brickcentral

[brickcentral]

❤️ FEATURE: @dylamorka

Hello, friends!

Today, I want to show you this picture from @dylamorka . The title of the picture is "A new year, a new path?" Look the symmetric lines. Everything is perfectly lined up. We can see one different tile of the sidewalk so that it looks more interesting to the eyes. The minifigure is positioned in the beginning of the crosswalk, and as the title says, perhaps this is a new path or journey he's just beginning. While walking, he's holding a big bouquet. Where could he be going? The big red bouquet of roses is a sign of courage and joy among the grey road. Let's hope this guy finds what's he's looking for, and the smile on his face never fades away🙂

Thank you for sharing your picture with us, @dylamorka

If you want to have the chance to be featured, you're wellcome to our Discord channel and add photos to the dedicated photo-feed channel 📷

See you soon,

- @toy-story-yana ,mod

#lego #lego photography #brickcentral #afol #toy photography #legophotography #toyphotography #minifigures

[brickcentral]

TIPS 📸: Camera Basics - Aperture

Welcome to part three of the monthly tips article! This month we will be looking at the basics of a camera and we will continue with the aperture. 

The aperture of a camera is a crucial setting that controls the amount of light that reaches the image sensor. It is indicated by an aperture symbol (e.g. f/2.8, f/4, f/8, etc.) and is one of the three main factors that influence the exposure of an image, along with ISO sensitivity and shutter speed.

The aperture is represented by a series of numbers such as f/1.4, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6 etc., where a smaller number means a larger aperture. A large aperture (e.g. f/1.4) lets in a lot of light and results in a shallow depth of field. This means that the main subject is sharp, while the background or foreground is blurred. This effect is often used for portraits or artistic shots to make the subject stand out from the background.

On the other hand, a small aperture (e.g. f/16) lets in less light and creates a greater depth of field. This means that both the subject and the background are sharp. Small apertures are often used in landscape photography to achieve a clear focus from foreground to background.

The depth of field created by a large aperture is often referred to as "bokeh". Bokeh refers to the aesthetic quality effect in the out-of-focus area of an image. The shape of the bokeh depends on the shape and number of aperture blades in the lens design. Round or hexagonal aperture blades typically produce soft, pleasing bokeh, while multi-edged shapes can result in irregular bokeh.

Overall, control over the aperture opening allows the photographer to not only control the exposure, but also to creatively shape the image by controlling the depth of field and the aesthetics of the bokeh. It is important to use the aperture selection consciously in order to achieve the desired photographic results.

If you're interested in more details and tips, have a look at @takebettertoyphotos there you'll find great instructions and articles about it!

See you soon! @joschka-vanderlucht

#lego #lego photography #brickcentral #afol #toy photography #photography tips

[brickcentral]

❤️ FEATURE: paps.bricks

Hello, friends!

I want to show you a photo that shows the beginning of an adventure. I really like this picture of paps.bricks. The build has a lot of details in it. Look at the ship in a bottle on the left, the ceiling, the festive food, the barrels in the foreground that add more depth to the picture. You feel like you're there. I like the light and atmosphere here. It feels cozy and captures the spirit of the time. The two pirates are standing behind a table and are looking at a map. In order to find the next treasure, they have to visit a dangerous place, as we can see from the guy's reaction, but the woman beside him is pretty confident they will go and take that gold! 🪙

Thank you for sharing your picture with us, paps.bricks! 🏴‍☠️

If you want to have the chance to be featured, you're wellcome to our Discord channel and add photos to the dedicated photo-feed channel 📷

See you soon,

- @toy-story-yana , mod

#lego #lego photography #brickcentral #afol #toy photography #legophotography #toyphotography #minifigures #lego pirates

[brickcentral]

APRIL THEME:Music in me

April is ending and I got the last reminder of our theme for this month. “Music in me” is the main topic for this month. A lot of you submitted great examples that you are feeling the vibe, thank you all for that. 

This little fella definitely has music in his heart, no hard day at work, no task too difficult, no fish too heavy, no distance too long. Just doing his thing all day long singing his song you think “one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish” or “How much is the fish”? Anyway music in him is for sure.

