brickcentral

[brickcentral]

Hello community! It's time for another photo essay and this time we asked to @verolegoland to share a photo essay featuring the LEGO Harry Potter 76427 set Buckbeak.

"Being a Hypogriff can get exhausting. They can fly long distances. Buckbeak has been flying all night. This sunset mean he needs to rest now.

He is looking for a place to drink. In this large forest, it is not always easy to find your way.

Sometimes there are unexpected encounters. But this water hole is definitely too small for both of us. It's better to look elsewhere.

Luckily for him, he knows how to reach the river he loves so much.

And can finally drink quietly

Now we have to find something to eat. And as lucky as he is, what's better than a big juicy pumpkin!

Ok, maybe not that big! But that will do for today!

Now, with a full or almost full stomach, it is time to find a place to finally rest and sleep for the night.

Nothing better than a good night's sleep before flying again."

If you want to have a look at some bts, pay a visit to brickcentral.net

- @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[brickcentral]

📢 SEPTEMBER THEME: UN-MINIFIGURED

For this month, I want to see official deminifigured sets.

The idea is simple, choose an official Lego set that includes minifigs, remove the minifigs and photograph this set while mentioning the number of the set you are photographing in the bio of your photo.

There are a multitude of possible choices, modulars, buildings, vehicles....the most important thing is to be creative to make this set lively enough.

For the last example I chose to bring to life one of the sets that lends itself well to a stage set. The Harry Potter Moments book range is perfect for giving you a quick and clear set without having to do a lot of construction. Here is the book from the botany class (76384). I just built a floor to go with it. A play of light from the side and there it will come to life before your eyes without having to use figurines. Don't you feel like you're arriving at Hogwarts and discovering the class in a warm late afternoon?

Use your creativity to make the set stand out in the absence of the minifigs that normally accompany it.

🚨RULES🚨

* Post your photo on Threads or to our Discord server.

* Mention the set number

* New or old entry accepted

* Multiple entries allowed

The activity will end on September 28 at 23:59 CET

@sarouxbastoux

[brickcentral]

Hello there!

We've asked to our spotlighted artist jcmimoso to provide an exclusive picture for @brickcentral along with some insights on how he made it, and here's what she have to say:

"As I said, I'm used to using Exin for these kinds of medieval photos, because I think the dirty tone they have makes them more in line with my artistic vision. But for today's exclusive photo I've forced myself to use only LEGO pieces, specifically pieces from the LEGO Creator castle set 31120. The idea of ​​the photo is a castle tower that Conan and his partner (Red Sonya) break into to rob, and when they are surprised by the guard, who comes out to chase them, the brave thieves jump into the void of the night without thinking about their safety or the height. This is a reference to the famous scene from the movie Conan the Barbarian (1982) where Valeria jumps from the top of a tower while asking her astonished companions "Do you want to live forever?"

In the first photo you can see the entire construction only with LEGO pieces. In the part that is not going to be seen in the photo there are bricks of different colors to reserve the grays ones on the visible side. The second photo already shows the entire setup. The castle is placed on a book to give it enough height to use the tabletop tripod, and the PC monitor, rotated 90º and at a sufficient distance so that the pixels are not visible in the final photo.

For the background image I have used one from Olivier Guillard on Unsplash, somewhat out of focus in Photoshop. The upper room of the tower, where the guard runs out, is closed with transparent bricks at the back. There I have placed an orange cloth and a Lumecube Air spotlight with its diffuser. It is something that I have seen here on Brickcentral and I really liked the idea, although I have done it my way. I wanted the tiny light to come out from the inside of the room and contrast with the semi-darkness of the outside. You can see the setup details in the following images, and finally the photo as it appears on the camera screen. I always like to include it in my posts so you can see the reality vs the final photo

"

Thanks for all the insights jcmimoso! If you want to read this artist profile, head to our blog at https://brickentral.net/ - @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[brickcentral]

🤩 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: jcmimoso Hello everyone! It's time to direct the spotlight toward our community members, and today we will get to know better jcmimoso!

