You are looking at a 1/12 scale RC car with working headlights. That is basically the only light used in the image. The camera was set for the ambient lighting, in this case room light that was reflected off the ceiling. I could only shoot this at night, as there was too much daylight to balance with the car headlights. In the foreground I set up a diorama with some fake trees I made (paper rolls covered with hot glue streaks and paint), fake moss and dry dirt. A toy dragon is scaring the driver (zoom in to see the expression on his face!). The background is an image of a forest on a TV screen. I used vape to add mist to the image.
The challenge was to balance the light sources and the mist. Step one, turn on everything that illuminates: car, TV, room light. Add smoke to the scene, open shutter for a long exposure. After 2 to 3 seconds, turn off TV, 5 to 7 seconds later, turn off the room light, check the result and shoot again if not to my liking.
After posting this online, someone asked what was going to happen next. I came up with a story and now it turned into a project. I am working on a graphic novel, using photography instead of drawings.
lens: 24-70 2.8 @60mm
f16
ISO100
13 second exposure
4 Comments
Not sure why it's only 3.25 stars... I thought it was CGI at first glance! 😅 beautifully lit as well.
Thank you!. Yeah, I don't know how the votes are calculated exactly, but I am happy you like it. It's pure photography. This is categorized as "toy photography". Just google the term and you will see even much better work of others.
One of the things I love about this is that I did not immediately recognize it as toy photography. The placement and setting drew me in enough that I stopped my lighthearted scrolling to read because i wanted to know the story.
Thank you! That is the fun of toy photography! Trying to create something to fool the eye. Create a new world. When I saw the back of my camera, I immediately realized I was onto something.