I had an hour of ...

quiet time on Monday. 

Charlie and I headed to the woods with an idea in mind. Well, Charlie wanted to do dog stuff, like pee on all the trees.

I had discovered one of the Jason Christoble sculptures had been named Father Tree. While I was doing chores in the morning I thought.

Hmmm. Father Tree ----- >>>>>and I heard the chainsaws going in the distance and it hit me.

Princess Sara gets summoned to the Big Deep Forest by Father Tree. She has been busy gathering her fighting force to go rescue the Magical Dragon Egg from the nefarious Rock Monsters and other Evil Forces, but this sounded quite urgent.

The ride starts out through the lush green forest and...

they find themselves in an area that has been devastated...

[note...this is what occurs when Charlie helps. I didn't mind. He heard a large tree crash to the ground far off and decided that he needed to be next to me... Photo Bomb!]

The Princess and Joan of Knight meet with Father Tree....

Father Tree explains that he was neutral on the plight of the Dragons and the Mythical Egg until the Rock Monsters started killing his trees and causing cataclysmic damage to his forest.

His eyes glowed with displeasure. He was going to gather his Tree People to help Princess Sara and all of the Little Forest People.

[Well why not?]

So that is how my imagination works. I get stuck, I know where I want to go with a story. But I get distracted with other things.

Then something comes along that makes sense and adds to this never ending saga.

Princess Sara has heard of yet one more warrior she can get to help her in her Quest. He is said to have power over wild beasts. After meeting with Father Tree, she decides to seek him out.

[Thank you Aurora for the surprise once more in my mailbox!]

Princess Sara, the Dragon Quest

I'm thoroughly enjoying the process of following my toys and conjuring up a quest for Princess Sara. 

The greatest part is the absence of rules, allowing me to invent as I proceed. Do you recall the freedom of play as a child? We would take our toys and spontaneously craft stories without needing a structured plot.

I remember the trolls my sister and I cherished in our youth. We'd bring them outdoors, where they might be found constructing sandcastles one day or aboard my grandmother's boat the next, leaping from one escapade to another without a final destination.

The narratives didn't need to be logical; we were immersed in the play of the moment.

Adults always want a definitive beginning and a logical outline for a story. But the child's play is more inventive and creative with no bounds.

I find this holds true for Princess Sara's Quest. The Quest can veer in any direction, entwining countless subplots. I certainly didn't intend for it to be that way. But I follow where inspiration and imagination takes me without constraints.

The concept is to not dwell on the little details, but to relish the journey.

Below, the Rock Monsters have absconded with the Magical Dragon Egg and are concealing it.

Emerald, the Forest Dragon, confers with a clan member, stressing the imperative to retrieve the Dragon Egg at all costs. The egg is believed to contain a dragon destined to bring peace to their kind and ensure their survival. However, not all clan members are persuaded.

Emerald is aware of the Rock Monsters' formidable magic and their merciless leader. Rumors suggest that the Little People hold the key to vanquishing the Rock Monsters.

Yet, trust in the Little People is scarce among Dragons, who have been hunted by them for ages.

Despite this, Emerald is certain of the legend's authenticity and thus seeks counsel from the wise ancient Dragon sage, Sago. [LOL, think Yoda??]

Sago summons the Wise Old Frog.

Together they will find the Little People and speak to them.

And so the Quest goes....

why not?

The Quest continues...

I am pretty lucky to live in a very remote area with a large tract of wild woods that surround us. I thought I'd take advantage of the overcast skies to take a hike and try out some more things I learned from doing a bit more research about Lego photography.

Below is my backpack that is a Kurgo backpack made specifically to carry a small dog. My dog said no. I put a camera bag insert into the 'pet area' years ago and this became my go to backpack.

I can carry water bottles, snacks, and all sort of other goodies in the other section of the backpack.

Old plastic sandwich meat containers are perfect for carrying Lego minifigs or pieces.

 

When I got to the creek, I set my pack down. Did I mention that it is made to sit up straight and that it has a rubber bottom on it? Perfect for setting down in damp places.

