Mr. Robot
Vintage Toy series
"Mr. Robot" is a vintage children's toy, built in 1962. My toy photo collection is a sub-set of the light painting series. These vintage toys have so much built in drama and history, which is perfect since I love creating theatrical fictions and epic dramas thru my photographs.
I shoot these in my studio where I usually build little sets for them (some of the sets are a partial, or entirely digital setting) and then I light them in a light painting style, through long exposures.
When the toy was created, it was called the "Attacking Martian" robot and was one of the most popular toys of the early 1960s. It had a chestplate that opened up with 2 guns blazing.
The robot in my photo was built by the Horikawa company in Japan and it spawned all kinds of variations.
I had originally intended for the robot to be sitting under a tree surrounded by lush foliage, and holding the droopy flowers but this worked out better. Is he on a date? Are they flowers for his momma? You decide :)
My toys are mostly in night settings for a good reason: the light is more interesting and I can go wild! This guy was walking around in the day which made this the easiest lighting job I have ever done. It was basically a 1/4 CTO (orange) gel flash in front and a light blue side light. OK, the purple light in his head was tricky :)
Antique Toy World magazine did a cover story on my toy photos
"In none of his photos does Nuez exploit the obvious"
Montreal Gazette
"Seductive ... Nuez's photos do not leave one indifferent"
Ciel Variable - Contemporary Photography magazine
Light Paintings series
I sometimes fantasize that with the snap of a finger, I can escape reality ... in a moment, be transported to a dream world free of life's demands, a child's playground where magic exists and all is right with the world.My Light Paintings are that portal. Through them I can transcend reality and escape into these beautiful, vibrant yet peaceful realms.
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Although there is some digital manipulation in this series, the unusual lighting and surreal quality in the Light Painting series is achieved by using colored lights during long exposures. They are not digital effects.
