I wanted to share this simple setup for an image I created for my "28 Days of Toy Stories" project. One thing that this project has further ingrained in me is the importance of story. Without exception, my most popular images are those that tell a story using emotion (look for a blog post on the importance of story soon!). The primary light for this image was provided by a moon nightlight purchased on Amazon. There was also some ambient light coming in through my garage door windows, but most of that was eliminated in-camera through various settings.
And the final image
Camera gear and settings for this shot: Canon 5D3 with the Canon 135mm f/2L lens. The moon mist was created with Atmosphere Aerosol (use discount code MW10 for a special rate if purchasing from their website). I shot this image at f/2, ISO 1600 at 1/100 sec. I wouldn't recommend shooting at 1/100 with this lens unless using a tripod. As usual, my camera was secured to my Manfrotto 055 Carbon Fiber tripod, giving me a rock solid base to work from. When my camera is off the tripod I'll have it either strapped to my wrist using the Spider Holster Hand Strap or it'll be in the Spider Holster on my waist. Of course all of my camera gear gets stored or transported in one of my awesome Lowepro camera bags. Final editing is first done in Lightroom, then often finished in Photoshop. I use a Wacom Intuos Pro with the pen tool for much of my editing.