Overlooked Photography Subjects?

*My son's stuff dog, B.P.
'Hanging out' in his room.

*My daughter's stuff monkey, M-Em.
Strapped in the car; ready for a trip.

Since having my first child about a few years ago, I have enjoyed capturing images of their beloved toys. I think there is something nostalgic and lively about toys that children love or are attached to. The key steps to capturing personality in these toys are the location of where the toys are placed (unstaged and unplanned ones are the best for shooting).  I also prefer the images in bolder and darker hues, as well as in rich black and white. You can also experiment with these toys by placing them in 'action' mode (this will definitely be staged, unless you get pretty lucky and stumble upon the perfect scene :-)). Action mode refers to the ideas of placing these subjects doing something as in the photo of my daughter's monkey being strapped in a car seat. It could a humorous action or one that is very creative. The 'action' mode idea will be my next shooting project when I feel the desire to capture my children's inanimate buddies again. For now, I hope that you will experiment with these overlooked subjects. Happy clicking.