Earlier in the year, Chris and Natasja were super lucky to get their hands on 10316 – Lord of the Rings – Rivendell. Their task was to create some awesome imagery for social media to share with many Lord of the Rings and LEGO fans.
As well as building and shooting the set, we asked them a few questions about the build and the experience with shooting the set. Here is what they said:
Q – What were your first impressions of the set?
Natasja – It is always very nice to receive a set from our friends from the LEGO group. When I opened the outer box of this set I could hardly believe my eyes… a fantastic set!! I am a total fan of the Lord of the Rings movies and have seen them a dozen times and they continue to fascinate me. So is this an amazing set to have. I spent around half an hour just looking at the box to see all the details and minifigs that came with it. I felt like a little girl in a candy store!!
Chris – My first impressions were just wow! The way this set has so much going on in every corner is amazing. The details and colour of the trees stood out for me. It really does justice to the source material.
Q – At 6167 pieces, it’s quite a large set! Did you build it in one go or spread the build over a few sessions?
Chris – I spent a full week building the set. It’s such an interesting build that I didn’t want to rush the process. It’s made up of three distinct parts so by breaking it down into those you can feel like you’re making progress.
Natasja – Yes the set is huge! I built it in 2 days. I was surprised by the different building techniques and the use of the different elements that LEGO has. A little feature I also really liked was the comments from the designers in the instructions as you build.
Q – What is your favourite part/detail of the set? Was there any clever building tricks hidden in there?
Natasja- What I really like is the roof and the gazebo. But what really made me very happy were the chairs! They are made of popsicles and sausages, so well thought out and such a creative way to use these parts!!
Chris – It’s got to be Bilbo’s room and his writing desk with “There and back again” freshly penned on the table.
Q – Natasja, how did you find taking photos of the set?
It was a very nice journey, while building the set I already saw the scenes passing by in my mind. I really enjoyed photographing scenes from the film. This set is also on my list of the most beautiful sets. It stands on a dresser in the living room and it remains a gift to look at it ever day.
Q – Chris, you took the set outside for a shoot. Did you plan where you were going to take photos before you went out?
When I saw the set for the first time I immediately had a location in mind. Rivington terraced gardens has waterfalls and lakes that have always had a Rivendell feel for me. The only issue is that it’s quite a steep and difficult walk to the site. I had to break the set down into three pieces and have some help carrying it up there. I felt the location really complemented the whimsical feel off the set.
With it being such a wide model and full of detail. I had to think hard about how I could show off the intricacies without losing the sense of scale of the set.
Thank you to LEGO® Group for providing the set and to Chris and Natasja for taking the time to share their thoughts with us. What is your favourite part of the set? Let us know in the comments below :)
The set is available now over at www.lego.com
Cover image by Chris. Article images by Natasja
Big fan of photography that became entwined with a love of Lego during lockdown 2020. Now there’s no turning back!
