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Keeping those Star Wars collectibles in their original packaging increases their value over time, but it isn't much fun. They're toys, not collectibles, after all, and meant to be played with. Photographer Daniel Picard totally gets that, and has a ball with Figures & Statues.
For the last five years, Picard has taken his action figures out of their packages and thrown them into all kinds of funny situations. In this alternate universe, Darth Vader takes a canoe trip with Emperor Palpatine and R2-D2 is undone by a parking lot speed bump. A battle droid cannonballs into a pile of leaves, while a stormtrooper gets bored at his office job. Although Picard doesn't limit himself to the Star Wars universe–Batman, Superman, and the gang from The Avengers, among others—have enjoyed similar adventures. But there's something about that galaxy far, far away that captivates the imagination. "I love good characters and interesting stories. Star Wars happens to have both," he says.
It all started in 2010, when Picard wanted to make a photo of a balloon in a field but couldn't find a model. Ever resourceful, he used a toy robot instead. He loved the results and wondered what else he could do with toys. He happened upon Sideshow Collectibles and was flabbergasted to find his childhood heroes rendered in minute detail. It wasn't long before Star Wars and GI Joe characters started arriving at his door. "My collection grew to go along with the new stories I wanted to tell," Picard says. "I was essentially buying figures to be my actors and fill in the missing roles."
Most of the figurines are 1:6th scale, highly detailed and completely posable. At first glance, you'd swear these were highly dedicated cosplayers instead of plastic toys. But working with the miniatures is Picard's favorite part of the process. "Shooting people in costumes would take me way less time in the computer to create each scene, but my whole series is about the cool figures in my collection," he says.
Picard started shooting on location in his home in Ottawa, but quickly ran out of scenery he liked. He also found it annoying to lug around all his gear and a box of figurines and loose parts. Now, he shoots the figurines in his home studio and the scenery in locations ranging from Los Angeles to New York. Picard uses a Canon 5D Mark II with a wide angle zoom, mounted on a tripod so he can use small apertures and long exposures.
To create the final images, Picard layers the shot of the figurine and the shot of the background in Photoshop. If he shoots everything perfectly—ensuring the angles line up and proportions make sense—he doesn’t do much work in post. The hours add up when he’s doing something more complicated, like a stormtrooper making a snow angel. In that case, he photographed snow in his yard and painstakingly inserted the figurine.
When they're not on the job, Picard's collection of 70 or so figurines make their home in his office, relaxing inside LED-lit cabinets. He often gets ideas for shoots by simply staring at the collection, studying each figurine and sketching on his iPad. "The figures themselves inspire me to tell cool and funny stories about them," he says.
He published his first photo book this year, and plans on releasing another in the future. As long as the figurines keep inspiring him, Picard plans to keep making images. Knowing other people are inspired by them is rewarding too. "Reading that a parent had a great time with their child 'reading' my book while using their imagination to complete my scenes is amazing and is exactly what I wanted," he says.
