...about lighting day 23 of his 2010 Advent calendar series, that is. I'm a big fan of lighting and presentation, and if you've ever seen Chris McVeigh's (AKA Powerpig) toy photography it doesn't disappoint.
Using a combination of shots and digital wizardry, Chris has used a 'masking' technique to blend elements together. The end result is a fantastically lit piece worthy of your yearly holiday cards. You can see the full description here.
Chris has a separate Flickr stream where he shares his photography set ups. You can also view his main Flickr page and buy stuff from his RedBubble store.
If you've ever considered trying your hand at digital photo manipulation, but have been turned off by the high price of expensive software packages, may I recommend looking into GIMP. Although the name evokes images of the movie 'Pulp Fiction' (as in 'bring out the...'), GIMP is a free, open-source software package that allows you to perform many of the same techniques as Photoshop provides. A quick download and a library card (for a how-to book) can get you on your way. Check out the GIMP website when you get a chance.