"Hello fellow LEGO photographers, my name is Juan Carlos Mimoso. I'm from Spain and I grew up in the 75-80s. When I was a child I never had access to LEGO, due to economic reasons and poor distribution in my area. On the other hand, I did play with Playmobil and also with Exin Castillos bricks, with which I built spectacular castles.

I am currently a Doctor in Primary Care in a health center, and when in 2020 we suffered the COVID-19 pandemic and forced confinement, I continued working. I changed my work in the clinic for work at home and in the clinic, with no limit on hours and with the uncertainty and feeling of not being able to offer everything my patients needed. That caused me a lot of added stress. I had always liked photography, landscapes, macro, etc... and I relaxed by walking to see the world with photographic eyes. Instead, now I found that I was confined and unable to create new content.

My son had a couple of LEGO minifigures and a small set, and I thought it was cool to take a photo with an interesting background and post it on Instagram. And since then, I have been hooked on toy photography. I have seen that there are many colleagues spread around the world, and communities like Brickcentral, where tricks and ways to take the final photo are freely shared.

I took almost all of the photos with an old second-hand Fujifilm X-E2 mirrorless and the little Fujinon 27/2.8 pancake lens with a +2 or +4 close-up filter attached. I like that combination because it is very small and portable. A couple of years ago I added the Fujifilm X-H1 because, although it is a little bigger, it has a flip-up screen, which makes it much easier for me to make low compositions without having to move the whole equipment to check the focus. This year I bought a 1:2 macro (Fujinon 60/2.4) and so far I like the results, although due to work and family issues I haven't been able to take many photos. I hope that changes in a couple of weeks.

My workspace is typically my desk. I use the PC monitor as a background, or if it's a building without any background at all, and I place everything on heavy, thick medicine books so I can use my tabletop tripod at the right height. For lighting I use LED spotlights (Ulanzi VL49 and Lumecube Air), although I have also sometimes taken photos with matchstick lighting.

My compositions are not very large because as soon as I finish the session I have to put away everything that is on the desk so that I can use it to process the result. I usually take several shots with different lighting, aperture and sometimes even stacking photos to give more depth, although I never usually use the whole stack, but only just enough so that the background does not look too sharp. Later I choose the shot I like the most in Lightroom and complete it with Photoshop for basic retouching such as cloning, filters, etc.

I mainly use LEGO minifigures from various series (Marvel, DC, Ninjago…), although you can also see some Playmobil and Star Wars figures. The main type of photography I do is usually related to medieval, fantasy, sword and sorcery environments, among others.

In my posts you can see that I use extensively the Barbarian (series 11) and Viking (series 20) minifigures. I think it's because they don't usually require much post-processing, but also because they remind me of the 'Conan the Barbarian' comics I used to read when I was a kid. It's my humble way of paying a little homage to great artists who have drawn the Cimmerian since the 70s and who bring back so many memories. I recently acquired the Red-Haired Barbarian minifigure (series 25), which I'm sure will co-star in future photos. In fact, the photo I'm showing you today is the first one I've used it for.

Fortunately, over the years, I saved some Exin pieces, and along with others I've gotten lately, I use them extensively in my creations to mix LEGO with Exin Castles and get a more realistic environment. To this I usually mix all kinds of rocks, sand, grasses and other accessories so that it integrates well with the sword and sorcery atmosphere that I usually pursue in my publications. For inspiration I use old comics, game or movie sequences, and anything I see that fits well with my possibilities and knowledge. I have notebooks full of ideas written down for a better occasion, which doesn't always come. I learn a lot from other fellow toy photographers and I'm always looking for new ways to tell the little stories in my photos.

"

Thank you for accepting our invitation and let the community knows you better!

If you want some insights on the exclusive picture and for a better view of the others, head to our blog at https://brickentral.net/.

- @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[brickcentral]

📢 SEPTEMBER THEME: UN-MINIFIGURED

For this month, I want to see official deminifigured sets.

The idea is simple, choose an official Lego set that includes minifigs, remove the minifigs and photograph this set while mentioning the number of the set you are photographing in the bio of your photo.