6 days left to enter. I am really hoping for your photos, go to our discord and you can easily find the channel for the theme. Leave your work there and that's it. Simple as fis…i mean as that

Rules: 

🎵New and old photos are allowed

🎵 It will be great to build something with Lego parts, but this is not a requirement

🎵 Only place to submit your photos is on Discord server in dedicated  theme-channel

🎵 Multiple entries are allowed

🎵 AI-generated? no no no 

Activity ends on April 28th, at 21:00 CET.

Can’t wait for your work !

@archiminibricks Activity Mod

#brickcentral #brickcentral theme #music in me

[brickcentral]

❤️ FEATURE: @skabram.builds

Hello, friends!

If you want to have the chance to be featured, you're wellcome to our Discord channel and add photos to the dedicated photo-feed channel 📷

Look what @skabram.builds found in the wild! A Bullfinch. This little bird is well camouflaged in some colorful branches. The bird is peacefully standing on a thin twig, trying to cover up itself with the surroundings, and it turned out great. I really like how the colors of the bird match the colors of the flowering tree. We can see a few flowers in the foreground, more in the background, combined with a little darker color of the green leaves, and the bird is in the middle. This gives more depth to the photo, and we can focus on the Bullfinch. The build is simple, clean, and looks just like the real bird. I really enjoy looking at this picture. It makes me feel calm and free like this little bird!

Wonderful build and photo, @skabram.builds! 🐦

If you want to have the chance to be featured, you're wellcome to our Discord channel and add photos to the dedicated photo-feed channel 📷

See you soon,

- @toy-story-yana , mod

#lego photography #lego #brickcentral #afol #toy photography #legophotography #toyphotography

[brickcentral]

TIPS 📸: Camera Basics - Shutter Speed

Welcome to part three of the monthly tips article! This month we will be looking at the basics of a camera and we will continue with shutter speed. 

The shutter speed is a crucial setting on cameras that determines the duration for which the image sensor is exposed to light. It is specified in seconds or fractions of a second, e.g. 1/500s or 2s.

The shutter speed significantly influences the brightness and exposure of an image. The slower the shutter speed, the more light reaches the sensor and the brighter the image. A faster shutter speed reduces the amount of light and makes the image darker. An example of this can be seen in the first image. There I have taken a scene with different shutter speeds under the same conditions, the influence on the brightness is clearly recognisable.

The shutter speed also has a strong influence on the motion blur in the image. A fast shutter speed (e.g. 1/1000s or faster) freezes movement and ensures sharp images of fast-moving subjects such as athletes or flying birds. This can be seen in image 2, where I had a small motorbike ride through the scene and captured this with different shutter speeds. 

On the other hand, a slow shutter speed (e.g. 1/30s or slower) can blur movement, resulting in artistic effects such as the "flowing" waterfall or "blurring" traffic in night shots.

Alongside aperture and ISO sensitivity, shutter speed is one of the three main methods of influencing the brightness of an image. Together, these three parameters form the so-called exposure triangle. By specifically adjusting the shutter speed, the photographer can control the brightness of the image and at the same time achieve the desired effects in terms of movement.

See you next week for the last part of this month. @joschka-vanderlucht

#lego #lego photography #brickcentral #afol #toy photography #photography tips

[brickcentral]

Hello community!

We've asked to our spotlighted artist edgy_mando to provide an exclusive picture for @brickcentral along with some insights on how he made it, and here's what he have to say:

"For the exclusive photo, I decided to create something that is close to me lately - the Castle theme.

I chose a brave knight who is fighting a dragon. I wanted the shot to be very cinematic, my idea was to place the characters of this photo in a dark dungeon surrounded by flames.

The photo was taken in a dark room for a better result. I used two lights - one neutral, the other orange, which allowed me to achieve the effect of being heated by the flames.

The biggest challenge was to get the perfect shadows that would bring some dark mood to the photo. Placing a box in front of one of the lights allowed me to get an additional shadow on the scene. I wanted to show the determination on the knight's face and his sneaking pose.

The dragon searching for its prey is surrounded by columns that I made from gray bricks. I used dark gravel for the base and black paper card for the background.

Finally, after minor retouching and color correction, I added sparks texture in Photoshop, making the photo more exciting."

