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Classic Photography in Lego
British photographer Mike Stimpson playfully reimagines iconic images from Alfred Eisenstadt, W. Eugene Smith, Robert Capa, Eddie Adams, and other 20th-century masters.
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, V.J. Day in Times Square, and Lunch Atop a Skyscraper are some of the most iconic images of our time, but now they’re rendered as you’ve never seen them before: in Lego. Mike Stimpson, a 35-year-old British photographer, has spent his career recreating some of the world’s most famous photographs using his favorite childhood toy. His photographs have been published widely in the U.K., and he’s established a large following online.
CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW MIKE STIMPSON’S LEGO PHOTOGRAPHS AND THEIR CLASSIC INSPIRATIONS
It all began several years ago when Stimpson began researching classic images, and then experimented with recreating them in plastic. Now, Stimpson spends an average of two to three hours assembling each photograph in a tiny, dark room of his West Midlands home.
Some of the images he’s chosen to restage are horrifying, others are sad. But rendered in Lego, these iconic pictures—from Robert Capa’s Falling Soldier to Eddie Adams’ execution of a Viet Cong prisoner—become wickedly funny. “My intention with the photographs is mostly to entertain,” Stimpson says. Although Legos are now made with custom-made expressions, Stimpson said he made the decision to stage all of the photos with smiling figures. “Some people find my photos distasteful,” he says, “Some people love it.” Aside from expressions, Stimpson has retained as much of the original image as possible: from the rich black-and-whites of Magnum World War II photography to the eerie lighting in Man on the Moon.
As some of these original photos may now be lost on younger viewers, Stimpson hopes his Lego creations will attract attention back to the original work. “I enjoy the fact that I'm bringing classic photographs and photographers to a new audience through my Lego recreations,” he says. “Hopefully that might get a few more people interested in finding out more about some of the world's great photographers.”
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this does not deserve to receive any recognition. and the smiling faces of the people about to be/getting shot is in bad taste
stupid.. the dumbing down of the photographs that inspired me to become a photographer.
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Insulting to the original photographers, and even more insulting to some of the original subjects.
SHAME on Daily Beast. This is not cute nor funny. It's offensive and tasteless. I expect higher standards from this site.
Yes SHAME, some of the world's most iconic moments of history captured in photos, mocked and demeaned as a STUPID, SOPHMORIC, GIMMICKY exercise by someone who doesn't have ANY ability to create a REAL iconic moment in history with a camera themselves. Goes right along with the BEAST's extended coverage of the untimely death of junkie, trust-fund, baby art "stars." SPIT.
I think people are a little too invested in the original images. I don't see how the LEGO shots in any way diminish the original photos, and I personally appreciated some the dark and anarchic humor that Stimpson's scenes showed.
Completely stupid and childish. The reason people are so "invested" in those original images is because they reflect our humanity, for better or worse. For some fool to take up a bunch of toys and diminish that is not only insulting to the subject(s), but to us. Would you laugh at a Lego depiction of 9/11? Yeah, didn't think so.
This silly project belongs in a 3rd grade art room. The artist says he left the smile on one of the figures being executed because it appealed to his dark sense of humor. Shallow and juvenile sense of humor is more like it. Not only is it tasteless, which is not condemnable by itself, but it also just isn't any good. What great effort did it take to plop some plastic figures in front of a camera and prop them with scraps of fabric and junk laying around?
these images degrade Lego.
Hahahahahaahah!!!! Goodness, that's funny!!! Hoooo boy!! Hahahaahah!!! *wipes tear away*
These Lego photos make me uncomfortable... why? They reduce the potent experiences that they relate to... to a plastic Lego experience... devoid of the depth of human emotion and experience. Scary, because it serves one of the contemporary diseases of our time, very well. The disease of "disassociation". The opposite of association and empathy, that brings us all together. I'm the first person to enjoy a huge, big laugh... but these incidences depicted by the plastic Lego photos are just not funny. The actual photos used as juxtaposition, reflect the deepest sort of human experiences that cross all boundaries. When human and Lego are viewed together, it sort of sickens me to see the Lego version. It seems to me that the Lego version results in a sort of sacrilege to all of us. Watch that disassociation thing... there isn't a mass bomber or gunman out there who didn't have that somewhere within his total profile. I say, if you want to be funny... set up hilarious Lego scenarios... those plastic dummy faces are fully capable of that. Why would you want to attach the Lego scenes that you photograph, to landmark human moments that now, seem funny to some? Maybe because you WANT to feature the horror of disassociation? But what about all those folks that find these "funny" and don't see them that way? Because if you attach to "important"moments, you'll sell better? And of course... this fellow is selling well, right? Yeah, this is edgy stuff alright.
stupid and pointless.
Ever heard of Spanish/Galician photographer Marcos Vilariño? He did the same work about ten years ago, better actually. There's a catalogue "historia dunha fotografia de xoguete" published by Centro de Estudos Fotograficos in Vigo. Stimpson's work is plagiarism.
I thank you for leading me to Marcos Vilariño, whose photographs I truly enjoyed. However, I don't think Stimpson's work is plagiarism just because he used some similar images to recreate with legos. If what he did is plagiarism, then no one could ever paint another portrait (rafael) or another landscape (thomas cole), etc.
Thank you.
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