There are a multitude of possible choices, modulars, buildings, vehicles....the most important thing is to be creative to make this set lively enough.

For this new example I chose another set that I love and that I find photogenic, it is the Boutique Hotel (10297). But this time I photographed the interior. An exercise just as interesting since it is rare to find photographs of the interior of a set. While there is a lot to do. Here too to bring the set to life without the minifigs being present to do it, I simulate their presence by adding lighting upstairs. To make the lighting stand out I choose a night atmosphere with a blue lamp.

Use your creativity to make the set stand out in the absence of the minifigs that normally accompany it.

🚨RULES🚨

* Post your photo on Threads or to our Discord server. Just reply to the Sep Theme post in the "monthly-theme" channel and you're done!

* Mention the set number

* New or old entry accepted

* Multiple entries allowed

The activity will end on September 28 at 23:59 CET

@sarouxbastoux

[brickcentral]

📢 SEPTEMBER THEME: UN-MINIFIGURED

For this month, I want to see official deminifigured sets.

The idea is simple, choose an official Lego set that includes minifigs, remove the minifigs and photograph this set while mentioning the number of the set you are photographing in the bio of your photo.

There are a multitude of possible choices, modulars, buildings, vehicles....the most important thing is to be creative to make this set lively enough.

Today I'm using a set that in my opinion is one of the most photogenic in the Lego range. The A Frame Cabin (21338). It remains very easy to photograph due to its composition. As the challenge is to photograph it without minifigs, to make it come alive I had the idea of ​​giving the impression that they are there but that we don't see them. To do this I used a technique to make smoke come out of the chimney and I put some lighting inside. Thus by accompanying it with a slightly dark color palette, I give the impression that we are in front of a cold and damp autumn morning and that the minifigs are sipping coffee in front of the fireplace.

Use your creativity to make the set stand out in the absence of the minifigs that normally accompany it.

🚨RULES🚨

* Post your photo to our Discord server. You can also participate on our Threads publication.

* Mention the set number

* New or old entry accepted

* Multiple entries allowed

The activity will end on September 28 at 23:59 CET

@sarouxbastoux

[brickcentral]

📢 SEPTEMBER THEME: UN-MINIFIGURED

For this month, I want to see official deminifigured sets.

The idea is simple, choose an official Lego set that includes minifigs, remove the minifigs and photograph this set while mentioning the number of the set you are photographing in the bio of your photo.

There are a multitude of possible choices, modulars, buildings, vehicles....the most important thing is to be creative to make this set lively enough.

To start and guide you, I chose a simple idea. I took the set 40586 (Moving Truck) which normally has 2 minifigs. I removed the minifigs, staged the set and photographed it like this. I arranged the moving objects around the truck and the piano about to be loaded to make it all come alive. It feels like we are watching a move in progress.

Use your creativity to make the set stand out in the absence of the minifigs that normally accompany it.

🚨RULES🚨

* Post your photo to our Discord server (Just reply to the Sep Theme post in the "monthly-theme" channel and you're done)

* Mention the set number

* New or old entry accepted

* Multiple entries allowed

The activity will end on September 28 at 23:59 CET

@sarouxbastoux

[brickcentral]

AUGUST THEME: SEASONS

Like the seasons life can bring many changes. Picking a flower during a hike with your partner might lead to an even bigger adventure and many more (exhausting but rewarding) activities in life.

To look back and ahead in the year, this month's theme is Seasons. Show us how the changing seasons affect a place and characters. In the summer we swim across the river with friends for a bet, and in the winter we drill holes in the same place and fish. In the spring, children launch homemade boats in a nearby ditch filled with melt water, and in the fall they jump into a pile of dry leaves there.

RULES

* Take at least two images showing the same place and same characters in different seasons

* You can use brick-built or DIY or real world environment or a combination of all

* There must be Lego minifigures in the frame

* New and old pictures are allowed

* Share your work on our Discord server (#monthly-theme channel)

* Multiple entries are welcome

* AI-generated images are not allowed!

The activity ends on 29th August, 23:59 CET

Enjoy the seasons change!

