00:00Since the last few months we've all been stuck at home, so I started photographing my action
00:04figures and trying to create unique worlds out of them. Since most of us don't have access to a
00:09studio or professional gear, the challenge is basically to create at home with things you have
00:15around. Mostly like household objects.
00:45So for me my coping mechanism was to try and create something that brings me joy
01:11and that's how I naturally gravitated towards trying to photograph my childhood action figures
01:17and I thought maybe try and tell stories through these characters and try to create worlds out of
01:24them. So I wanted to create worlds for these action figures where they fit in seamlessly
01:29and it turned out that with so many restrictions that you cannot get out of the house,
01:34you cannot buy anything new. I just started looking at my household objects itself in a new way.
01:51My first image that I started off with was a joker image that I photographed inside my
01:59awaren and it turned out to be looking like a hallway, a metal indoor hallway
02:08and it kind of worked you know and so that was like an eye-opener that you know things like this
02:14can work. So then I realized with the right lighting and perspective,
02:18everyday objects can look like things completely different.
02:22Like my pc cabinet could look like a toned down building or my ac vent could look like a
02:29skyscraper or my insides of a oven could look like a prism or a room. So these were the kind of
02:39you know ideas that popped into my head and the more I started photographing, I think the better
02:45popped into my head and the more I started photographing, I think the better I got.
02:50So this was a process that I really really enjoyed. The whole aspect of problem solving
02:56like each and every image is a new challenge. That was something that really really pushed me.
03:01I chose joker for this image because of the articulation. I mounted the phone on my tripod.
03:09I used a steam iron to create all the smoke. Here is what my settings were for the shot.
03:15I combined four shots to get this as a particular starter. Now the challenge was to convert this
03:21scene into an underwater scene. I used a lot of water in this scene. I used a lot of water
03:27Now the challenge was to convert this scene into an underwater scene. So I had to create a surface
03:32with light coming through. To post this, I had to add realistic bubbles and then finally CC.
03:39I hope you enjoy the image.
03:40So I realized all I needed to do was look at things in a new perspective. Breaking down design
03:48rather than purpose. So everything around me, I need to look at it in an objective manner.
03:53So today I could create an ancient land in the desert with scorching sun and tomorrow I could be
03:59creating a city in the future which is flooded and there's a war happening.
04:08Once I have an idea that works, I try to storyboard them. Either draw it out or look
04:12for references that are similar to what I want to show. Once the look and feel is set,
04:17then we move on to looking for props. Now this can be the longest but usually is the most rewarding
04:24process which means you need to identify things that fit in well in your surrounding and do not
04:30take up too much attention yet they help you tell the story.
04:47Now that you've identified all the props that could potentially work, you need to set the camera
04:53in a particular angle that was already decided and then start placing these objects in a particular
04:58way. You can look through the camera to micro adjust everything. So from the camera angle itself,
05:04the image works. This process could take anything from half an hour to two days depending on the
05:10complexity of the shot. And last and the final part of this is photographing itself and this
05:16is probably the easiest part of the entire process. This could take anything from half
05:20an hour to two hours but then your image is ready to go.
05:36So I don't necessarily see these action figures as toys but characters that help me tell a fictional
05:44story and you know immerse a viewer just for some time from the chaos out there.
