Books

See LEGO Star Wars in a Whole New Way in Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy

Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy

Loyal readers already know we’re a Star Wars family, and as Tee gets older, she’s been really getting into LEGO Star Wars too. We have a few LEGO Star Wars books and DK readers, but this new photography book from DK Books, Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy, is on a completely different level. Unlike our other LEGO Star Wars books that use minifigures and vehicles for illustrative purposes, these evocative photographs are taken with an artistic eye.

Finnish photographer Vesa Lehtimäki has been photographing his son’s favourite LEGO Star Wars toys for a long time, and this book gathers his best work in one place. Organized by classic Star Wars locations Tatooine (desert planet), Hoth (ice planet), and Endor (forest moon), each chapter features close-up character-driven photographs and slyly humourous vignettes inspired by classic Star Wars scenes and themes.

This portrait of C3PO is unlike any I’ve ever seen, using light and dark to accentuate the curves and hollows of his head and capturing his weary resignation to his fate.

Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy: "Goldenrod Portrait"

“Goldenrod Portrait”

Contrast that portrait to this action shot in the Rancor’s pit. I can almost see the “Uh oh,” expression on the Stormtrooper’s face. That’s a lot of emotion for tiny pieces of mass-produced plastic, folks!

Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy: "Rancor's Sandpit"

“Rancor’s Sandpit”

Each image is accompanied by a short paragraph giving some background for how for the scene was achieved. While hubby appreciates the technical details, the girls and I just love leafing through the book and enjoying the images. Every once in a while Tee sees a set or a minifigure she owns and she’s off to dig it out to compare.

Sandtrooper

I love this Tatooine night scene inspired by events in Star Wars IV: A New Hope. I’m pretty sure this happened off camera the night after Luke and Obi-Wan meet Han and Chewie in the cantina.

Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy: "The Trouble with the Sandcrawler"

“The Trouble with the Sandcrawler”

This incredible image was achieved by dropping the X-wing model about two feet and photographing it as it bounced back up. (Don’t do this at home, kids, or you’ll have one heck of a mess to pick up! Nobody likes LEGO underfoot.)

“Rough Tatooine Landings”

The final chapter is a fascinating interview with Lehtimäki and a behind the scenes look at his artistic process. As an amateur photographer myself, I loved reading about how he figures out the technical and artistic details through trial and error to achieve a particular image or effect.

Setting the Scene

This beautiful hardcover volume brings our favourite LEGO Star Wars toys to life like never before. Lehtimäki’s unique vision encourages fans to reimagine their favorite minifigures and see them in an entirely new light. Any Star Wars or LEGO fan, young or old, would love to find this under the tree!

Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy is available at Amazon or wherever books are sold. 

DK Gift BoutiqueThis is just one of dozens of books in DK Books’ 2015 Gift Boutique. Head over to get more gift ideas for every book lover on your list!

Disclosure: I received a sample item for review. All opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ. This post contains affiliate links. This West Coast Mommy is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. I will receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no additional cost to you. This income helps pay for the operating costs of my website – thank you for your support!

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6 Comments

  • My husband has taken some photos of his LEGO collection, it would be fun to put them all into a book like this. Or we could just save some time and money and buy this awesome book 😉

  • my son and husband would love this book. my son loves legos and my husband love star wars. My son is upset that Duplos don’t come in Star Wars sets. one day?

  • Super cool!! My stepdad is a humongous star wars fan!! I bet he would love this!! He is a big kid at heart 🙂 Thanks for the great Christmas gift idea!!

  • This is such a cool book! I love the photos shown and would certainly like to see the rest. Thanks for the fun information. 🙂

  • I’m not a huge Star Wars fan, but this is an awesome book for the fan, even I would enjoy flipping through this book!!