El Dave Photography

We've moved!

2011-09-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

Over the 2011 Labor Day Weekend, we packed up the studio and moved into new digs. This blog will stay up for as long as Blogger will let me keep it, but all new posts will be happening over at:

http://www.eldavephoto.com

Atrocitus the Red Lantern

2011-08-31T06:04:00.000-07:00

When I heard that Atrocitus, leader of the Red Lantern Corps, had booked a session, I admit that I had my doubts. No, that's not entirely true. When I heard that Atrocitus, leader of the Red Lantern Corps, had booked a session, I started crying, told my assistant to cancel all of my appointments and started boxing up the studio to start a new life under an assumed name. I have worked with crazy people before, but when you're working with someone with super-powered anger issues, it's time to pack it in.

So I was scrambling, trying to board up the windows when he got there. "Excuse me, are you guys open?"

NO. GO AWAY, SPACE MAN. I HAVE A HAMMER.

"I have an appointment for some portraits this morning. Do you think I could just come in and wait?" My assistant nudged me to the side and let him in. I retained my death grip on my death hammer. I have had enough of these guys coming in here, wrecking my studio, stealing my stuff, and stiffing me. GOOD MORNING, MR. ATROCITUS. SORRY FOR THE MESS. WE ARE REMODELING.

"Uh, yeah. No problem. Look, can we get started? I'm kind of booked tight today."

Back in the studio, I had him stand in position and started lining everything up. He didn't seem impressed with the radiation burns, holes punched in the walls, or the bullet holes. Some days I can't spackle the walls as fast as my clients knock them down. "You seem stressed out, man. When was the last time you had a vacation?"

IF YOU COULD TURN YOUR HEAD JUST TO YOUR LEFT, PLEASE. CHIN UP.
I was still holding the hammer.

Click

(Click to see larger)

Model: Heroes of the DC Universe Blackest Night Atrocitus Bust by DC Direct

On his way out, we shook hands. "Hey, if the whole photography thing doesn't work out, give me a call."

I need a vacation, I think.

Be good,
-Dave

You're holding me back again

Kang the Conqueror

2011-08-24T05:24:00.000-07:00

In business there is a lot said about repeat customers: finding them, recognizing them, and making the most out of their patronage. As has been previously noted (in nearly every post here), I am not a great businessman. Many of my clients are destructive to my studio and many more have a real problem with paying for my services. So, yeah. I'm kind of a crappy businessman.

That said, however, there is one thing I do right, and today I'm going to let you in on my little secret. That secret, my friends, is time travel. Not for me, of course. Here, let me explain.

Every August 20th, my calendar is booked up by Kang the Conqueror. This is a guy who claims to be master of space and time, right? But when there are SO MANY instances of him running around at once, it makes keeping appointments tough. You never really know if you're talking to the Kang from yesterday, or the Kang from two weeks from now, or a Kang from forty five million years ago! So what I did was, every time Kang the Conqueror (or Rama Tut or Immortus, et all) called for a photo session, my assistant told him August 20th. That way he could just dial his time machine to that day and that time and get his headshots in. While it saves me a lot of headache, it also leads to days like this:

"BEHOLD! I, the master of yesterday's tomorrows, have arrived for my 9am!"

Click.

(Click to see larger)

Model:
Kang Mini-Bust by Bowen Designs

Then we do it again at 10. "BEHOLD! I, time's monarch, have arrived for my 10am!"

Click.

(Click to see larger)

And again at 11.

Click.

(Click to see larger)

And so on, and so on.

Be good,
-Dave

Are you alive?
I'm alive

The Fences are Down

2011-08-17T05:16:00.000-07:00

Shooting on location is something that has never really come easy for me. I spend the majority of my time in the studio where the lights shine exactly where I want them to, the models are posed, and there are generally very few surprises. I'm not known for my landscape photography, so getting a call inquiring if I would like an all-inclusive deal to document a tropical island, I was understandably surprised. The deal was pitched to me as part of an ecological cleanup expedition where foreign species had been introduced and we were going to assess the changes the island had experienced since then.

Upon arrival, the rest of the crew put on those orange... biohazard suits? I think that's what they are called. When they saw my concern, I was assured that the first team out was wearing them solely as a precaution. Standard operating procedure, they called it.

The team reported back and I grabbed my gear and started shooting the island. Off in the distance you could see big things. I mean big things. Loud things. Howling, hooting, stomping. And me without a biohazard suit.

Suddenly there was a commotion at the edge of the clearing. Everyone was shouting into their radio (I didn't have a radio). Some guys pulled out rifles (I didn't have a rifle). I saw the orange suit of one of the first team running back towards us, with a Triceratops hot on his heels!

Models:
Hazmat Guy by LEGO
Pindown the Triceratops by Xtractaurs

I've got to raise my rates...

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

All of your life you've been led
To believe your nothin'

Bizarro #1

2011-08-10T05:39:00.000-07:00

Another week, another studio session with a superhero. This time is going to be different. No more supervillains. No more wrecked studio. No more not getting paid. This week, and you're not going to believe this, I had Superman come in for a shoot.

Model: Bizarro by DC Direct

Ok, so he looked rough, but who am I to judge? He's Superman. I mean, come on, the guy's an alien, so that may be how he really looks. He was very direct and straight to the point, which is greatly appreciated. "Me am ugly. Me am having LOT of money for pictures." Awwww yeah. Dave's gonna get paid.

To be completely honest, the mask (?) and the weird voice were throwing me off. I mean, it's obviously Superman, but something wasn't quite right. I couldn't put my finger on it until I remembered that Superman has a reputation for being a jerk. I've read those Silver Age comics... It's alright though. I mean, it's Superman. Truth and justice. He's just having a laugh at my expense and I'm cool with that.

"Ok, Superman. Let's do this. Stay put and we'll do this in 3-2-1." Click.

(Click to see larger)

Afterwards he shook my hand (which was a huge thrill!), "Me am very happy with photo. Me will put payment in the mail right away. Hello!"

Be good,
-Dave

Didn't you wake to see the light
Couldn't you hear the truth

Trophy

2011-08-03T05:29:00.000-07:00

Maintaining a photoblog is my way of practicing photography. Oh sure, I take lots of pictures. I edit some of them. I post even fewer. But what does get posted is what I feel is the best work I have at the time and it is usually something I am excited to show off. Whether I'm trying to tell a story with the photograph, writing a story about the photo, studying lighting or color or composition, every post is focused on being a better photographer.
Inbetween posts, I've been working on a secret project that has me looking at all my old photos and I've noticed that I almost never take a picture without someone or something's face in focus.

In my head, it seems like the only thing that matters is the face. The eyes; the expression (Which is funny because most of my models have masks that obscure their faces or cover their eyes). So I really need to open up my idea of what and how to photograph.

Model: Poacher 2 by McFarlane Toys

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

You can break from everything that confines you

Agent Orange

2011-07-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

I've got to stop letting supervillains in.

This week, Larfleeze (the Orange Lantern) stopped by, clutching a stack of prints from Sinestro's shoot. "These! I want these!"

My assistant, Reflector, pointed out that he already had them. Right there in his hand.

"...I want these but with me in it."

Oh dear. Here we go again. Just getting him in to the studio was an ordeal. "What's that?" That's a chair, Larfleeze. "I want it." When he saw the equipment he nearly went berserk. "What's that?!" That is the remote for the lights. "Ooooo....." Everything he saw, he touched. Like a kid in a store, except kids don't make everything all glowy orange as if their fingers were covered in radioactive Cheetos dust.

I asked what he wanted to do with the lantern battery and he just hugged it and rocked back and forth. "Mine... Mine... Mine..."

Model: Heroes of the DC Universe - Larfleeze the Orange Lantern Bust

Click.

(Click to see larger)

The flashes seemed to snap him out of whatever was going on in his head. "Thank you for the cameras." Don't you mean prints? "No!" All of the equipment he touched that was all glowy orange stood up and followed him out the door.

I've got to stop letting supervillains in.

Be good,
-Dave

I feel like I'm in a blocked state of mind
Am I getting through?

Sinestro of Korugar

2011-07-18T05:37:00.000-07:00

In blackest day, in brightest night,
Beware your fears made into light.
Let those who try to stop what's right,
Burn like my power... Sinestro's might!

I used to have some simple rules in the studio. 1) No weapons. 2) No supervillainy.
Seems straightforward enough, right? But no. Some people just have a problem following the rules.

Sinestro sauntered in while I was in the back working with another client. I heard Reflector (my assistant) arguing before the studio door was blown off it's hinges. My client, a high schooler, ran away screaming while I just stared open-mouthed at where my door used to be. "I require my visage to be captured by your camera. Prepare your equipment."

Model: DC Dynamics Sinestro by DC Direct

Now, I've had my share of bad customers and have gotten better at being assertive and standing up for myself, but the second I opened my mouth to protest a giant yellow spider landed right. in. front. of. me. I have a thing about spiders.

Sinestro waved the spider away. "I am prepared. We shall go on three?"

"...yes sir." UGH. Giant spiders freak me out.

"Excellent. 1-2-3." Click

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

Stuck in my bedroom with nothing
But a voice in my head

Johnny Mo

2011-07-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok. Ok! Oh. Kay. Put the swords away and I'll take your picture! Just stand over there. Yes, where the X is. What are you looking for? The big X on the floor is where you need to be. Wha- sir, there is nothing up in the ceiling. No... I do not have any hidden assassins or booby traps. You know, I don't think I caught your name.

Johnny Mo is the leader of O-Ren's personal army, the Crazy 88. Johnny Mo is most prominently featured in the "House of Blue Leaves" scene. After The Bride kills Gogo Yubari and O-Ren Ishii's six bodyguards, Johnny Mo, armed with a pair of shōtō, arrives with an army of Crazy 88s. He is a more proficient fighter than the rest of the gang, nearly tipping the scales in their favor and holding his own against The Bride for several minutes alone while fighting her on top of a balcony railing. She eventually chops off both of his legs, and he falls into a pond from that second floor balcony and is presumed dead thereafter. *Wikipedia

Fine. Yes. Have a henchman stand there first. That's fine.
See? No death. It's just tape on the floor to help me with the lights. Will you please stand there now? Thank you. Turn to face me. Look up, just over my shoulder. That's perfect.

Model: Kill Bill's Johnny Mo by NECA Toys

Hold that for just a second, ok?

3...2...1... Click

(Click to see larger)

-Be good,
Dave

I could break into a million pieces

Independence Day

2011-07-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

"They say that the best weapon is the one you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only have to fire once. That's how Dad did it, that's how America does it, and it's worked out pretty well so far."

To be perfectly honest, I'm not a huge fan of this armor. Even though Iron Man is my favorite character, this new suit just doesn't do it for me. Until I got my hands on the action figure of it, anyway.

Model: Marvel Universe Iron Man - Modular Armor by Hasbro
Backdrop: Gothic City Ruins by Pegasus Hobbies
Special Effects created by waving Sparklers in front of a desk fan.

Now that I've played with it a bit and snapped a few shots of it (there will be another post in a few weeks about this armor), I'm a fan. More easy to photograph armors, please!

(Click to see larger)

If you'll excuse me, I need to go put out the fire I started in the studio because I was setting off fireworks indoors.

Be good,
-Dave

You leech off my desire

Assassin's Creed

2011-06-29T05:57:00.001-07:00

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."

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

Insensitive to all your needs

Bring the Noise

2011-06-23T05:58:00.000-07:00

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

Bionic Commando

2011-06-14T05:59:00.000-07:00

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.

(Click to see larger)

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.

Halo: Cryptum

2011-06-07T06:03:00.000-07:00

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)

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

I wonder how long it will be before
you leave

Gears of War

2011-06-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

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.

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

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

I am Iron Man

2011-05-27T06:16:00.000-07:00

You'll never guess what this week's picture is.

(Click to see larger)

I wanted to try and convey that sense of plodding dread you get from the song's opening riff. Something big and heavy and absolutely terrifying is coming for you and it wants you to know.

Be good,
-Dave

Wipe my face - get up again
get up again

Let's Be Bad Guys

2011-05-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

Blah.

That's how I feel about this week's photo. It isn't a bad shot, mind. It just doesn't... pop for me and I don't know why. It's well within the color range I usually use, the lighting and vignetting seem fine, and I definitely love the subject, but...

I dunno.

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

God damn I wish - I'm dreaming

Cad Bane

2011-05-11T06:45:00.000-07:00

Normally doing portfolio work for people is pretty fun. They come in, we chat for a bit about their image and how they want to be portrayed, and everyone's generally happy with the results. Once in a while they will have a strong idea of what they want, but usually it is a more organic process that lasts the entire shoot.

And then you run into guys like Cad Bane.

You know what the first thing he said to me was? "I'm calling the shots today," as he rested his hands on his blasters. Not even a hello. "Ok, no problem," I said. "What did you have in mind?" He turned to leave and nodded at his little robot who gave me a printout of exactly what Cad wanted (sunset over his shoulder), where he wanted it shot (a nasty local cantina), and, well, it was essentially the finished product.

Grabbing my gear, I hustled to the cantina, set up the lights, reflectors, camera, and waited for him to make his entrance.

Click.

(Click to see larger)

He walked right passed me, shot some guy, and walked out. "I'll be by to pick up the prints."

I gotta find a safer line of work...

Be good,
-Dave

All those callous eyes

Dr. Acula

2011-05-06T07:24:00.000-07:00

(Click to see larger)

Posted without comment because it's Seis de Mayo and I'm exhausted.

Stupid Senor Funtimes...

Be good,
-Dave

Can I get a witness

Playing Catch Up

2011-05-02T06:20:00.000-07:00

Urgh... My head. Where am I?
The last thing I remember was sitting down to post last week's shot and the phone ringing, and then... oh- oh no.

Please tell me I didn't blow last week's update because I was partying with Senor Funtimes.

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

Make my life worth something more

The Sun Never Sets on Latveria

2011-04-22T05:52:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, things are super busy here in the studio, but I wanted to quickly show you one of the projects we're working on. A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a small Eastern European nation to shoot some stills for an upcoming tourism campaign. Due to a non-disclosure agreement, I can't tell you where, but I'm sure you can figure it out.

