On Saturday, September 6, Samy’s Camera in Santa Ana was converted into a playground for creativity as LUMIX creator and photographer Isaiah Takahashi hosted a Toy Photography Workshop. The event welcomed photographers of all levels for a hands-on journey into the art of storytelling with action figures, dioramas, and cinematic lighting.
With two sessions spread throughout the day, attendees enjoyed instruction, live demonstrations, and plenty of shooting time. The first 30 participants in each session received a free action figure from Total Anime by Jazwares and a can of aerosol from Atmosphere Aerosol, while ticketed guests received a Samy’s gift card equal to their ticket price, plus exclusive LUMIX discounts.
Craft, Creativity, and Community
From the start, Takahashi explained how great toy photography lies in attention to detail. “It’s the small choices you make along the way that add up to a high-quality result,” he explained. Whether it’s refining a pose, straightening lines in post-production, or experimenting with light placement, simple tweaks help elevate the final image.
He encouraged participants to plan their shots in advance but also stressed the importance of experimentation. Sometimes, the best angles come from setups you hadn’t initially envisioned. This idea carried through as he spoke about posing and composition—reminding photographers that the rules, like the rule of thirds, are helpful starting points but shouldn’t limit creativity. “Start with the rules, then break them,” he said.
Done is better than perfect. Make it exist first—you can make it good later.
Photographer Isaiah Takahashi on shooting toy photography
Creative lighting is one of the main drivers for Takahashi’s art. While natural light remains his favorite, Takahashi demonstrated how candles, phone screens, or compact RGB panel lights like Lume Cubes can create dramatic moods. His advice was simple: experiment without fear.
When it comes to editing, Takahashi described his process of starting in Lightroom and transferring to Photoshop for polish—removing distractions, painting out stands, and making subtle corrections. He also warned against perfectionism: “Done is better than perfect. Make it exist first—you can make it good later.”
The LUMIX Edge
Throughout the event, attendees had the chance to try out the latest LUMIX cameras, in particular the S9. During his presentation, Takahashi highlighted LUMIX features that feel tailor-made for toy photography:
- Real Time LUT for applying cinematic looks in-camera.
- Handheld High Resolution Mode to create 96MP images with incredible detail.
- Open Gate Video for flexible cropping across multiple formats.
- Live View Composite for creative light painting and long exposure effects.
Paired with the LUMIX Lab app, which enables remote shooting, fast transfers, and in-app color grading, all of these tools helped participants take their shots from concept to final image with ease. Most attendees brought their own SD cards and took advantage of Instant Transfer of photos and videos directly to their phones using LUMIX Lab to share to their social media followers.
What really tied the day together was community. Between free action figures, shared tips, and plenty of shooting time, the workshop became less about camera settings and more about the joy of bringing these small worlds to life. “Events like this show how much LUMIX cares about their users,” Takahashi revealed.
By the end of the day, attendees left with not only new skills and fresh images on their SD cards and phones, but also with inspiration to keep creating. As Takahashi reminded them: “Moving forward is what you need to be doing. Let’s take a lot of photos and have some fun.”
For more information on Isaiah Takahashi, follow him on his Instagram (IG: blksrs).
Shout out to Samy's Camera (Santa Ana) for hosting the two events.
