Hello, my bored friends! This time we present a cool collection of classic photos recreated in LEGO by Balakov. His real name is actually Mike Stimpson and he’s a photographer, programmer, and self-confessed geek. “As you may have noticed I have a fondness for taking photos of LEGO,” he said on his website. “My toy photography has been published in national newspapers in the UK, seen on BBC television, and featured in many magazines all over the world.” He’s also a regular participant at LEGOLAND California’s ‘Star Wars Days’, which he describes as “the two best things combined”.
Mike explained how this series got started: “The first couple of famous photo recreations came about purely from mixing a couple of my hobbies: LEGO and the history of photography. I enjoyed not only the taking of the photographs but researching historical moments and the stories behind them. Now I enjoy the fact that I’m bringing iconic photos to a new audience through my LEGO recreations.”
This collection recreates some of the most iconic photos ever taken. From pop culture moments such as the Moon landing to serious black and white photography comically rendered in LEGO, it’s clear that Mike has a unique talent for both of his favorite interests. Let’s get right into it!
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Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima
A LEGO recreation of Joe Rosenthal’s 1945 photograph “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima”. One of the most iconic photos in history.
Flower Child
A LEGO Star Wars-themed take on Marc Riboud’s famous 1967 photograph taken at an anti-Vietnam protest in Washington.
“I didn’t have enough ‘real’ soldiers to do it properly!”
The Ultimate Confrontation: The Flower and the Bayonet, 1967
Afghan Girl, 1985
Steve McCurry’s iconic photo recreated of Sharbat Gula in National Geographic (previously known simply as “Afghan Girl” before her formal identification in 2002).
Tank Man at Tiananmen Square, 1989
A LEGO recreation of Jeff Widener’s 1989 photograph of “The Unknown Rebel”.
Twickenham Streaker
A funny LEGO recreation of Ian Bradshaw’s 1974 photograph of streaker Michael O’Brien at Twickenham during the England-France rugby match.
Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare
Recreation of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s “Behind the Gare Saint Lazare” in Lego http://www.natures-pencil.com/images/cbgsl.jpg
Lunch Atop a Skyscraper, 1932
A LEGO reconstruction of the famous photograph “Lunch Atop A Skyscraper” taken by Charles Ebbets.
Original here.
Death of a Loyalist Soldier
A LEGO reconstruction of Robert Capa’s 1936 picture “Death of a Loyalist Soldier”
The original … en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Capa,_Death_of_a_Loyalist_Sol…
“Not sure the bow-tie was standard military uniform during the Spanish Civil War, but I had to work with what I’d got.”
Madrid
Lego reconstruction of Henri Cartier Bresson’s 1933 photograph ‘Madrid’.
Original here … www.afterimagegallery.com/bressonmadrid.htm
“Not quite as wide-angle as the original, but hopefully still recognisable”
By the Marne River
LEGO recreation of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s 1938 photograph “By the Marne River” in Lego. Original here.
Setup shot here … www.flickr.com/photos/8258165@N07/2118590732/
“You wouldn’t believe the number of times they fell over! I had to use tweezers to position the picnic plates.”
Viet Cong Captain, 1968
Eddie Adam’s famous Vietnam War photograph recreated. Original here … en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Nguyen.jpg
“The original is somewhat more distressing than the Lego version. It’s the smiley faces that do it.”
V.J. Day Times Square, 1945
One of the most iconic photos ever taken — “V.J. Day Times Square” by Alfred Eisenstaedt. Here it is recreated in LEGO.
Original here.
Tennis Girl
Martin Elliott’s 1976 “cheeky” photograph ‘Tennis Girl’ is an iconic photo and a pop-culture staple. Here is Balakov’s LEGO recreation.
Original here … en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:TennisGirl_thumb.jpg
Moon Landing, 1969
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the Moon in 1969 – Photograph by Neil Armstrong. One of the most iconic photos lovingly recreated in LEGO.
Original here … en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Aldrin_Apollo_11.jpg
4 Minute Mile
A LEGO version of Norman Potter’s 1954 photograph of Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile, completing the distance in 3 min 59.4 sec at Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, May 6, 1954.