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

What would happen if this were gone

Full of Stars

2011-04-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

This week was the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight into outer space and I wanted to try and do something special to commemorate it. I don't have any model rockets or miniature cosmonauts (an oversight that will be corrected), but I do have some Lego minifigs and a sizable science fiction collection. With that in mind, here is my attempt at recreating a scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The original:

For this shot I used:
Lego Minifigure Spaceman (body and helmet)
Lego Minifigure Hazmat Guy (head)
The entire NGC 6357 Nebula

I set an LED bulb on either side of the figure and used my window blinds for the vertical stripes. Taking it into Photoshop, it was... ok. Nothing spectacular and certainly not as dramatic as the still from 2001. That's where the Nebula came in and worked its magic. It took quite a bit of playing with opacity, but I think the end result is definitely worth the time and effort. It's certainly blowing Lego Spaceman's mind!

"The thing's hollow—it goes on forever—and—oh my God—it's full of stars!"

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

With your head so in the cloud

Mortal Kombat

2011-04-07T08:36:00.000-07:00

You may have heard that there is a new Mortal Kombat game coming out. I'll be honest, my favorite character is, and probably always will be, Sub Zero. The freezy ice blast, the slide, the ice swords? Count me in.

Unfortunately, Scorpion looks SO GOOD with a sword that he ended up dominating today's shot.

(Click to see larger)

What I originally wanted was sort of a backstage view, where Sub Zero was returning from his match with Scorpion lying in wait, ready to ambush Subs. The more I look at it, the more it looks like they're waiting to jump each other. Like playing Hide & Seek, but with Fatalities.

The setup was so simple that it's easier to just show you.

(Click to see larger)

Scorpion is standing in front of a resin wall piece and that's a wooden/leather trunk behind Sub Zero. No fancy lighting, just natural light from the window to the left.

Be good,
-Dave

Relied on me to say it all

Reflector

2011-03-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

Is there a Transformers Noir? If not, there should be.

Sorry for the short post this week, guys. Busy busy!

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

From left to right...

Protoceratops

2011-03-24T06:17:00.000-07:00

It was a few weeks ago that I ordered a Ring Flash Adapter from Photojojo. Great, I thought. This will be perfect for portraits! Can't wait for it to arrive and play around with it.

Here's the thing. When I opened the package, sitting on top was a little plastic Protoceratops with a note saying, "We like you. Thanks for ordering!"

It feels like we've been friends for years and they knew what I really wanted, but went ahead and let me order the ring flash (that I still haven't touched) anyway.

Oh sure, I took the ring flash adapter out of its box and fired a couple flashes through it. Oooh wow, super cool, super fun. Then I gave up pretending and ran outside with my new dinosaur.

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

I can't believe
This is happening to me

Master Gundam

2011-03-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned before, I have never watched any of the Gundam series. Never. None of it.
Somehow I find myself wanting the model kits. Actually no, that isn't true. I know exactly why I want the kits.

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam on XBox.

It combines two of my favorite things: punching hordes of dudes and giant robots. In this case, however, you're punching hordes of robots right in their faces. There were a lot of characters in the game that I didn't care for, but Domon Kasshu and Master Asia, the Undefeated of the East stood out from the pack of angsty teenagers who don't realize how awesome giant robots are. While the other characters are sadding it up with laser bazookas and plasma swords, Domon and Master Asia, the Undefeated of the East are running around punching as many faces as possible. It's Gundam Wuxia.

That's why today's subject is Master Asia, the Undefeated of the East's Master Gundam. It is a snap-together model kit that, quite honestly, is better made and more articulated than the majority of my action figures! I expect to be taking many more shots of this guy.

The backdrop is a square of vinyl floor tile I picked up at the hardware store and lit by reflecting a desk lamp off of the tile. In Photoshop, I painted the eyes and "DARKNESS FINGER", going a little sloppy to make it appear the power was radiating out of the Gundam.

Gundam Fight! Ready.... GO!

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

If there's tomorrow,
Would you give me Please forgive me?

Therian Assault Golems

2011-03-07T06:18:00.000-08:00

In every science fiction setting, there has to be a bad guy. Someone for the brave, outmatched humans to rally against, saving the entire universe in the process. For me, the less human-like that bad guy is, the more I like it. From mindless space bugs to robots programmed to destroy all biological life, I'm in.

Enter the Therians.

They go around the universe, converting solar systems into their own habitats, blacking out whole galaxies. In the AT-43 universe, there is just darkness where the Milky Way should be.

Scary stuff, indeed.

With that in mind, I wanted to try and capture that sense of menace. Bringing out the bulkhead set, I positioned the figures as best I could and realized that, for the effect I had in mind, I would need two exposures. The first was with the light above and behind, and the second had the light pointed straight through the door.

In Photoshop, I combined the two shots and painted in the eyes, using the same steps as my Robot Eye Tutorial.

File, Save As...

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

Passion; Find direction.

Megatron in Winter

2011-02-28T06:22:00.000-08:00

In this business, it's all about networking. Who you know is just as, if not more, important, than what you know. You have to spend money to make money. The early bird- Ok, I'll stop now.

The last time a supervillain booked time for a shoot, I totally blew it and was determined not to make the same mistake again. I was on time, dressed nicely, and my batteries were charged. Awesome, I thought. Let's do this.

So I waited. And waited. Aaaaand waited.

Finally, at 2:30, Megatron showed up for his 10am appointment.

Being late? Sure, ok. Something may have come up. He may have had to crush some Autobots or something. Cool. I understand.

He was on his cellphone the entire time.

When I asked, he just slipped it into his... pocket? A panel unfolded on his hip and he stuffed it in just long enough for me to get one shot. As soon as the shutter fired, he went right on talking.

The nerve of some people.

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

I'm talking to myself again

Dust

2011-02-21T06:24:00.000-08:00

I'm jealous of extreme photojournalists. I envy their bravery and determination to get the shot, no matter how dangerous the situation or how great the risk to themselves. That said, however, you won't see me doing that. The greatest danger I want to face is looking at the flash when it goes off!

Thankfully, wargaming miniatures allow me to indulge myself without anyone being put at risk.

The Set: Gothic City Ruins by Pegasus Hobbies
The Subject: Laser Grenadiers by Dust Tactics

I wanted to capture the squad of Laser Grenadiers making their way through a burning city, their lasers having cut through whatever war machines the Allies were using. To get the lighting right took a little work. I put the table lamp pointed down through the side windows and put a redish-pinkish-orangeish piece of scrapbook paper directly behind the set piece to reflect the light and color through the back windows.

I took it into Photoshop and increased the glow, making it more vivid and less like scrapbook paper. Then I added the heat glow and called it a day.

How did I do?

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

I promise one day she'll pray for me

Organ Music

2011-02-19T08:49:00.000-08:00

Here's the thing. I don't like horror movies. Being scared holds no fascination for me and I can't handle gore. That said, however, there is something about the old black & white monster movies that just grabs me. What I like most is not the makeup effects (although Frankenstein is my favorite monster), but the cinematography. That the best tool the filmmakers had to convey emotion and mood was light and shadow.

Harsh lights, cheesy fog, and deep shadows are all a guy really needs.

Ok, maybe some sort of character wouldn't hurt the scene any.

Enter: Darkrasp, Death Priest by Reaper Miniatures.

(Click to see larger)

I think the biggest things missing are a full moon, bats, and cheesy organ music.

Be good,
-Dave

Boy be brave, don't let them take you no!

Deadlines

2011-02-12T09:07:00.000-08:00

Oh man, guys. I almost blew it this week.

One of my resolutions this year is to not miss a weekly update. At some point between Sunday and Saturday each week, I will have something new to share with you, and I nearly let you down this week. Mea culpa.

In fact, my tardiness has caused some problems here in the studio. We had an appointment for a shoot with Thanos that turned sour when another gig ran long and I couldn't get back in time. My assistant, Reflector, tried his best to keep the Mad Titan busy, but there's only so much a toy camera can do. Thanos stormed out just as I was coming through the door. He shot me the old evil eye and kept walking.

"Hey Dave, there goes your eleven o'clock."

Oops.

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

Lock my door, close my blinds
I wanna be by myself

Dawn of War: Dark Crusade (Necron Campaign)

2011-02-03T04:57:00.000-08:00

Back in the scifi mood this week, so I thought I'd take the bulkhead set (is that what I'm calling it?) out for another spin.

Since I've been playing with the set for awhile now, I wanted to try some different lighting and see if I couldn't open it up a little more. Last time I kept the light low and the zoom tight to make it seem claustrophobic, but I'm hoping for a little more versatility from my set than just, "Oooh, so scary!"

In the foreground: Necron Lord
In the background: Necron Destroyer
(I would love to link to an online store, but Games Workshop makes that difficult)

The light setup on this is a desk lamp just a few inches above the set, angled down on the models. It lit up the Necron Lord's staff (appropriately called a Staff of Light) and definitely opened up the set. Now it looks almost like a glass roof or dome!

Ok, yeah. I like these sets and will be building more in the future.

Click.

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

I walk over and ask
Ask the question will I ever last

Challenge Rating: 25

2011-01-26T09:32:00.000-08:00

Whoa. Bit late this week, aren't I? Well, I have a good excuse. On Sunday night I got to see one of my heroes perform live. For those that know me, you know I'm a huge fan of lucha libre, Mexican masked wrestling. Two of the biggest stars are El Santo and Rey Misterio and guess who got to see them both from ringside?
So yeah, I had a little over 500 photos to sort through, but you can see them on my Flickr page!

This week's shot is another fantasy scene. Taking what I learned from Boss Fight, I wanted to expand that out and improve on it as best I could. Where better to take inspiration from than from the Granddaddy of fantasy storytelling, Dungeons & Dragons? I dug through my old books for ideas.
Maybe some vampires and skeletons? Nah.
Goblin hordes? Nah
Displacer Beast? I don't think anyone would know what that is.
Finally it hit me. Why was I trying so hard? The clue's in the name. All I needed was a dungeon and a dragon. And maybe a few poor adventurers seeking to claim the dragon's horde.

For this shot I used:
Cathedral Wall from Armorcast
Water Dragon from McFarlane Toys
Devin Dunhaus, Mercenary from Reaper Miniatures
Dwarven Fighter from Wizards of the Coast

This one fell into place by itself. Hold the desk lamp above and behind, line up the camera, and... Click.

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

I can go way back
in my mind

Standoff

2011-01-17T05:34:00.000-08:00

Remember when we spoke about Hirst Arts molds and I said I wanted to build a small set piece? Well, it's finished!

(Click to see larger)

Now I know, I know. It doesn't look like much now. It looks like some plaster pieces glued together, covered with paint and weathering powder. That's all going to change once we get our subjects on-set and do a little dramatic lighting.

Subject A: Lego Minifigures Spaceman (Series 1)
Subject B: Lego Minifigures Robot (Series 1)

Using a desk lamp, I lit the whole thing from behind so that the light would be spilling out over the Robot and we would get that great reflection off Spaceman's helmet. Make sure the poses are interesting; the Spaceman's gun is slightly elevated and the Robot is "walking". Fiddle with the lights one more time. Argue with assistant over exposure time. Hold your breath...

Click.

Be good,
-Dave

I hope it catched you up

Boss Fight

2011-01-10T06:39:00.000-08:00

Aaaaand we're back. Welcome to 2011! Did you enjoy your holiday break? I know I sure did.

One of the things I've been working on and really trying to improve is really opening up my idea of what my "Go To" shot is. As it stands now, I default to this:

(Click to see larger)

What I would like to do is expand that out and explore more of the scene. Bring a little more action, more dynamism. To do that, I'm going to need more that one figure... A quick glance at the shelves yields two fantasy figures that look promising. Benedikt Hellhorn by Reaper Miniatures and Ligori from Anima Tactics should do nicely. As a backdrop, I picked up a bit of resin cathedral wall from Armorcast and lit the whole thing with a table lamp, from above and behind.

I chose Benedikt and Ligori over other models because Ligori is head and shoulders taller. He towers over the smaller Benedikt! And really, how intimidating is a boss fight that you can look in the eye?

So what do you think?

(Click to see larger)

Be good,
-Dave

voices call, they call out my name, (my name, my name)

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-20T06:51:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays from El Dave Photography! I hope this year has been great for you all and that 2011 will be even better.

As for us, we're taking our end of year break and will resume posting the 2nd week of January.

Be good,
-Dave

Riddle of the Sphinx

2010-12-06T07:27:00.000-08:00

Inspired by this week's Macro Monday theme of "In the Dark", I was reminded of the riddle of the Sphinx. "What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?" By way of interpretation, I wanted to add what man looks like... In the Dark.

Rimshot.

Be good,
-Dave

You look so hard and you never find nothin'

On the Workbench

2010-11-29T07:30:00.000-08:00

Since the desktop is down for a bit, I thought it would be fun to share what I've been working on. Sort of a progress report.

Remember when I mentioned working with Hirst Arts plaster molds? I'd been having trouble painting them consistently, but after a quick trip to Games Plus, I tried Vallejo's Weathering Pigments and I stand before you a changed man. Holy moley is that stuff amazing!

What started as a mass of plain, whiteish grey plaster bricks was transformed. I primed the bricks with black gesso and covered that with a very heavy wash of off-white. When that was dry, it was time to break out the weathering powders. I brushed it on very heavily, massaging it into all the nooks and crannies. When I had it looking just how I wanted, I took my spritzer bottle of rubbing alcohol (the fixative for the pigments) and gave it a once over.

Seriously guys, you have to try this stuff out.

Be good,
-Dave

when the saints become the beggars
and they live down among the fray

Tech Support Ninja

2010-11-15T07:05:00.000-08:00

So the computer problems I mentioned in my last post turned out to be a little more complicated than just a bad hard drive. I put in a call to tech support and when the technician arrived, he announced that it was most likely a motherboard problem. I could fix it, but I built the PC over 5 years ago and I would need to buy all new internal components (it still used IDE hard drives, so you know...) or I can save up a little cash and buy a modern computer.

Either way, this machine needed to be put down.

"Do it."

Be good,
-Dave

there's no one here to tell you about the depth of the water
or the trouble that you're in

Iron Mans

2010-10-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

This week I wanted to take a little break from the usual format and just take a short series without a narrative and see how it turned out.

Who better to use than Iron Man?

Mk 1

Mk 2

Mk 3/4

Mk 5

Mk 6

Overall I'm very happy with the set. Straight out of the camera, with only the lights added in Photoshop. The one thing I would go back and do differently would be the glowing lights. I don't think I did a super great job on them (some of the effects are pretty jarring) and would like to go back and repost the originals.

