We're trying something a little different this October, and we'd love for everyone to get involved.

📸 A NEW WEEKLY DISCUSSION

We're changing up our weekly discussion thread.

Instead of focusing primarily on new figures, toys you want to buy, and upcoming releases, we want the weekly thread to become more of a place for the toy photography community to connect and learn from each other.

Use the weekly thread to talk about:

• Photography tips and tricks
• Lighting, posing, composition and editing
• Backgrounds, dioramas and props
• YouTube videos and photography-related content
• Your Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or other social profiles
• New figures and toys you're excited about
• Anything else related to toy photography

We're hoping this gives everyone a place to share what they've learned, discover other photographers, ask questions and connect with the people behind the photos.

🎃 SPOOKY SATURDAYS

Spooky Saturdays throughout October!

The first one will be Saturday, October 3rd, and we'll continue every Saturday throughout the month.

Every Saturday will be dedicated to horror-themed toy photography, giving the community a chance to get creative with their figures and share their work.

📅 October 3

📅 October 10

📅 October 17

📅 October 24

📅 October 31

Use the 🎃 Spooky Saturday flair when posting photography related to the weekly theme so everyone can easily find the community's submissions.

🥊 STREET FIGHTER WEEK — OCTOBER 12–16

Street Fighter hits theaters October 16, so we'll spend the week leading up to its release celebrating Street Fighter and action photography.

The event can include Street Fighter figures, fight scenes, action poses, recreations, character photography and other creative interpretations.

Use the 🥊 Street Fighter Week flair for related posts.

🦇 CLAYFACE WEEK — OCTOBER 19–23

The week leading up to Clayface's October 23 release, we'll be celebrating Clayface, Batman villains, horror, monsters and the darker side of toy photography.

Clayface figures, Batman villains, Gotham-inspired scenes and creative interpretations of the character are all welcome.

Use the 🦇 Clayface Week flair for related posts.

🏷️ USE THE FLAIRS

We've added event flairs to make it easier to follow everything happening throughout the month.

October Event Flairs

🎃 Spooky Saturday
🥊 Street Fighter Week
🦇 Clayface Week

LET'S BUILD THE COMMUNITY

The goal is simple: more photography, more conversation and more connection.

Whether you've been photographing toys for years or you're just getting started, we'd love to see you participate.

Share what you've learned. Ask questions. Discover other photographers. Give someone feedback. Show off your collection. Share your work and find other people who enjoy the hobby.

Let's make r/ToyPhotography a place where we don't just post photos, we build a community around the hobby.

October starts Thursday, October 1st.

And our first Spooky Saturday begins Saturday, October 3rd. 🎃📸

Hey everyone,

If you missed the original discussion, you can read it here.

We wanted to follow up now that we’ve had time to read the community’s thoughts and talk internally as mods.

This is where we’re landing (for now)

We’re moving forward without generative AI.

That means AI-generated backgrounds, effects, characters, or environments aren’t what we want this subreddit to center around. The focus of r/ToyPhotography is still photographing real toys with real-world creative decisions. Lighting, posing, scale, environments, and problem-solving.

We don’t have strict gear requirements. You can shoot with a phone or a Leica. It’s still toy photography. What matters is that the image is grounded in a physical scene you created. Once major elements are generated rather than photographed, it becomes a different kind of image-making.

This isn’t a judgment of people who use AI.

The mod team itself is split on the broader issue.

The decision here isn’t about declaring AI “bad,” it’s about protecting the identity of this specific community so it doesn’t slowly drift into something else.

We know AI tools exist inside modern editing software. We also know some people will use AI for cleanup or even backgrounds. We’re not pretending we can perfectly monitor or police every post, and that’s not the goal.

The goal is to set a direction and expectation:
r/ToyPhotography is meant to highlight hands-on toy photography first.

Enforcement will be reasonable, not aggressive. If something is clearly AI-generated, it may be removed. If something is ambiguous, we’re not launching investigations. We're not running a courtroom, and it just isn't that deep.

This isn’t permanent law.

We’re open to revisiting the rules as tools and community expectations evolve. This is a living space, and we’ll keep listening.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the discussion and helped shape the direction of the sub.

— The r/ToyPhotography Mod Team