Skip to main content

Fashion photographer finds toy camera challenging to use, but not impossible

A good way to test your skill as a photographer is to see how well your pictures come out if you use low-grade equipment, like, perhaps, a Japanese toy camera made for toddlers. Because photography isn’t just about what you use, it’s how you use it, and that is what fashion photographer Lara Jade did in Hong Kong as part of DigitalRev TV’s Cheap Camera Challenge.

During a six-hour layover in Hong Kong, Jade, a New York City-based photographer who shoots for global clients, was challenged to capture couture fashion models with the An Pan Man (アンパンマン, for those who read Japanese) 0.3-megapixel camera, a toy camera based off of a cartoon character with a bread bun for a head; it is the kind of thing you might find for cheap at a Toys R Us in Asia.

Recommended Videos

She was allowed to dress up the models with expensive clothes and makeup, and came up with nine photos of three different looks within the short amount of time in Hong Kong. She did use AlienSkin Exposure 7 to “process the tones” of the photos, so what you see is not just the work of the camera. In two of the photos she shot through a drinking glass for a mild warping effect.

Jade’s thoughts on using the An Pan Man? “Never trust cameras that need AA batteries,” and she disliked “the tiny viewfinder [as well as] the fact that it wanted to compliment the models in Japanese before it even took the shot.” The shutter had about a three-second lag after pushing the button (in order to compliment the subject first, of course.) Her strategy composed of making what was outside of the camera as good as possible, “[relying] on the team and model to inspire me throughout the shoot.” She focused on making the model striking against the background, whether by compliment or contrast. Jade’s final thoughts were that she “had a great time, great experience, it took me back to my roots as a photographer, and also reminded me what it is to take a great image.”

Cody Brooks
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Cody Brooks has written on a variety of topics that address everything from political troubles overseas to who's who of the…
New Canon EOS R50 V could be the vlogger camera of the year
Canon EOS R50 V

Canon has just unveiled its new EOS R50 V as what could be the ultimate vlogging camera for creators.

Following the Canon EOS R50, this upgrade uses a V as it's all about the video extras. While you still get that premium mirrorless camera setup, now this also pulls in some of the great video features from the PowerShot V1.

Read more
Earth takes on ‘eyeball’ vibes from space
Our planet as viewed through the space station's seven-window Cupola module.

The blue marble and the blue planet are both well-known descriptions of the rock that is our home. But “Earthly eyeball”? That’s a new one.

But when viewed through the International Space Station’s Cupola module, that’s exactly how it looks -- according to NASA astronaut Don Pettit.

Read more
Fujifilm’s new Instax mini 41 offers more instant-print fun
Fujifilm's Instax mini 41 instant-print camera.

Fujifilm has just dropped the latest addition to the Instax instant-print family of cameras. 

The Instax mini 41 is an update on the four-year-old Instax mini 40, bringing with it a sleeker look and new features to ensure you don’t waste a single sheet of the photographic paper that you pop in the back. 

Read more