However, when I tried booting up my desktop this morning I was greeted with a loud, rhythmic clicking indicative of hard drive failure.

Dang it.

Be good,
-Dave

my eyes are alive in this place

Halo Reach: Grunt Ultra

2010-10-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

Filed under: Things I Never Considered.

You guys have played Halo, right? Running through the first stages, shooting and exploding Grunts with wild abandon only to get bored and start trying to smash them with the butt of your rifle. Pretty fun, yeah?

Have you ever stopped to think about how the Grunt feels? Me neither. Well, not until Grunt Ultra shuffled into the studio. Two regular grunts "secured" the door and the lot of them swept in, guns drawn. Because of a previous incident, firearms aren't allowed in the studio. My assistant, Reflector, told them that they would have to put their weapons away or leave. We don't want any trouble.

"Trouble?!" And then they panicked. Limbs flailing, plasma going everywhere, it was a mess.

Grunt Ultra sighed and slumped in his armor, shaking his head. "Every time! Every time!" He whipped around at Reflector, "Listen camera guy, I need help-"
I interrupted, "Actually, I'm the photographer. Reflector is my assistant."
Ultra looked at Reflector, then at me, then back to Reflector. "Um, I think not. He is clearly the camera. Now, Mr. Camera," another big sigh, "I've got... problems. It's the Brutes, you see. They think because they're big they can do what they want and they can just hit us all the time and-"

I'll spare you the entire story. Cliff's Notes version: Years of bullying by the Brutes has left the poor Grunts with something of a self-esteem problem, to the point of them developing phobias en masse. They collect them like baseball cards. This little Ultra, hoping for a confidence boost wanted a couple shots to hang around his bunk.

Let's see how this goes...

Dramatic lighting!

Turn to your left so I can get a shot of that cool backpack. What's in that thing, anyway?
"I need Methane to breathe!"

Oooook. Don't think about cow farts. What's your favorite map, Ultra?
Ripping his helmet off in what I assume was enthusiasm (and not cow farts), "I love Blood Gultch!"

Alright, big guy, we're almost done here. Gimme a roar!
There went the gas mask, "RAAAAAAAR"

Reflector burst in holding a Brute Spiker handgun. "Hey Dave, check it out! I'm a Brute!"
Grunt Ultra, his bravery completely forgotten, screamed and ran.

Reflector?
"Yeah Dave?"
...nevermind.

Be good,
-Dave

oh, you can take a penny
you can put one upon each eye

New Studio Space: First Shots

2010-10-04T07:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was all about getting the new space finished. It started with casting a huge number of Hirst Arts plaster blocks. I'm pretty sure I'll be finding plaster dust on everything I own for the next few years...

The hardest part was trying to decide how to paint them. I tried sponge painting, priming and then basecoating, washes; you name it, I probably tried it. In frustration, I put the painting on hold for a while, which led to me setting up the lights and reflectors and taking a portrait of Jorge-052 from Halo: Reach.

(click image for larger view)

Right. Yeah, I'm very happy with how that turned out! The new studio really sings and I think this first shot is a good example. Did I mention that this is straight out of the camera? Because, yeah.

Going back to the plaster blocks, I remembered the can of metallic spraypaint that I bought specifically for the blocks and went to work spraying. 20 minutes and some superglue later, I ended up with this:

(click image for larger view)

To give a better idea of what the set looks like, here's a full view of my little table:

(click image for larger view)

What do you think?

Be good,
-Dave

she's got a bottle and a paper
so she can forget her name

Under Construction

2010-09-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

WARNING: You must wear a hard hat for this blog post.

Here's a little behind the scenes look at one of the sets I'm working on for upcoming shoots. One of my goals has been to really focus on building a new and improved studio space where I can have elaborate sets and experiment with new techniques. To that end, I've started ordering plaster molds from Hirst Arts. The first one to come in was mold #301 "Starship Wall Mold" and I couldn't be more pleased with it!

Initial pre-mold prep:

I'm soaking the mold in a solution of tap water and Jet Dry rinse agent to decrease the surface tension. This lets the plaster flow down into the cracks and crevices, giving you a better finished piece.

The fun bit:

The first time I poured the plaster, I was way too high up and plaster splashed everywhere. Make sure you do this in a clean area (more clean than my desk). You don't want to be finding dried plaster months from now!

Scrape smooth:

Using my scraper, I wipe the excess away. This is the part I like the least, to be honest. The container says the plaster sets in 20-30 minutes, but my first run resulted in soft, easily broken bricks that I had a difficult time removing from the mold. I've found that giving it a full hour is perfect.

Pop out the pieces:

He he he! Look at the pieces!

Test assembly:

Each piece is flat and smooth, so they're easy to assemble in as many different ways as you can imagine. I just stacked these pieces into an impromptu wall section to see how they look. As you can see, the detail is great! I'm really very impressed with how the pieces turned out.

Let's put it all together now:

What do you think? Are you as impressed with these blocks as I am?
I can't wait to see how they look painted!

Be good,
-Dave

it came across the land
like the spanish influenza

Pardon our Dust

2010-09-07T07:02:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the short post, but with summer coming to a close, it won't be long before access to the outdoor studios will be limited.

With that in mind, work has begun on some new indoor studio space. New backdrops are under construction, lighting rigs are getting hauled in and some promising new clients have signed on for shoots.

Halo Reach's Emile is just a teaser of bigger and better things.

Please pardon our dust.

Be good,
-Dave

I'll take my chances on the land
I'm not doin' time

Predator

2010-08-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

Every summer, when it gets so hot that you just can't stand it, these guys show up. Not only do you have to contend with the heat and humidity, you have to constantly check for laser sights, wrist blades and throwing discs.

And man are they jerks.

Their English is really bad, so they tend to work with an interpreter. This poor guy tried holding the door open for the Predator, only to be picked up and shoved through the studio entrance. I guess it was afraid of booby traps or something.

"Mister, ah, Dave? My client is interested in having some shots taken. You know, to sign at conventions."

To sign at conventions, the Predator clicked. It sounded like it was mocking him.

As I gathered up my gear, I asked if Reflector if he was ready. "NOPE." He hasn't been the same since the Bionic Commando shoot went south...

We started off slow, with just a couple quick snaps to get him used to the camera.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to do, because those arm swords started swinging a little close to my face.

"Hey, that's a cool mask" I said and moved in for a close-up. "Uhhhh, Dave? I, um, I don't think you should be doing th-" Click.

And then it started yelling.

"The, ah, Predator would like to negotiate on your price."

Did I mention that Predators are jerks?

Be good,
-Dave
(Today's post inspired by Edward Lee's excellent Predator pic)

your heart is in my pocket
and there's a lie inside my hand

Monev the Gale

2010-06-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

I love portfolio work for celebrities. Even pseudo-celebrities. The hurried phone calls from their agents, run ragged trying to meet their demands. The awed hush that comes over the studio when they finally arrive.

Or not.

Monev the Gale fell out of the public eye several years ago. I mean, let's face it, Trigun didn't end well for the guy. Sure, he got a cool action figure made and made an appearance in the anime, but publicity is all about the now. So when he came into the studio, I'll be honest, I was surprised.

"Dave, you gotta help me. My career has completely tanked and I can't get anyone to return my phonecalls. I need some shots for my portfolio." He kept looking at the floor while we spoke. A real shame to see a guy broken like that.

Stepping over to the outdoor studio, he seemed to perk up a bit. A little awkward at first, but he fell into his groove pretty quickly.

Fortunately, we only had a single incident. Reflector sometimes forgets that he isn't the boss...

We needed one more; something for him to sign at events. This one had to be a stinger!

BAM!

Be good,
-Dave

Even though you think
I might just set you free

Godzilla

2010-06-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

Godzilla (ゴジラ, Gojira) is a fictional Japanese dinosaur, first appearing in Ishiro Honda's 1954 film Gojira. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Company Ltd. The monster (daikaijū) has appeared in numerous other media including video games, novels, comic books, television series, and an American remake. An American reboot is currently in the works by Legendary Pictures.

With the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still fresh in the Japanese conscious, Godzilla was conceived as a monster created by nuclear explosions and a metaphor for nuclear weapons in general. As the film series expanded, the stories took on less serious undertones portraying Godzilla in the role of a hero, while later movies returned to depicting the character as a destructive monster.
(Courtesy: Wikipedia)

One of the most interesting parts of being a photographer is the variety of subjects. I really don't know what I'm going to be working with from one week to the next. So you can imagine my surprise when my able assistant came in with this week's assignment.

What am I supposed to do with Godzilla?! Ok, ok. Deep breath. You are a professional. You can do this. Try not to think of Hank Azaria...

Let's start with a profile shot. That's always good.

There, see? You can totally do this. How about a vintage-y, black and white look? Something dignified, but still showing off his age.

Good. This is easy. Textbook portraitu- GIGAN OUT OF NOWHERE.

If they start fighting, I'm-

-out of here!

Be good,
-Dave

How do you know you?

Wall-E

2010-06-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

WALL-E, promoted with an interpunct as WALL•E, is a 2008 computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Andrew Stanton. The story follows a robot named WALL-E, who is designed to clean up a waste-covered Earth far in the future. He eventually falls in love with another robot named EVE, and follows her into outer space on an adventure that changes the destiny of both his kind and humanity.
(Courtesy: Wikipedia)

You may have noticed some similarities between the last few posts, and that is due to my amazing outdoor studio. I'm fortunate enough to have this great little secluded stream within walking distance.

I've taken several figures down there, and I'm rarely disappointed by the results. The variety of landscapes offers a tremendous variety of potential shots, even though I mostly just dunk them in the water.

It's even shady enough to bring the Starflex out to play.

Ok, I think that's enough for this week. Say bye, Wall-E!

Be good,
-Dave

Some of us live life
Like we didn't know it exists

Variable Threat Response Battle Suit

2010-05-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

The original "Variable Threat Response Battle Suit, Mark I" is a solar charged carbon-composite-based steel mesh armor which provided its user with superhuman-level strength and durability as well as utilizing laser guided munitions. Stark gave Rhodes a modified version of the armor, Mark II Model JRXL-1000, created just for him with the inclusion of repulsors in each palm of the armor's gauntlets and a multifunctional unibeam projector in the chest. The armor could be modified in the field with various modular weapons and has an improved tactical computer system with automatic targeting. Additional weapons included pulse bolt generators, retractable shoulder minigun, variable-configured double-barrel cannons on each gauntlet, gauntlet mounted flamethrower, plasma blade on the left gauntlet, missile box launcher, micro-rocket launcher, particle beam discharger, and an electromagnetic pulse generator in the unibeam projector that could shut down any electronic device in a 50 mile radius. The battlesuit also includes a photon emitter that created a force shield, forcefield-based stealth technology, boot-jet propulsion, and a self-contained breathing system.

The second version of the armor, reconfigured by Stark, contained upgraded improvements such as heat seeking missile launchers, pulse cannon, and retractable weapon pods located on its back. Rhodes utilized different types of specialty ammunition as well as non-lethal weapons such as rubber bullets. Though Rhodes lost the original armor, he still possessed a functional prototype helmet and gauntlet.
(Courtesy: Wikipedia)

This is my last post about Iron Man 2. Promise.

One of my favorite scenes is when Justin Hammer is making his big presentation and showing off his drone armors for the first time. I got goosebumps when he announced the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit.

Out of all the armor designs that have come from the Iron Man films, War Machine has made the largest impact on me. I find myself playing with the movie War Machine WAY more than the movie Iron Man...

Be good,
-Dave

I have changed the world in front of me
One against all; I'm starving this world

Iron Man

2010-05-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

Tony Stark
Makes you feel
He's a cool exec
With a heart of steel.
As Iron Man,
All jets ablaze,
He fights and smite'n
With repulsor rays!
A blaze of power!
Iron Man!
Amazing armor!
Iron Man!

Ok, so here's the thing. Iron Man is my absolute favorite comic book character. Other titles I drift in and out of, or I'm happy waiting for the trade paperback. It was the first comic title I ever read.

When I heard they were making a movie, naturally I was very excited. The teaser images and trailers not only served their purpose, they went above and beyond in creating excitement for the film. So much so that I feared it couldn't live up to my expectations...

Then I saw the film. 7 times.

And then there was the sequel. A sequel is always placed under a more intense microscope, and end up being considered worse than the original. For my money, however, Iron Man 2 is just as good, if not better, than the original! There's a super villain. There is a super hero fight. Super science. Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts have a larger role. We get to see more of Tony Stark and Jim Rhodes. Justin Hammer and Ivan Vanko were fantastic villains. Cool fights. Cool armors. Action! Comedy! Thrills! Seriously, just go see it. Again and again.

"No. No! You have the big gun. I am the big gun!"

Be good,
-Dave

I'd like to tell you how I'm feeling now
But it ruins everything

Big Daddy

2010-05-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

Big Daddies (also known as Protectors) are genetically-enhanced human beings who have had their skin and organs grafted into an enormous diving suit, with Alpha Series being an apparent exception to the grafting process. Their primary purpose is to protect Little Sisters while they escort them around Rapture.

Big Daddies, besides the Alpha Series, communicate by haunting sounds similar to that of a whale's call. For easier interpretation, lights were added to the helmet to display what state of intention the Big Daddy is in. Big Daddy helmets have three light colors: green indicates the Big Daddy is hypnotized and friendly, yellow indicates awareness of but indifference to his environment, and red indicates a rage towards assailants. If the first few attempts to drive away potential threats prove futile, Big Daddies will become enraged, unlike Alpha Series who always begin enraged.
(Courtesy: BioShock Wiki)

My buddy Brian dropped by the studio on Saturday, with Big Daddy in tow. While I haven't played either of the BioShock games, I've watched them being played a LOT and have been itching to get some shots of Big Daddy.

Unfortunately, seeing as how I live on the outskirts of Chicago (and not in an undersea dystopia), I'm not really able to get amazing photos like THESE. What I do have, however, is a nearby stream that's just secluded enough for me to dunk Big Daddy in and go wild taking shots.

What I think draws me to the character is that he's heavy. That metal diving suit, the massive air tanks, and the way his head sits so low on his chest; to say nothing of the MASSIVE drill hand. This guy is huge and I have a soft spot for the big guys.

Big Daddy is a ~7" action figure produced by NECA Toys.

Be good,
-Dave

I won't
I can't
I'm lost
I'm a freak

Out of Focus

2010-04-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Things have been hectic and I've fallen a bit behind!
I know, I know, excuses.

