Tag Archives: Photography

The grace of disgrace: an incredible resurrected dragon

It appears Aaron Newman has developed an affinity for flying elements in his LEGO creations, as they appear in several of his latest builds. Floating and flying parts are nothing new, but few builders take the effort of going the extra step to make them look this good (presumably by digitally editing out the supports–or maybe learning black magic and making parts float for real!).

Triumph of the Skelemancer

Aaron has used his editing and presentation magic on more than just the flying draconic skeleton. The purple light emanating from the circle on the ground was achieved with a glass table and a lot of effort, while Aaron says the backlit stained glass windows were just as difficult to get right. We should not ignore the actual LEGO build though. It is all about atmosphere here and every part helps create it. The architecture with the circular design of the hall gives a nice focal point to the scene, and the impression is finished off by the ground texture, passing from a cobblestone floor through a circular section of the tiling into a clean glowing purple area. And if you are, like me, wondering what makes the little purple gaps between the “stones” of the circle, Aaron has revealed the secret: purple quarter-circle roller coaster tracks!

Curl up on the LEGO sofa

Here’s a great little LEGO scene from Foolish Bricks depicting a lazy morning spent on the sofa. There are no fancy building techniques on display, but there’s a good selection of parts which add depth and texture to every surface, and the details are meticulously placed to great effect. The precise layout is enhanced by some good macro photography, and the overall presentation is excellent — those light rays and the curl of steam from the coffee mug (which I’m assuming was added in post-production) elevate this model into something special.

Lazy Sunday morning

This is not a TV commercial for the Landrover Defender....

Krzysztof Cytacki’s Technic version of a Landrover Defender is an excellent version of Great Britain’s gift to the world of 4×4 offroading. While the model itself is nice, the photography is what first attracted me to Cytacki’s work. By taking pictures of his Landrover in the wilderness, Cytacki perfectly captures the feeling of a televised auto ad. You can almost hear the roar of the engine and smell the earthy aroma of mud kicking back as the vehicle scales the rugged terrain. The natural setting does better justice to Cytacki’s model than a plain background could achieve.

IMG_0947 1500px

See more photos of this gorgeous LEGO Technic Landrover

Too many cooks in the kitchen...

LEGO photography is an art in and of itself, as demonstrated by brickexplorer’s images shared on Instagram. This particular scene is cute and funny thanks to well-executed visual storytelling. It’s a tale of the guy who thinks he can cook but is so distracted by his pets that he sets his food on fire. Meanwhile, Brickexplorer’s failed little chef is oblivious to the woman shouting at him from behind. If the fish flopping around near the dishwasher is any indication, this guy is about as good at taking care of his pets as he is making dinner.

Everything about this scene is lively and fun to look at, thanks to the builder’s use of color and lighting. The way the sun shines brightly through the window reminds me of a morning sunrise. And editing the image to include smoke makes this scene all the more believable.

An artistic view of Italy, painted in bricks.

We have been enjoying a taste of Italy in a series of  photographs by  brickexplorer on Instagram. First we take in the view of a gondolier cruising along the famous canals of Venice. I love the combination of natural elements (be that water, sky or earth) with LEGO built surroundings.

Next, let’s stroll through the narrow cobbled streets in the old town.  A gatto is eyeing up a crossaint while some washing dries in the sun, what a peaceful scene.

Finally, as the sun goes down, it’s time to relax and enjoy some freshly made stone baked pizza. The lights inside the pizzeria make it seem so inviting,  I’m not sure how far people travel to enjoy theis infamous pizza, it looks like a rocket has just landed on the left.

Dashing through the snow in a old rusty tram

The month of February has already brought to Moscow, Russia about 10 inches of snow — and it doesn’t seem to stop snowing! Talented Moscow-based toy photographer brickexplorer captures the mood of the frosty night just perfectly; the whole scene in the picture looks extremely cozy in the warm light of the old tram’s headlights. According to the description of the photo the snow piles are made of baking soda, which is a perfect tip for any LEGO toy photographer.

It’s not a view the Jedi would show you

The planet-city of Coruscant is magnificent in the setting sun, and the expansive urban landscapes were one of my favorite visuals from the prequel trilogy. This image by Malen Garek of a view from the Jedi temple may have been erased from the archives, but it’s breathtaking nonetheless. Malen has nailed the colors, and the forced perspective backdrop is one of the better I’ve seen.

The Jedi Temple - Coruscant

I saved the world again today. It was off the chain.

Black & white. All important photos are taken in black & white. And atmosphere. Edgy, rainy atmosphere that would make small children and adults nervous. And lighting. Really subtle and aesthetically pleasing lighting.

This portrait of Bruce Wayne by legomeee would certainly get LEGO Batman’s brooding stamp of approval for appropriate tone. I’m not sure what he is looking at, but that umbrella is macho. I dig it.

Bruce Wayne?

Now, get yourself ready, for some inspiration. If you want to make the world a better place, Take a look at yourself and make a change. Hooo! –  Batman.

What’s kraken on the high seas?

It’s a bad day in the fog for this hapless crew of mariners. They’ve stumbled across the most infamous sea-beast of yore, the might Kraken, whose arms entangle ships like playthings. Mark of Falworth’s awesome diorama sets us right in the middle of the action as the giant cephalopod drags the ship to the watery depths.

Demon of the Depths.

The fog (made with a fog machine, not Photoshop) adds a grim bit of horror to the scene, and the technical details are outstanding. Check out the suction cups made of buckets, and the peeling planking of the deck.

Dreadnought delivers the whale mail

A cute pocket battleship combines forces with a whale, apparently to deliver the mail, in this LEGO creation from Revan New. I genuinely have no idea what is going on here, but I like it. First up, we see the chibi-styled dieselpunk dreadnought sailing into a moody sunset, a companionable whale matching the ship’s course…

Drεαdnϙught

And then the true nature of this partnership is revealed — some sort of oceanic postal service…

"I'll send you a message with the white post whale"

The styling of the little dreadnought is smart — I particularly like the curve of the hull and the maroon striping. Those deck guns are pretty good too. And then the whale itself has a friendly face. Who wouldn’t want this guy turning up at the door with their Amazon packages?

All-in-all, this is nicely built, nicely photographed, and nicely crazy. Just the sort of stuff we like round here.

LEGO emergency vehicles in a scale New York City makes you feel like a minifigure

Ever wonder what it might look like to wander the streets of New York at night, if you were a minifigure and the city was made of LEGO? Builder sponki25 has taken some incredible shots of his brick-built emergency vehicles, placing them in their urban environment, and it gives us exactly that experience.

LegoNYC Night Scenes
LegoNYC Night Scenes

We’ve highlighted some of Sponki’s amazing minifigure-scale emergency vehicles before, but he continues to grow his collection, recently adding a GMC 2500 FNDY support truck and an instantly recognizable FDNY EMS Ford Interceptor (the law enforcement version of the Ford Explorer).

FDNY Battalion Chief 1
FDNY EMS Division 1

A different LEGO perspective

You may have to look a little longer to get your bearings with this clever creation by Milan Sekiz.  It’s certainly a unique perspective of a simple sunny autumnal day when a minifigure has a spot of good fortune.

Oh, look, a coin!