Thanks for all the insights edgy_mando! If you want to read this artist profile, head to our blog at https://brickentral.net/ - @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

#lego #lego photography #brickcentral #afol #toy photography #legophotography #toyphotography #minifigures #photography tips #brickcentral member #lego bts #behind the scenes #lego behind the scenes

[brickcentral]

🤩 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: edgy_mando Hello everyone! It's time to direct the spotlight toward our community members, and today we will get to know better edgy_mando!

"My name is Patryk, known as Edgy_Mando. I’m from Poland and I am a 90s kid. During the day, I work as a graphic designer and in my free time I am a LEGO freak.

LEGO was my favorite toy in childhood. I received my first sets from my grandfather, who initiated my passion to bricks. Back then, we loved building the first Pirates and Castle sets together. I have many wonderful memories from those times.

My return to LEGO happened two years ago. As a huge Star Wars fan, I stumbled upon the Razor Crest set from Mandalorian in a store and fell in love with it. I thought, why not buy and build it? Since then, I have started collecting LEGO again and have been enjoying myself. Additionally, I have always admired toy photography by other creators.

I decided to join this community by actively managing Instagram and regularly taking photos of scenes I come up with.

At first, my photos focused only on Star Wars, but I quickly realized that it limits my creativity, and I wanted something more. In my gallery, you can find photos from Pirates, Castle, City, Marvel, and my own imagined universes. Currently, I enjoy photographing the amazing world of Castle and the daily life of City residents.

Most of my photos are taken at home. I feel the most freedom in creating when I can calmly analyze and set up everything I need in my own space. A big advantage is the control over the light and the possibility to create my own scenery using elements such as sand, gravel, moss, artificial grass, etc.

Equipment I use is a Xiaomi Mi Note 10 smartphone as my camera, RGB LED lights, a tripod, and paper cards for light reflection. As for editing software, Lightroom helps me with color correction, while Photoshop is used for retouching (removing dust and unwanted scratches on a minifigures).

I try to make my photos as natural as possible, but as a graphic designer, I sometimes add minor special effects, mainly in themes like Star Wars (lightsabers, blaster shots, etc.).

I find ideas for photos everywhere! From my everyday life and surroundings, which I use in the City series, to pop culture, movies, games, or even art, which allows me to create my own themes. I have plenty of ideas, and when I decide one, I build MOC (My Own Construction), set up scenes, and turn on the lights to realize my shot as it looks in my mind."

Thank you for accepting our invitation and let the community knows you better!

If you want some insights on the exclusive picture and for a better view of the others, head to our blog at https://brickentral.net/.

- @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

#toy photography #legophotography #lego #lego photography #brickcentral #afol #toyphotography #minifigures #photography tips #brickcentral member #brickcentral artist #brickcentral artist spotlight #artist profile #artist spotlight

[brickcentral]

APRILE THEME:Music in me

Did you find music in you this month or not yet? If not, I hope this little reminder is gonna be helpful.

It is so hard to share two or more passions, you love karate and working hard to get 9Th dan but your arriba soul is also very strong. Karate practices are on monday/friday and mariachi singing on thursday and wednesday. But wait, what day is today?

Music in me, that is this month's theme, I am waiting for photos that have this flow and make you wanna sing. So put your Mexican hat on and let the rhythm guide you. 

Rules: 

🎵New and old photos are allowed

🎵 It will be great to build something with Lego parts, but this is not a requirement

🎵 Only place to submit your photos is on Discord server in dedicated  theme-channel

🎵 Multiple entries are allowed

🎵 AI-generated? no no no 

Activity ends on April 28th, at 21:00 CET.

Can’t wait for your work !

@archiminibricks Activity Mod

#brickcentral theme #brickcentral #music in me

[brickcentral]

❤️ FEATURE: @toy._stories

Hello, friends!

Today, I want to take you directly to the weekend with this picture from @toy._stories . The rafting season is opened! Look at these two having a great time with their yellow boat. We can see by their expressions that they are pleased and in the same way focused on what comes right behind the next turn. I really like that they are in a frame between the rocks on the right and a greenery on the left. This brings attention to the main subject. The boat is tilted a bit, and it shows movement, so the seemingly calm waters may not be entirely calm. Hope they have a safe and fun experience till the end 🛶

Thank you for sharing your picture with us! It made me want to be there and share their fun :) Now jump into the weekend and have fun yourself! 

