We are suckers for some good gore, especially when it’s well-composed, lit for maximum effect, and… molded entirely from plastics. Toy photography opens up whole new realms of possibility when it comes to staging scenes, and bringing a single frame to life in a way that tells a whole story. We’re shining the spotlight on some of our favorite toy photographers and getting to know the creeps behind the lens. Today we’re kicking it off with artist Derek Travis AKA D13.
What inspired you to get into photographing horror toys?
I always wanted to work in horror movies creating splatter effects but it didn’t work out. So around seven or eight years ago on Facebook, I ran across some pictures of Star Wars scenes created with action figures. I instantly got to thinking that maybe I could create my favorite horror movie scenes and those splatters that I always wanted to do. So I tried it and was instantly hooked!
Do you have anything on your to-do list that you’re excited to photograph? Either a specific collectible, a certain setup or something that is special to you for one reason or another?
As a matter of fact I do. My favorite horror franchise is Friday the 13th and my favorite action figure is Jason Junior. I’ve always wanted to see a prequel or some kind of backstory dealing with Jason‘s childhood, so my hope is to create a comic book using toy shots made from several different camp setups. I plan to include a forest, several different cabins, a Crystal Lake, and too many blood effects to count to tell the story.
Check out some of Derek’s favorite shots below along with a little peek as to how these scenes were brought to life.
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood is my favorite out of the franchise. One of my favorite scenes is when Tina tries to electrocute Jason with a power line. While he’s standing in a mud puddle. I didn’t want to use water so I used different colored dirts to show the wet area, the roots are from a poison oak vine which I am highly allergic to, but I loved all the little details on it. That was all lit up by five LED panel lights.
One of the most insanely impressive kills I’ve seen in a while took place on SyFy’s Chucky TV series. Chucky vomited on an electric wire to electrocute his victim. Blew my mind, had to try it! I made the vomit out of polymer clay dripped with hot glue, with an overall dry rush paint job. I used a small battery pack of string LED lights in the back to create a power box popping effect, set in motion by capturing vape vapors at the right time for an overall burning smoky atmosphere. So much putrid fun!
I’ve tried a lot of different splattering techniques and found that a combination of several makes for the best full effect. In this shot with Victor Crowley, I used painted hot glue on the severed head and around the cuts on the victim’s body, wherever I wanted permanent noticeable drips. Then I ripped up tiny pieces of toilet tissue and soaked them in stage blood, stuffing them in the stomach area to create mangled entrails, and laid the whole mess on liquid polymer clay pool spots that I baked in the oven. Finally finishing it with a paintbrush and stage blood on the hatchet and overall splatter of the body and decapitated head.
Check out more of Derek’s work on Instagram @derekthe13th
