eXtreme Action Shots of the Hulk vs. the Hulkbuster
Words by Dave DeBaeremaeker
Edited by Eryka Bagwell
"I live near the Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina, and often go for a leisurely drive on the weekends to relax, and do some exploring. Since I am a toy photographer, and I never know when inspiration will strike, I've adopted the habit of bringing along a couple action figures on these drives, so I have something to shoot if the muse starts calling. On this day I brought along a recently acquired Hulkbuster figure (From Avengers: Age Of Ultron), and an Incredible Hulk figure to go along with it.
"As chance would have it, I pulled off onto one of the many overlooks that dot the Blue Ridge Parkway and came across a fallen log that would be the perfect background for a scene of Hulk facing off against the Hulkbuster. I started by setting up the two figures in a dramatic pose, then set up my camera gear. Toy Photography requires a very low camera angle, and the Platypod eXtreme is the perfect platform to keep my camera low to the ground, and steady as a rock. Sometimes I mount my camera directly onto the Platypod eXtreme using just the Platypod Disc as a spacer to get down super low. However, in this case the figures were slightly larger than normal so I opted to use the Benro IN00 Ballhead to raise my camera up a little farther from the ground. Toy Photography is a game of millimeters, and having the flexibility of using a BallHead, or not, is a handy feature.
"Once I had my camera set up, and the figures ready to go, I felt the image needed more energy. I grabbed some dirt from the ground, and tossed it at the figures with one hand, while pressing the shutter with the other. This allowed me to get some flying dirt and debris into the shot. That was the final piece of the puzzle to bring these figures to life."
Be sure to visit both Dave's website (by clicking here) and also his YouTube channel where you can see more tips/tricks about how he captures his images, his studio setup, post work and more! To purchase the products that Dave used for this shoot visit our website to Shop all Products.