Original photo here … cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=69149&rendTypeId=4
Hand Of God
A LEGO recreation of a historical moment in sports: Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal during the quarter-finals of the 1986 World cup between England and Argentina.
Original photo here … en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hand_of_God_goal.jpg
D-Day Landings 1
A LEGO recreation of Robert Capa’s 1944 black and white photograph taken during the D-Day landings on Omaha beach during World War II.
Original here … en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Capa%2C_D-Day1.jpg
Monk On Fire
One of the most iconic protest photos recreated in LEGO. Malcolm Browne’s 1963 photograph of Thich Quang Duc’s self-immolation in protest over the persecution of Buddhists in South Vietnam.
Original here … en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Burningmonk.jpg
Bigfoot
The infamous still frame from Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin’s 1967 film footage of Bigfoot. Here’s the classic photo recreated with Chewbacca instead.
Original photo here … paranormal.about.com/library/blclassic_patterson_bigfoot.htm
Reichstag Flag
Soviet war photographer Yevgeny Khaldei’s 1945 photograph. Here’s the historic moment the Red Army raised its flag on the German parliament building, the Reichstag, at the end of World War II.
Original here.
Powerhouse
A Lego recreation of Lewis Hine’s 1920 photograph of a powerhouse mechanic working on a steam pump.
Original here … en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Lewis_Hine_Power_house_mechan…
Nastassja Kinski and the Serpent
A Lego recreation of Richard Avedon’s 1982 photograph of model and actress Nastassja Kinski wrapped in a boa constrictor.
Original here.
The Walk to Paradise Garden
A Lego recreation of W. Eugene Smith’s 1946 photograph entitled “The Walk to Paradise Garden”. Taken of his children entering a forest clearing.
Original photograph here: http://www.ideayayinevi.com/Foto_2008/Foto_001/foto_a/eugene_smith_children_walking.jpg
Churchill Portrait
Yousuf Karsh’s 1941 black and white portrait photograph of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill recreated in LEGO.
Original here : www.yale.edu/terc/democracy/may1text/images/Churchill.jpg
Berlin Guard, 1961
Peter Leibing’s famous photo recreated of an East German border guard jumping the barbed wire fence during the construction of the Berlin Wall.
Original photo here : www.cs.utah.edu/~hatch/images/europe/berlin.guard
Rue Mouffetard, Paris
A Lego recreation of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s 1954 iconic photograph taken on the Rue Mouffetard in Paris of a boy proudly carrying two bottles of wine.
Original here :www.soulcatcherstudio.com/exhibitions/favorites/hcb_rue.html
Miley Cyrus
A Lego recreation of Annie Leibovitz’s controversial 2008 photograph of 15-year-old singer/actress Miley Cyrus.
Original here: www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-562548/Legendary-ph…
Bed-In
A Lego recreation of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1969 “Bed-In” in Amsterdam. Try as I might, I couldn’t find the name of the photographer who took the original photograph. There were many photographers present during the week-long bed-in, including Roy Kerwood, Elmar Welge, Nico Koster, Cor Jaring, Gerry Deiter, Ivor Sharp, and Bob Gruen. It may have been one of them, it may not have been. If anyone knows, add a comment please :-)
Original here: mog.com/Sturgell/blog/171987
Untitled (Cowboy), 1989
Ok, I hope you’re sitting comfortably for the explanation of this one.
This is a Lego recreation of Richard Prince’s 1989 rephotograph “Untitled (Cowboy)”. When I checked last it was the 6th most expensive photograph in the world (sold at Christies in New York for $1,248,000 in 2005).
The original (shown here), if you can call it that, was a rephotographing of Marlboro cigarette advertisements cut from magazines (which were originally photographed by Sam Abell).
Moon and Half Dome
I’d be impressed if anyone managed to recognise this without the title.
Ansel Adams is probably my favourite photographer of all time, and this is one of my favourite photos of his. His photos don’t exactly jump out as being suitable for Lego reinterpretation, but I’ll be dammed if I’m not going to give it a go.
“Moon and Half Dome” was taken by Adams in 1960 in Yosemite national park, California. The original is here.
(Bamboo leaves for all the photos to Balakov)
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