I'm Four Bricks Tall and I'm a photographer living in Spain currently.

I've been shooting LEGO minifigs and models since 2013. I started right here on Tumblr as Ogle My Lego but then changed to Four Bricks Tall because I couldn't have "Lego" in my domain name.

So being here again feels like home. This place and Twitter feel like the good old days before Instagram, and everyone chasing likes and followers there.

I like trivia and LEGO so that's kind of the reason why I chose my username: the height of a minifig is four bricks tall.

My favorite themes in general are medieval fantasy and castle, steampunk, and apocalypse.

I have professional experience as a photographer and I teach some of the stuff I know to toy photographers. I really love watching people develop their skills. It's great to see someone grow their skills month after month.

I'm a LEGO Community Ambassador of @brickcentral too. That's just a fancy title to say I am the representative of BrickCentral to The LEGO Group. It's a lot of paperwork 🤣

Run down chapel

I've had this build sitting in my to-do list for awhile and since I was messing around with LEDs the other day, I finally got around to building it.

Turns out the LEDs I was experimenting with didn't really work with this build. So I used my bigger kit here:

I got this off AliExpress some time ago. They're ok: overall I find tiny LEDs a hassle to work with. There's still no really good solution I would recommend to anyone.

But here is the photo I quickly took in my studio last night to see the stained glass:

And more shots outdoors today (you can't see the stained glass):

For my gear, I used a Sigma 19mm 2.8 just to change it up. It's a bit too wide-- I cropped about 1/5 off these. Maybe for a bigger model or more impressive background.

But I'll keep the lens on for a month or so anyway.

A couple more monk shots. Fun, fun!

But gotta get judging photos and shooting something for @brickcentral's contest next month.

Meditating monk

What a calming although a bit prep-heavy shoot since those are all real lights.

Danny Daycare

An outdoor photo shoot inspired by this fun and cute video of Danny MacAskill taking his friend's kid out on his bike.

I also changed up my gear: swapped out a macro for a Sigma 19mm f/2.8 that I probably bought as one of my first native E-mount lenses.

I just wanted to get a different but still fun experience today, which is what photography is all about to me. It's why I buy gear at all.

The back-breaking, dirt-eating pose of a toy photographer

Thankfully, I don't do this plank anymore since I upgraded to a camera with an articulating screen. Now I just crouch. Still a bit back-breaking though.

I have a couple of workarounds for that (tethering, field monitor, etc.) but I feel they just create a different kind of hassle as they solve another.

Anyway, I wrote about gear and how it solves problems and makes me a better photographer on my Substack: The real reason gear matters - by Four Bricks Tall (substack.com)

I'm judging DIY Photography's first ever toy photography contest!

There are 2 categories: LEGO and... not LEGO (it's "action figures" but I really think collectibles and other toys can go in here).

Show me your best 3 shots by submitting here:

If you follow me, you know I'll be looking for a unique concept and great composition. Lighting is always a plus, whether that's natural or artificial.

Last call is June 8! So enter if you haven't already 😉

Bob's Kabobs from The LEGO Movie

I always loved this little guy from the Creative Ambush set. That theme was so wacky!

When the trike part came out some time later, I made a little MOC to keep Bob in business.

Barber-surgeon at work

A fun little build using the Ninjago arcade part as the seed part.

More details shots coming because this medieval profession is pretty fascinating.

Good night from the forest.

I've been playing around with cropping in post a bit more for the @brickcentral tips this month. I try not to do this too much because I get into this loop of recomposing and then I'm undecided in the end.

Here's a closer crop, which I love because it feels a lot more intimate and I really love this character.

I can see a bit of the wire in the lantern but I'm cool with that being there.

Sod roof druid hut

This model was a result of a couple of false starts trying to build a Viking farmhouse for a different character. I didn't have the right parts and then it turned out that the design didn't really work so I ended up building an A-frame hut with a sod roof.

I first saw grass roofs at the Skansen open-air museum in Stockholm a few years ago and I thought it was such a beautiful way to blend with nature:

I wanted grass to grow upright on my little hut too but that doesn't really work with LEGO so I just added textures and shapes to give it some organic kind of look.

Then I added an armchair build by brickdesigned that I thought would work well as outdoor seating for this cute druid character (inspired by @monsieurkek) to rest on. These little builds are so fun!

A mini ent model

A LEGO fan who goes by monty.matte shared a digital version of his ent builds on Reddit and I just had to build one for real and take photos.

Link

Mongolian falconer

Real talk: nobody gives a shit

So just create what you want to create and quit worrying about what other people think.

LEGO photographers who shoot only at home: it's fine to bring your toys outside.

Artists hyper-curating their profiles: nobody's checking.

Read the essay here:

The official review is underway 🤞

Fishing day

Took my Vikings out to the beach to get some shots against blue skies.

Ottos

I just love this custom head. I think most LEGO fans are purists but I'm definitely not one of them. The whole reason I do this at all is so I can make things LEGO doesn't.