Herron Studios

Tag: Mental Health

  • Why Lego Photography?

    Why Lego Photography?

    A minifigure with long brown hair wearing a red hat rushes to save another minifigure who is wearing a yellow chicken head and toppling back off a skateboard.

    When I mention that one of the types of photography I enjoy producing is Lego photography, the reactions range from bemused to awesome. It’s a part of my hobby that has helped me in unexpected ways, so I thought I would expand on some of the reasons why.

    How it started

    Christmas stormtrooper walking with a robot against a "starry" bokeh background

    In 2015 I wanted to improve my photography and participated in a monthly challenge. It was March, but our Christmas tree was still up (don’t ask). I was up late on night looking for a solution for the photo prompt and suddenly had an idea. After digging through some boxes, this was the result and my first Lego photo. I would love to say I jumped and kept at it then, but I’m stubborn.

    Lego girl minifigure in a wheelchair racing down the road while a boy minifigure runs after
    minifigure wearing chicken head mask walks from behind a plant waving "hi."
    A chef minifigure "gasps" in shock at the size of the pumpkin she will be cooking with.

    Jump forward to 2022 and I took a photography class. I was going through some things personally and photography has always been a great outlet. We had been working in black and white, but had our first assignments to focus on color and I wanted something fun. Lego sounded colorful and fun. This time, there was something extra as well. Every time I worked with them, it made me laugh and I felt better. When I built, it gave my brain somewhere else to focus. It turns out, I’m not that unique.

    Lego and Mental Health

    In this article, “The Importance Play in Adulthood” on Miraclehealth.com they detail several different ways play can be implemented as well as the benefits. These include:

    • cope with stress
    • improve their mood
    • enhance social interactions
    • be creative

    I found that Lego Photography provided each of these.

    In fact, play has been recognized as being so important that the United Nations just recently adopted June 11th as International Day of Play.

    Lego minifigure boy with blonde hair sitting on a brick ledge with a minifigure girl with a dark curly ponytail in front of purple flowers.

    A Way to Practice

    Aside from the mental health reasons, Lego minifigures are 1.5 inches tall. I am constantly working to build my storytelling skills and increase my ability. I can take the minifigures anywhere and this allows me to be able to practice anywhere. My overall photography skills have improved simply because I’m constantly practicing.

    Alien tourist minifigure takes a photo of Chewbaca, bb8 (robot), brown spaceman, and R2D2 eating at a Restaurant

    I’m not sure why it surprised me that I still enjoy building and playing with Lego, but it did. However, I’m glad they found me when I needed them. If you’re in need of a pic-me-up or want to focus on a different kind of puzzle for a while, this is a type of play I can recommend.