#brickcentral member

[brickcentral]

🤩 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: sdphoto_bricks Hello everyone! It's time to direct the spotlight toward our community members, and today we will get to know better sdphoto_bricks!

"My name is Stephanie DeFranco and I was born and raised in Roswell, NM. I’ve been a full-time photographer since 2017 and haven’t looked back since. Creating photos and watching stories come to life in front of my camera is a feeling I wouldn’t change for the world.

I would describe my photographic style as whimsical, authentic and colorful! I always try to make sure the subject will pop out of the photo with a burst of color or authentic movement.

My favorite subjects to capture in photos are characters that already have a little bit of a backstory, ex: Star Wars, Harry Potter, but putting them into situations that aren’t necessarily true to their canon story.

My go-to gear includes: Nikon z6 Lensbaby Velvet 85 Lensbaby Sweet 35 + Macro Convertors Lensbaby Twist 60 + Macro Convertors Video Lights

I’m currently living in New Mexico with my two cats, Jasmine and Ella, but traveling is my passion. I want to be able to experience new culture and document life as I live in that moment.

A few other random facts about me: I love coconut iced coffee.

I have a passion for thrifting and collecting old film cameras. And when I’m not behind my camera or on the road, you can find me on my couch streaming Disney+ & Netflix. "

Thank you for accepting our invitation and let the community knows you better!

If you want some insights on the exclusive picture and for a better view of the others, head to our blog at https://brickentral.net/.

- @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[archiminibricks]

Mancave morning

[brickcentral]

🤩 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: SKABRAM.builds Hello everyone! It's time to direct the spotlight toward our community members, and today we will get to know better SKABRAM.builds!

"Hi everyone, I’m Bram and I live in the Netherlands.

I rediscovered LEGO when my oldest son got his first set about 2,5 years ago. Soon I found out about digital building LEGO and got hooked building MOC’s of one of my favorite things: birds. I created some of my favorite birds to display in our house and published the building instructions for others to build. That was all I did until LEGO announced the Icons Kingfisher set. It got me thinking about sharing my own bird builds too.

This idea got kickstarted when I got tagged in a photo where someone used my instructions for a bird build. Apparently there was a little search for brick built birds in nature photos. I got in touch and was encouraged to participate. Since I already have some years experience with wildlife photography this seemed fun. I emptied my camera bag, filled it with my bird models and went to a local park. And here we are…

I see my photography as the final touch of my MOC. I spend a good amount of time designing and building the model, getting it out in it’s natural habitat feels like a logic last step. I try to get as close to the real bird and it’s environment as possible and aim to create realistic photos. My approach is the same as in my wildlife photography: I want to show the bird and some of its surroundings. These surroundings are important since they tell a lot about a bird and it’s behavior and habitat. Since I’m shooting a LEGO model this is a lot easier than with real birds, so I got plenty of time to focus on composition. I often try to get on eye level with my subject and to find interesting colors or lines that complement the composition. Most of my images are composed using the rule of thirds.

I prepare my photos not extensively. I think about the posing and what I might need for it (string, stand or extra LEGO parts) and throw everything in my bag when I go outside.

I don’t take a model of a coastal bird to the forest, but besides that it’s just looking for the right opportunity. Working with natural light and shooting without a tripod makes everything very flexible.

My 50-400mm lens is very versatile, so I can shoot real birds and LEGO ones during the same walk. The higher aperture (4.5-6.3) of this lens is no deal breaker since I often shoot with higher aperture to include more of the surroundings.

The hardest part might be getting the model posed right. It’s not always easy to find the right branch to clip the feet on (not all branches are in system…) and wind should not be underestimated when shooting around water (yes, I had to fish). Sometimes someone is holding a loose branch with a bird model up so I can get the right image. To compensate for the inevitable movement here I increase my shutter speed (which is already high because I shoot handheld).

