Hue Hughes
Hue Hughes' is a visual effects artist, video editor, photographer and creative professional.
What led you into toy photography?
I’ve always been a storyteller but several years at a previous job left me seeking a creative outlet as my day to day was anything but. I needed to have that feeling of inspiration and one day I decided to photograph by sons toys.
Soon afterwards I purchased my first Lego set and two years later I have posted 1900 images. I love shooting Lego. Its scale is perfect for macro. Lately I have started to shoot larger toys including Transformers. I use to collect them years ago for many years. I just started that up again with War for Cybertron. The toys are great and much more based on the G1 designs which I love.
What's your motivation?
TV, film and other photography accounts. I love to set a toy in a cinematic world. The uses of dim lighting and silhouettes really inspire me but other accounts motivate me to shoot more and shoot better. There’s a lot of great artist on Instagram that I look up to and many of them shoot all types of toys.
What's your gear?
Canon 70D, Canon 10-16mm lens, LitePanel Caliber, Smoke Machine. I don’t really like to focus on the gear but how its used. Most of my work never goes to a computer but instead I use my phone to color grade and add any effects to shots. I shoot mostly in-camera practical effects. I love how analog photography looks in comparison to digital effects. There is something fun about seeing what’s possible without the use of Photoshop.
What does a typical photo shooting look like?
A typical shoot involves setting the environment. Sand, snow, rocks, etc... I build all of my sets from scratch. I have a collection of materials I routinely use and creating an environment usually only takes a few minutes.
Afterwards I grab some toys and create a little story with them. Maybe Luke is fighting a Wompa or Cyclonus is being taking down by The Wreckers… it’s a little moment in time I try to capture.
Any advice for a beginner?
Shoot a lot. The more you shoot and experiment with materials, lighting and environment the better you will get. Also see what other photographers are doing. You don’t have to spend a lot of camera gear. I would invest more in what you want to shoot than what your shooting with. Some artist only use a phone and their work is great. A good artist can use any brush to create a masterpiece.
Who is your favorite toy photographer at the moment, or the one who inspires you the most?
There are so many great photographers I don’t want to single out any one person.
Finally, If you had to keep only one toy, which one would you choose?
That’s a difficult one. I have collected toys for most of my life and amassed somewhat of a stockpile. I am most fond of transformers. As a child of the 80’s it's what I grew up with and something that is special to me. I think my favorite is the original G1 Optimus Prime. Till all are one!
Cheers 🤘