If you would like to have the chance to be featured, you're wellcome to our Discord channel and add photos to the dedicated photo-feed channel

See you soon,

- @toy-story-yana , mod

#lego #lego photography #brickcentral #afol #toy photography #legophotography #toyphotography #minifigures

[brickcentral]

TIPS: Camera Settings - ISO

Welcome to part two of the monthly tips article! This month we will be looking at the basics of a camera and we will continue with ISO.

The ISO setting on a camera describes the light sensitivity of the sensor. Typically, ISO values range from 100 to 64,000 or even higher, depending on the camera model. There are also rarer settings below 100, which are intended for very well-lit environments. Figure 1 illustrates this quite well. This picture was taken under the same lighting conditions, only the ISO value was changed.

The relationship between ISO and sensor sensitivity is direct: the higher the ISO value, the more sensitive the sensor becomes to light. This means that with higher ISO settings, usable images can still be taken in low light. However, this has a disadvantage: higher sensitivity leads to ISO noise, which appears as annoying grain or artifacts on the image. This can be clearly seen in image 2. The image on the left was taken at ISO100 and the image on the right at ISO32000.

To optimize the quality of the images, the ISO should be kept as low as possible, especially in well-lit environments. Low ISO values mean less noise and better overall image quality. Nevertheless, a noisy image is always better than no (or a blurred) image!

When editing RAW images, the noise caused by high ISO values can be partially corrected. By using image editing software, you can reduce noise while maintaining other aspects of image quality. This can be seen in image 3, where I took an image at ISO32000 and post-processed it using Adobe Lightroom.

Overall, the choice of ISO setting is an important decision that depends on the lighting conditions and the desired aesthetic effects. A conscious approach to the ISO setting can help to achieve optimal results and improve image quality.

See you next week! @joschka-vanderlucht

#lego #brickcentral #lego photography #afol #toy photography #photography tips

[brickcentral]

❤️ FEATURE: @storiesinbricks

Hello, friends!

Today, I want to show you a picture of an owl by @storiesinbricks . This cute owl is one of the builds from the 31154 Forest animals.  I really like the atmosphere here. Looks a bit mysterious with these warm and slightly desaturated colors. The subject is in focus, while the forest in the background is blurry, which further contributes to the secretive mood of the picture. I also like how the light between the branches of the trees turned into little white bokeh circles in the far distance so the owl can stand out. Owls can blend themselves with the surroundings and can camouflage easily. Imagine this: while you walk in a forest, you feel someone is watching you, and you see these these eyes staring at you. What would you do?

Thank you for sharing your picture with us, @storiesinbricks

If you would like to have the chance to be featured, you're welcome to our Discord and add photos to the dedicated photo-feed channel

See you soon,

- @toy-story-yana , mod

#lego #lego photography #brickcentral #toy photography #afol #legophotography #toyphotography

[brickcentral]

APRILE THEME:Music in me

Quick remainder of this month theme

Imagine these hard months and years spent in NASA training center, all this spins, 9G and all these breakfasts that end up… never mind. But you made it, you are an expert, you are going into the big unknown working with the best of the best. You got your plans with you and the rest of the crew… well got other priorities, Metallica, System of a Down, Blink 182. Space aint gonna go anywhere, right?  

Music in me, that is this month's theme, I am waiting for photos that have this flow and make you wanna sing… even in space. 

Rules: 

🎵New and old photos are allowed

🎵 It will be great to build something with Lego parts, but this is not a requirement

🎵 Only place to submit your photos is on Discord server in dedicated  theme-channel

🎵 Multiple entries are allowed

🎵 AI-generated? no no no 

Activity ends on April 28th, at 23:00 CET.

Can’t wait for your work !

@archiminibricks Activity Mod

#brickcentral #brickcentral theme #space #music in me

[brickcentral]

❤️ FEATURE: @brick_bait

Hello, friends!

For my first feature I picked this picture from @brick_bait. I saw it long time ago and somehow it stayed in my mind. There's something in it that grabbed me. I really like the atmosphere- foggy and mysterious. We can see the falconer is walking away from the light behind her towards the darker part of the picture. But danger awaits there. The look of her face shows self-confidence and the blue colors of the picture show reliability. We have no doubt our hero will pass the upcoming danger successfully. What do you think will happen? Will the falconer pass these mysterious beings and walk into lightness again?

Well done, @brick_bait!

