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Robert's photographic touch turns toys into vivid and enchanting worlds

- RICHARD VAN RENSBURG

DARTH Vader in the bathtub with a rubber ducky. A stormtrooper armed with a plunger, preparing to tackle a blocked sink. Surfers heading off to catch some waves at Surfer's Corner in Muizenberg, the iconic beach huts behind them and seagulls flying overhead.

All striking images, all the work of one guy from Hout Bay in Cape Town, who's taken the art of toy photography and turned it into a lot more than child's play. And it's all the result of an idea clicking into place.

Many of the scenes Robert Whitehead conjures up are created with Lego characters from Star Wars along with superheroes and action figures. He also features characters from Roblox and Minecraft along with animals, dinosaurs and aliens. Nothing is off limits when his creative juices start to flow.

Robert uses special lighting and other tricks, and anything from his studio and backyard to the beach - can become a set for one of his enchanting toy stories.

"When we go for a hike I'm always on the lookout for the perfect moss patch or rock for photo scenes," the 43-year-old father of two says.

The Muizenberg beach scene is one of his favourite shots. He suspended the seagulls by attaching them to thin wires and then removed the wires for the pic using Photoshop.

Robert started toy photography 10 years ago. At first, it was just a hobby but it's grown so much it's now his main job.

His clients include the American company Jazwares, which makes a wide range of toys, and the Lego company. Several of his photographs were included in the plastic brick maker's coffee table book, Lego in Focus: Explore the Miniature World of Lego Photography.

For Robert, making a living from toys is like being a kid again and he loves immersing himself in the wonderful world of play.

"I get a big kick out of making a toy look like it's not just a toy - like it's alive and running and jumping."