PROJECT 2 BLAST YOURSELF OFF TO ANOTHER WORLD

Using vintage space Lego, create some alternative colourful character scenes

Rummaging around in the back of one of my cupboards, I found some old Lego I had as a child, so I attempted to photograph some space-themed scenes that represented my childhood. I planned the background for this shot carefully: although it’s out of focus, it adds to the scene, both for establishing landscape detail and creating some narrative information. The rocket helps the scene feel more complete.

Using a macro lens with a wide aperture such as f/3.2 creates a pleasing depth-of-field effect, with the background and some of the foreground out of focus. This helps the background feel more realistic, blurring the black card. For lighting, a handheld torch was used overhead on the shot, to create some strong contrasting shadows of the buggy against the surface.

Experimenting is key in shoots like this, so you will have a variety of shots to choose between. Shoot different compositions by moving your models around, and experiment using different aperture settings so you can see which DoF effect suits the scene and narrative.

A setup against a black background created this shot. This is a great way to get children interested in photography.