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 travel to Australia to meet constructing.joy.
Hi, my name is Lucas and I am an amateur Lego photographer from Sydney, Australia.
I am a high-school English teacher that started my Lego photography journey about 2 years ago. I grew up in the 90s as an avid comic reader and fan of fantasy and science fiction, making my own versions of Batman and Star Wars Lego well before licensed sets became a thing.
After having boxed and shelved my old collection for many years, it has started to grow once more since my 2 kids have joined me in my fandom (and my wife has very graciously supported me!). Lego photography seemed like a fun step in line with my love of Lego and my other creative passions and outlets.
My gear is pretty simple and born out of what I had lying around when I started, with only a few extra tools added to my repertoire since I began. I use a 2015 Nikon Coolpix 610, with a small portable LED light and mini-tripod. I then edit the levels in my photos using Adobe Lightroom, and occasionally use ProCreate on a very old iPad for any minor touch-ups needed.
My style very much focuses on Minifigures, and particularly my own custom builds within the fantasy and medieval genre (with the occasional Star Wars or Batman still thrown in for good measure). I like to create minis that look they have a whole world and history to them, finding ways to hint at their story. Living next-door to the 2nd oldest National Park in the world helps, with lots of bush trails, beaches, waterways and rainforest areas to explore for inspiration. However, I do find myself a little envious of all of you that get to take photos where it snows!
The Exclusive Photo
A pretty common place for me to start is with my box of minifigure pieces. At this point I mix and match, trying different combinations and colour-matching, looking for a new, unique character to jump out at me. As is my style, I leant into fantasy character building and put together my halfling travelling mage.
I then headed out to one of my new favourite spots for photographs: a collection of waterfalls and creeks just off a walking track, not far from where I live.
The photo itself turned out to be a happy accident! I was experimenting with placement for my minifigure and looking for the best waterfall elements to pose with where I could get a sense of scale, colour contrast and something visually dynamic. I was having quite a bit of difficulty as there were limited spots where my tripod could stand successfully and, of course, a lot of water to make it risky for my camera! As I was fiddling with a pose, I noticed that some stray water droplets on my lens were creating a bit of bokeh, decided to lean into it, and, voila!
Once I got back to my computer, I did some level adjustment in Adobe Lightroom, and came to my finished product. It’s not what I had originally envisaged in my planning, but I was quite happy with the unique perspective of the lower angle, and the effect of the light bursts made this something special.