Making a Splash in Toy Photography

As a toy photographer I am constantly experimenting with new techniques and effects — primarily practical effects, but I won’t hesitate to dive into some digital effects if it helps me tell a story and create the strongest image possible. Some of my more popular images include real liquid splashes, so I thought I’d share some of those images here.

I’ve also included behind the scenes photos showing my setups and how I created the splashes. But spoiler alert: every splash featured here was created by hitting the water with a blast of compressed air.

Although water splashes tend to be hard to control and predict, with practice I’ve learned that splashes can be manipulated and shaped to fit a specific situation or story. Because of a splash’s visual appeal, and how its presence can add movement to an image, I often think of splashes as additional characters in my photos.

Splashes have made their way into quite a few of my images, as well as into campaigns I’ve created for Mattel, Hot Wheels, Warner Bros, Virgin Media UK, and others.

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