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From snapshots of traveling minifigs taken with a phone to “bokeh-licious” portraits shot with macro lenses, minifig photography is probably the most well-known type of LEGO photography. The adorable tiny toys can be compelling subjects, especially since a lot of them are wacky out-of-the-box and you can easily swap parts to create new characters.

Other minifig photographers like the simplicity of a single minifigure isolated against an out-of-focus natural background instead of including details of the environment. These dreamy and whimsical photos are often taken with a macro lens or even a standard lens with close-up filters or extension tubes attached to increase magnification.

This is a slower type of photography than traveling minifig photography but can be just as spontaneous or serendipitous. That’s part of its charm.

Taking bokeh portraits outdoors is slower because you have to frame and focus more carefully. However, finding a location can be easier because it’s mostly about looking for specular highlights in leaves, water, or other glistening things rather than adding context.

A lens that can open to at least f/2.8 can work for this type of LEGO minifig photography. However, bokeh is a function of the lens design, particularly its iris size and the number and shape of the iris blades, so just because a lens can open to a wide aperture doesn’t mean it will render bokeh well. But “well” is subjective.

Another easy type of LEGO minifigure photography involves creating Toy Story-like concepts where minifigs exist in a human-scale world. Your house or apartment becomes the environment.

Making a diorama may sound resource-intensive but pick up some twigs, rocks, and patches of moss and you can create a natural scene for your minifigs.

Scraping off the moss that was growing on the brick patio, added some bark and other bits, and arranging them into a plastic tray. Then just put it where the light landed. When the light moved, move with it. Perfect little portable and reusable environment.

A lot easier to do than creating a diorama is displaying a photo on a monitor or screen and using that as a background. This is a good alternative if the scene you want to create might be too difficult to craft or build, such as fairgrounds or a futuristic city at night.

The Problem: Taking photos from above ("giant view") makes figures look small.

The Solution: Get at eye level. Use a low angle to make characters appear commanding and real.

Focus: Think about what story the character is telling (e.g., in a storm, on vacation, building something).

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