Gale XV on Nendoroid Photography: From Desk

Photographer Gale XV discussed their anime figure and Nendoroid photography process in an interview with Anime Corner. They began the hobby in 2015 after being inspired by work on DeviantArt while customizing Gundam model kits.

Gear and Recommendations

Gale XV's current main camera is a Sony A6300, which they have used since 2019. Their lighting setup is varied and includes desk lamps wrapped in tissue paper for soft light, a pair of soft lights, a lighting kit, a reflector, a light frame, and a specialized camera flash. They also use two tripods.

For beginners, they recommend starting with any available camera, including a phone or a second-hand entry-level model. Inexpensive lighting like desk lamps or adjustable dollar store flashlights is a good start, but they always advise investing in a good tripod first.

Capturing Character and Building Scenes

Before a shoot, Gale XV researches the character by browsing illustrations from different artists to study lighting and composition. Knowing the character well helps establish a connection and define the desired ambience. They use lighting, composition, and post-processing to complement the figure's limited expressions. Listening to character or series-related music, like "Danger Zone" for a Mayano Top Gun shoot, also helps set the mood.

Props are a mix of handmade and pre-made items. Gale XV builds dioramas and larger pieces like furniture or vehicles, and customizes pre-made props such as Barbie accessories. They once turned a water bottle into the Astral Express from Honkai: Star Rail. Pre-made props are often 1/12 scale items from brands like Re-Ment and Ashland, or garden and aquarium decorations.

Challenges and Collaborations

A primary challenge is keeping figures, especially top-heavy Nendoroids, standing. Limited space for lighting within dioramas requires trial and error. A single Nendoroid photoshoot can take up to six hours to complete due to multiple poses and scenes.

Gale XV has collaborated with several figure manufacturers. Their longest collaboration was with Kotobukiya from 2018 to 2023. They also worked with APEX-TOYS in 2020 and 2021 on figures from games like Arknights and Genshin Impact, and with Slickforce Studio, which provided miniature soft lights for photography.

Post-processing is used mainly to enhance photos, adjust parameters, and remove support stands. For complex shots, like one featuring Mayano Top Gun and an F-18 model, they combine multiple photos into a composite. Lighting effects are a mix of practical lights and digital overlays, as seen in shoots for Kafka and Castorice from Honkai: Star Rail.

When asked about a favorite figure, Gale XV cited Alter's Master Artoria/Saber and Easy Eight's Tohsaka Rin (Formal Craft ver.) as current "holy grail" items, both autographed by their voice actors.