Figure Fantasy: The Pop Culture Photography Of Daniel Picard (book review).
If you search engine ‘Daniel Picard’ and ‘images’ you were undoubtedly see samples of his delightful photos on-line. As we don’t have official permission from the publisher, that’s the way you’ll have to look, see the link at the bottom of the review, but you’ll see more than the four we might have shown here. If you want to own them, then you need this book.
The book ‘Figure Fantasy’ mixes two of Daniel Picard’s interests: photography and the Sideshow Collectables figurines. Although I doubt if we all own these, I suspect most of us reading here have a 12 inch high figure from other brands and sigh as Sideshow are mostly outside of our price range. Picard believes in seeing his figurines outside of their boxes and it wasn’t long before he started posing. As he explains in the introduction, it’s the poses of normal life with unusual characters that provides the funny situations and this book truly has many of these. It’s hardly surprising that the Joker appears the most but he found it a laugh. There is also a lot of ‘Star Wars’ scenarios as well and proof that even the dark lord of the Sith has to go to the men’s room occasionally. You also get to see what both Superman and Batman think of each other.
Even Sideshow was impressed by what he’d done and helped get this book released. Picard is still producing photos, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there isn’t another book somewhere down the line. I hope some manufacturer sees the potential of a postcard range because they would sure to be a hit.
All of them are clever sight gags and about the only characters that I didn’t recognise were the G.I. Joe characters but the intent was plain. A lot of it was juxtapositioning the figurines with real life places and I suspect a little Photoshop jiggery but it’s still an impressive display.
If you have a coffee table, then it’s the ideal book to leave there and catch your unaware guests to keep them busy while you prepare whatever foodstuffs you have on such occasions. If you hear them giggle then you know it’s a success. Just be prepared to do body searches before they leave.
GF Willmetts
July 2015
(pub: Insight Editions. 120 page illustrated horizontal hardback. Price: £20.00 (UK), $29.99 (US). ISBN: 978-1-60887-551-1)
check out websites: www.insighteditions.com, www.danielpicard.com and https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Daniel+Picard&safe=off&rlz=1T4GGHP_enGB647GB648&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMI8IjKuL_0xgIVsQjbCh2J_gN6&biw=1205&bih=699