I will make up for it with next week's update.

Promise.

Be good,
-Dave

Thinking up a storm, when it storms it's going to rain

Waterproof

2010-04-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I wanted to take a little walk through the neighborhood and see how things looked now that it's Spring. Grabbing up my camera gear, I brought along my XTi, the Starflex, and Reflector. I made my way down to the park, hoping to get some interesting TTV shots, when I passed by a little stream. I thought to myself, Isn't it amazing that a week ago, all of that was covered in snow? Reflector looked at the shallow water. "Hold on, I've got a great idea. Check this out." Reflector waded out into the stream. "Maybe you shouldn't go in there. I don't think you're water resistant", I said.

"Man, I am water proof."

Click.

Be good,
-Dave

They think they are smart
Don't doubt what they say

Neo-Viper Commando

2010-04-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

NEO-VIPERS are cold-blooded commandos whose minds and instincts have been altered to change them into warriors incapable of fear or pain. Their enhanced physical abilities make them inhumanly strong, fast and deadly, and their advanced composite body armor. Watch out, G.I. JOE team! There’s an enemy NEO-VIPER commando on the attack!

Neo-Viper is a 3.75" G.I. Joe from Hasbro.

I didn't see the movie, but finding this guy in the 4 for $10 bins at Quake Collectibles was too good to pass up. Otherwise, I know nothing about him, but G.I. Joe should watch out! There's a Neo-Viper on the attack!

Be good,
-Dave

You'll always be alone
Your body stripped down to the bone

War Machine

2010-03-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

Variable Threat Response Battle Suit Mark II, Model JRXL-1000

Man, I was doing so good with not buying the 3.75" Marvel figures. I saw all the cool characters, all in the same scale, with a lineup that included both the main Heroes and Villains and also threw in plenty of henchmen for good measure.
"Self", I said, "you don't want those. They're too tiny and too expensive. Stay strong."
And I listened for a good long time. In fact, I listened so well for so long that now I'm seeing some of the line on clearance at Target.

But then all the Iron Man 2 figures popped up.
My goal in collecting Iron Man was always to get the different armors. I'm not too fussed about having EVERY Iron Man figure (although, if you saw my shelf you'd think otherwise), but these new movie toys seem to have been made especially for me.

Sometimes, when I'm alone, I think they were.

Be good,
-Dave

Close your eyes, I will help you pray

Heirarch Severius

2010-03-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

Severius' voice has always resonated with sacred power, and he demonstrates a strength and surety that belies his age. Those who attend him can see and hear the power of unchecked divinity conveyed through his words and deeds. He has vowed to make it his life's work to unite the Menites of western Immoren, to spread the True Faith to all of humanity, and to usher in a new age by hammering the cathedrals of Morrow to rubble and erecting new temples to the Lawgiver.

A while back, over on the Twitters, I mentioned that I wanted to work more in Black and White, but wasn't sure how best to improve my meager technique. My friends sent in their tips and I spent an hour adjusting the settings on my camera to reduce the sharpness and contrast to give me a softer, less crisp image. Now, instead of just a black and white snapshot, I get something like what you see above.

Heirarch Severius is a ~28mm wargaming miniature produced by Privateer Press for their Warmachine tabletop game.

Yes, he is standing on top of the acolytes.

Be good,
-Dave

Since I know how low to go
I wont let it show

Spring has GRAHHHWWWW!

2010-03-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

An interesting thing has been happening here in Chicago. Not only are the days growing longer, the sky seems to radiate actual heat. This combination has had a curious effect on the local fauna; the shaggy little squirrels are playing outside my window and birds are... singing?

I knew something was up when Mega Terra Khan emerged from his glacial cavern and breathed his nuclear breath over the snow, melting it in huge swaths. Well, huge for him anyway. It's only a few inches across.

This is my second attempt at honest to goodness TTV photography. My previous flirtations with it were limited to overlaying textures in Photoshop, and, while fun to do, weren't really as satisfying as actually grabbing my little Kodak Brownie Starflex (Link goes to John Kratz's excellent camera. I've yet to photograph mine) and looking through the viewfinder.

As far as setup goes, you're looking at it. Put Mega Terra Khan out in the grass (We have grass!), line up the Starflex, and aim my DSLR through the viewfinder. Click.

(Hey, is that my camera strap's reflection?)

Be good,
-Dave

Know when to listen
Know what to listen for

Assassin Droid in Summer

2010-02-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

I've noticed that my photos tend to follow a few set patterns, stylistically. I've even been told that I have a "signature" and that my photos can be recognized at thumbnail size. While I recognize that kind of visibility can only be a good thing for a photographer (especially if you someday hope to make any money at it), there is a part of me that resents it, even if only a little.

When I'm stuck for inspiration, I tend to surf either Flickr or DeviantArt. Both sites are great but for very different reasons. I've found Flickr to be the best place for technical brilliance. From framing to exposure times, Flickr makes me a more proficient photographer. I learned the rules there. I regularly converse with several amazing people who have taught me so much. With DeviantArt, however, the rules are thrown out. Colors, patterns, textures, everything goes into the final image. And I think that is a very important distinction to make. Flickr has taught me how to take good photos, but DeviantArt is teaching me how to take that photo and play with it; to not feel constrained by what I see through the viewfinder.

While today's shot may simply be some color tweaks, a little texture, and an overlay for mood, it's the first timid steps into something bigger and better for me.

IG-88 is an Assassin Droid in the Star Wars universe and is produced by Hasbro.

Be good,
-Dave

You know why
They called and just let it ring

Monsterpocalypse

2010-02-15T07:16:00.000-08:00

Last week I briefly mentioned having a demo game of Monsterpocalypse. Published by Privateer Press, the point of the game is to have your giant monster completely wreck your friend's giant monster. The city you're crushing is just an afterthought, as are the people living there.

The game was taught by my buddy Ryan, who assembled a force of Lords of Chtul led by Cthugrosh backed up by a bunch of little things I would rather have not faced.

I picked the Terrasaurs because they were chubby and made me laugh. I ran Terra Khan and a couple other chubby little dinosaurs.

When the dust finally settled, Terra Khan stood over the busted husk of Cthugrosh.

While I had a good time and REALLY like the models, I don't think I'll be playing the game beyond this demo. There were a few rules mechanics that kept pulling me away from what I really wanted to do, which is punch giant monsters and breathe nuclear fire on unsuspecting cities.

It wasn't a total loss, however. I spent the next hour taking pictures of Ryan's models (and made a stop at ebay to order a few monsters for myself). Without further adieu, here are just a small sampling of the awesome looking figures:

Be good,
-Dave

I strike a match, strike a match, cook it up!

If You Rest, You Rust.

2010-02-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

“If you rest, you rust.”
-Helen Hayes

After a much longer than expected hiatus, we're back to photography and blogging. There was a big life change after Christmas that led to me moving to a new place and all the stress and anxiety that comes with getting the Flying Dave Ranch settled and getting back into the photo groove.

I've been trying for over a month to get the mojo back, with some spectacular failures that thankfully you guys will never see and my CF card is glad to be rid of. What helped me break through was getting to try out Monsterpocalypse and taking pictures of some of the models for the game.

With one success under my belt, I felt confident enough to pick up a few figures, throw open the back door, get down in the dirt, and TAKE SOME PICTURES. Then I went back inside because it was 22 degrees and I wasn't wearing a coat (or shoes).

In Photoshop, I cropped this one down to size, colored in the green Gauss Flayer and the green eyes, then ran the whole thing through a little cross-processing. I don't remember which processing I used, but I promise to take better notes in the future.

I promise? That seems a little strong... How about, I will try to take notes at all?

Yeah, that sounds juuuuust right.

Be good,
-Dave

There's nothing to save I know
You live till you die

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2009-12-25T08:37:00.000-08:00

And with that, I would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I will be taking a short vacation from blogging here and will be resuming after my birthday.

See you in the future!

Be good,
-Dave

You know, I know
Everybody everyone let's go

Perceptor

2009-12-10T20:55:00.000-08:00

Brawn: Do you have any better ideas, or is your intelligence as fleeting as your courage?
Perceptor: As a matter of fact, I do: get inside Megatron and disconnect the heart of Cybertron.
Brawn: Are you defective? How're we gonna do that?
Perceptor: Simple: we use my trans-mat reduction beam to shrink down to microscopic size. Then, we crawl into Megatron and rip the blasted heart out!
Optimus Prime: What do you think of his intelligence now, Brawn?

Perceptor is a Transformers Autobot, recently re-issued and released by Hasbro, exclusively for Toys R Us.

As I've said before, I grew up mainly watching Robotech, but a few select Transformers found their way into my little hands. Perceptor was one of them and is the primary reason why I'm fascinated by microscopes to this day.

I "<3" him.

Be good,
-Dave

The walls are closing in again, oh well
I seen some thing I thought I never saw

Solid Symbols

2009-12-03T06:49:00.000-08:00

I listen to a lot of podcasts. A lot. My podcast to music ratio is something like 4 hours for every 1 hour of music. Somewhere in that daily listening is usually a podcast produced by a gentleman named Anim5 (not his real name?), the host of The Gutter Skypes (recorded actual-play sessions of tabletop RPGs using Skype) and International Detective Dragons from Outer Space (forgive my gross oversimplification, but philosophy for geeks).

Not only does he produce both excellent podcasts, but he makes things as well, which brings me to today's topic: Solid Symbols.

From the page:
"Here you will find an ever-growing collection of original sculpted pieces created for proud display on your study wall, above your door or in your workspace.

What all of these works have in common is the theme of antiquity.
An aura of things ancient.

They are instantly familiar and recognizable symbols of something in the human experience that transcends borders and centuries.

Solid Symbols represent classic ideas or display slices of history.
All of them are tangible emblems of human cultural imagination.

Also, you may be surprised to find that they are all made in the United States, and are the most affordable collectible castings you are likely to discover online or anywhere else."

So, right there, I'm hooked. For only $10 there was no reason for me not to order one, so I quickly put the Micro Skeleton into my shopping cart, paid, and waited in eager anticipation. When it arrived, I wanted to take a thank you photo of my Solid Symbol and send it to Anim.

The photo:

His incredibly generous response.mp3

I am very glad to have both ordered a Solid Symbol and "met" Anim5. Which one should I order next? I'm thinking the trilobite...

As a follow up, I thought maybe I should take one more picture:

Be good,
-Dave

Leap of faith, do you doubt?
Cut you in, I just cut you out

In space...

2009-11-24T19:54:00.000-08:00

No one can hear you... well, you know.

Picked this one up in the 4 loose figures for $10 bins at Quake Collectibles. I've had my eye out for him in the, what, 7 years since he was first released and was very excited when April held it up and asked if I wanted it.

As you can see, Alien Spawn is slightly transparent and that face is just so gruesome! I could definitely handle having more figures like this in my collection.

Alien Spawn (I guess mine was a green variant) was produced by McFarlane Toys and released in February 2002.

Be good,
-Dave

Don't forget to remember
The devil's got pills in his eyes

Power Struggle

2009-11-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

Starscream: "Don't push me, Megatron, my desire for power is as great as yours!"
Megatron: "Power flows to the one who knows how. Desire alone is not enough."

I've been playing a lot with light lately. I'm the first to say that I'm no expert; in fact it takes me forever to get the settings right on my camera. My memory stick is FULL of under- or overexposed images with a small percentage actually turning out the way I want.

One of the first lessons I was taught was to never shoot into the sun/light source, and for a long time I followed that rule religiously. Even going so far as repeating it to myself when I'm taking pictures. Now that I've begun breaking this rule, I'm realizing just how limited I was. With this, I stood the figures in the light, pointed the lens directly at the sun outside the window and snapped the shot.

Amazing what you can learn from the little things.

Starscream and Megatron are Revoltechs, produced by Kaiyodo.

Be good,
-Dave

I been programed as I said before
Technology

Amon Ad-Raza

2009-10-13T05:34:00.000-07:00

Let your faith be your armor, your fist be your sword.
-Prayer of the Order of the Fist

More playing around with the set from last time. I love using Amon Ad-Raza in games of Warmachine, even though he plays completely opposite the way I think he should.

Amon Ad-Raza and the Guardian Warjack are 30mm wargaming miniatures produced by Privateer Press for the Warmachine tabletop game.

Be good,
-Dave

If only we're nothing at all

Paragons of Faith

2009-10-02T05:47:00.000-07:00

Many scholars have compared the Protectorate to the body of Menoth. The Hierarch is the head. The scrutators, the mouth. The warjacks are the bones, while the countless zealots are the blood. If this is true, then the Knights Exemplar are the tools of war in His hands.

I've had this in my head for a little while now; ever since April and I went to Michael's (a chain of craft stores) and I picked up those little tealight holders you see in the background. Wonderfully ornate and just in the right scale with the miniatures, they are an excellent addition to my collection of setting props, and I couldn't be more happy with them. Not only do they look great, they made our apartment smell like "Indian Tamarind".

The Knights Exemplar are 32mm wargaming miniatures produced by Privateer Press for the WARMACHINE tabletop game.

Be good,
-Dave

Free range humans all cooped up

Enemy Territory

2009-09-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

"Though the time is dark, my faith shines."

Who said pink was a sissy color? Brother Marine Cuddles would like a word with them...

This Space Marine is a 32mm plastic wargaming miniature produced by Games Workshop.

Be good,
-Dave

Bite your tongue Swear to keep your mouth shut

The Stage is Set

2009-09-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

If you're going to take pictures of tiny things, you need a tiny place to take their picture, right? It seems like lately my subjects have been getting smaller than usual. Instead of 6" action figures, I've been enjoying photographing 28-32mm miniature models (roughly 1.1-1.3"). Perspective is hard enough to get right at 6", but when you shrink down to miniature size, things get... difficult.

Which I why I build my own sets. I've done a post about miniature sets before, but it was more of a "Hey, here is one little prop" instead of a complete scene. This time, I'd like to show off a cave/stone set for miniatures.

First, the materials:
5" x 5" Canvas Panels (x3)
Spackle
Superglue
Acrylic Paint

Just a quick note before we get any further. The miniatures in today's shot are Sir Titus and a Hill Giant. Both are pewter wargaming miniatures produced by Reaper Miniatures. Ok, back on topic.

Assemble three of the canvas panels into a floor and two walls, then put the spackle down to create a texture. Give it plenty of time to dry (best to let it sit overnight), and then you can get to painting. I painted mine in browns and grays. Once the whole thing is dry and you're happy with how it looks, set your models on the set, get your lighting where you want it, and start snapping away. Here is what mine looks like, completed and ready to go:

Tiny, right?

