Personal Background
Shelly Corbett is a photographer based in the Pacific Northwest who specializes in fine art photography. PopInsider, GeekWire, Huffington Post, Petal Pixel, Evening Magazine, Bricks Culture, Bricks, The Toy Chronicle, Shutterbug, and Seattle Refined have all featured Corbett's work. Corbett graduated with a BFA in Photography from The University of Washington in 1987 and mainly shot underwater for around 20 years before being introduced to the toy photography community. Once introduced, she was hooked and continues to shoot LEGO every day. She has now been a photographer for over 30 years and has no plans of stopping.
Style
Most of Corbett’s photos are simple and creative in scale. Being that most of her subjects come in the form of 1.5 inch toys, she has no choice but to shoot them in a macro style of photography. The background seems to be the most important part of her photos. Although she wants the subject to shine, she needs to put the toy in its own environment for it to truly shine. This is seen when looking at any boat related shoot; the LEGO is actually in a pond of water surrounded by nature. This idea of true realism in the background adds to the world Corbett builds in all of her photos.
Philosophy
Because Corbett started out as a “traditional” photographer, she brings a unique sense of eye and creativity to the space of toy photography. Before shooting toys, she shot mostly female figures in an underwater setting and had a completely different view on photography. Yet, when she joined the toy photography community, she discovered a true community of creativity, discovery, and integrity. These are things she strives to show with her photos. To show that even though she is taking pictures of something as simple as toys, she is still a real photographer.
Influences
There is no mention in any articles on inspirations from Corbett’s perspective but she has impacted the way I view some of my photos for sure. I usually try to stay away from close up object photos as I seem to never be able to give them the scale I want. Add on a classic toy like LEGO and I would try to stay far away from that. Hence, she has now inspired me to spread out a bit and give LEGO photography another try. This time with clean crops and backgrounds to add the scene. I also appreciate the sense of freedom and fun she has in every photo. This element of freedom has always been there for me in photography but showing the appreciation and fun in the photo is a different skill entirely.
Artist Statement:
As soon as I saw this photo from Corbett I knew I needed to recreate it. I have always been a big "Lord of the Rings" fan and thought the framing was very unique in this photo. When comparing the two, there are clear differences in the editing and background but the main idea of the photo maintains the same and so does the characters. I wanted to keep the photo robust in color and shadow when compared to Corbett's original photo. My photo is more inspired and only a slight emulation of the original photo which gives it it's own feeling. In addition, I kept the backgrounds fairly similar to tell the same story of these little LEGO characters going on a long journey out in the open world.
Artist Statement:
I love Corbett's original photo here. We all know the iconic trench run scene from "Star Wars: A New Hope" and I wanted to challenge myself with such an iconic property and framing. When comparing the two photos, it is clear that the photo is not an exact replica but definitely inspired by not only the subject but also the background as well. For my photo, I really wanted that classic Star Wars feel of bright yet muted colors and I feel I achieved that with the red and orange present in my photo. I also understand that Corbett's original photo shows the X-Wing flying in motion. I didn't want this as the framing didn't work out and I thought the X-Wing just sitting on the rock gave enough of a story to express the scene I wanted.
Artistic Statement:
This photo was a last minute add for me to recreate instead of another one. I loved how Corbett used the setting sun to truly highlight the subject in a powerful silhouette. For my photo, I did not have a Loki minifigure but I did have a Jack Sparrow that I thought would add some extra angles to the frame. I really like how in each photo, the minifigure is the true centerpiece of the photo and looks as if they are looking at the land ahead as a potential journey comes. When editing this photo, I wanted the sun colors to match between the two photos but for mine, I wanted to highlight the access green and yellow that was in the frame to aid in more vibrance and texture.
Personal Statment
This assignment felt like going back to my roots in how my love of photography started. For reference, I learned how to use a camera by making LEGO stop-motion videos with my little Canon PowerShot that I owned from 5th grade till around 7th grade. So, this photographer was a perfect moment to come full circle and also to challenge myself to bring these inanimate toys to life. For each picture, I wanted to tell a similar story to the original without truly recreating it. For (An Unexpected Journey), I wanted to have a side profile photo to show the coming journey for Gandalf and the other Hobbits and to show a story of never giving up for your life ahead. For (Happy Landing), I wanted to highlight the true fun of what it's like to be young. I wanted the frame to be nice to look at but also feel like something you could grab and play with. Finally, for (Tortuga), I wanted to show the never ending horizon for Jack and the viewer. By showcasing not just the sun, I felt it showed that there is more than just aiming for the sky. Highlighting the idea that if you have drive for something, you can do anything you want.
Resources
1. https://www.geekwire.com/2013/lego-love-engagement-photos
2. https://www.shutterbug.com/content/window-tiny-world-photographer-shelly-corbett-transforms-lego-figures-creative-works-art
3. https://shellycorbett.com/
2. https://www.shutterbug.com/content/window-tiny-world-photographer-shelly-corbett-transforms-lego-figures-creative-works-art
3. https://shellycorbett.com/