Toy Stories – The Wombles
Icons of British children’s TV, The Wombles.
Icons of British children’s TV, The Wombles.
Sarah was the second model for the shoot with the new Pentax K3. Although it was a cold wintry day, she brought a warm summer glow to the image, and a simple desk fan was all we needed to get her hair in flight.
The new K3 digital SLR camera just arrived from Pentax, and I’ve been asked to shoot some images for an exhibition next year. Thought I’d start with some shots in the studio, so invited over makeup artist Summer Johnson along with Brylee, Sarah, Tomoko and Yuki to see what we could create. Camera: Pentax K3 Lens: Pentax smc DA* 55mm 1:1.4 SDM Lighting – White background. Octabox as main light, medium size softbox low as fill both powered by Profoto Pro-7a. Two profoto compacts aimed at backgound . Strobes triggered with PocketWizards. If you’d like to see a full resolution file of this image then I’ve put one up on Flickr. As you can see, you don’t have to have a full frame sensor to produce images with great detail and natural gradations in tone.
Matchbox die-cast cars made by Lesney Products were produced from 1953 in the United Kingdom. The earliest models were distributed by Moko (as shown on the center box), and they usually lacked windows and interiors. By the end of the 1960s Matchbox would be the most popular brand of toy cars in the world.
I met Alexis a few weeks ago when her mother, Molly, participated in a couple of my photography workshops. Along with the product shots of classic toys, I thought it would be fantastic to get some images of the toys being played with, and I knew exactly who to ask.
There are four can sizes for Coca-Cola in Japan. The standard can is 350ml and usually sells for around 120 yen (US$1.20). Interestingly, the 500ml can has 150ml free so is the same price, but they are often sold side by side. On the platforms for bullet trains, coke is sold in the slimline 250ml cans at, you’ve guessed it, 120 yen. The 160ml mini cans are available in some supermarkets for around 60 yen. Mini cans are clearly an excellent choice allowing you to save money, reduce calories, and pretend you’re Andre the Giant.
While working on this project to photograph classic toys it’s been interesting learning about how something as simple as the die-cast car evolved. The market was first dominated by British brands like Dinky, Matchbox, and Corgi. Then in 1968 Mattel introduced Hot Wheels, which made the cars from the other side of the pond look literally dull. Spectraflame paintwork was created by applying transparent lacquer to a polished zinc plated casting. The eye-catching result was unlike anything done previously. Beauty, however, was fleeting. In 1973, due to issues with lead paint, the lacquer based Spectraflame was replaced by enamel.
Another toy icon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figure Leonardo (1988) by Playmates.
If you’d like to give one of my prints as a Christmas gift, then the deadline for ordering is December 15th. Worldwide express shipping with tracking is fast, reliable, and included in the price, but I like to have 10 days as the postal services around the world can get a little busy during the holiday season. Check out all the prints available on the TRAVEL67 website. There are three new prints also available: Shuri Castle, Torii & Lantern, Cape Manza. They are not up on the website yet, but if you’d like to order one of these just send me a message and I’ll be in touch.
Another addition to a project on iconic toys. He-Man and Battle Cat action figures by Mattel 1982.