Coronafour

Nate Strong — @coronafour on Instagram — is from S.E. Michigan where he works as a Creative Director/Copywriter for an ad agency. He’s collected toys on and off since the original Kenner Star Wars line in 1978 and has been sticking them in front of a camera since late 2016.

What led you into toy photography?

The perfect storm of The Force Awakens premiering and feeling the need to keep an eye on my teenage daughters’ Instagram accounts led to discovering the amazing world of toy photography.

Like many, Episode 7 rekindled my passion for Star Wars. And I thought if I was going to bother opening an IG account I might as well do something with it. At first all I had planned was to shoot a continuous series using the new Hasbro Black Series BB-8 peeking around various things in a variety of locations.

Once that started, I discovered so many incredible accounts with crazy talented artists and immediately got hooked.

The rest as they say, is history.

What’s your motivation?

Escape. Fun. Exploration. Storytelling. Community. Making new friends from around the world. Wanting to learn and grow and improve. Hoping to make someone smile or think or join in the adventure. Keeping the kid in me alive and thriving. There are so many aspects to this hobby that continue to motivate and inspire me.

And as someone who works in a creative industry, it’s so awesome to have an outlet where I don’t have a boss, client or budget dictating what I can and cannot do. It’s just me, my toys, and my imagination.

What's your gear?

A Canon Rebel T6i mainly with a 75-300 zoom. I also use a couple of Lumecube and Viltrox lights along with a variety of other household fixtures when needed. For editing I rely on Photoshop and a few apps including Snapseed and LensFX.

What does a typical photo shoot look like? (with BTS if possible)

I usually keep an ever-evolving idea list on my phone. And I like to mix up my post subjects as much as I can. So I’ll take a look at the list, choose something I haven’t shot in a while and get to work. Some ideas call for simple setups with little background or prop elements and minimal lighting. Others require a diorama/digirama, multiple characters and several lights. It all depends on the idea and the amount of time I have to devote at that particular moment. Which usually isn’t much...

I mainly shoot inside to keep as much control over the setting as possible. And all my figures and equipment have to get unpacked and packed back up for a shoot since I don’t have a dedicated area for it. So that takes up time as well.

I’ll experiment with lighting, angles, posing — improvising along the way until I feel I’ve captured what I had in mind. Then a fairly quick edit and it’s up on Instagram.

Any advice for a beginner?

Have fun. We’re playing with toys, right? It should be nothing but enjoyable.

Engage the community for advice. Follow the greats. Check out their BTS vids or YouTube channels. Study other kinds of photography like portrait and product.

Experiment. Try new things. Continue to push yourself. Take your time.

Don’t chase numbers. Likes and followers are nice, but you should do it because you love it.

Watch your budget. It’s all too easy to get addicted to the plastic crack. We’re living in a time where there is a surplus of incredible toys and the pre-orders never seem to let up. And when you see someone else take a fantastic shot of a toy you don’t own, it sure is a powerful draw. Same goes for equipment. You don’t need expensive cameras or lights to make magic. Here that, self? Heed your own advice!

And when you can, let other people know you like their work. Hitting the heart is quick and easy, but when you can, leave an encouraging comment, reshare a shot or shoot off a friendly DM — it really means a lot.

Who is your favorite toy photographer at the moment, or the one who inspires you the most?

There are way too many to choose a single photographer. I’m inspired and wowed every day by a ton of amazing artists so it’s impossible to even name just a few.

Finally, if you had to keep only one toy, which one would you choose?

Again – another question I find hopeless to answer. I’m not sure I could narrow it down an entire toy line let alone a single toy! As I mentioned earlier, I love to mix things up. From Lego to 1:12 to 1:6, spaceships to WWII planes, Mezco to Black Series to Mythic Legions. They all own a special place!

Cheers 🤘