had an absolute blast. I hoped to record the interview then, but it just didn't happen. Instead, we met up at my apartment two weeks later. So not only is this the first double interview, it's the first in-person interview as well! That made the conversation even more fun.  In addition to recapping the Safari, I asked Leila and Cindy about how they got into photographing toys, what it's like sharing the hobby with their spouse, and more!   You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. 

On this week’s show James talked to Canadian LEGO photographer Blake Powell, AKA BlvdBricks. You may know Blake from his “Deconstructed” series, where he utilizes composition, symmetry and some creative LEGO piece placement to make unique works of art. We talked a lot about his biggest forms of inspiration, why he loves Instagram, what it was like showing his work at the BrickCan LEGO convention this Spring, how he got his current day job because of toy photography, and so much more!   You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram.   

Aaaaaand, action! James is once again joined by Kristina Alexanderson, and this time they're tackling the theme of "Action." James also recaps the Oregon Toy Photo Safari, and they discuss a few guest submissions.    You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook and on Instagram. 

Because of the prep leading up to the meetup this weekend, I didn't have time to edit my latest interview for the podcast.  So, I thought this would be the perfect time to re-share my older interview with The Toys That Made Us creator Brian Volk-Weiss, in celebration of the second batch of episodes dropping on Netflix this week!  You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, and on Instagram. Reach out to us with questions, comments, concerns, recommendations, etc. at toyphotographypod@gmail.com

This week's podcast guest is none other than our very own Lizzi Standing! Lizzi is on the editorial team here at Toy Photographers, and lives in the UK.  Lizzi has travelled all over Europe on holiday and for toy photography meet-ups. During our conversation she shed light on some of the lessons she's learned while on toy photo safaris, and gave some great tips for traveling with toys. So if you'll be joining us in Oregon next week, you'll definitely want to give this a listen!  Lizzi and James talked about a plethora of topics, like the challenges of a 365 project, our mutual excitement about the upcoming Harry Potter LEGO sets, how she got her start on Flickr, and more!    You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, and on Instagram. Reach out to us with questions, comments, concerns, recommendations, etc. at toyphotographypod@gmail.com

On this week's podcast, James caught up with a friend you're likely already acquainted with: Tourmaline!    Tourmaline is a miniature photographer from Florida, and was one of our first regular contributors here at the Toy Photographers blog. James was excited to catch up with her, and asked about how she chooses her miniature subjects, her unique and sometimes macabre style, and her new projects for 2018, which include a new Youtube channel!  You can find new episodes of this podcast and daily articles on creativity and toy photography on our website, toyphotographers.com. Find us on Facebook, and on Instagram. Reach out to us with questions, comments, concerns, recommendations, etc. at toyphotographypod@gmail.com