El Dave Photography

Earlier this year, I had a mini-rebellion where I struggled against my style and tried to push myself outside of my comfort zone. While I am really happy with how those experiments turned out, I realized that what I was really doing was trying to learn new ways to do what I feel I do best. That really got hammered home a few weeks ago for the Bionic Commando shoot. While it wasn't the most exciting image, I couldn't be happier with it.

Those quiet moments are what I'm really interested in, I think. That moment of contemplation before action. Who better to emphasize that than an assassin in Renaissance Italy?

Model: Ezio Auditore de Firenze by NECA Toys
Backdrop: Pegasus Hobby's Gothic City Ruins

"The sun is setting. Time to work."

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Be good,
-Dave

Insensitive to all your needs

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So last week's shot was kind of quiet. Dramatic lighting, yes. Cool muted colors, yes. Loud? No.

Today's shot is all about bringing the noise, or bringing the ruckus, if you will. The part of the movie where the bad guy's base explodes and the hero strides smoothly away before the credits roll.

Model: Army of TWO's Elliot Salem by NECA Toys
Backdrop: Outdoor studio

The first problem I ran into is... the grass and leaves are, you know, green. Not so much explodey fire as I would like and I didn't want to set the Outdoor Studio on fire just for one shot. So in Photoshop I had to swap the greens for warmer reds, oranges, and yellows. That made things a little better, but I still wasn't satisfied, so I added some gaussian blurs over the "fire" and you know what?

I dig it.


(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

Fools often sometimes forget

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We don't talk about the first time Nathan Spencer stopped by for a photo shoot. Let's just say it didn't go well. This time, however, I was invited on a "ride along". Seems pretty cool, right? Swinging around on buildings, whipping dudes with that robot hand, I was super excited.

...did you know he has a desk job? He literally stares at spreadsheets all day.


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This week's shot features Nathan Spencer by NECA and is, in a way, an example of my signature style. I've been told before that this type of portrait is recognizable as "my style" and, to be honest, I resisted that for a long time. No idea why, really.

After thinking about it, I realized that being told I have a unique, recognizable style is a great compliment and I should probably not be such a pain in the butt about the whole thing.

Be good,
-Dave

Can't wait to see you.

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A few years ago, my friend Chanh convinced me to read the novels based around the Halo franchise, and they were... ok. Fun reading, no heavy lifting required. I mean, how much story can a book based on a game really have? You are Master Chief and you run around killing everything in sight. Ok, so maybe the books made the fighting a little flashier (flying somersault grenade toss), but they didn't really grab me.

And then he told me that Greg Bear (a favorite author) was writing a Halo novel. An incredibly fun and hard to put down Halo novel.

So this week's shot is a sort of homage to the Halo franchise. From a video game where you pistol-whipped aliens to a series of novels that hooked me in, you've made me a fan.

Figures used:
Sgt. Forge (foreground)
Jorge (background)


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Be good,
-Dave

I wonder how long it will be before
you leave

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Gears of War, like most shooter games, is something I am terrible at. I really enjoy the setting and the character designs, but put a controller in my sweaty hands and it all falls apart.

So many tears...

With Gears 3 coming out soon, I wanted to try and recreate the cinematic feel the game has. Everything is overly dramatic, rubble everywhere, and, oh man, the light bloom. I'm not sure how close I actually came, but I am extremely proud of this one!

Model: NECA's Marcus Fenix
Backdrop: Pegasus Hobby's Gothic City Ruins

Due to the size difference between Marcus (7") and the Ruins (28mm scale), I had to prop the ruins on a roll of masking tape so it didn't look like Fenixilla running amuck over some poor gothic cathedral.

"Dave, you're rambling. Get on with the picture."

Sorry about that, Marcus.


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Be good,
-Dave

I persist - I persist - I think I'm hiding

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