The toy manufacturing industry is on the rise. Along with the growth of the e-commerce business, the sales of toys have also increased. Every day thousands of people are ordering toys online. So, the need for good and stunning toy photos also has increased. Because the reason for the increase in toy sales is amazing photos. The photographers who take toy photos are specially trained in this sector. It requires a lot of practice, persistence, and dedication. However, you can adopt some techniques that will upgrade your toy photography like a pro. So, what are those tricks and techniques? To know more about these, go through the whole article.
Prepare Gears
Toy photography is not very different from product photography. In fact, here toys are the product you will take photos of. So, you can use all the gears you use for product photography. So, get prepared with a camera, lightbox, reflector, flash, tripod, filters, softbox, etc.
Set Your Camera Right
Setting the camera before you start shooting is important for any kind of photography. But it is a little more significant for toy photography. Because when you shoot small toy pictures, they should look clear and the audience should understand how it works. To make it happen you have to set your camera right. Adjust ISO settings, aperture, white balance, and shutter speed.
When you shoot toys as a subject, you will need depth of the field which means you have to blur the whole area except for the subject. To do this, go to the depth of field effect. Reduce the aperture and shutter speed should be higher than normal. Set the ISO to more than 300 so that you can capture excellent photos. Now adjust the white balance.
Use a Tripod
No other tools are so important as this one. This kit works as a life savior for a photographer. It does its job perfectly in toy photography as well. As toys are mostly small elements, you cannot have blurred pictures. A blurred picture will not have any value to its target audience. You can avoid taking blurred pictures by capturing them using a tripod.
A tripod also serves to keep the angle and perspective accurate. If the angle and the perspective are not right in toy photography, you may miss the fun part of it.
Balance the Light
One thing that all the photographers will agree on is proper lighting for photography. No matter what you are shooting, where you are shooting, you will need a level of standard light. Your picture may become dull without a decent amount of light. You can shoot in natural light or artificial light. However, the best choice always will be natural light. When you decide to shoot in artificial light, you should also get a small lighthouse.
Keep the Angle Right
Well, this has no exact point where you have to fit in. You can have your own choice here. It depends on the depth you want and the look you would love to have in your photos. As most toys are small, you need to take close shots mostly. So, get ready to have a lot of close shots. You have to maintain the right angle of the camera to show the USPs of the channel.
Keep It Real
Realistic photos are always more preferable. Because a realistic photo is much more engaging than an unrealistic photo. There are some toys that look like real characters. In that case, you cannot but make them look real. Because these are actually real people playing the role of toys. If you can successfully implement this, your engagement will increase. There engagement, there will be more possibility of conversion.
Keep a Plain Background
A plain background is always good for the subject. Because it allows the subject to get highlighted. The same rule goes for toy photography. As the toys are made with a colorful curvy design, to focus those in the photos, you need a plain background. If the background is not suitable, replace it or remove the background. On the other hand, you can choose any other solid color background as well. The simple and plain background helps the subject to come out.
Reflection
In photography, the same thing becomes pivotal sometimes, and very unwanted some other time. One of such things is reflection. We want to avoid reflection in most cases. However, reflection creates a realistic look, which is also true. But you have to know how to take photos in a way that the reflection seems real and increases value. To get a realistic reflection, keep the toys on a glassy surface.
Take Close Shots
As I said before, most toys are small so you have to take close shots. If your camera settings, or the lightbox you are using to shoot, or anything else does not allow you to have shots from up close, use the zooming tool. Zoom in as much as you need. Make sure that the subject is completely visible. You can term it as microphotography. So, you should take some close shots.
Take Inspiration from Good Works
There is always room for improvement. Look forward to improving yourself as much as you can. Watch out for good works from the experienced photographers. You can read books from professional photographers. That will inspire you to take excellent photos. Compare your works with the expert’s works so that you can understand your level. That will help you to know where to improve.
Final Tip for Toy Photography
Among all the photography genre, toy photography has a distinct position. Because toys are connected to our childhood and while shooting toys, we somehow become nostalgic. We feel attached to it in many ways. Similarly, we feel a sense of joy in us while shooting this. As a photographer, you have to remember that you are shooting toys. So, have fun and enjoy the whole session. Behave like a child and get the best out of it. If you enjoy doing your job, you will surely have a good result in the end.
