1. Take photos of action figures within a household environment. Similar to "Toy Story" 2. Edit photo to make the action figures seem realistic
Research
Theses photo are good examples for what I'm trying to do. The photo are of toy story figures interacting with household objects. The one on the left is of Woody's horse kicking a cup of water. The figures also seem to be in movement which adds more realism to the photo. The photo on the right is Woody sliding down a handrail with Buzz flying next to him. Again, they're posed to appear as if they're moving and that adds action to the photo, which makes it a lot more interesting to look at.
These photos gave me the idea to take photos of my figures interacting with objects on a desktop. Specifically, a drawing mannequin would be standing still as the two clone trooper and one mud trooper figures would be observing it.
New Photos
Final Edits
Printed/Matted Photo
5 Step Critique
Observe: Three action figures are observing a turquoise bracelet. Describe: In each vertical third of the photo is an out of focus figure. The left and middle ones are clone troopers and the one on the right is a mud trooper. The backdrop of the photo is a desk top with various objects such as an artist's mannequin, a lego set, and a partially exposed picture frame. In approximately the left middle fourth of the photo is a turquoise bracelet standing vertically. The lighting of the photo both cool and warm because of the two used light sources. The light coming from the right is a lamp that gave off an orange, warm color and the the light coming from the left is another lamp that gave off a cool color. In the editing process, the colors of the light sources were increased in terms of saturation and the light and shadow are easily defined because of the increased contrast, The overall brightness is increased so that the photo isn't too dark and some aspects of the photo are easier to notice. Despite the warm colors of the photo, the temperature of the photo seems to be more towards the cool side of things and that balances out the vibrancy of the orange. Analyze: The shape of the turquoise bracelet has emphasis because it stands out when compared to the other shapes of the photo. The figures have a humanoid shape and with the differently shaped bracelet in front of the figures, it holds a lot of emphasis. This is important because it gives viewers another unique thing to look at. Most figure photography has the figures be the central point of the photo but the bracelet adds some uniqueness to the photo. The figures are observing the bracelet and that can create a story within the photo. Another relation that can be found in the photo is the light sources color creating contrast. The left side of the photo is mainly cool and it beautifully clashes with the warm right side of the photo. It's not distracting because it adds to the uniqueness to the photo and therefore makes it more interesting to look at. If a viewer prefers warm colors, they'll look right to left and if the viewer prefers cool colors, they'll look left to right and that adds more variety to the way the photo can be looked at. Interpret: The idea of the photo was to create a Toy Story like situation with the figures appearing as if they were exploring a room. The blurred out figures are observing something that's not them, an action figure, and that presents the sense of discovery. They discovered something that's not them and that's a situation that sometimes happens in Toy Story. A story that can be told from this photo is a group of action figures realizing that they're not the only things that hold significance to people. As they explore the room, they come across a bracelet and they realize that toys aren't the most important thing to the youth and they stand in awe looking at something that could be seen as more important than them. The lighting of the photo also assists in telling this kind of story, The cool colors of the photo is their initial reaction of sadness to discovering the bracelet but the warm colors of the photo represent the post reaction that they know they're not the only things that matter to youth. They know that as the youth grow older, they may let go of things like toys but they'll still have objects that matter to them. Again, because the figures are in a Toy Story like situation, this is a story that could go along with that idea. Evaluate: The photo does a good job of completing the objectives because the figures are in a household environment and they;re edited to match with the realistic backdrop. Other things to note is the lighting of the photo. Using two different colored light sources is a cool idea and it's executed greatly in this photo because it adds variety to the photo. One that would make the photo better is showing more interaction between the figures and the bracelet. Maybe if they were more in focus and were in more dynamic poses, the figures would seem alive and moving, not posed action figures on a desk. Overall, a more dynamic relation between the figures and the bracelet.