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Meet Thomas

stuckinplastic - 2 Comments

Another week, another Friday, another Feature Friday #SiPgoes52 interview around a virtual cup of coffee. Today it’s Thomas Thoresen from Denmark joining us.

Meet Thomas

My name is Thomas, and I am proud to be as old as the minifigure! Being the father of three wonderful kids, I am rarely wondering what to do with my time. I am a teacher of children between the ages of 6 and 12. My job is very fulfilling but also demanding, and when I come home, I like to do something completely different.

I do enjoy spending time alone without too much digital pollution, and after having avoided social media for several years, I eventually joined Instagram in late 2016. I wanted to begin taking photos because I enjoy beauty, solitude, and silence. At that point, I had not considered taking photos of toys.

Continue reading “Meet Thomas”

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My First Toy Safari

Chris Rose - 3 Comments

I finally did it.

Well, I’ve done it, I’ve finally met a fellow toy photographer!

I’ve wanted to do it for years. I’ve watched from afar, read articles on blogs about Toy Safaris in far-away lands and even posted the odd comment on Instagram and Facebook posts.

The thing is, toy photography has always been a very personal and private thing for me. Yes, I’ve chatted online and even sold some of my work, my friends also know about my toy obsession, but the actual creative process was something I’d always done alone.  Continue reading “My First Toy Safari”

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So, why am I going on toy safari in Edinburgh?

stuckinplastic - 2 Comments

First, a little background

My name is Matt, also know as Hellbelly on pretty much every platform, I’ve been taking photographs for about 15 years, and taking toy photos for around 11, although over the last couple of years I’ve been suffering a bit of a creative slump, and have had limited time and inclination to take photos.
This is one of the reasons I’m going to Edinburgh. Continue reading “So, why am I going on toy safari in Edinburgh?”

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Toy Safari checklist

Lizzi - Leave a reply

Let’s go to bingo!

Hmm.
Hang on.
That’s not quite right.
Let’s go to Scotland!

Is that better?
Everyone on board?

SiP goes Scotland

That’s right, it’s almost time for the Toy Safari to commence!
Better get my ‘To do’ list sorted before the weekend creeps up on me unprepared!

My main job: provider of bingo cards (and pens, if I can track some down)! Continue reading “Toy Safari checklist”

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2,786 m under the sea

Ballou34 - 7 Comments

When Boris asked us to write, this month, an article about numbers, I was a bit puzzled.

'You don't have to be a mathematician to have a feel for numbers.' - John Forbes Nash Jr.Click To Tweet

There are so many numbers I could talk about, like the 3,098 Lego minifigures that I own (according to Brickset), the four spacemen that I use in my exploration series, the number 42 because of “H2G2” (of course), my #100_Shadows series or even the number 142,857 a number that fascinates me because of its mathematical properties. But none of those numbers are special or personal enough.

So, I decided to tell you a little story about me and my number (2,786).

“Numbers have life: they are not just symbols on paper.” - Shakuntala DeviClick To Tweet

A year ago, I had the opportunity to spend some time at sea on a vessel. Not the small boats that are used for leisure, neither the big cruise ship. It was a work vessel and I was onboard for work. That was a very unique experience that I really enjoyed. Continue reading “2,786 m under the sea”

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Marcel, a Parisian in Paris

Ballou34 - 12 Comments

Marcel is a Parisian.

He is a lover of good food, good wine and good art. He is a connoisseur of some sort. And, being 4 brick tall, he likes to wander around his own city: Paris, the city of lights.

Always carrying a baguette, he walks around with his small dog, a French Bulldog (of course). He wears a marinière (a striped shirt), a beret on his head, and a small red scarf around his neck.

Marcel, a Parisian in Paris

Marcel likes his city. He often starts his day at a café. His favourite one is “Le café des 2 moulins”. That’s where the movie Amélie (or Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain, in French) was shot. A charming place. 

‘Can I get a coffee with my croissant?’ / ‘Are you sure you don’t want some grape juice?’

After a coffee and a croissant, he stopped by a “boulangerie” (bakery) to buy a baguette for the day. Leaving Montmartre (that’s where he lives), he passed by the Moulin Rouge and jumped inside a “Metro” (the subway). Continue reading “Marcel, a Parisian in Paris”

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A trip to Japan: work travel and toy photography

Ballou34 - 13 Comments

12 hours…!

I have just spent 12 hours in a metal can to fly across the globe.

It’s Thursday afternoon and I have landed at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport after a long trip back from Kobe, Japan. I was there during 2 days, for work.

My job demands me to travel a lot (in France and internationally). And, at the same time, I like my job and I like to travel, so when I am not at the office, I am happy.

I have been to the US, to several countries in Europe and to more “exotic” places such as Brazil, Australia, Taiwan, Laos, Tanzania, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and now, Japan.

“Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport.' - AnonymousClick To Tweet

Continue reading “A trip to Japan: work travel and toy photography”

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A little Easter baking

Lizzi - 6 Comments

Hot-cross buns!
Hot-cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot-cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons;
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot-cross buns!
– traditional English nursery rhyme, credited to ‘Mother Goose’

Happy Easter everyone! It’s Good Friday here in the UK, which means just one thing in my house – hot-cross buns! It’s always a baking day for me, and the series 17 gourmet chef arrived just in time to help whip up a batch of buns for us to enjoy!

Whisks out everyone!

For a professional, she’s a pretty messy baker. Flour took over the whole kitchen (along with the heavenly smell of oranges and mixed spice!) Continue reading “A little Easter baking”

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On the subject of projects… and pandas

Ballou34 - 5 Comments

Why do we do projects?
Why do we start photographic projects?
Why do we launch ourselves in the daunting task of taking pictures on a regular basis or with particular constraints?

It’s intimidating, stressful and exhausting.
So why do we do it?

'Every project has challenges, and every project has its rewards.' - Stephen SchwartzClick To Tweet

When you tackle a project, you know that it will not be easy.
You will suffer but in the end, you will learn something from it. Continue reading “On the subject of projects… and pandas”

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How can I (be) inspire(d)?

Ballou34 - 6 Comments

I started taking pictures of toys because of others.

At first, I had seen the work of Chris McVeigh, Avanaut, Smokebelch and Brett Wilson among others and what they created inspired me.

I wanted to do like them, but not exactly like them.
I was inspired but I did not want to copy.

I believe that our imagination does not have any limits so why going the simplest path and just copy the work of others.
We are creative people, so let’s create.

'There are really three parts to the creative process. First there is inspiration, then there is the execution, and finally there is the release.' - Eddie Van HalenClick To Tweet

Let’s focus on the first part.
What are my inspirations?
How do I get my ideas?

What is my recipe for making pictures?
What are the ingredients that inspire me?

As I said in my last post, I can get photo ideas everywhere so I write them down not to forget them. My ideas arrive when I don’t expect them: at work during a boring meeting (the best time I get my mind to float away…), during my daily commutes, in my shower (I don’t have waterproof sticky notes, though), …  Continue reading “How can I (be) inspire(d)?”