At the beginning of this year, our team at MiniZoo decided to start taking photos to feature the products we sell. Not just easy pictures like, ‘this is what the product looks like in my hand, so you can see the size of it’ kind of pictures, but awesome, ‘I want to click into that and maybe even save it to my phone’ kind of photos. It started as another job for me, but has now become a personal hobby and something I love doing for the business.

I started with picking up an animal or two, heading out the back, and taking photos of it on the grass, or in a tree. They were effective, but not realistic. Here's one from my very first photo shoot:

This Octopus picture got reposted by Safari Ltd on Instagram, but what kind of octopus chills on dry rocks? I don't even know what I was thinking. How come a cool figure on it’s own can’t make a cool photo?

It’s all about realism.

My stats and feedback come from our Instagram account (click here if you’d like to follow). One thing I now notice is that the posts with the most ‘likes’ are the ones that look real. So, here's one of my more recent photos:

Notice any difference? Do you feel like clicking on them to see more? Why? Because they look realistic. (Or at least my Instagram followers said they did :P)

Now, I am in no way a photography expert, but I just wanted to share what I feel worked for me, so hopefully, it will work for you too.

Five simple steps to more realistic photography:

1. Plan ahead: My number one advice to anyone wanting to get realistic photographs of their toy figurines: Plan it. Ask yourself: Where am I going to go? What kind of real animals would I find at that location? What is going to be in the background? The photo shoots I plan give me better photographs, which produce more comments and ‘likes’ on Instagram. That kind of social media engagement tells me, "these are your best photographs", and pushes me to plan more, and perform better every time. My planning process involves sitting down, choosing a location, researching what animals are found in that location and picking out the best figures that will interpret the real photos I find of my chosen animals. When you take the time to plan, you will have a better understanding of what you want your photos to turn out like, and result in you striving for that level of realism.

2. Know how to use your camera: This goes hand in hand with planning ahead. When I started taking photographs, I only used the 'Auto' setting on my Canon 70D. I would get frustrated when the lens didn't focus on the small figure, and when the background wasn't as blurry as I wanted it to be. One day, I sat down and researched how to use the settings on my camera. I now know how to use my aperture, manual focus, shutter speed and IOS. I feel much more confident in my ability and it has improved my photography a lot! See this blog which I read to give me a better understanding of basic camera knowledge.

3. Think about the angle: The kind of angle you use for a photograph can really set the tone for it, and make it seem realistic or not. See my seagull photo, for example. The bird looks like it is flying high because I shot the photo from a low angle, making the Schleich seagull look bigger and therefore, more realistic. Shooting from a high angle (above) can make the figure look smaller. This type of angle is ideal for photographing insect and lizard figures, but not so much an elephant or horse toy. Eye level gives the impression that you, as a viewer, are on the same level as the subject. As long as your background is suitable and aperture level is set right, this angle can make a small figure look life sized. If this means lying down on the dirt, or getting wet pants at the beach, then put on some daggy clothes and go do it. Your photos will thank you.

4. Get people figures involved: People like animals, but what they LOVE is being with an animal. Therefore, realistic photos of a toy person with a toy animal can leave a personal touch and give viewers a connection with that image. This is something I haven’t done a lot of in the past, but as some of my most 'liked’ photos on Instagram feature people figurines, I will certainly be planning to use them for my next few shoots!

5. Edit: A little tweaking of your photograph can make the biggest difference to your end image. They can be simple changes, like adjusting the lighting and sharpness of a photo, or they can be more advanced, like adding light trails to make the figure look like it is running (See my photo of the Safari Ltd Cheetah). Most of my photos are edited with PicMonkey. It is a free online software with tons of effects for your photos. I use the paid version of PicMonkey, so I have access to more filters and effects, but there are some great free ones too. Try broken shapes, focal soften, water and light trails. You can do a lot with these! Read the PicMonkey tutorials here to help you.

So there you have it! Five simple steps to better outdoor toy photography. I hope you learnt something new and can apply these to your own photo shoots. Be sure to tag us (@mini.zoo) on Instagram to show me how you’ve used my advice!

I know I still have a lot to learn, so if you have any tips on how I can improve even further, make sure to leave a comment or email me at social@minizoo.com.au .

Can’t wait to hear from you!