Combining my love for wildlife photography and LEGO has been a bliss thus far. Working with static models and a lighter lens has it’s advantages! The gear i use is a Sony A6700 Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 Tamron 50-400mm 4.5-6.3 Tamron 150-500mm 5.0-6.7 (used for wildlife only) I do have a simple Rollei tripod, but only use it inside."

Thank you for accepting our invitation and let the community knows you better!

If you want some insights on the exclusive picture and for a better view of the others, head to our blog at https://brickentral.net/.

- @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[brickcentral]

Hello community! It's time for another photo essay and this time we asked to @verolegoland to share a photo essay featuring the LEGO Harry Potter 76427 set Buckbeak.

"Being a Hypogriff can get exhausting. They can fly long distances. Buckbeak has been flying all night. This sunset mean he needs to rest now.

He is looking for a place to drink. In this large forest, it is not always easy to find your way.

Sometimes there are unexpected encounters. But this water hole is definitely too small for both of us. It's better to look elsewhere.

Luckily for him, he knows how to reach the river he loves so much.

And can finally drink quietly

Now we have to find something to eat. And as lucky as he is, what's better than a big juicy pumpkin!

Ok, maybe not that big! But that will do for today!

Now, with a full or almost full stomach, it is time to find a place to finally rest and sleep for the night.

Nothing better than a good night's sleep before flying again."

If you want to have a look at some bts, pay a visit to brickcentral.net

- @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[brickcentral]

Hello there!

We've asked to our spotlighted artist SKABRAM.builds to provide an exclusive picture for @brickcentral along with some insights on how he made it, and here's what she have to say:

"I had this photo in mind for quite some time and now finally took it! This model was finished a couple of months ago, but I never took it with me to shoot it outside. Being asked to create a new photo for Brickcentral felt like the right opportunity to finally go for it! I prepared the photo by picking and preparing a little stand with plateau to place my model in the water. I made this for an earlier photo with a great crested grebe and a chick. I now added a plate with rubber bands so it could resist the force of the kingfisher model tipping it. Beside the stand I also packed some paper towel to remove drops from the model and my camera and lens. For this photo I specifically picked my 28-75 lens, because I knew beforehand I would be very close to my subject.

When I arrived at the location I had in mind I found out that everything was overgrown with reeds. I had to find an other spot without the reeds. Unfortunately no reeds meant less shallow water. My stand was not long enough to reach the bottom. I improvised by extending it with a branch I found. Here the rubber bands came in handy, because that’s how I attached the stand to the branch. Phew…

I placed the stand right below the surface of the water. Time to attach the model!

After a couple of photos I decided to change the placement a little to make better use of the background (more reeds visible). I picked the stand entirely to move it when I messed up big. The kingfisher fell off the clip and dropped in the water. For a second I was in shock, but luckily it was floating. I even had time to take a picture of it floating.

After drying the kingfisher with the paper towel the setup for the final photo looked like this.

I took the photo just above the surface of the water to capture as much of the surroundings as possible. As you can see I was pretty close to the subject and holding my camera below me. Keeping it steady was not easy, so I chose a shutter speed of 1/200. Beside the shutter speed I played with the aperture of the lens. I tried 2.8 and 4.5 and was most satisfied with 4.5. The sharpness in the model was better and the surrounding reeds had more character.

Unedited photo taken with an aperture of 2.8 for reference

I placed the subject into the frame using the rule of thirds with the movement of the subject in mind (moving into the frame).

As you can see in the unedited image I had to get rid of the plate below the water surface in the edit. Here I used a combination of the clone tool and generative fill in photoshop. If the water was more wrinkled the plate would have been a lot less visible. Downside from wrinkles is a less clear reflection. After all I’m pretty happy with the final result and hope you enjoyed this little insight!"

Thanks for all the insights SKABRAM.builds! If you want to read this artist profile, head to our blog at https://brickentral.net/ - @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[brickcentral]

Hello there!

