For many action figures produced today, existence is a direct line from the manufacturer to the shelf of the collector, with a brief stop at retail in between. Unlike their vintage brethren, today’s toys never experience a “first life” as playthings. Their adventures begin and end with their unboxing: once their joints are tested and their paint is inspected for flaws, the figures are essentially decommissioned. Extra weapons go into a bag or a box alongside clunky stands and bases. Despite multiple points of articulation, the figure ultimately ends up standing face-front in a large display, arms slack at his sides and staring off into space as he collects dust alongside his plastic brethren. But take heed, fellow collectors — it doesn’t have to be this way!
Once my shelves were massive battle scenes with every hero leaping, flying, smashing, and battering their way to victory. But a funny thing happened: the more figures I added to my collection, the less likely I was to do elaborate displays. It just got to the point where it was easier to have everyone stand around in “teams” three deep than have the figures actually interacting. This is where the party ends for many collectors. Once a collection has reached a certain size, it becomes unwieldy. Just keeping it dusted becomes a full-time job. Eventually people just stop having fun with their toys — but there is a solution.
Thanks to the versatility and affordability of digital cameras, it’s now possible for anyone to take clean, sharp pictures of their toys. And while getting good shots of your display shelf may prove tricky due to dim man-cave conditions, getting good shots of your collection outside is as easy as finding a nice background.
Modern action figures commonly measure between 3 3/4 inches to 12 inches tall, which means you don’t have to go far to find a suitable background to shoot them against. Both natural and man-made environments work nicely in action figure photography. As far as nature goes, a small stand of trees in your local park can double as a dense forest:
Viewed from a low angle, a patch of tall grass magically transforms into a Kansas wheat field:
The underside of your garden-variety ornamental bush produces to-scale forest debris and living plants for more… exotic photography:
But it’s not just woods and trees. Man-made environments can also be used to great effect. Here, we see Spider-Man hanging out on a piece of public art in Youngstown, Ohio. Thwip!
Urban areas like alleyways and underpasses can add some much-needed character to your photos, but they have to work with your subject. Sure, you could take some pretty sweet shots of a Mego Fonzie hanging out under this bridge, but Eric Draven is a much more appropriate choice.
Photographing action figures in dioramas has become a popular pastime among collectors, but not everyone has the skills or finances to create a miniature cave or lake. Fortunately, use of a quality camera and a few choice lenses will allow the canny photographer to use real locations to startling effect.
Shifted patio stones in your back yard can become shattered sections of highway, an ideal battleground for some Peter Parker-style action shots:
Fwooher Crackhead9000’s use of dramatic angles and tight composition ensure the figures remain the focus of attention while making the best use of the background.
Different seasons provide different photo-taking opportunities. While summer creates a tapestry of green tailor-made for GI Joe and jungle combat pictures, the bleak featurelessness of winter makes an excellent backdrop for grim-and-gritty action shots like this:
While the figures are between 12 and 18 inches tall, Fwoosher snailface keeps them in proportion by shooting from character-specific viewpoints. First, he illustrates the Hulk’s sheer size by bringing us down to Logan’s level, then shows the inverse with an over-the-shoulder shot of the diminutive mutant.
Something as simple as the noonday sun in an empty sky can become a fitting background for the right image.
I really like this shot, not for what it shows, but what for it doesn’t. Fwoosher inggasson’s image is harsh, powerful, Terrax’s silhouette arrogantly eclipsing the Sun itself. This is the viewpoint of the vanquished foe, the last thing a dead man sees before the merciful oblivion of bladed darkness claims him. It would look wicked painted on the side of my van.
Vacations are a great time to indulge the photography hobby. After all, if you’re going to the Washington Monument or Fallingwater, you might as well take a few appropriate figures along for the ride. And what’s an appropriate action figure for Fallingwater, you ask? That’s up to you. Taking pictures is a creative and inexpensive way of making the most of your trip, and allows you to look at your surroundings in a way you might have missed at “person-size.” Here, Fwoosher Monte Williams and his guide Tonto discover the secret world beneath our feet.
Shooting your action figure pictures outside allows you to push the boundaries and combine natural elements for more realistic effects. A placid stream can become a rushing river; the comforting blaze of a campfire can become a towering funeral pyre. It’s all in how you look at it.
For many readers, the idea of taking their toys outside is sheer lunacy. Have you seen what they cost these days? And yet, the alternative is little better: keeping them locked away inside glass cases in low-humidity rooms, attempting to stave off their inevitable decomposition. I understand if you’re the sort of person who prefers to keep toys in mint condition — there’s something noble and pure about that concept, wanting that favored item to remain as unblemished and perfect as it is in one’s first memory. And yet, would it really hurt so much to take your Black Widow figure to Denny’s and photograph her posing next to your Moons Over My Hammy omelette? I say thee nay.
Thanks to inggasson, Crackhead9000, snailface and Monte Williams for the kind use of their pictures. Click the photographer’s names for links to their work. All other photographs by the Man in the Anthill. All images copyright their respective owners.
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Jason R Mink is the Man in the Anthill!