I've been a follower of Doug Williams' Instagram account, All Those Wonderful Toys, since the very beginning. He photographs some of the most colorfully creative photos of Funko Pops, Tsum Tsums, Dorbz, and other collectibles. You'll find yourself checking your Instagram much more often awaiting for his newest post! But wait, it gets better! Recently Doug began a separate account dedicated to a little Funko Pop droid who has already captured many of our hearts. If you guessed BB-8, than you are correct! BB-8 at Disneyland is quite possibly the cutest Instagram there is and has gained over 700 followers in just a three weeks! I was not sold on the BB-8 Pop until I discovered how adorable he really was outside of the box through Doug's photos. So today, I am happy to bring you a special interview with the man behind the camera, Doug Williams!
What made you decide to start the BB-8 at Disneyland Instagram?
I had seen the other accounts with stuffed animals and Tsum Tsums and thought it was a cool idea. I have been taking pictures of Vinylmation at Disneyland for a few years and recently other types of toys by Funko, Hallmark, and Vinyl Sugar. I just never committed to one in all the shots and thought it would be a fun challenge. I decided on BB-8 because, A) He is a hot toy right now. B) I thought because of his size and how he would travel in parks, those shots would be fun. C) I'm a Star Wars fan along with my two boys and wanted them to be interested in the photos as well.
Did you expect it to be as popular as it is?
I guess we are getting popular (some of the toy accounts have thousands of followers). I'm grateful to break 500. I hoped to be popular, I amassed a large amount of followers at my toy photo Instagram, All Those Wonderful Toys, but I wanted something more interactive. Honestly I wanted to do something I hadn't seen much of which is take the genre of your adventures at a Disney park and combine it with high quality photography. I occasionally think I get a shot that combines those two things and hope that leads to a larger fan base who will enjoy the photos.
Do you do photography for a living?
I'm actually a web and graphic designer but love photography. I occasionally do weddings, engagement photos, etc. for friends and family and those are fun. Certainly a different ball game when your subjects can move and pose themselves!
What camera do you use for your photos?
I use a Canon 60D for my photos, switching out lenses to best fit the shots (such as low light or close ups).
When did you begin collecting Funko Pops?
I collected Vinylmation for years, back to Park 3 series. Just this last year I really got into Funko. The licensing brands and the variety just really got to me. I decided mystery boxes were fun but it was time to change focus a little.
Besides BB-8, what other characters are you looking forward to seeing in action in TFA?
I'm for sure looking forward to seeing what surprises the movie will have as far as characters. We know so little now it's hard to say but I'm looking forward to the new head bad guys and of course the Original Trilogy crew!
Do you have any other projects planned in the near the future?
We will just keep plugging away with BB-8 and other toys. Often times we only make it to Disneyland once every week or two so we try to get as many photos as we can and spread out the love.
Where else can we find you online?
Twitter - @thosewonderful
We created a website but haven't had time to update it much.
It can be found at: AllThoseWonderful.com
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Doug! And for those of you reading, be sure to check out both of his Instagram accounts!
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