Interstellar Exoplanet Ekistics
Cho-Li Leiko Sushi Chef
-boat
-fishing rod
-net
-traps
-boat
-bait
-life jacket
-hooks
-boat
I was waiting for quite awhile to acquire this figure. I liked the design of this Sushi Chef from the new Lego Ninjago Movie CMF line. Finally they became available at my local walmart and I was able to feel out the cleaver and a few sushi pieces.
Once I had it, then what? I tried to think of something for an image but nothing really came to mind. I dropped my boy off at scouts and had an hour to go shoot. I went around the corner and off onto a side dirt road. We have been having quite a bit of rain lately which is perfect for our dry high desert climate. We need all the water we can get! Anyways, this dirt road was mostly dry except for some ruts filled with leftover rainwater.
The lighting was perfect as it was golden hour and the sun had just crested behind some junipers and shaded these waterfilled tracks. There was a strip of golden light that shone through and lit up an area of the road. It was the perfect spot and lighting but I had to hurry as there were only a few minutes of that glow left.
I swooped out the minifigure container and looked at my options. The Sushi Chef was my goal to capture but in what way? The puddle would make a great fishing spot on minifigure scale but I had no fishing accessories. I had a wheelbarrow and the Shark Army dudes from the Lego Ninjago Movie CMF. So off came their fishy helmets and their fish swords and into the wheelbarrow they went.
I have been awaiting an Anton figure (from the new Old Fishing Store Set 21310) from the Stuck in Plastic community (I highly recommend their blog). It is currently in the mail and is coming from clear across the sea. Anton has not arrived as of yet, and therefore I decided to incorporate it into this post.
The poor Sushi Chef Cho-li has no fishing accessories and he is hoping Anton will build a fishing store in his area. It’s much easier to fish from a boat than a wheelbarrow. I positioned him right in the last bit of glow creeping in from behind the juniper. The light splashed through and really made the colors pop.
While I was shooting this I accidentally changed the settings on my camera so the rear screen would not display the image preview through the lens. basically just a black screen with text. This was rather frustrating because the shot had a small window of opportunity. I ended up in the dirt and a bit of mud leaning way down trying to peer through the viewfinder. I mostly utilize manual focus lenses and it was very tricky to do without my screen working. Luckily it is just a setting and I did not break anything.
I was able to snag several great shots and was still on time to pick up my boy from scouts. Success!
Using Old Glass in Toy Photography
Old Glass
Swirls of light bend and transpose
Stretched and tangled, bokeh galore
Changing perception
Warps the view
Deciding the factors of focus anew
Gathered inception
Sketched and revised, blur adore
Whirls of bright mend and expose
~ Joseph Cowlishaw
Using old glass in toy photography
I love the look of old glass. It has unique imperfections that really make the feeling of a photo. The newer glass is almost too perfect. They have successfully eliminated the character of uniqueness through perfected manufacturing processes.
I recently purchased a mint copy of the Jupiter 37a lens from a Russian auction. It shipped from Moscow and arrived to my home only a little over a week later. I purchased this lens for its uniqueness in creating creamy smooth bokeh. My brother Nathan Arizona recommended it and after seeing many example of excellent bokeh swirls I decided to get one.
I have also added an old macro lens to my collection – the Minolta Rokkor 50mm. It has added more dimension to my toy photography with its imperfections and it’s perfect focus at close range.
I recently found an old video lens at a local thrift store – it was only a video telephoto 2x lens and was made during the age of videotape. It was $10 so I decided to pick it up. Obviously, the poor quality of this cheap lens hampered my photos by destroying to look of some of my higher end old lenses. I tried attaching it to the end of my Russian Jupiter 37a lens and the results were horrible. So I decided to disassemble this video lens and use the inner elements. I liked how big the glass was and it looked relatively unscathed. The front element had a bit of coating on it which allowed for some interesting colors and reflections while photographing it.
Charlie saves an old friend
About the same time that I acquired this cheaply built old lens I also received a Charlie Chaplin figure in the mail from Minifigures.com.