We've asked to our spotlighted artist sdphoto_bricks to provide an exclusive picture for @brickcentral along with some insights on how he made it, and here's what she have to say:

"I choose this storyline because I had the arcade builds that I really wanted to use. I love setting a scene and making the story fit around that atmosphere. This particular scene started with the alien character finding the joys of candy and cokes for the first time with his buddies at the arcade. And who didn’t used to spend hours putting quarters into the machines and eating all the sugar and snacks while there. That’s the essence I wanted to capture with this storyline.

The challenge that I faced most was the lighting. I really wanted that dark neon look like you get when you walk into an arcade, and when combining that type of light in camera, it’s really difficult to get the balance of color. Toy photography requires soooooo much patience between posing the characters correctly and repositioning if they fall. To making sure there isn’t a weird light on one of their faces or if one is slightly out of focus and making sure the eye line is correct. So in having three different toys in this scenario made having that patience even more of a process.

I also wanted to mention how the integration of the Lego lights made a world of difference for the atmosphere. I initially shot this photo with just the video lights and something felt off. After looking at the scene on a full screen, I realized it didn’t feel authentic without lighting up the actual games. Bringing in those little extra Lego lights not only brought in the magic of an arcade, but it really brought the entire photo to life and made it seem like a real arcade."

Thanks for all the insights sdphoto_bricks! If you want to read this artist profile, head to our blog at https://brickentral.net/ - @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[brickcentral]

Hello there!

We've asked to our spotlighted artist verolegoland to provide an exclusive picture for @brickcentral along with some insights on how he made it, and here's what she have to say:

"I wanted to create a picture with cold color but with a warm atmosphere, where we can feel the love and the peaceful moment. I used a dark construction paper as ground and put plastic wrap on it to get the water effect.

I often use my iPad as a background. I add light and mist to get the atmosphere I wanted to create.

I saw people using a facial spray to create mist and I love the idea! I always try different angles with my light until I get it."

Thanks for all the insights verolegoland! If you want to read this artist profile, head to our blog at https://brickentral.net/ - @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[brickcentral]

🤩 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: paps.bricks Hello everyone! It's time to direct the spotlight toward our community members, and today we will get to know better paps.bricks!

"Hi everyone. I am Skevos Papageorgiou from Nicosia, Cyprus and I work as a teacher at a primary school.

During the pandemic, I stumbled upon the fascinating world of toy photography, initially experimenting with Playmobil figures. Yet, it was the captivating LEGO creations that truly sparked my imagination.

Despite never owning a LEGO set before last year, I started collecting my first modulars, finding endless inspiration for my snapshots.

My favorite photo subjects derive from the Wild West, pirate adventures and the medieval era. But I also tend to like the simplicity of everyday life scenes.

In my photos I always include some sort of building like workplaces, rooms, or facades etc because they add depth and give viewers more to explore beyond just the minifigure. These details enhance the storytelling in each image, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in it.

Once my setup is ready, I always shoot at the eye level of the minifigure for reasons we're all familiar with. From there, it's all about experimenting with the aperture, lighting, angle, and more until I achieve the desired result.

Drawing ideas from Pinterest, my main goal is to create narratives and capture moments infusing each photo with a unique story. I only wish the process from conception to setup and finally the photo wouldn’t span several days. I must admit I envy people who complete their work in the blink of an eye.

Despite the time-consuming nature of this hobby, every moment spent orchestrating these miniature scenes is incredibly soothing and enjoyable. Though, I must admit, once the shoot is over, the eagerness to tidy up and store everything back in drawers is undeniable!

For my photos I use an Olympus M. Zuiko Digital 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, a couple of RGB lights by ulanzi and A4 papers as a reflector.

Thank you to the LEGO community for embracing my creative endeavors, and here’s to many more adventures in the world of toy photography!"

Thank you for accepting our invitation and let the community knows you better!

If you want some insights on the exclusive picture and for a better view of the others, head to our blog at https://brickentral.net/.

- @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager