Action Figure Photography S3:E3:  kingdomofweird - Andrew Sheard

Andrew Sheard can be found on Instagram as kingdomofweird. He allowed us to share some of his photography and a bit about himself here.

Hi everyone, thank you for taking the time to look at my hobby photos, I mainly post these on Instagram on my @kingdomofweird page. My name is Andrew Sheard, I'm 37, a married father of 3 boys and live in Yorkshire England.





















This hobby started for me after creating an Instagram account in 2014 while recovering from a minor operation. While searching for Star Wars related content I came across the work of @x_captain_kaos_x and he kindly showed me how to use hashtags! This quickly turned into a love affair for the Instagram toy community that continues to this day and which I actively play a part in having helped start the @toyoutsiders feature page (which became much more popular than my own page) and I continue to moderate for today.





















This hobby, I find, is a way to escape the stress of modern day life. Everyone should have a hobby, something to keep the mind and hands busy on a dull day.

Star Wars has always been the main focus of my Instagram feed, with Jurassic Park a close second, mainly because these are the franchises that have stuck with me since my childhood and now play a part in my kids' childhoods too. A lot of my figures are what I have collected myself from being a kid plus ones that I have bought for my children that they have since "outgrown" which have fallen back into my collection! It is 95% in 3.75" scale. I'm a sucker for how diverse this scale has become and the opportunity for scene creations that it offers.





















My youngest now shares the same passion for collecting Star Wars that I do and he is a great excuse to go buy the latest stuff without having to justify it to the wife! Also, if you are lucky enough to have a kid's point of view, then use it. Many of my most popular shots are from the ideas and perspective of my 7 year old, and he loves to see the finished photo after editing in Lightsaber fx.





















I guess the biggest change for me was when my stepmother gifted me her old Nikon DSLR. Until then I had been using my phone for all my photos and editing them in Picsart. I have always preferred to shoot outside (hence the involvement in @toyoutsiders) and this allows for a greater use of practical effects such as sparks and real flames. (A tip for others: If you can smell the plastic then its already burnt!)





















Thank you to the Bantha Skull guys for recognising my hobby as a feature for this excellent site, I love your Instagram page. It is always a highlight on my feed and I just love the content.

May the Force be with you!

Many thanks to Andrew for sharing all of this with us! Check out our full lineup of Action Figure Photography features HERE

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