Well, here is what that tiny little set and tiny little models looks like through the camera:

Be good,
-Dave

If you're not blind and deaf, how can we pollute your head?

Sage Tutelage

2009-09-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

"I will gladly pit my woldwardens against any of those noisy, smoke-belching warjacks. I have already destroyed several which made the mistake of blundering into my territory." -Baldur Stonecleaver

Baldur Stonecleaver and the Woldwarden are pewter wargaming miniatures produced by Privateer Press for their Hordes tabletop game.

Plastic 52 - Week 26

2009-08-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

We made a quick trip up to the Boerner Botanic Garden in lovely Hales Corners, Wisconsin and I thought maybe I should take a few friends along. You know, just to get them out of the apartment and stretch a little.

While I was talking to April and lamenting the sad state of my Plastic 52 project (I started the project on June 27th, 2008) when from behind me I heard, "Camerasman! Hey Camerasman! HEY!"
I whipped around and there stood Hugg, Wage's apron hastily draped over his shoulder. "Camerasman! Take my picture!"
Wondering what happened to Wage, I knelt down and started lining up my shot. From the corner of my viewfinder I saw this naked orange streak run into the frame shouting, "Give me back my clothes!"

Click.

Be good,
-Dave

Chicago Comic Con 2009

2009-08-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

Formerly Wizard World Chicago, this year was a departure from the previous convention format. Placing a higher emphasis on media and entertainment guests, Marvel and DC's booths were replaced by Edward James Olmos, Ernie Hudson, Billy Dee Williams, and more wrestlers that you can shake a stick at. The show was still a great time, however, and I was able to meet friends old and new to hang out and share a love of comics. Thanks to David Price, I was able to go in with a press badge and take some shots of the different creators and all the great costumes.

Speaking of costumes, there were a TON of them this year. In fact, there were so many that I didn't get to see them all, much less take pictures. I would spy someone I wanted a shot of across the hall, but as I made my way over, I would get sidetracked by a completely different costume. Or people would tell me about great outfits they'd seen earlier and send me off on a wild chase for characters I couldn't find (I'm looking at YOU Blue Lantern and Nicole Fury).

Photography wise, I found myself drawn to the portraits. As I've said before, costume photography is something I would love to do in a more controlled environment (ie not on a crowded convention floor) and I was just really, really happy taking portraits of Luke Cage, a Sith Twilek, and Stormtroopers. Maybe there's another book there? I don't know. I did have a very cool conversation with the guys and gals of the 501st Midwest Garrison, so there may be opportunities there.

Ok, enough blabbering from me. Below are just a few of the pics I took. Click on any of them to be taken to my Flickr set where you can view them all at your liesure.

Be good,
-Dave

Silhouette

2009-08-06T03:32:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy couple of weeks! First, I would like to congratulate my cousin's basketball team for making it all the way to 2nd place in the AAU girls national tournament! I flew out to Virginia to cheer them on and I was asked to help photograph the games. Let's be honest, shooting a bunch of 6' tall teenage girls is about as far as you can get from 6" action figures, but it was a great experience and I really enjoyed doing it.

Second, Wizard World Chicago is this weekend and I can't wait to get in there with my camera. To be honest, I'm so excited for the show, I'm having trouble concentrating on what I'm supposed to be writing here...

Gears of War, courtesy of Gearspedia:

Gears of War is a science fiction video game franchise, created by Epic Games and owned and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The two games that currently make up the series take place on the fictional planet Sera and focus on a war between humans and creatures known as the Locust Horde. In Gears of War, the protagonist Marcus Fenix, a soldier or "Gear" in the Coalition of Ordered Governments, leads his squad on a mission to deploy the Lightmass bomb and destroy the Locust Horde in their underground strongholds. The sequel Gears of War 2 takes place six months after the events of the first game, and follows Delta Squad and the COG army as it launches an assault directly against the Hollow in an effort to end the war.

This was taken at the Chicago Botanic Garden, inside their Test Garden. I stood Fenix in the plant bed and turned to face the sun so I would get that great silhouette and snapped a bunch of shots.

All I had to do in Photoshop was add a thin gradient (yellow/blue) to make the sunlight pop and the shadows sink just that little bit more. Otherwise? Yeah, that's all I did.

I'm going to an EXIF Convention:

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	1/4000 sec
Aperture:	f/5.6
Focal Length:	55 mm
ISO Speed:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire

File Size:	2.7 MB
File Type:	JPEG
MIME Type:	image/jpeg
Image Width:	2592
Image Height:	3888
Encoding Process:	Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample:	8
Color Components:	3
X-Resolution:	72 dpi
Y-Resolution:	72 dpi
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Date and Time (Modified):	2009:08:03 19:24:02
YCbCr Positioning:	Co-sited
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Date and Time (Original):	2009:08:02 18:51:34-05:00
Date and Time (Digitized):	2009:08:02 18:51:34
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Color Space:	sRGB
Focal Plane X-Resolution:	4433.29532497149 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution:	4453.60824742268 dpi
Custom Rendered:	Normal
Exposure Mode:	Auto
White Balance:	Auto
Scene Capture Type:	Standard
Compression:	JPEG (old-style)
Global Angle:	30
Global Altitude:	30
Copyright Flag:	False
Photoshop Quality:	12
Photoshop Format:	Optimised
Progressive Scans:	3 Scans
XMPToolkit:	Adobe XMP Core 4.1-c036 46.276720, Mon Feb 19 2007 22:40:08
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Metadata Date:	2009:08:03 19:24:02-05:00
Creator Tool:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Format:	image/jpeg
Color Mode:	3
ICCProfile Name:	sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type:	D50
Measurement Observer:	CIE 1931
Measurement Flare:	0.999%
Measurement Illuminant:	D65
Color Transform:	YCbCr
Flash Return:	No return detection
Flash Mode:	Off
Flash Function:	False
Flash Red Eye Mode:	False

Be good,
-Dave

Grindak Bloodbreath

2009-07-25T04:12:00.000-07:00

Grindak's bio, courtesy Privateer Press.com:

Grindak is a figure of local renown in the highlands of Ord where he roves the moors from North Berck to the Olgunholt in search of his lady love. She was taken hostage by a band of raiders, and Grindak has vowed never to rest until they meet their ends upon the wicked edge of his iron axe.

Grindak Bloodbreath is a 32mm metal miniature produced by Privateer Press for the Iron Kingdoms RPG.

My goal here was to try and match the industrial-Victorian/steampunk visual style of the Iron Kingdoms as closely as I could and that meant trying to emulate old manual film cameras with fully automated modern gear.

The first thing I decided was to avoid black and white, but still stick to a muted pallet of browns and greens. Because I painted him in very drab colors, this wasn't so hard, really. The only thing I needed in Photoshop was a warming filter overlay.

The second thing I wanted was a funky vignette. I am a big fan of TTV, and the dirty, scratchy look is exactly what I'm going for.

Finally, I had to make sure the figure's base was hidden and looked natural. I think from now on, whenever I buy miniatures, I'm going to keep them off their bases unless I plan on playing with them. I'm starting to develop a complex because you never see any of my miniatures below the knees, because I can't find a way to disguise the base. In any event, this time it worked out ok, but I think in the future, baseless is the way to go.

Shoot, this means I have to buy more miniatures. Just to paint...

Roll 2d6 + EXIF:

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture:	f/5.6
Focal Length:	55 mm
ISO Speed:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire

File Size:	862 kB
File Type:	JPEG
MIME Type:	image/jpeg
Image Width:	1316
Image Height:	1460
Encoding Process:	Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample:	8
Color Components:	3
X-Resolution:	72 dpi
Y-Resolution:	72 dpi
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Date and Time (Modified):	2009:06:30 20:44:45
YCbCr Positioning:	Co-sited
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Date and Time (Original):	2009:06:29 17:37:29-05:00
Date and Time (Digitized):	2009:06:29 17:37:29
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Color Space:	sRGB
Focal Plane X-Resolution:	4433.29532497149 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution:	4453.60824742268 dpi
Custom Rendered:	Normal
Exposure Mode:	Auto
White Balance:	Manual
Scene Capture Type:	Standard
Compression:	JPEG (old-style)
Global Angle:	30
Global Altitude:	30
Copyright Flag:	False
Photoshop Quality:	12
Photoshop Format:	Standard
Progressive Scans:	3 Scans
XMPToolkit:	Adobe XMP Core 4.1-c036 46.276720, Mon Feb 19 2007 22:40:08
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Metadata Date:	2009:06:30 20:44:45-05:00
Creator Tool:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Format:	image/jpeg
Color Mode:	3
ICCProfile Name:	sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type:	D50
Measurement Observer:	CIE 1931
Measurement Flare:	0.999%
Measurement Illuminant:	D65
Color Transform:	YCbCr
Flash Return:	No return detection
Flash Mode:	Off
Flash Function:	False
Flash Red Eye Mode:	False

Be good,
-Dave

Sky and Sea

2009-07-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

And now the STORM-BLAST came, and he
Was tyrannous and strong :
He struck with his o'ertaking wings,
And chased us south along.

With sloping masts and dipping prow,
As who pursued with yell and blow
Still treads the shadow of his foe,
And forward bends his head,
The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast,
The southward aye we fled.

-Excerpt from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

The figure is the Jackal King, made by McFarlane Toys. I picked him up at KB Toys, but you may have a little trouble doing the same. I'm sure you can find him on Amazon or eBay?

All I did for this was set the figure down into the sands of Lake Michigan and snap shot after shot as the waves rolled over and around. Processing in Photoshop involved a quick contrast tweak to make all the cool details stand out. I think that's all I've got today. I just really, really like how this turned out. Oh hey, if you were so inclined, you can order prints of this photo HERE.

Yo ho ho and a bottle of EXIF:

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture:	f/5.0
Focal Length:	37 mm
ISO Speed:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire

File Size:	6.6 MB
File Type:	JPEG
MIME Type:	image/jpeg
Image Width:	3888
Image Height:	2592
Encoding Process:	Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample:	8
Color Components:	3
X-Resolution:	72 dpi
Y-Resolution:	72 dpi
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Date and Time (Modified):	2009:06:06 22:16:24
YCbCr Positioning:	Co-sited
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Date and Time (Original):	2009:06:05 18:23:55-05:00
Date and Time (Digitized):	2009:06:05 18:23:55
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Color Space:	sRGB
Focal Plane X-Resolution:	4433.29532497149 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution:	4453.60824742268 dpi
Custom Rendered:	Normal
Exposure Mode:	Auto
White Balance:	Manual
Scene Capture Type:	Standard
Compression:	JPEG (old-style)
Global Angle:	30
Global Altitude:	30
Copyright Flag:	False
Photoshop Quality:	12
Photoshop Format:	Standard
Progressive Scans:	3 Scans
XMPToolkit:	Adobe XMP Core 4.1-c036 46.276720, Mon Feb 19 2007 22:40:08
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Metadata Date:	2009:06:06 22:16:24-05:00
Creator Tool:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Format:	image/jpeg
Color Mode:	3
ICCProfile Name:	sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type:	D50
Measurement Observer:	CIE 1931
Measurement Flare:	0.999%
Measurement Illuminant:	D65
Color Transform:	YCbCr
Flash Return:	No return detection
Flash Mode:	Off
Flash Function:	False
Flash Red Eye Mode:	False

Be good,
-Dave

Salvage

2009-07-07T17:44:00.000-07:00

UTINNI!

Jawas, courtesy of Wookieepedia:
Jawas were typically short rodent-like natives of Tatooine. They were passionate scavengers, seeking out technology for sale or trade in the deep deserts in their huge sandcrawler transports. A band of Jawas was responsible for locating C-3PO and R2-D2 and selling them to Luke Skywalker's uncle Owen Lars. Another tribe of Jawas, led by Tteel Kkak, found Jabba the Hutt's rancor. They had a reputation for swindling, as they had a penchant for selling old equipment such as outdated faulty droids to moisture farmers, however they were extremely passive beings, and hardly put up any resistance to colonists of their planet unlike the other natives the Sand People, instead seeing foreigners as an excellent business opportunity.

Short post today, I'm afraid.

Use the EXIF:

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.025 sec (1/40)
Aperture:	f/5.6
Focal Length:	55 mm
ISO Speed:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire

File Size:	3.6 MB
File Type:	JPEG
MIME Type:	image/jpeg
Image Width:	2592
Image Height:	3888
Encoding Process:	Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample:	8
Color Components:	3
X-Resolution:	72 dpi
Y-Resolution:	72 dpi
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Date and Time (Modified):	2009:06:10 12:00:55
YCbCr Positioning:	Co-sited
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Date and Time (Original):	2009:06:09 18:27:58-05:00
Date and Time (Digitized):	2009:06:09 18:27:58
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Color Space:	sRGB
Focal Plane X-Resolution:	4433.29532497149 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution:	4453.60824742268 dpi
Custom Rendered:	Normal
Exposure Mode:	Auto
White Balance:	Manual
Scene Capture Type:	Standard
Compression:	JPEG (old-style)
Global Angle:	30
Global Altitude:	30
Copyright Flag:	False
Photoshop Quality:	12
Photoshop Format:	Standard
Progressive Scans:	3 Scans
XMPToolkit:	Adobe XMP Core 4.1-c036 46.276720, Mon Feb 19 2007 22:40:08
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Metadata Date:	2009:06:10 12:00:55-05:00
Creator Tool:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Format:	image/jpeg
Color Mode:	3
ICCProfile Name:	sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type:	D50
Measurement Observer:	CIE 1931
Measurement Flare:	0.999%
Measurement Illuminant:	D65
Color Transform:	YCbCr
Flash Return:	No return detection
Flash Mode:	Off
Flash Function:	False
Flash Red Eye Mode:	False

Be good,
-Dave

The Deep End

2009-07-01T05:42:00.000-07:00

You'd think being a Pooltrooper would be a desirable assignment, but you'd be wrong. Stormtroopers HATE getting wet.

I'm in the process of doing more work on my Store (you can see the widget over on the right), and I am really enjoying it. The original plan was to only sell 8x10 prints (keep it simple, right?), but after looking through the stores of various successful photogs, I really need to get off my behind and add different sizes and options. So watch this space, true believer. Good stuff is going in soon!

