It must be nice

Toxic envy in the toy photography community and what to do about it

Aug 12, 2024

Social media makes it easy for regular folk to fall into the comparison game, and when they do, envy soon follows.

That can manifest as a toxic comment in a feed or chat, sometimes pointed, but most commonly as the passive-aggressive “must be nice”.

“Must be nice” is a phrase used to make someone feel ashamed or guilty for their achievements, access, or property. It implies that the person didn’t work for or doesn’t deserve any of those things. It’s meant to diminish.

In the toy photography community, I see this phrase tossed around about the usual topics of camera gear and toy collections, but also about things like time, weather, and surroundings.

A toy photographer I follow shoots these wonderful outdoor photos in nature with interesting concepts and thoughtful compositions. Still, all I ever hear about them in private chat is “It must be nice to have a backyard like that.”

Several years ago, when I had just hit my stride in LEGO photography and started posting my photos more often, I ended up being subtweeted with a “must be nice to have so much time on her hands” in an article.

More recently, I shared stunning photos of well-designed brick-built scenes made by a few LEGO photographers and I got “Well, it must be nice to have lots of bricks to build with.”

Must be nice to live where it’s not raining 9 months out of the year. Must be nice to have a little space for a studio. Must be nice to have time for your hobby.

Must-be-nicing is just a way to reframe the situation as an injustice to yourself. It’s much easier on the ego than to admit we’re envious or lack imagination.

Part of being a photographer is solving problems creatively. Being resourceful and inventive is part of the job.

Learn to shoot in wet conditions. Rainy photos are stunning and unusual to see!
Organize a storage box studio with lights, clamps, and props, and then use the lid as a surface. I did that when I didn’t have any space in my NYC apartment years ago.
Divide the shoot into prep, shoot, and edit over days so you don’t have to do everything in one session. I often create my minifigs days in advance, scout a location when I walk my dog, and then shoot and edit another time.

Instead of begrudging other toy photographers their toys, their gear, their time, their space, their location, or their resources, we should focus on the things we do have and get creative with them.

Know someone who needs to read this?

LEGO Photography News

I’ve been busy this month shooting the D&D Collectible Minifigures series for LEGO, reviewing lighting gear for my YouTube channel, and setting up several Stud Shooters community activities.

I’ve got a giveaway in the works but I haven’t figured out the mechanics yet. But this cute mime will be the prize:

Mime minifig from Build-a-Minifigure area

Keep your eye out for the announcement on my socials and Stud Shooters highlights!

On Assignment: Space Construction Mech

Startrev completed the second Stud Shooters On Assignment project and posted his LEGO photography series featuring the Space Construction Mech in “alien” environments the other day:

White Mountains in New Hampshire | startrev

The series includes 5 more photos and 3 BTS shots that you can view here.

The third On Assignment project is in the intake phase so if you are a LEGO photographer who’s interested in receiving a manageable LEGO set to shoot for Stud Shooters, drop by and join in!

Entries close on August 19, 2024 at 22:00 CET.

Adaptalux Studio review

Ben from Adaptalux sent me an Adaptalux Studio pack to play with a few weeks ago and I posted my review on my YouTube channel.

TL;DW I think it’s an impressive lighting system for LEGO photography. The Adaptalux Studio is a system made specifically for macro photography so it worked really well for the kind of subjects I shoot.

I’ll definitely shoot with this some more in the future since it’s got the precision and flexibility I’ve been looking for in lighting.