How I Got the Shot - Spencer Witt
Welcome to our How I Got The Shot series! Here we go behind the lens of photographers and videographers around the world to find out how they used their Litra gear to capture an amazing shot, sometimes in the most unexpected situations. Below we hear from Spencer Witt on how he captured these awesome photos that show his versatility as a photographer!
STAR WARS
The Inspiration
This year was the 40th anniversary of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (which is my favorite Star Wars movie). Some of my favorite characters from Star Wars are the Bounty Hunters. Even though they don’t have much screen time, their designs, costumes, mystery, etc., just made them the coolest characters. I wanted to recreate the scene where Darth Vader meets the bounty hunters and recruits them to find Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon. This is one of my more elaborate set ups using many figures to fill out the scene to recreate it. I love toy photography as an art form, as there are so many styles and things to do with it, whether it be recreating scenes from movies, comic books, or coming up with original ideas to tell new stories.
The Set Up
1. The action figures are all from Hasbro’s Star Wars The Black Series line
2. The diorama is set pieces made by GTP Toys
3. Lights are 4 Litra Torches and one Litra Pro with the soft box
4. Camera: Sony a7ii
5. Lens: 50mm f2.8 macro lens
6. Tripod: MeFOTO Road Trip Travel Tripod
BATMAN
The Inspiration
Ever since I was little, Batman has always been my favorite comic book character. For this shot, I wanted to recreate the iconic opening sequence from Batman the Animated Series (which is also one of the best iterations of Batman). Batman is one of my favorite characters to shoot. I wanted to showcase the iconic brooding over the city with the flowing cape and silhouette.
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The Set Up
1. The Batman figure is created by MezcoToyz, called the Sovereign Knight edition. The cape and shorts are custom, made by an artist on Instagram
2. The Bat signal is also an accessory made by MezcoToyz
3. The city is a diorama display made by Neca Toys.
4. The background is foam core background, found at most hobby shops, I just have red lights (from the Litra Torches) shining on it
5. Lights are 4 Litra Torches and one Litra Pro with the soft box
6. Camera: Sony a7ii
7. Lens: 50mm f2.8 macro lens
8. Tripod: MeFOTO Road Trip Travel Tripod
For anyone wanting to try out or experiment with toy photography, my advice is to have fun and be creative! Experiment and try new techniques you haven’t tried before, as that is how you will develop as a photographer. I love toy photography because there are infinite stories to tell with so many characters. If you ever have any questions or would like to talk about toy photography, I am happy to talk!
