Duck, duck, duck...
Don't go in to the woods... Follow me for more! It's free and fun!
Don't go in to the woods... Follow me for more! It's free and fun!
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Aug, 2014Views
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Awards
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Contest Finalist in 300 Toys Photo Contest
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JPCollinsPhotography
November 05, 2014
Awesome, just laughed out loud in the office. Excellent stuff.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
In the middle of a forest. I explored for hours, looking for the exact right spot. I really feel that, especially with conceptual pieces, the "where" of a photo is super important. I could've shot this in the street on the concrete floor, and the whole feel of the photo would've been different. The forest adds to the story of the photo - whatever you may imagine it to be. Also, when looking for the "sweet spot" to start shooting, I usually won't have anything in mind - I'll just know it when I see it. It's what I imagine the hunt for the holy grail must've been like. Only with more ducks. And teeth.Time
Late afternoon. Don't ask me why, but it's around this time where I come up with my weirdest concepts.Lighting
I knew the forest background had to be dark, whereas the ducks had to stand out like three sore thumbs. I was pretty limited to how much I could manipulate the lighting, as I was working with just natural light, but sometimes it just all comes together perfectly.Equipment
Just my Panasonic G6. And the props, of course.Inspiration
I went through this phase a little while ago where I was really into using toys in photos. I would go to cheap toy stores, swap meets and markets and just keep an eye out for anything that looked interesting, intriguing or just down right weird. The tricky (but really fun) part is coming up with a concept for them to portray some kind of story. In this case, I had quite a hefty collection of random toys, trinkets and ornaments. I wanted to do something with the ducks, and so I closed my eyes and picked something at random from the pile. It was the teeth, and the rest, as they say, is history.Editing
I edit all of my photos in photoshop to some degree - no manipulation, I just tweak and play with the colours, shadows and lighting levels until I'm happy with it. This can take hours sometimes, but it's almost always worth it.In my camera bag
Honestly, I really don't have much in the way of "equipment" - just my camera, which I take pretty much everywhere I go. I do have a tripod, the kind where the legs can bend and conform around railings and stuff, which can be useful. Also, a notebook. The pen and paper kind. If you're suddenly hit with an idea, or pass by a cool location on the bus or something, you're going to want to note that down.Feedback
Keep an eye out for weird objects. If something catches your eye, for whatever reason, try to come up with a concept for it - how could it be worked into a story? Get as weird as you can with it, but try to keep it simple. Also, it's important to keep an open mind with this stuff - don't go in with a super specific idea of what you're going to do. Have a loose template, and be ready to experiment with various positions, angles, compositions and layouts. Do it til' you drive yourself crazy - then do it some more.