If you want to have the chance to be featured, head to our Discord server and add a photo to the dedicated photo-feed channel.

See you soon,

- @toy-story-yana ,mod

#lego #lego photography #brickcentral #afol #legophotography #minifigures

[brickcentral]

TIPS: Camera Basics - White Balancing

Welcome to the monthly tips article! This month we will be looking at the basics of a camera and we will start with white balance.

Every light source has a different color, also called color temperature, and is measured in Kelvin (K). The lower the color temperature, the warmer (more yellowish) the light. Higher color temperatures are referred to as cold (bluish) light. Our daylight also has different temperatures depending on the time of day and the weather. During the course of the day, for example, the light temperature starts at around 8000K in the so-called daylight range and changes to 4500K, the so-called neutral white, by midday. Towards evening, the light becomes warmer and falls to around 1000K. In addition to the time of day, the weather also has an influence on the light temperature, e.g. on a cloudy day the light is significantly warmer than on a clear summer's day.

The white balance of a camera now aims to balance the light temperature so that the colors in a photo always look the same. You can see an example of this in image 2, where I have illuminated the same scene with light sources of different temperatures. The color chart in the background clearly shows the influence of the light temperature on the perception/imaging of the colors. A missing or incorrect white balance can therefore lead to color distortion. It is therefore important to carry out a correct white balance. All cameras actually carry out a white balance automatically, but this is not always correct, so this should always be checked. Almost every image editing software offers the option of setting a white balance.

In image 3, I have carried out a white balance for each of the four images and noted the respective temperature on the images. As you can see, the colors now look almost the same on all the images, despite the different light sources.

The white balance and the knowledge of the different light temperatures over the course of the day can of course also be used in reverse to artificially recreate the mood of a certain time of day. For example, after a correct white balance has been achieved, the color temperature of the image can be slightly reduced (i.e. warmer) to create an evening atmosphere.

See you next week for the next tip! @joschka-vanderlucht

#lego #lego photography #brickcentral #toy photography #afol #photography tips

[brickcentral]

APRIL THEME: Music in me

And it is April, in this month's theme  we're gonna go with the flow, keep with the vibe, bounce with the bass and gettin’ jiggy with it….

Is all about the “music in me”  this month... like with those 2 guys.

Bar is closed for a long long time, the party ended 8 hours ago and the bartender unplugged the speakers 7 hours ago, but who cares if you have “Music in me”... technically in us.  We got pink drinks, we got some space on the dance floor, we can screa… i mean sing as much we want. Janitor? What time is it? 

This month show us that music that is in you , karaoke? under shower singing? Heavy metal at 3 in the morning? collection of 1001 guitars? Late night banjo concert? - I can hear all of this already, and hope you do too. Create photographs that the main part of it is music in you.

Rules: 

🎵New and old photos are allowed

🎵 It will be great to build something with Lego parts, but this is not a requirement

🎵 Only place to submit your photos is on Discord server in dedicated  theme-channel

Here: BC Discord

🎵 Multiple entries are allowed 

🎵 AI-generated? no no no 

Activity ends on April 28th, at 21:00 CET.

Can’t wait for your work !

@archiminibricks Activity Mod

#brickcentral #brickcentral theme #music #music in me

[brickcentral]

Thanks everyone for all the photos you've posted in for March's theme "SHOT IN TINY"! It was a blast looking through each one, learned a ton, and boy, picking the winners was tough. There were just so many awesome shots. But, I ended up choosing two photos that brought tiny minifigs into the real world as winners.

My first winner is @stories_in_bricks. The top-down composition and the vibrant colors of just the minifigs were great, but what really got me was seeing the minifig and human footprints side by side. There's this cool contrast in the size and texture of the footprints, but the coolest part? Both sets of footprints are heading in the same direction! It's a great idea that not only highlights the minifig's tininess but also carries a deep philosophical message that even those with different strides can walk the same path. Pretty amazing!

The second winner is @rennerbricks. They're super tiny and standing in the shadows, but somehow, our eyes are just drawn to these two. The way the light and shadow play off the minifigs' outlines, paired with the beautifully blurred street in the background, strikes a balance that makes you wonder if maybe, just maybe, there are minifig travelers on the ordinary roads around us. Congrats!

Keep an eye out for the upcoming community vote nominations!

Mods, @brickanywhere