I wanted to test out an idea I'd seen a Lego Photographer use when trying to photograph Lego's in a puddle or stream. If you have ever tried it, the boats sink or tip over, the kayaks and canoes don't really float. I've stacked rocks up against Legos in the stream to keep them in place only to back off and get the shot ready...

and the Lego minfig tips over and floats away.

One person suggested hot gluing a piece of metal to the bottom of a Lego minifig stand. I tried that method and it worked well for a while. After bumping around in my backpack and being repositioned several times, the metal washer came off. But it was a fantastic solution and an easy thing to do.

I also took a flat 6 X 6 plate and stood a horse on it. The stream still wanted to pull on the horse, so I put some rocks on the plate to hold it in place. It worked like a charm.

Anyone who has ever ridden horses [or mules] knows that sometimes horses don't like streams or even shy away from puddles.

I imagine that Princess Sara's faithful steed, Ice, wouldn't want to cross the stream. Princess Sara had a tough time convincing Ice that it was OK to go in the water. She even waded into the stream to show him.

Apparently he had none of it until Joan of Knight rode her workhorse into the stream to show Ice that it wouldn't hurt him.

At this point, I was not using a tripod, but was standing in about 8 inches of water in a little pool in the creek. I had to squat down and get the camera close to the water. I felt something cold on my rear end and realized I'd squatted right into the creek.

[Yeah for CrossFit squats!]

Phew!

Princess Sara and Joan got across safely and continued on their Quest. The frog had said that they just needed to go into the forest and the Quest would make itself known to them.

The camera settings were pretty basic. I use an f stop so I could get both figures in focus. But I also set them in the same focal plane.

Getting low was the key. Very low. My hands were resting on top of the water and since I was wearing knee high waterproof muck boots my feet didn't get wet. But my rear end did!

The sky was cloudy so I was able to shoot without worrying too much about highlights on the minifigs.

Processing the shots were fairly straightforward, I have presets that I've developed for certain kinds of looks.

Stay tuned. The Princess and the Knight continued their Quest.

I am just following along.

What's up in Lego Land...

I did take some advantage of the snow before it melted. I was able to grab a shot in the woods of Princess Sara and Joan of Knight going on their Quest!

I think it is hilarious that Princess Sara carries her stick horse AND rides a beautiful white steed. Joan of Knight has a Lego Friends horse. I prefer just to think of Knight's horse as a draft. 

I am planning more of their Quest, but the weather has not cooperated much. I want to take Sara and Joan through the woods to find some really cool places for them to Quest at....
[Quest is NOT a verb, but I used it that way anyway]
I'm sure as I wander the forest aimlessly, their Quest will present itself to us.

This was shot with my Olympus E-M5 Mark III. Nothing special was done other than change the colors to a more 'blue' from the original.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Does anyone remember Frank the hapless Star Wars Storm Trooper? He is always trying  to impress his Snow Troopers.

He found a snowmobile and I think he was trying to show off to his troopers again. It never ends well. Will Frank ever learn?

It seems that one of the troopers was filming the whole thing!

Frank walks away as if nothing unusual happened.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I prefer, when I am able, to shoot outside if I can. 

When reading about 'doing Toy Photography' I absorb different articles regarding planning. Some folks draw out their plan. 
I'm a 'wing it' person especially when outside.
[But I may have figured out some cool-er things to do!]

I hiked by one of my favorite rocks and saw an opportunity to place a Huntress [shall we call her Hannah?] in a cozy spot on a rock outcrop.

I took the photo which was in complete and dark shade. So I used a flexible piece of white material to bounce light back onto her. This scene doesn't look like it, but I was standing in snow and the wind was blowing hard.

I added a brush to create the effect of the fire glowing.

Here is Hannah after she found a new campsite. She was told by a frog to camp in the woods until she met a Princess. She was joined by her pet rabbit, George.

What of Princess Sara and her faithful protector?

It looks like they are still wandering in the forest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wonder if these characters will come across the Brothers Odd. When we last saw them, I think they were trying to figure out how to stay warm all winter. 🤔

I guess anything could happen if a Frog sends you on a Quest.