'It's an adult way to play with my toys': Bringing action figures to life through toy photography
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What started as a hobby, has turned into a passion and a large online following, for Halifax toy photographer Matt Miller.
Matt Miller is serious about his toy collection, while have fun with it too.
Walking into the 44-year-old’s Halifax home is more like entering into a workroom, photography set, and toy shop, all in one. Every room is full of action figures from the 80s, tools, lighting equipment, and self-built dioramas.
“It's more of a workshop than it is a living space,” says Miller. “I tell people I have a studio that I sleep in.”
Front and centre in his living room is his latest project: A large toy jet suspended in the air with a light replicating the engine’s exhaust, a black backdrop, and a small humidifier below to simulate air. Surrounding the toy jet is lighting, a camera, and a laptop.
“This is the reissue of the 1983 HasLab G.I. Joe Skystriker,” explains Miller. “I have two of the originals, but this one is a little more modern.”
Those originals are kept, with their packing, on display in another room in the house.
Growing up in Falmouth, N.S., he always loved G.I. Joes, but over the past six years, Miller has grown an online following for his toy photography: taking pictures of the characters in action on a handmade set with practical effects, no computer animation.
