“Basically, I love the whole workflow, when I spend hours of scenery building, setting up the lights, and watching how the whole thing works out,” says photographer Benedek Lampert in an interview with The Phoblographer. Although it may seem that he is actually addressing just any other genre of the medium, Lampert, in fact, is talking about a popularly practiced category of the medium: toy photography. Gaining prominence in the 1900s, toy photography today has evolved tenfold. And now, Lampert’s captivating characters and grand setup are poised to steal your hearts with their breathtaking LEGO photographs.
All images by Benedek Lampert. Used with permission. For more, please check out his website, and follow him on his Instagram @benedek.lampert. Additional inputs for the story by Chris Gampat.
The Iconic Shackleton Expedition Recreation
Benedek Lampert was 12 when he first began photography. “My father used to be a photographer,” he tells us. So, I had an inspiration in front of me, and I learned a lot from him. ” While he initially hoped to become “a nature photographer,” fate had something else in store for him. And now, 17 years later, Lampert pursues his former passion on hikes and trails.
One of the major driving forces for him to choose toy and miniature photography is “the endless opportunities” that allow him to “create any kind of world, even on a simple table.” Indeed, toy photography is one genre that allows one to run one’s imagination free. “I can change dimensions, and I am able to capture snowy mountains or deserts, Star Wars actions, or historical events while I am still in my studio room,” he shared with us.
One of the series that Benedek Lampert recently worked on is the LEGO Endurance Ship. The photos, which are black-and-white and in color, recreate key moments from the iconic 1915 Shackleton expedition. For the uninitiated, the Shackleton expedition was led by Ernest Shackleton and a team of British men who wanted to establish a base on Antarctica’s Weddell Sea coast. What happened next? The ship was stuck in ice, with Shackleton and his men having no way to inch closer to their goal or move back. Nine months went by, and gradually Endurance sunken to the bottom of the ocean.
Taking inspiration from this, Lampert’s photographs depict LEGO characters facing intense blizzards, which captures the essence of the harsh journey. The tilted frame, the scratches on the photos, and the LEGO characters looking at a distance with their heavy winter coats on only make the scene appear far more cinematic. In a way, one is learning of the past, but in a more relaxed and enjoyable way.
How Does He Create Them?
“At first, I always had to see things in my mind,” says Benedek Lampert about his process. The initial step, he adds, is about “sitting, thinking and fantasizing about the pictures.” Once that is out of the way, then comes the more challenging part: building the set and lighting it up. This may require him to light up the scene with different angles or add practical effects. Then, to capture his images, he uses a Nikon D750 with Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 and a Laowa 15mm wide macro lens. The reason he chooses the latter so often is its ability to give “a strong perspective effect”, and despite the fact that he focusing on a miniature object, In the end, the results appear quite lifelike. Then, on the edit table, Lampert will color grade the images or stack multiple pictures together when working on effects like explosions, fog, and snow storms.
But despite working as a toy photographer for eight years, there are still times when he says he can “screw up.” “There are many cases when I can’t solve something how I imagined before,” Lampert, who is an official LEGO photographer, adds. “Even if possible, I must restart the entire process from the beginning.” However, despite the challenges and shortcomings, he is glad is never gave up. “Toy photography is never boring because there are no limits. You can always do what you are interested in at that moment. History? Let’s recreate some iconic events! Are you a fan of a movie? Let’s create something from that world!”
Through his images, Benedek Lampert reminds us that photography, after all, is also about enriching our imagination and teaching us something critical. Toy photography, sometimes, can achieve this much better than other medium genres.
AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT
The Phoblographer works with human photographers to verify that they’ve actually created their work through shoots. These are done by providing us assets such as BTS captures, screenshots of post-production, extra photos from the shoot, etc. We do this to help our readers realize that this is authentically human work. Here’s what this photographer provided for us.