I was trying to figure out how to use him in a shot, and these elements lent me some ideas!
I thought how cool it would be for Charlie to stumble into unknown territory. Unknown even to us in all our futuristic grandeur. The lens worked perfectly for this setting.
I love using my old glass to create new feeling mixed with a retro feel and look. Plus it has the added benefit of being super affordable. Old glass on a newer camera body means it has to be manually focused and controlled. Using manual focus has taught me so much about the technical side of photography. I love being able to change every little detail and setting to get that perfect feel that I am looking for.
Old glass does not mean poor quality. I have found that some of my old lenses rival my newer autofocus lenses. And they have the added benefit of character that is hard to reproduce.
I also find it interesting that there are now so many new applications that allow the user to “add” character to their shots. I guess we miss that feel that comes from character and glass. It is fun to add these details to the image while composing. Even more fun than in post processing!
Don’t step on the crack or you’ll break your teddy’s back
via Instagram http://ift.tt/2mpWjX6
Don’t step on the crack or you’ll break your Teddy’s back! ?
Good morning folks! Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend the day with my brother Nathan Arizona at the Heard Native American Art Show in downtown Phoenix, AZ.
We got to meet several new native artists and visit with old friends. We have our mining company Earthtone Trading to thank for this opportunity. We hauled down from Utah two tons of our Mohave Brown Alabaster to sell to the talented sculptors.
We arrived to the show late and ended up taking a long time finding a parking spot. We finally found an open spot large enough for our truck in the basement of a parking garage. We walked the show and talked with folks and then I headed back to the truck to get some flyers and take a break.
I was trying to think of a good spot for Lego photography and I am always amazed at the simply mundane areas that make my shots come to life. The shot of Mr. Bean above with Teddy was not the shot I intended to take. It was a gradual process from the start of looking for the right spot with some rails in the parking garage basement. The rails made for some great bokeh and contrast.
Mr. Bean has a somewhat childish outlook in certain ways and that why I find him so humorous. He takes the moment like a child would. I felt this image conveyed what I used to feel about cracks on the ground. The old adage “don’t step on the crack or you’ll break your mothers back” seemed like the perfect title with a bit of a change to put what Mr. Bean cares about most. Thanks to Minifigures.com for making a great custom figure Mr. Bean.
~ Joecow
Me found Beast Food!
This particular shot was a bit tricky to get because those beetles are fast when you don’t want them to be. He was definitely feeling the pressure to hide and get out of sight. After about five shots I finally got one I was happy about. I actually wanted the beetle facing the camera but it was not to be. Apparently stink beetles have fairly good vision. When I placed batman at the right spot it would abruptly change direction. Basically it didn’t want to cooperate with me.
My boys were somewhat fascinated, but their attention was quickly steered towards the mine shaft we had hiked up to and the “mysterious” rock door that blocked the entrance.
I bet they felt they were on some Indiana Jones adventure. When I was a kid I had many Indiana Jones adventures.
One such adventure was exploring the Old Ohio Mine in Milford, Utah with my brother. My grandfather had given us our very own black lights and had told us we could find many examples of fluorescent stone down inside the mine. He told us not to go there because it was dangerous and susceptible to cave-ins.
We drove out the following Saturday. We followed directions from grandpa scribbled on lined paper. We arrived near the base of the mountain dump and hiked to the entrance of the mine. The old Ohio mine has several different shafts. The main opening was large enough to walk through without needing to duck. We broke out our flashlights and entered the dark abyss. As we ventured deep into the mine we saw a steep angled set of rail tracks exiting the ceiling high above us and entering near the floor. We shined the flashlights done that shaft but it spooked us when the light didn’t reach the end.
We crept along until we reached a large underground cavern that could’ve been natural but was most likely dug out. We turned on our black lights and were met with an amazing glow of vivid fluorescent colors. Pinks and greens, blues and purples. It was as if bright paint had been splattered everywhere! When we turned off the black light – darkness.
This caveman batman got me to thinking about caves and bats and all this random meandering down my memories of deep mineshafts. Thanks batman! Thanks Lego!