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
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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
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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
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Mighty Muggs are one of those toys that I somehow never really talk about here, which is a shame. My Mugg collection (or Mugglection) continues to grow with each series released, so my shelf has guys like Dr. Doom comparing capes with Cobra Commander. My favorite, however, is Mighty Muggs Hulk. His crooked teeth, his unibrow, I don't know. I laugh every time I look at him!
I keep looking at the designer vinyl toys and, while I find a LOT that I enjoy, the price keeps me away from 99% of them. I do own some and really enjoy them, but really, $40 for a 6" toy? Man, I'm on the wrong end of the toy equation. I've gotta start making the figures instead of photographing them.
Hugg was taken at Chicago's Garfield Park Conservatory, and excellent indoor garden that is free to the public. If you're in the area, please check it out.
All Photoshop had to do was tweak the Lab Colors and hit Save As. SO EASY!
Why Hugg's pants turn EXIF?
| File Size: | 5.3 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): | 2008:12:29 08:59:57 |
| YCbCr Positioning: | Co-sited |
| Exposure Program: | Program AE |
| Date and Time (Original): | 2008:12:28 16:24:21-06:00 |
| Date and Time (Digitized): | 2008:12:28 16:24:21 |
| 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: | 2008:12:29 08:59:57-06:00 |
| 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
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Over on Flicker.com there are groups with a different theme every day. Bokeh Wednesday, Half Naked Thursday, and, I guess most appropriate for today, Macro Mondays. Every Monday a new theme is posted and the group members have a week to come up with an appropriate themed shot. Some past themes have been Imperfection, Urban Decay, and Bodies as Art, but the theme for this week is Metallic, and I knew right away what my shot would be.
Macro Monday, meet Iron Man, Mk 1. Iron Man, Mk 1? Monday. Just in case you two aren't well acquanted, here is a brief introduction, courtesy of Wikipedia:
Born Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark, he suffers a severe heart injury during a kidnapping and is forced to build a destructive weapon. He instead creates a power suit to save his life and help him escape. He later decides to use the suit to protect the world as the superhero, Iron Man. He is a wealthy industrialist and genius inventor who created military weapons and whose metal suit is laden with technological devices that enable him to fight crime. Initially, Iron Man was a vehicle for Stan Lee to explore Cold War themes, particularly the role of American technology and business in the fight against communism. Subsequent re-imaginings of Iron Man have gradually removed the Cold War themes, replacing them with more contemporary concerns such as corporate crime and terrorism.
Throughout most of the comic's history, Iron Man has been a member of the superhero team the Avengers and has been featured in several incarnations of his own various comic book series. The character has been adapted for several animated TV shows, as well as for the 2008 live action films Iron Man and a cameo in The Incredible Hulk where he is played by Robert Downey, Jr.
This Iron Man figure came courtesy of Hasbro, and is/was available at most big box retail outlets. Availability may vary.
Setup for this one was very simple. Taking my repainted and customized (I added the antenna. I R TOY HAXXOR) Mk 1 into my studio aka kitchen stovetop, I had a very difficult time lighting him. I tried a lamp, but he was too washed out. I tried candles, but that wasn't quite right either. Finally, completely out of frustration, I held up my lighter just inbetween the lens and the toy, just below where the camera was focusing and snapped the shot.
For a little post processing love, I first open Mk 1 in GIMP to run their extraordinary Auto White Balance. Say what you want about it's usability and clunky interface (this coming from a Photoshop user), that one tool makes it worth a download. Going from GIMP into Photoshop, I first adjusted the Red Saturation to bring down the ruddy background and make the figure pop more. Then, using the same steps as my robot eyes tutorial, I painted in his Unibeam. Finally, wanting to really make him look like rough, hammered metal, I ran a High Pass Filter over the image, setting the blending mode to Overlay.
So that's my first Macro Monday. It only took me, what, and hour? Hour and a half? I may have to do a couple more of these in the future, if only to see how many themes I can cram my toys into.
TONY STARK BUILT IT IN A CAVE! WITH A BOX OF EXIF:
| Camera: | Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi |
| Exposure: | 0.5 sec (1/2) |
| Aperture: | f/3.5 |
| Focal Length: | 50 mm |
| ISO Speed: | 400 |
| Exposure Bias: | 0/3 EV |
| Flash: | Flash did not fire |
| Orientation: | Horizontal (normal) |
| X-Resolution: | 72 dpi |
| Y-Resolution: | 72 dpi |
| Software: | Adobe Photoshop 7.0 |
| Date and Time: | 2009:01:19 08:50:21 |
| YCbCr Positioning: | Co-Sited |
| Exposure Program: | Aperture priority |
| Date and Time (Original): | 2009:01:19 08:59:55 |
| Date and Time (Digitized): | 2009:01:19 08:59:55 |
| Shutter Speed: | 65536/65536 |
| Metering Mode: | Pattern |
| Color Space: | Uncalibrated |
| Focal Plane X-Resolution: | 4433.295 dpi |
| Focal Plane Y-Resolution: | 4453.608 dpi |
| White Balance: | Manual |
| Compression: | JPEG |
| Image Width: | 3888 pixels |
| Image Height: | 2592 pixels |
Be good,
-Dave
You can order your copy of my book, Life in Plastic, Vol. 1, directly from Lulu: 
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For this one, I set the figures on my laptop and used the screen as the only light source. It's a technique I've heard other photographers mention, but I'd never tried it. Took a couple shots with the smoke machine, and a couple without, and this was the best to come out.
I'm wondering if I should reshoot this in RAW and with a lower ISO and blow it up into a poster. I have a buddy who really digs The Thing and I think he would really like one for his wall.
Be good,
-Dave
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