Guest mod: @storiesinbricks

[brickcentral]

Hello there!

We've asked to our spotlighted artist SKABRAM.builds to provide an exclusive picture for @brickcentral along with some insights on how he made it, and here's what she have to say:

"I had this photo in mind for quite some time and now finally took it! This model was finished a couple of months ago, but I never took it with me to shoot it outside. Being asked to create a new photo for Brickcentral felt like the right opportunity to finally go for it! I prepared the photo by picking and preparing a little stand with plateau to place my model in the water. I made this for an earlier photo with a great crested grebe and a chick. I now added a plate with rubber bands so it could resist the force of the kingfisher model tipping it. Beside the stand I also packed some paper towel to remove drops from the model and my camera and lens. For this photo I specifically picked my 28-75 lens, because I knew beforehand I would be very close to my subject.

When I arrived at the location I had in mind I found out that everything was overgrown with reeds. I had to find an other spot without the reeds. Unfortunately no reeds meant less shallow water. My stand was not long enough to reach the bottom. I improvised by extending it with a branch I found. Here the rubber bands came in handy, because that’s how I attached the stand to the branch. Phew…

I placed the stand right below the surface of the water. Time to attach the model!

After a couple of photos I decided to change the placement a little to make better use of the background (more reeds visible). I picked the stand entirely to move it when I messed up big. The kingfisher fell off the clip and dropped in the water. For a second I was in shock, but luckily it was floating. I even had time to take a picture of it floating.

After drying the kingfisher with the paper towel the setup for the final photo looked like this.

I took the photo just above the surface of the water to capture as much of the surroundings as possible. As you can see I was pretty close to the subject and holding my camera below me. Keeping it steady was not easy, so I chose a shutter speed of 1/200. Beside the shutter speed I played with the aperture of the lens. I tried 2.8 and 4.5 and was most satisfied with 4.5. The sharpness in the model was better and the surrounding reeds had more character.

Unedited photo taken with an aperture of 2.8 for reference

I placed the subject into the frame using the rule of thirds with the movement of the subject in mind (moving into the frame).

As you can see in the unedited image I had to get rid of the plate below the water surface in the edit. Here I used a combination of the clone tool and generative fill in photoshop. If the water was more wrinkled the plate would have been a lot less visible. Downside from wrinkles is a less clear reflection. After all I’m pretty happy with the final result and hope you enjoyed this little insight!"

Thanks for all the insights SKABRAM.builds! If you want to read this artist profile, head to our blog at https://brickentral.net/ - @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[brickcentral]

🤩 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: SKABRAM.builds Hello everyone! It's time to direct the spotlight toward our community members, and today we will get to know better SKABRAM.builds!

"Hi everyone, I’m Bram and I live in the Netherlands.

I rediscovered LEGO when my oldest son got his first set about 2,5 years ago. Soon I found out about digital building LEGO and got hooked building MOC’s of one of my favorite things: birds. I created some of my favorite birds to display in our house and published the building instructions for others to build. That was all I did until LEGO announced the Icons Kingfisher set. It got me thinking about sharing my own bird builds too.

This idea got kickstarted when I got tagged in a photo where someone used my instructions for a bird build. Apparently there was a little search for brick built birds in nature photos. I got in touch and was encouraged to participate. Since I already have some years experience with wildlife photography this seemed fun. I emptied my camera bag, filled it with my bird models and went to a local park. And here we are…

I see my photography as the final touch of my MOC. I spend a good amount of time designing and building the model, getting it out in it’s natural habitat feels like a logic last step. I try to get as close to the real bird and it’s environment as possible and aim to create realistic photos. My approach is the same as in my wildlife photography: I want to show the bird and some of its surroundings. These surroundings are important since they tell a lot about a bird and it’s behavior and habitat. Since I’m shooting a LEGO model this is a lot easier than with real birds, so I got plenty of time to focus on composition. I often try to get on eye level with my subject and to find interesting colors or lines that complement the composition. Most of my images are composed using the rule of thirds.

