Interview with Mitchel Wu

I was incredibly excited to sit down and talk with pro toy photographer Mitchel Wu. Yes, "pro toy photographer" is in fact a real thing! In a world of relentless Instagram repetitiveness, Mitchel's photos really stand out, imbued in equal parts with whimsy, wonder, and magic. Talking with Mitchel left me feeling inspired, energized—and dare I say—young again. Even though I don't plan on doing toy photography, I couldn't wait to pick up my camera and chase some wonder for myself.

Watch our interview below to learn more about Mitchel's amazing story and take a peek behind the scenes of his creative photoshoots.

If you have any trouble watching the video above, you can also watch it here.

After many years of being an illustrator and wedding photographer, Mitchel Wu quit his job to become a full-time toy photographer. Starting over was a wise decision as it provided him with much-needed flexibility in life and gave him the chance to feel like a kid again. As he says in the interview above, photographing toys can be a magical experience that brings you back to your childhood and gives you permission to be as imaginative as you like. Today, Mitchel is one of the leading photographers in the toy photography industry.

Mitchel's photos of toys feel “alive”, something that’s not easy to achieve when working with non-living subjects. In fact, this is a critical skill no matter what type of photography you do, as a photograph takes our dynamic, living, moving, three-dimensional world and squishes it down to a static, frozen two-dimensional rectangle. Your job as a photographer is to create the illusion of movement and life in your photos, and Mitchel Wu's techniques offer a master class in this regard.

Also, check out Mitchel's latest photography project for Jurassic World:

Finally, here is a sample of Mitchel's amazing toy photographs. If you want to see more of Mitchel's work, check out his website: https://www.mitchelwutoyphotography.com/