This battlestation is at full EXIF:

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture:	f/5.6
Focal Length:	54 mm
ISO Speed:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire

File Size:	2.1 MB
File Type:	JPEG
MIME Type:	image/jpeg
Image Width:	3888
Image Height:	2592
Encoding Process:	Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample:	8
Color Components:	3
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
X-Resolution:	72 dpi
Y-Resolution:	72 dpi
Date and Time (Modified):	2009:06:09 18:36:41
YCbCr Positioning:	Co-sited
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Date and Time (Original):	2009:06:09 18:36:41
Date and Time (Digitized):	2009:06:09 18:36:41
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Color Space:	sRGB
Focal Plane X-Resolution:	4433.295325 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution:	4453.608247 dpi
Custom Rendered:	Normal
Exposure Mode:	Auto
White Balance:	Manual
Scene Capture Type:	Standard
Macro Mode:	Normal
Self Timer:	Off
Quality:	Fine
Canon Flash Mode:	Off
Continuous Drive:	Single
Focus Mode:	One-shot AF
Record Mode:	JPEG
Canon Image Size:	Large
Easy Mode:	Manual
Digital Zoom:	None
Contrast:	Normal
Saturation:	Normal
Sharpness:	0
Metering Mode:	Evaluative
Focus Range:	Not Known
Canon Exposure Mode:	Aperture-priority AE
Lens Type:	Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Long Focal:	55 mm
Short Focal:	18 mm
Focal Units:	1
Max Aperture:	5.6
Min Aperture:	32
Flash Activity:	0
Flash Bits:	(none)
Focus Continuous:	Single
Zoom Source Width:	0
Zoom Target Width:	0
Photo Effect:	Off
Manual Flash Output:	n/a
Color Tone:	Normal
Focal Type:	Zoom
Focal Plane XSize:	23.04 mm
Focal Plane YSize:	15.37 mm
Auto ISO:	100
Base ISO:	100
Measured EV:	6.75
Target Aperture:	5.7
Target Exposure Time:	1/102
White Balance:	Cloudy
Slow Shutter:	None
Sequence Number:	0
Optical Zoom Code:	n/a
Flash Guide Number:	0
Flash Exposure Comp:	0
Auto Exposure Bracketing:	Off
AEBBracket Value:	0
Control Mode:	Camera Local Control
Focus Distance Upper:	0.35
Focus Distance Lower:	0.46
Bulb Duration:	0
Camera Type:	EOS Mid-range
Auto Rotate:	None
NDFilter:	Unknown (-1)
Self Timer2:	0
Flash Output:	0
Canon Firmware Version:	Firmware 1.1.1
Serial Number:	1220842575
Canon Model ID:	EOS Digital Rebel XTi / 400D / Kiss Digital X (and rare K236)
Num AFPoints:	9
Valid AFPoints:	9
AFArea Width:	78
AFArea Height:	78
Original Decision Data Offset:	0
File Number:	126-4578
Bracket Mode:	Off
Bracket Value:	0
Bracket Shot Number:	0
Noise Reduction:	Off
WBBracket Mode:	Off
WBBracket Value AB:	0
WBBracket Value GM:	0
Filter Effect:	None
Toning Effect:	None
Lens Model:	EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Internal Serial Number:	H1858035
Dust Removal Data:	(Binary data 1024 bytes, use -b option to extract)
Tone Curve:	Standard
Sharpness Frequency:	n/a
Sensor Red Level:	0
Sensor Blue Level:	0
White Balance Red:	0
White Balance Blue:	0
Color Temperature:	5200
Picture Style:	Faithful
Digital Gain:	0
WBShift AB:	0
WBShift GM:	0
Color Space:	sRGB
VRDOffset:	0
Sensor Width:	3948 (52-3939 used)
Sensor Height:	2622 (23-2614 used)
Black Mask Left Border:	0
Black Mask Top Border:	0
Black Mask Right Border:	0
Black Mask Bottom Border:	0
White Balance RGGB Levels:	2461 1024 1024 1382
Color Temperature:	6000
WB_ RGGBLevels Measured:	2215 1023 1024 1578
Color Temp Measured:	5011
WB_ RGGBLevels Custom:	1910 1024 1024 1594
Color Temp Custom:	4535
Set Button Cross Keys Func:	Set: Picture Style
Long Exposure Noise Reduction:	Off
Flash Sync Speed Av:	Auto
Shutter- AELock:	AF/AE lock
AFAssist Beam:	Emits
Exposure Level Increments:	1/3 Stop
Mirror Lockup:	Disable
ETTLII:	Evaluative
Shutter Curtain Sync:	1st-curtain sync
Magnified View:	Image playback only
LCDDisplay At Power On:	Display
Compression:	JPEG (old-style)

Be good,
-Dave

Ironclad Revisited

2009-06-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was unbelievably rainy here in Chicago, so we, thinking we were clever, decided to visit the Garfield Park Conservatory for a photo outing inside and away from the storms. As it turns out, greenhouse roofs, over the course of the century it has been standing, start to leak. Everywhere.

There were the usual gawkers and the occasional stink eye from people wondering what we were doing, but the rain inside made things more uncomfortable than having to explain why I had action figures out. The bright spot was this shot of a Cygnaran Ironclad. For those of you unfamiliar with it, and Warmachine in general, here is a synopsis from Warmachine: Prime:

The most recognized heavy 'jack in the Cygnaran arsenal, the Ironclad is a walking behemoth of metal nearly thrice the size of a man. Gigantic smokestacks blow sooty "breath" from its hearthfire furnace, and a bright orange glow emits from its face grill, lending a fiery and fearsome gaze.

Armed with a powerful quake hammer, the Ironclad smashes lesser combatants to shrapnel with its massive blows; sometimes just one strike from this hammer has toppled even another heavy 'jack. The Ironclad's durable armor - smelted from precious ores harvested from the roots of the tallest mountains - provides fantastic protection from all but the heaviest impacts, and because of these things, the Cygnaran Ironclad is renowned for leading most warjack charges.

Here is the original, straight out of the camera.

I love how it looks, but I thought I could do it one better. Shift the colors around and make it more dramatic. Make it's furnace glow. Darken the edges. Add contrast. Cover up the little spots where the paint had chipped. Ok, not so much that last one.

The final edit:

You know, I have so much fun shooting these miniatures. I wonder if there is a gaming manufacturer in the Chicago area that needs a photographer?

You. Will. EXIF:

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.077 sec (1/13)
Aperture:	f/5.6
Focal Length:	55 mm
ISO Speed:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire

File Size:	3.0 MB
File Type:	JPEG
MIME Type:	image/jpeg
Image Width:	3888
Image Height:	2592
Encoding Process:	Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample:	8
Color Components:	3
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
X-Resolution:	72 dpi
Y-Resolution:	72 dpi
Date and Time (Modified):	2009:06:13 12:31:15
YCbCr Positioning:	Co-sited
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Date and Time (Original):	2009:06:13 12:31:15
Date and Time (Digitized):	2009:06:13 12:31:15
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Color Space:	sRGB
Focal Plane X-Resolution:	4433.295325 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution:	4453.608247 dpi
Custom Rendered:	Normal
Exposure Mode:	Auto
White Balance:	Manual
Scene Capture Type:	Standard
Macro Mode:	Normal
Self Timer:	Off
Quality:	Fine
Canon Flash Mode:	Off
Continuous Drive:	Single
Focus Mode:	One-shot AF
Record Mode:	JPEG
Canon Image Size:	Large
Easy Mode:	Manual
Digital Zoom:	None
Contrast:	Normal
Saturation:	Normal
Sharpness:	0
Metering Mode:	Evaluative
Focus Range:	Not Known
Canon Exposure Mode:	Aperture-priority AE
Lens Type:	Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Long Focal:	55 mm
Short Focal:	18 mm
Focal Units:	1
Max Aperture:	5.6
Min Aperture:	32
Flash Activity:	0
Flash Bits:	(none)
Focus Continuous:	Single
Zoom Source Width:	0
Zoom Target Width:	0
Photo Effect:	Off
Manual Flash Output:	n/a
Color Tone:	Normal
Focal Type:	Zoom
Focal Plane XSize:	23.04 mm
Focal Plane YSize:	15.37 mm
Auto ISO:	100
Base ISO:	400
Measured EV:	1.75
Target Aperture:	5.7
Target Exposure Time:	1/13
White Balance:	Cloudy
Slow Shutter:	None
Sequence Number:	0
Optical Zoom Code:	n/a
Flash Guide Number:	0
Flash Exposure Comp:	0
Auto Exposure Bracketing:	Off
AEBBracket Value:	0
Control Mode:	Camera Local Control
Focus Distance Upper:	0.27
Focus Distance Lower:	0.35
Bulb Duration:	0
Camera Type:	EOS Mid-range
Auto Rotate:	None
NDFilter:	Unknown (-1)
Self Timer2:	0
Flash Output:	0
Canon Firmware Version:	Firmware 1.1.1
Serial Number:	1220842575
Canon Model ID:	EOS Digital Rebel XTi / 400D / Kiss Digital X (and rare K236)
Num AFPoints:	9
Valid AFPoints:	9
AFArea Width:	78
AFArea Height:	78
Original Decision Data Offset:	0
File Number:	126-4814
Bracket Mode:	Off
Bracket Value:	0
Bracket Shot Number:	0
Noise Reduction:	Off
WBBracket Mode:	Off
WBBracket Value AB:	0
WBBracket Value GM:	0
Filter Effect:	None
Toning Effect:	None
Lens Model:	EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Internal Serial Number:	H1858035
Dust Removal Data:	(Binary data 1024 bytes, use -b option to extract)
Tone Curve:	Standard
Sharpness Frequency:	n/a
Sensor Red Level:	0
Sensor Blue Level:	0
White Balance Red:	0
White Balance Blue:	0
Color Temperature:	5200
Picture Style:	Faithful
Digital Gain:	0
WBShift AB:	0
WBShift GM:	0
Color Space:	sRGB
VRDOffset:	0
Sensor Width:	3948 (52-3939 used)
Sensor Height:	2622 (23-2614 used)
Black Mask Left Border:	0
Black Mask Top Border:	0
Black Mask Right Border:	0
Black Mask Bottom Border:	0
White Balance RGGB Levels:	2461 1024 1024 1382
Color Temperature:	6000
WB_ RGGBLevels Measured:	2151 1023 1024 1785
Color Temp Measured:	4512
WB_ RGGBLevels Custom:	1910 1024 1024 1594
Color Temp Custom:	4535
Set Button Cross Keys Func:	Set: Picture Style
Long Exposure Noise Reduction:	Off
Flash Sync Speed Av:	Auto
Shutter- AELock:	AF/AE lock
AFAssist Beam:	Emits
Exposure Level Increments:	1/3 Stop
Mirror Lockup:	Disable
ETTLII:	Evaluative
Shutter Curtain Sync:	1st-curtain sync
Magnified View:	Image playback only
LCDDisplay At Power On:	Display
Compression:	JPEG (old-style)

Be good,
-Dave

The early bird gets the photos

2009-06-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you stayed up all night, just because you wanted to? I've never had much luck staying up late, much less all night. My brain actually turns off at the stroke of midnight. I lose the ability to speak, I can't smile, and I'm generally a miserable person overall. Last Thursday night we decided to get up early and go see the sunrise, but somehow the conversation came around to, "We should just stay awake. It'll be easier".

I don't drink coffee, so I was downing tea like a fish in water. When that stopped working I brought out the big gun: Yerba Mate. This stuff is a lifesaver! While I was drinking it, not only was I awake, but I was alert and functional.

We arrived at the beach just a few minutes before sunrise, grabbed all of the gear out of the car and started snapping away. I was out of Yerba Mate at this point, but thanks to Chicago's lake effect, it was... brisk, so I had no trouble staying awake.

After the beach, we stopped in to the Lincoln Park Zoo to see the animals. Early mornings are usually the best time to go, since the animals seem more active and alert than during the rest of the day. Except the lion. And me. It was at this point that my ability to frame a shot completely deteriorated. At one point I was trying to line up a mosaic on the front of the Big Cat House, and I think I nodded off looking through the eyepiece.

What? I already had one eye closed!

We debated going straight to the beach, since we were already out. Or at least I think we did. I may have dreamed that part. At any rate, we came home for a short 6 hour nap. Feeling refreshed, we loaded all our gear (ok, my action figures) into the car and spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach.

All in all, it was a great day. It felt like we were teenagers again, except with naps!

What do you say, Wage? Did you have a good day?

Be good,
-Dave

We interrupt your regular photoblog

2009-06-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,

I just wanted to drop in here and let everyone know that the new store is live and ready to go!

There probably won't be many toy shots, due to me not wanting to bother with copyright issues, but my goal is to add high-quality prints of some of my best photos. There will be a widget in the sidebar soon, but in the meantime, check it out and let me know what you think!

Weekend Review

2009-06-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

Wow. What. A. Weekend.

As I said last time, I was looking forward to getting out to see new things and hang out with other photographers, and man did I hit the jackpot on both. Saturday I went with the Chicago Science Field Trips Club to visit Yerkes Observatory up in Wisconsin. Not only had I never been there, I had never heard of such a place! With as many astronomical luminaries that have been there (along with it's association with the University of Chicago and the White City Exposition), I am ashamed of my negligence.

A quick refresher, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Yerkes Observatory, which calls itself "the birthplace of modern astrophysics,", is an astronomical observatory operated by the University of Chicago in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. It was created in 1897 by George Ellery Hale and financed by Charles T. Yerkes. The observatory represented a shift in the thinking of observatories, from mere housing for a telescope and observer, to the modern concept of observation equipment integrated with laboratory space for physics and chemistry. A 102 cm (40 inch) refracting telescope built by the master optician Alvan Clark is located inside. It is the largest refracting telescope used for scientific research (a larger demonstration refractor, the Great Paris Exhibition Telescope of 1900, was exhibited at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1900).

In addition to the Yerkes refractor, the observatory also houses 102 cm (40 inch, referred to as the "41 inch" to prevent confusion) and 61 cm (24 inch) reflecting telescopes. Several smaller telescopes are used for educational outreach purposes.

Current research includes the interstellar medium, globular cluster formation, infrared astronomy, and near-Earth objects. Additionally, the University of Chicago maintains a sizable engineering center in the observatory, dedicated to making and maintaining scientific instruments. As of May 2007, the engineers are working on the High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera (HAWC), which will be an integral part of Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).

