Every month, we pick a LEGO photographer active in our community and share some of their work and a little about themselves. This month we meet castleinthepool!
Hi everyone!
I’m Keith also known as Castleinthepool on Instagram.
My style of photography is inspired mostly by comic books and superhero movies, focusing more on the characters rather than what’s in the background.
I love storytelling, posing LEGO minifigures and experimenting with perspectives.
I try to bring something new to the table each time I shoot a particular character.
Superheroes have been my favorite subject for the longest time but every now and then, I like to sneak in some of my own characters like the little man and his pet frog or more recently, Buddyman.
The current gear consists of my handy iPhone 11 Pro Max and table lamps with adjustable brightness and necks that allow me to direct light to wherever I please.
I personally love the convenience of being able to shoot with my phone, it also allows you the freedom of shooting from angles that may be more challenging using a DSLR camera.
Before taking a photograph, I love to be able to “see” the shot. Thus, sketching out my ideas help me visualise where everything is within a frame. It also act as a guide to what I need to build and the spaces I need to fill.
The exclusive photo
For this artist spotlight, I chose to shoot Spider-Man.
He’s a character that I’ve shot many, many times in my 11 years on Instagram which makes him a challenge to shoot because I have to think of how to shoot him differently each time.
Everyone knows his story. Despite being only a teenager, he doesn’t have an easy life, having to deal with crazy villains constantly and saving the people dear to him.
My goal was to portray this in the form of a photograph. I wanted this picture to have a sense of danger and anticipation.
We see Peter Parker’s beloved Aunt May falling off the building but can he save her? He’s got a Pumpkin Bomb that’s about to blow up in his face!
A lot of the time went into the positioning of the minifigures, as well as creating the illusion of a bottom up photograph.
Please enjoy this one