Look at this wonderful photo of Sakura Kozou! With beautiful soft sakura blossoms blooming overhead, you might be convinced that we had gone to Japan ourselves to take these gorgeous spring shots. How we wished for such time and budget, but reality is not always a bed of roses (or rather, sakura petals). To break the underwhelming truth to you, all the photos in this campaign was actually taken just behind our office, in the hot and humid island of Singapore, on a hot and humid day. And it cost us SGD$6 for all our props.
Here are 3 tips for you to take fantastic photos of your toys on a budget!
1. Props FTW
All it took was a few branches of plastic Sakura blossoms, which we happily purchased for $2 a bunch from Daiso, a Japanese store that sells everything at $2. By everything, we mean EVERYTHING, including the oddest things such as banana holders (a 'lunchbox' but for one... whole... banana...), sushi-shaped erasers and of course, bunches of plastic Sakura blossoms. This is basically art students and housewives' paradise.
It doesn't have to be expensive. It just needs to be relevant!
2. Bring your toys for a walk
Not on a leash. We're creative but not insane. Granted, toys look great indoors – on your desk, in your display cabinets etc. But we think sometimes the outdoors really adds life to the toy. Like... BMA is alive and playing basketball (resisting the temptation to say MBA) or Ohonneko is praying at the shrine before a battle! In this case, Sakura Kozou is sitting in a Sakura park or hiding behind a tree, having fun in spring. Just make sure you have good lighting!
3. Try many different angles
This is perhaps the only hard part – getting your props and toys and environment to work together nicely. Don't ever settle for the first picture you take! See how some earlier shots that we took had very Singapore-looking high-rise flats in the background. That's not working out. So we tried more, and found that the top view really works well. Or have your toy lean against a tree! Sakura Kozou hiding behind a tree? Perfect for us! So keep trying and moving to get your best shot!