Not only does it have the scientific chops, the building itself is beautiful. Don't believe me? See for yourself:

And that's just the front door. I ended up with over 400 photos of this place, but I'll spare you having to sort through them all. I will be adding a few a day to my Flickr, if you are so interested.

Ok, so maybe one more.

On Sunday, April and I went to the Chicago Botanic Garden for the Nature Photographer's Meetup. We got up bright and early and got to the garden around 7:30 (we would've gotten there a little earlier, but you know, breakfast). The botanic garden is a great place to begin with, but when you throw in the great people we met, it was all the better.

While I did take over 300 shots (seriously, when did I start doing this? I'm usually a done in one kind of guy), I did manage to sneak in a few toy shots ever so slyly.

Not only did I meet lots of great people, go to new and great places, and take a ton of pictures...

I jumped back into Plastic 52.

Be good,
-Dave

Cobra Commander

2009-05-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

Cobra Commander's bio, courtesy of Joepedia:

Not much is known of the background of the man many call the Cobra Commander. What we can only tell is how he works and how he thinks. We know that he has deliberately started political and social conflict in a number of areas. He has amassed an army by recruiting displaced people, promising them money, power and a chance to get back at the world that hurt them. In return, he demands that they swear absolute loyalty to his cause. What is his cause? World domination.

Cobra Commander does not delude himself by justifying his actions as matters of principles or glory. He knows he does it for control and power. He is ruthless, hatred-personified and totally obsessed. A meticulous person, he likes to personally oversee vital projects himself, even engaging in military combat himself on occasion.

It's coming up on summer here in Chicago, and that has me feeling optimistic. I'm hoping for some Flickr meets, my Lovely Assistant and I have joined a couple photography groups on Meetup, and I'm in the process of opening up a new webstore so those interested can buy prints of my photos. On top of all that, I was asked to be one of the photographers for the Windy City Comicon in September!

So, yeah. I'm feeling good.

Cursssse you GI:EXIF!

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture:	f/5.6
Focal Length:	18 mm
ISO Speed:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off

File Size:	6.3 MB
File Type:	JPEG
MIME Type:	image/jpeg
Image Width:	3888
Image Height:	2592
Encoding Process:	Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample:	8
Color Components:	3
X-Resolution:	72 dpi
Y-Resolution:	72 dpi
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Date and Time (Modified):	2009:05:13 13:43:48
YCbCr Positioning:	Co-sited
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Date and Time (Original):	2009:05:03 12:20:29-05:00
Date and Time (Digitized):	2009:05:03 12:20:29
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Color Space:	sRGB
Focal Plane X-Resolution:	4433.29532497149 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution:	4453.60824742268 dpi
Custom Rendered:	Normal
Exposure Mode:	Auto
White Balance:	Manual
Scene Capture Type:	Standard
Compression:	JPEG (old-style)
Global Angle:	30
Global Altitude:	30
Copyright Flag:	False
Photoshop Quality:	12
Photoshop Format:	Standard
Progressive Scans:	3 Scans
XMPToolkit:	Adobe XMP Core 4.1-c036 46.276720, Mon Feb 19 2007 22:40:08
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Metadata Date:	2009:05:13 13:43:48-05:00
Creator Tool:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Format:	image/jpeg
Color Mode:	3
ICCProfile Name:	sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type:	D50
Measurement Observer:	CIE 1931
Measurement Flare:	0.999%
Measurement Illuminant:	D65
Color Transform:	YCbCr
Flash Return:	No return detection
Flash Mode:	Off
Flash Function:	False
Flash Red Eye Mode:	False

Be good,
-Dave

Stillness

2009-05-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

"Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires."
— Lao Tsu

Gen's biography, courtesy of Strategy Wiki:

Gen is one of the Chinese opponents in the original Street Fighter. He is first introduced as a selectable character in Street Fighter Alpha 2. Gen is the only Street Fighter character that can change fighting styles in mid fight. He is known for his quote in English, spoken to a defeated opponent: "You are a big fool!" Incidentally, Gen says this before his final battle against M. Bison in Alpha 3.

Gen was produced by SOTA Toys and may still be available in stores or online.

One of the things I'm constantly working on is how to balance a photo. What I mean is, how to get the poses just right, are the characters in proportion to their background, am I following the rule of thirds, etc. etc. etc.

Despite being a photographer for going on 4 years now (I can hear more experienced photographers chuckling), framing still doesn't feel natural to me. I have the hardest time looking through the viewfinder and deciding what looks best. My mind is too clouded by all the things I've been taught, and I'm full of questions. "Is the light right?" "Is the angle good?" More accurately, I should say that I'm full of doubt. "I don't think the light is right." "I don't think the angle is good."

When I relax and shoot from the hip, the doubts vanish. Vanish isn't the right word... It's more like they were never there in the first place. I hold the camera up, don't bother looking at what I'm shooting, and click. Instead of trying to take a good picture, it's more like a game. It's fun!

I told you all of that to explain today's shot. April and I were at the Chicago Botanic Garden (as we often are) and we stopped at the fountains near the bonsai trees. Not wanting to miss an opportunity, I took Gen out of my bag, dipped him in the water, then struggled with his weak ankles to get him to pose in the water. People looked on in amazement as a grown man played with his toys in the fountain while I tried framing my shot. After snapping several I wasn't happy with, I gave up and fired a few "from the hip", including the one that started this post, which was what I WANTED to get when I was looking through the viewfinder.

Maybe Lao Tsu was on to something.

Here's a funny joke about EXIF!:

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture:	f/5.6
Focal Length:	55 mm
ISO Speed:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off

File Size:	4.2 MB
File Type:	JPEG
MIME Type:	image/jpeg
Image Width:	2592
Image Height:	3888
Encoding Process:	Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample:	8
Color Components:	3
X-Resolution:	72 dpi
Y-Resolution:	72 dpi
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Date and Time (Modified):	2009:05:13 13:41:34
YCbCr Positioning:	Co-sited
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Date and Time (Original):	2009:05:03 10:42:47-05:00
Date and Time (Digitized):	2009:05:03 10:42:47
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Color Space:	sRGB
Focal Plane X-Resolution:	4433.29532497149 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution:	4453.60824742268 dpi
Custom Rendered:	Normal
Exposure Mode:	Auto
White Balance:	Manual
Scene Capture Type:	Standard
Compression:	JPEG (old-style)
Global Angle:	30
Global Altitude:	30
Copyright Flag:	False
Photoshop Quality:	12
Photoshop Format:	Standard
Progressive Scans:	3 Scans
XMPToolkit:	Adobe XMP Core 4.1-c036 46.276720, Mon Feb 19 2007 22:40:08
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Metadata Date:	2009:05:13 13:41:34-05:00
Creator Tool:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Format:	image/jpeg
Color Mode:	3
ICCProfile Name:	sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type:	D50
Measurement Observer:	CIE 1931
Measurement Flare:	0.999%
Measurement Illuminant:	D65
Color Transform:	YCbCr
Flash Return:	No return detection
Flash Mode:	Off
Flash Function:	False
Flash Red Eye Mode:	False

Be good,
-Dave

Asshimar

2009-05-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

I've never watched Gundam.

From Gundam Wiki:
The NRX-044 (NRX-004) Asshimar is a transformable mobile armor from the anime series Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam.

This new suit introduced before the Gryps Conflict by the Earth Federation and the Titans was a truly revolutionary suit despite not being the strongest. It was the first suit to be able to fly in the atmosphere of a planet on its own without the help of a sub-flight system. The development of Asshimar was started by Earth Federation Force as NRX-044[R] Prototype Asshimar TR-3 "Kehaar" Due to the high stresses placed on the transformation systems under gravity, a prototype machine was initially made for testing in zero gravity where the load was reduced. The construction of Kehaar is very complex and can be consider as early movable frame. The Titans further developed the Kehaar into NRX-044 Prototype Asshimar TR-3 "Kehaar", remodeled for atmospheric use after the completion of its space testing, and new tests were conducted to evaluate the durability of its transformation mechanisms under gravity. Thermonuclear engines were installed in the leg sections which serve as the Kehaar's main propulsion devices, giving it far greater thrust than the later production model. It was also equipped with a skirt unit containing supplemental thrusters for vertical takeoff. Since this unit included fixed wings for stabilizing the machine's flight attitude, its silhouette in mobile armor form was very different from that of the production model. A beam gun similar to MS-09 Dom was installed in the left side of the Kehaar's chest, and its beam rifle can double as a beam axe. Also adapted from the Dom was its head which sported a cross design for its sensor array, however, unlike the Dom, it sported three "eyes" instead of just one.

I do not know who manufactured this figure or where to find more. If you know, please let me know in the comments section.

For Asshimar, I wanted to play around with my usual tools and see if I could come up with something new. I did a little cross processing to play with the colors, used lab coloring to make the hues pop, and my own robot eyes tutorial.
The thing I spent the most time on is the eye glow. Taking a note from miniature model painters, I tried to paint the eye like a glowing gemstone. I'm not entirely sure that I succeeded, but I am pretty happy with how it turned out. It's at least more interesting than just a glowing light.

Blame it on the misfortune of your EXIF:

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.025 sec (1/40)
Aperture:	f/8.0
Focal Length:	55 mm
ISO Speed:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire

File Size:	4.0 MB
File Type:	JPEG
MIME Type:	image/jpeg
Image Width:	3888
Image Height:	2592
Encoding Process:	Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample:	8
Color Components:	3
X-Resolution:	72 dpi
Y-Resolution:	72 dpi
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Date and Time (Modified):	2009:04:21 10:29:38
YCbCr Positioning:	Co-sited
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Date and Time (Original):	2009:04:12 12:33:17-05:00
Date and Time (Digitized):	2009:04:12 12:33:17
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Color Space:	sRGB
Focal Plane X-Resolution:	4433.29532497149 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution:	4453.60824742268 dpi
Custom Rendered:	Normal
Exposure Mode:	Auto
White Balance:	Manual
Scene Capture Type:	Standard
Compression:	JPEG (old-style)
Global Angle:	30
Global Altitude:	30
Copyright Flag:	False
Photoshop Quality:	12
Photoshop Format:	Standard
Progressive Scans:	3 Scans
XMPToolkit:	Adobe XMP Core 4.1-c036 46.276720, Mon Feb 19 2007 22:40:08
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Metadata Date:	2009:04:21 10:29:38-05:00
Creator Tool:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Format:	image/jpeg
Color Mode:	3
ICCProfile Name:	sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type:	D50
Measurement Observer:	CIE 1931
Measurement Flare:	0.999%
Measurement Illuminant:	D65
Color Transform:	YCbCr
Flash Return:	No return detection
Flash Mode:	Off
Flash Function:	False
Flash Red Eye Mode:	False

Be good,
-Dave

Hero in a Half Shell

2009-04-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

Leonardo's bio, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Leonardo (or Leo) is one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). He is distinguished by a blue bandanna (although originally all four Turtles had red bandannas) and his weapons are two ninjaken (literally "ninja sword"), which are universally referred to as katana. Leonardo takes after his sensei, Splinter, in taking ninjutsu very seriously. He spends much of his free time in practice and meditation. He has a strong sense of honor, and is a strict follower of the Bushidō code. He often speaks for his brothers and tries to keep them in line, making him the de facto leader of the team, and often the lead protagonist of various TMNT stories. In the fourth feature film, "TMNT", Leonardo is stated to be the eldest of his brothers, although the relative ages of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are not officially stated.

Leonardo was produced by NECA Toys.

When I was a kid, Leonardo was my favorite. Not really because of his personality (since he was a stick in the mud), but because swords are really, really cool. Years later, after reading the comics, I gravitated to Donatello, but I don't have his toy yet, so I won't digress.

FUN FACT: As a boy, I planned and designed my own future dream home. It was Leonardo's head. I had such big dreams.

This shot was taken at the Chicago Botanic Garden, inside their Enabling Garden. In Photoshop, I first duplicated my Background layer and desaturated it. Then, using a layer mask, I painted over the desaturated top later, revealing only the red bandanna and sword grips underneath. A quick bump to the Background layer's Red saturation, then flatten the image. Duplicating the Background layer again, this time I ran it through a Sumi Ink filter to soften the black lines and make it look more like an illustration.

My favorite part of this picture? His mask. I love the way it turned out

Genetically reborn in the sewers of EXIF:

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture:	f/5.6
Focal Length:	50 mm
ISO Speed:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off

File Size:	2.5 MB
File Type:	JPEG
MIME Type:	image/jpeg
Image Width:	2592
Image Height:	3888
Encoding Process:	Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample:	8
Color Components:	3
X-Resolution:	72 dpi
Y-Resolution:	72 dpi
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Date and Time (Modified):	2009:04:18 01:57:32
YCbCr Positioning:	Co-sited
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Date and Time (Original):	2009:04:12 12:35:17-05:00
Date and Time (Digitized):	2009:04:12 12:35:17
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Color Space:	sRGB
Focal Plane X-Resolution:	4433.29532497149 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution:	4453.60824742268 dpi
Custom Rendered:	Normal
Exposure Mode:	Auto
White Balance:	Manual
Scene Capture Type:	Standard
Compression:	JPEG (old-style)
Global Angle:	30
Global Altitude:	30
Copyright Flag:	False
Photoshop Quality:	12
Photoshop Format:	Standard
Progressive Scans:	3 Scans
XMPToolkit:	Adobe XMP Core 4.1-c036 46.276720, Mon Feb 19 2007 22:40:08
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Metadata Date:	2009:04:18 01:57:32-05:00
Creator Tool:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Format:	image/jpeg
Color Mode:	3
ICCProfile Name:	sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type:	D50
Measurement Observer:	CIE 1931
Measurement Flare:	0.999%
Measurement Illuminant:	D65
Color Transform:	YCbCr
Flash Return:	No return detection
Flash Mode:	Off
Flash Function:	False
Flash Red Eye Mode:	False

Be good,
-Dave

Cygnar Warjacks

2009-03-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

From Privateer Press.com:
Possessing the most advanced magic and technology in the realm, the Kingdom of Cygnar fields a well-rounded force that battles for the good and just King Leto Raelthorne. Caught between its old enemy Khador and the newer threat of the fanatical Protectorate of Menoth, Cygnar will need every ounce of ingenuity and bravery it has to survive the coming storm.

The Ironclad and Centurion are wargaming miniatures produced by Privateer Press.

