When it comes to Lego and photo lighting, no one has a better reputation than Alex Eylar. Having emerged from his Dark Ages in 2007, Alex has made an impression on the community through his diverse and often pop culture-referencing creations that are photographed with realistic and atmospheric lighting. It is my pleasure to interview the man behind the camera about his take on our favorite hobby.

Nannan Zhang: Talk about what you like to build.

Alex Eylar: I tend to just build whatever I feel like, whatever inspiration hits, without really sticking to one theme or another. I admire the people who can stay in one theme and just put out hit after hit, but I’ve got a total LEGO-ADD that keeps me bouncing from theme to theme. I even had to title that one folder “The Unclassifiable” because the things just didn’t fit into one theme or another.

NZ: So it’s really just the spur of the moment?

AE: Oh, absolutely. I keep a Word Document on my desktop that has all sorts of random ideas in the shortest of shorthand. I get an idea, I jot it down, I build it or try to build it and fail miserably.

NZ: It’s interesting that you keep an actual list of ideas, how long is it?

AE: Generally about four or five projects long, but that includes things I’ve been thinking about for years and will probably never get to finish. Purgatory from Dante’s Inferno is a great example.

NZ: That list is actually much shorter than I expected, I know someone who has over 120 ideas on his list.

AE: Mind if I ask who?

NZ: I heard this from “Big Daddy” Nelson a few years ago. You’re on a building streak lately and cranking out some great models, what’s the occasion or inspiration?

AE: The occasion is free time thanks to summer and zero social life, and the inspirations are movies and internet. Big movie geek, so I’m always seeing things I want to build, and spend as much time online as I do and you’re bound to see things that pique your interest.

NZ: I’m guessing you liked Inception?

AE: Oh my yes. Best movie of the year so far, in my opinion.

NZ: And you built some MOCs based on that?

AE: I had to. Any movie with visuals as good as that has to be built. A tilted, spinning hallway; come on.

NZ: How long did it take you?

AE: Maybe three hours from start of the build to the last shot taken.

NZ: What about photography, was that a huge process?

AE: It can be; it depends on the project. If it’s something small like that, and only requires one shot, it won’t take that long, but if it’s enormous – “Containment” enormous – it’ll take its sweet time.

More of our interview with Alex after the jump: Continue reading →