I prepare my photos not extensively. I think about the posing and what I might need for it (string, stand or extra LEGO parts) and throw everything in my bag when I go outside.

I don’t take a model of a coastal bird to the forest, but besides that it’s just looking for the right opportunity. Working with natural light and shooting without a tripod makes everything very flexible.

My 50-400mm lens is very versatile, so I can shoot real birds and LEGO ones during the same walk. The higher aperture (4.5-6.3) of this lens is no deal breaker since I often shoot with higher aperture to include more of the surroundings.

The hardest part might be getting the model posed right. It’s not always easy to find the right branch to clip the feet on (not all branches are in system…) and wind should not be underestimated when shooting around water (yes, I had to fish). Sometimes someone is holding a loose branch with a bird model up so I can get the right image. To compensate for the inevitable movement here I increase my shutter speed (which is already high because I shoot handheld).

Combining my love for wildlife photography and LEGO has been a bliss thus far. Working with static models and a lighter lens has it’s advantages! The gear i use is a Sony A6700 Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 Tamron 50-400mm 4.5-6.3 Tamron 150-500mm 5.0-6.7 (used for wildlife only) I do have a simple Rollei tripod, but only use it inside."

Thank you for accepting our invitation and let the community knows you better!

If you want some insights on the exclusive picture and for a better view of the others, head to our blog at https://brickentral.net/.

- @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[brickcentral]

AUGUST THEME: SEASONS

A wealth of ideas, perseverance and patience often lead to the goal - in this case a very tasty goal. All that was needed were a few tools and materials. After that, the two master builders simply had to wait until the fruits of their labour could be harvested.

To look back and ahead in the year, this month's theme is Seasons. Show us how the changing seasons affect a place and characters. In the summer we swim across the river with friends for a bet, and in the winter we drill holes in the same place and fish. In the spring, children launch homemade boats in a nearby ditch filled with melt water, and in the fall they jump into a pile of dry leaves there.

RULES

* Take at least two images showing the same place and same characters in different seasons

* You can use brick-built or DIY or real world environment or a combination of all

* There must be Lego minifigures in the frame

* New and old pictures are allowed

* Share your work on our Discord server (#monthly-theme channel)

* Multiple entries are welcome

* AI-generated images are not allowed!

The activity ends on 29th August, 23:59 CET

Enjoy the seasons change!

Guest mod: @storiesinbricks

[brickcentral]

AUGUST THEME: SEASONS

When the sun burns from the sky in summer, the fountain on the small market square is a popular place for the village children to cool off. In the winter one kid decided the frozen fountain might be a small but nice place to make some rounds with the new skates.

To look back and ahead in the year, this month's theme is Seasons. Show us how the changing seasons affect a place and characters. In the summer we swim across the river with friends for a bet, and in the winter we drill holes in the same place and fish. In the spring, children launch homemade boats in a nearby ditch filled with melt water, and in the fall they jump into a pile of dry leaves there.

RULES

* Take at least two images showing the same place and same characters in different seasons

* You can use brick-built or DIY or real world environment or a combination of all

* There must be Lego minifigures in the frame

* New and old pictures are allowed

* Share your work on our Discord server (#monthly-theme channel)

* Multiple entries are welcome

* AI-generated images are not allowed!

The activity ends on 29th August, 23:59 CET

Enjoy the seasons change!

Guest mod: @storiesinbricks

[brickcentral]

Hello community! It's @theaphol again with a post revaling a bit of magic behind the collaborative storytelling we've just posted! Have a look at how @johnreiley, @rennerbricks and @archiminibricks crafted the world where you've ben projected with their story.

This is a look at the shot where the plane is flying toward the forest fire. In order to remove the clear duplo bricks holding up the plane, I took two photos and stacked them in photoshop: one with the plane and one without the plane. I put a small light behind the cotton balls acting as smoke to give it a red glow and backlit the entire shot with a large softbox to give it a dramatic feeling. I utilized forced perspective to create the illusion of a forest in the distance. 

Overall, shooting this plane was a challenge for me because I don’t typically shoot this many shots of one thing and I don’t really shoot larger flying objects. But it was fun collaborating with fellow toy photographers on a story that would bring everything together.