I submitted this photo to the No Quarter magazine. Hopefully it will appear in the next issue!

I failed my EXIF test:

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture:	f/11.0
Focal Length:	55 mm
ISO Speed:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off

File Size:	3.9 MB
File Type:	JPEG
MIME Type:	image/jpeg
Image Width:	3888
Image Height:	2592
Encoding Process:	Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample:	8
Color Components:	3
X-Resolution:	72 dpi
Y-Resolution:	72 dpi
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Date and Time (Modified):	2009:02:25 19:43:27
YCbCr Positioning:	Co-sited
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Date and Time (Original):	2009:02:25 14:17:27-06:00
Date and Time (Digitized):	2009:02:25 14:17:27
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Color Space:	sRGB
Focal Plane X-Resolution:	4433.29532497149 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution:	4453.60824742268 dpi
Custom Rendered:	Normal
Exposure Mode:	Auto
White Balance:	Auto
Scene Capture Type:	Standard
Compression:	JPEG (old-style)
Global Angle:	30
Global Altitude:	30
Copyright Flag:	False
Photoshop Quality:	12
Photoshop Format:	Standard
Progressive Scans:	3 Scans
XMPToolkit:	Adobe XMP Core 4.1-c036 46.276720, Mon Feb 19 2007 22:40:08
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Metadata Date:	2009:02:25 19:43:27-06:00
Creator Tool:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Format:	image/jpeg
Color Mode:	3
ICCProfile Name:	sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type:	D50
Measurement Observer:	CIE 1931
Measurement Flare:	0.999%
Measurement Illuminant:	D65
Color Transform:	YCbCr
Flash Return:	No return detection
Flash Mode:	Off
Flash Function:	False
Flash Red Eye Mode:	False

Be good,
-Dave

Plastic 52 - Week 23

2009-03-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do with Wage is have him in the garden. I'm not entirely sure why, but that's where he seems to fit the best.

Straight out of camera.

My Secret EXIF:

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture:	f/3.5
Focal Length:	50 mm
ISO Speed:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off

File Size:	2.7 MB
File Type:	JPEG
MIME Type:	image/jpeg
Image Width:	3888
Image Height:	2592
Encoding Process:	Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample:	8
Color Components:	3
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
X-Resolution:	72 dpi
Y-Resolution:	72 dpi
Date and Time (Modified):	2009:03:18 08:47:02
YCbCr Positioning:	Co-sited
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Date and Time (Original):	2009:03:18 08:47:02
Date and Time (Digitized):	2009:03:18 08:47:02
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Color Space:	sRGB
Focal Plane X-Resolution:	4433.295325 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution:	4453.608247 dpi
Custom Rendered:	Normal
Exposure Mode:	Auto
White Balance:	Manual
Scene Capture Type:	Standard
Macro Mode:	Normal
Self Timer:	Off
Quality:	Fine
Canon Flash Mode:	Off
Continuous Drive:	Single
Focus Mode:	One-shot AF
Record Mode:	JPEG
Canon Image Size:	Large
Easy Mode:	Manual
Digital Zoom:	None
Contrast:	Normal
Saturation:	Normal
Sharpness:	3
Metering Mode:	Evaluative
Focus Range:	Not Known
Canon Exposure Mode:	Aperture-priority AE
Lens Type:	Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro or Sigma Lens
Long Focal:	50 mm
Short Focal:	50 mm
Focal Units:	1
Max Aperture:	2.5
Min Aperture:	32
Flash Activity:	0
Flash Bits:	(none)
Focus Continuous:	Single
Zoom Source Width:	0
Zoom Target Width:	0
Photo Effect:	Off
Manual Flash Output:	n/a
Color Tone:	Normal
Focal Type:	Fixed
Focal Plane XSize:	23.04 mm
Focal Plane YSize:	15.37 mm
Auto ISO:	100
Base ISO:	400
Measured EV:	3.88
Target Aperture:	3.6
Target Exposure Time:	1/161
White Balance:	Cloudy
Slow Shutter:	None
Sequence Number:	0
Optical Zoom Code:	n/a
Flash Guide Number:	0
Flash Exposure Comp:	0
Auto Exposure Bracketing:	Off
AEBBracket Value:	0
Control Mode:	Camera Local Control
Bulb Duration:	0
Camera Type:	EOS Mid-range
Auto Rotate:	None
NDFilter:	Unknown (-1)
Self Timer2:	0
Flash Output:	0
Canon Firmware Version:	Firmware 1.1.1
Serial Number:	1220842575
Canon Model ID:	EOS Digital Rebel XTi / 400D / Kiss Digital X (and rare K236)
Num AFPoints:	9
Valid AFPoints:	9
AFArea Width:	78
AFArea Height:	78
Original Decision Data Offset:	0
File Number:	125-9704
Bracket Mode:	Off
Bracket Value:	0
Bracket Shot Number:	0
Noise Reduction:	Off
WBBracket Mode:	Off
WBBracket Value AB:	0
WBBracket Value GM:	0
Filter Effect:	None
Toning Effect:	None
Lens Model:	EF50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro
Internal Serial Number:	H1858035
Dust Removal Data:	(Binary data 1024 bytes)
Tone Curve:	Standard
Sharpness Frequency:	n/a
Sensor Red Level:	0
Sensor Blue Level:	0
White Balance Red:	0
White Balance Blue:	0
Color Temperature:	5200
Picture Style:	Standard
Digital Gain:	0
WBShift AB:	0
WBShift GM:	0
Color Space:	sRGB
VRDOffset:	0
Sensor Width:	3948 (52-3939 used)
Sensor Height:	2622 (23-2614 used)
Black Mask Left Border:	0
Black Mask Top Border:	0
Black Mask Right Border:	0
Black Mask Bottom Border:	0
White Balance RGGB Levels:	2461 1024 1024 1382
Color Temperature:	6000
WB_ RGGBLevels Measured:	2083 1025 1022 1703
Color Temp Measured:	4559
WB_ RGGBLevels Custom:	1910 1024 1024 1594
Color Temp Custom:	4535
Set Button Cross Keys Func:	Set: Picture Style
Long Exposure Noise Reduction:	Off
Flash Sync Speed Av:	Auto
Shutter- AELock:	AF/AE lock
AFAssist Beam:	Emits
Exposure Level Increments:	1/3 Stop
Mirror Lockup:	Disable
ETTLII:	Evaluative
Shutter Curtain Sync:	1st-curtain sync
Magnified View:	Image playback only
LCDDisplay At Power On:	Display
Compression:	JPEG (old-style)

Be good,
-Dave

Temporarily Off-Line

2009-03-16T07:31:00.001-07:00

Sorry everyone, but it looks like I've caught the bug that's been going around and haven't had a chance to do much blogging. I'm going to finish my tea, crawl back to bed, and pick back up on Wednesday.

Be good,
-Dave

Cygnaran Trenchers

2009-03-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

"It saddens me how many of those poor boys are buried out there in my kingdom, but I hate to think where we would be without their noble sacrifice."
-King Leto Raelthorne

From Warmachine: Prime
Trencher infantry fall into two categories, those who are just too hard to say quit, and those who mouthed off to someone important at the wrong time and ended up in the trenches. Trenchers, also known as "gravediggers", are the first to go to the battlefield, and often the last to leave it, if ever. It's their duty to precede even the van by a few hours, if possible, and prepare a potential battlefield for the main force. With trenches, burrow holes, and farrow spike rows, they attempt to make the conflict area favorable for their comrades.

Cygnaran Trenchers are wargaming miniatures produced by Privateer Press.

Who would have thought, in a fantasy world where wizards fight each other with giant steam-powered robots, that you would even have need of guys like this? Obviously my army thought the same way, because my Trenchers ran away at every opportunity.

As for the rain, it was fun to do, but I think there are a few things I will do differently next time. The first of which is to add a little blur to the drops, in wild defiance of the tutorial I followed!

That's how I roll.

Affix EXIF!

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	10
Aperture:	f/18.0
Focal Length:	55 mm
ISO Speed:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off

File Size:	5.6 MB
File Type:	JPEG
MIME Type:	image/jpeg
Image Width:	3888
Image Height:	2592
Encoding Process:	Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample:	8
Color Components:	3
X-Resolution:	72 dpi
Y-Resolution:	72 dpi
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Date and Time (Modified):	2009:03:09 19:27:19
YCbCr Positioning:	Co-sited
Exposure Program:	Manual
Date and Time (Original):	2009:03:09 20:09:08-06:00
Date and Time (Digitized):	2009:03:09 20:09:08
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Color Space:	sRGB
Focal Plane X-Resolution:	4433.29532497149 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution:	4453.60824742268 dpi
Custom Rendered:	Normal
Exposure Mode:	Manual
White Balance:	Manual
Scene Capture Type:	Standard
Compression:	JPEG (old-style)
Global Angle:	30
Global Altitude:	30
Copyright Flag:	False
Photoshop Quality:	12
Photoshop Format:	Standard
Progressive Scans:	3 Scans
XMPToolkit:	Adobe XMP Core 4.1-c036 46.276720, Mon Feb 19 2007 22:40:08
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Metadata Date:	2009:03:09 19:27:19-06:00
Creator Tool:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Format:	image/jpeg
Color Mode:	3
ICCProfile Name:	sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type:	D50
Measurement Observer:	CIE 1931
Measurement Flare:	0.999%
Measurement Illuminant:	D65
Color Transform:	YCbCr
Flash Return:	No return detection
Flash Mode:	Off
Flash Function:	False
Flash Red Eye Mode:	False

Be good,
-Dave

Nomad

2009-03-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

"Oh, it may be simple, yah, but we dogs like the Nomad. Tough, tenacious, really bears down and tears things up... heh, just like us, eh boys? Why, even the name suits our way of life!"

From Warmachine: Escalation
Before Distruption, alchemical freezing, and technological development became the deciding factor in 'jack warfare - the sword was law. In those days it was not the efficiency of an engine or the composition of the frame; it was how much wreckage a warjack could create before becoming a wreck itself. That was the era of the Nomad, but the old 'jack never did say quit, and it can still be found in service today.

The Nomad is a wargaming miniature produced by Privateer Press.

I'm not 100% happy with this one; the angle is boring and he looks too small. Looks like I'll have to go in for more reshoots.

Oh darn, I have to take more pictures.

Make sure your unit is in EXIF formation:

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.167 sec (1/6)
Aperture:	f/8.0
Focal Length:	37 mm
Exposure:	0.00
ISO Speed:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off

File Size:	4.5 MB
File Type:	JPEG
MIME Type:	image/jpeg
Image Width:	2592
Image Height:	3888
Encoding Process:	Progressive DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample:	8
Color Components:	3
X-Resolution:	240 dpi
Y-Resolution:	240 dpi
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Date and Time (Modified):	2009:03:06 09:08:49
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Date and Time (Original):	2009:03:06 09:04:30-06:00
Date and Time (Digitized):	2009:03:06 09:04:30
Max Aperture Value:	4.5
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Color Space:	sRGB
Focal Plane X-Resolution:	4433.29532497149 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution:	4453.60824742268 dpi
Custom Rendered:	Normal
Exposure Mode:	Auto
White Balance:	Manual
Scene Capture Type:	Standard
Compression:	JPEG (old-style)
Global Angle:	30
Global Altitude:	30
Copyright Flag:	False
Photoshop Quality:	12
Photoshop Format:	Progressive
Progressive Scans:	3 Scans
XMPToolkit:	Adobe XMP Core 4.1-c036 46.276720, Mon Feb 19 2007 22:40:08
Orientation:	Horizontal (normal)
Creator Tool:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Metadata Date:	2009:03:06 09:08:49-06:00
Lens:	EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Image Number:	96
Flash Compensation:	0
White Balance:	Custom
Incremental Temperature:	-2
Incremental Tint:	+10
Shadows:	20
Brightness:	+50
Contrast:	+25
Saturation:	-12
Sharpness:	15
Luminance Smoothing:	15
Color Noise Reduction:	25
Chromatic Aberration R:	0
Chromatic Aberration B:	0
Vignette Amount:	0
Shadow Tint:	0
Red Hue:	+38
Red Saturation:	+100
Green Hue:	+33
Green Saturation:	+100
Blue Hue:	-7
Blue Saturation:	-100
Fill Light:	42
Vibrance:	-29
Highlight Recovery:	74
Clarity:	0
Defringe:	2
Hue Adjustment Red:	+19
Hue Adjustment Orange:	0
Hue Adjustment Yellow:	0
Hue Adjustment Green:	0
Hue Adjustment Aqua:	+100
Hue Adjustment Blue:	0
Hue Adjustment Purple:	0
Hue Adjustment Magenta:	0
Saturation Adjustment Red:	-100
Saturation Adjustment Orange:	-29
Saturation Adjustment Yellow:	-76
Saturation Adjustment Green:	-62
Saturation Adjustment Aqua:	-100
Saturation Adjustment Blue:	-45
Saturation Adjustment Purple:	-100
Saturation Adjustment Magenta:	-100
Luminance Adjustment Red:	0
Luminance Adjustment Orange:	+17
Luminance Adjustment Yellow:	+50
Luminance Adjustment Green:	+10
Luminance Adjustment Aqua:	+2
Luminance Adjustment Blue:	-57
Luminance Adjustment Purple:	0
Luminance Adjustment Magenta:	0
Split Toning Shadow Hue:	0
Split Toning Shadow Saturation:	6
Split Toning Highlight Hue:	58
Split Toning Highlight Saturation:	38
Split Toning Balance:	0
Parametric Shadows:	0
Parametric Darks:	0
Parametric Lights:	+39
Parametric Highlights:	0
Parametric Shadow Split:	25
Parametric Midtone Split:	50
Parametric Highlight Split:	75
Sharpen Radius:	+1.0
Sharpen Detail:	25
Sharpen Edge Masking:	0
Post Crop Vignette Amount:	0
Convert To Grayscale:	False
Tone Curve Name:	Medium Contrast
Camera Profile:	ACR 3.4
Has Settings:	True
Has Crop:	False
Already Applied:	True
Tone Curve:	0, 0
Format:	image/jpeg
Color Mode:	3
ICCProfile Name:	sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type:	D50
Measurement Observer:	CIE 1931
Measurement Flare:	0.999%
Measurement Illuminant:	D65
Color Transform:	YCbCr
Flash Return:	No return detection
Flash Mode:	Off
Flash Function:	False
Flash Red Eye Mode:	False

Be good,
-Dave