Photographing toys is a fun genre of storytelling and exploration. This new medium of photography is good for the artistic approach of realism and fantasy. Using toys as models also provides endless opportunities to create fantastic scenes. Their small scale makes them portable, and they can fit in areas with different lighting and settings. In this toy photoshoot, the main character is Alphonse Elric. The shoot is about his journey around the Rio Grande Valley.
The central idea for this photoshoot came from the 2006 “Fullmetal Alchemist Live-Action” short film, where Alphonse is on an adventure to find his brother in Japan. For that reason, this photoshoot is a parody of that short film. Alphonse is back in our world again. This time, he is in the Rio Grande Valley. I mainly searched for scenes that are references to the show and related to Alphonse’s character. After the photoshoot, I added special effects to some of the photos by using Photoshop to emphasize drama. Adding a glowing effect in a dark environment brings the toy to life.
Overall, like any toy photography shoot, this shoot provided an artistic opportunity to tell a story with an object. Any photographer can try this genre. Making a toy into a visual work of art is fulfilling. Enjoy the process.
Andrea Maldonado