Rennebricks

The drone floats using an arm and erases it with Photoshop. I made the propeller rotate by editing.

It was difficult to make the same story in different sets, but it was a lot of fun. Everyone has their own photo style, and it was a very interesting project to be in one story.

Collaborating in creating the entire story is a brilliant experience that I recommend to everyone. The task is not the easiest when three people scattered around the world, with different sets, have to create something coherent, but it gives great satisfaction. I’m glad that I could create with people who have completely different visions of photos than me, I learned a lot from you. Thank you Brickcentral for this great opportunity

If you want to read the complete story visit the blog! And also please do check out their profiles where you'll find more excellent photography by each of them!

[brickcentral]

It's story time again at brickcentral and here's the final part that our artists @johnreiley, @rennerbricksand @archiminibricks built:

"The command center has arrived on scene and there’s lots of smoke, but there’s no time to waste! They launch the drone. The view will be better from above. "Command Center-1 to Air Rescue, drop water, there is no time to lose!" Something’s still smoking! The water team has arrived at land and load the pontoon onto the trailer. They race to find the source but come across a fallen tree. On foot it is! They walk through the trees and locate the source of the fire… "Sorry, I think you burned your eggs, sir…""

So here's the conclusion! How was the experience? Did you enjoy reading it? Let us know in the comments! If you want to read the complete story and go behind the scenes visit the blog Stay tuned for the call for action for future collabs on our Discord server!

@theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[brickcentral]

It's story time again at brickcentral and here's the second part that our artists @johnreiley, @rennerbricksand @archiminibricksbuilt:

"Alarm!!! Alert!!! Something is happening and someone needs help! The water team quickly finishes the fun and goes into action. The mobile command center needs 30 seconds to move at full speed, and by the time you can spell FIRE, the air team is already leaving the runway. Where is the fire? What is happening? Over there!! Let’s go!"

If you want to read the complete story and go behind the scenes visit the blog

But stay tuned because the story does not concludes here!

@theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[brickcentral]

It's story time at Brickcentral and we are proposing a new collab. We formed a group of photographers who had to choose sets from a selection belonging to a specific theme and we formed a group of photographers who had to choose sets from a selection belonging to a specific theme and build a single story or three distinct stories, but in any case, there should be something in common that could connect them in some way.

The theme chosen was part of what LEGO identify as Real Life Heroes and to be more specific, Firefighters!

We invited @johnreiley and @rennerbricks, along with a moderator which this time was @archiminibricks.

So here the first part of the story!

"Regular day

Apart from putting out fires and other heroic actions like rescuing cats from trees, firefighters also have ordinary days.

Days filled with all sorts of other responsibilities…or fooling around.

Maintenance, equipment, washing, tightening screws, pulling tires, or racing on the water–this is what it looks like when, fortunately, nothing is happening.

But when the alarm sounds…"

If you want to read the complete story and go behind the scenes visit the blog post And also please do check out their profiles where you'll find more excellent photography by each of them! But stay tuned because the story does not concludes here!

@theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[brickcentral]

AUGUST THEME: SEASONS

Time flies, it's August and much of the year is gone already. Not long ago the farmer has planted the vegetables, now he is attending to them to keep them alive during the summer heat and before you look again it's time for the harvest before the first snow falls.

To look back and ahead in the year, this month's theme is Seasons. Show us how the changing seasons affect a place and characters. In the summer we swim across the river with friends for a bet, and in the winter we drill holes in the same place and fish. In the spring, children launch homemade boats in a nearby ditch filled with melt water, and in the fall they jump into a pile of dry leaves there.

RULES

* Take at least two images showing the same place and same characters in different seasons

* You can use brick-built or DIY or real world environment or a combination of all

* There must be Lego minifigures in the frame

* New and old pictures are allowed

* Share your work on our Discord server (#monthly-theme channel)

* Multiple entries are welcome

* AI-generated images are not allowed!

The activity ends on 29th August, 23:59 CET

Enjoy the seasons change!

Guest mod: @storiesinbricks