El Dave Photography

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!"

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Be good,
-Dave

With your head so in the cloud

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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.

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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.


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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

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

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


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Be good,
-Dave

From left to right...

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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.


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Be good,
-Dave

I can't believe
This is happening to me

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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!

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Be good,
-Dave

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

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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...


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Be good,
-Dave

Passion; Find direction.

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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.


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Be good,
-Dave

I'm talking to myself again

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