Peep Death- Dragon Snack
Well, here we are at the last image of the Peep Death 2013 series. If you have stuck with me this long, I want to say thanks, as I tend to lose a few people during this time of year. I also figured that what better way to end this run than somewhat the same way I started it. Thus, I went all high key with my toys!
As for some sort of update, well, I’m busy trying to get this house in Madison ready for sale. It seems like every time I get close to being done, somebody decides I need to fix this or paint that. I don’t mind being busy, but I’d love to return to chatting with friends online and working on my photography. My cameras stare at me all glassy eyed because they feel unloved. Hopefully things will return to normal soonish!
I also should mention that I recently started working with a marketer on how to improve my marketing/branding. Boy do they have me brainstorming some new projects. I’m still a ways off from starting them, due to travel and such, but I am excited on what they are teaching me and where they are helping me take this passion of mine. Fun times are ahead my friends, but for now, I must return to painting.
Be excellent to one another!
Technical Info:
Exposure: 6 sec at f/10
Lens: 60mm
ISO: 200
Lighting: Desk lamp with a 40watt light bulb shot through a white bed sheet.
Peep Death: An Arrow to the Face
The inspiration for this shot spawns from a video game; imagine that. I recently spent a good amount of time playing Skyrim, and man was it ever a fun time. The big joke about this game is that every guard seems to have a harrowing tale that always tragically ends when they take an arrow to the knee. While this Peep does not have a wild story of perilous adventures battling aliens or dragons, its life ended by an arrow to the face. Tragic, really.
Be excellent to one another!
Technical Info:
Exposure: 1/100 sec at f/8
Lens: 60mm
ISO: 500
Lighting: The morning sun
Peep Death: Pick’d
There was once a time when I was learning to play the guitar. I enjoyed it a lot, but life had other plans for me and so I stopped making music. Recently my wife decided it was time that I followed through with my lust of plucking strings once again, and thus we went shopping. I picked up a Mandolin and am now practicing once again! I should also note that I snagged a Harmonica as well, but that is actually much tougher to learn, even though it would appear to be such a simple instrument.
Be excellent to one another!
Technical Info:
Exposure: 1/2 sec at f/11
Lens: 105mm
ISO: 200
Lighting: The sun shining through the front window
Peep Death: Puny Peep
I immensely enjoy the Avengers movie. What makes it so enjoyable for me is the banter between all the heroes, especially that of Stark and Banner. I’ve always enjoyed the Hulk, even when Lou Ferrigno starred as the character during the old school television series. Now if only we could get Mark Ruffalo to star in his own dedicated movie!
The inspiration for this shot comes from the scene in Avengers where Hulk kicks the snot out of Loki, walks away and calls him a puny god. I still crack up at this part and it is most likely due to the fact that Hulk does not have many lines outside of yelling, grunting, and groaning. So to hear him utter this line as though this Asgardian God is beneath him gives me a smile every time. I think it is time to go sit on the couch and watch this again!
Be excellent to one another!
Technical Info:
Exposure: 1/4 sec at f/8
Lens: 60mm
ISO: 200
Lighting: The sun shining through the front window
Peep Death: Articulation
I don’t know what it is, but whenever I shoot something with Master Chief in it, I feel as though I need to process it as if it is something from a 1970 era war movie. The image for today is no different. I will say that thanks to the new VSCO Film Pack 03, it is getting a bit easier to achieve the look I want for these images.
I wish I had a bit more to share, but it seems if I am not working on the house in Madison, I am working on the house in Ames. I am happy to say that the Madison house is just about completed and so I might return to some sort of normalcy, or so I hope! Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and that warm weather finds us all soon!
Be excellent to one another!
Technical Info:
Exposure: 1/640 sec at f/11
Lens: 105mm
ISO: 200
Lighting: The sun at 10AM
Peep Death: Leo Style
Life is so crazy as of late that it caught me off guard when I saw Peeps at the grocery store the other week. For the new followers I should explain that I do a Peep Death series in which I am pretty mean to these sugar coated marshmallow birds. This year shall be no different, with the exception that I might tag them into the Toy War with One7 Studios as well.
What better way to kick this Peep season off than to start with a TMNT photo. Here is Leo working some swordplay magic on an unlucky piece of Easter candy.
Be excellent to one another!
Technical Info:
Exposure: 8 sec at f/11
Lens: 60mm
ISO: 200
Lighting: Desk Lamp with 40-watt florescent bulb shot through a white bed sheet
Angie Pangie’s Custom Cookies
I hate that I have neglected the blog for so long. I also dislike that I have not really taken any photos in almost two weeks. Sadly, life has just become so busy with prepping the house in Madison for sale. While I am coming close to being done, I still have another week or two of being out there and working until it is fully done and ready to go. I hope that after that I can get back into the swing of things and regain some friends who probably assume I have gone total hermit.
Now that I have that off my fingers, I want to show off some work that a friend of mine is doing. Angie is one heck of a baker, and I am happy to say that she is finally following her dream and is now running her own custom cookie and pastry business. I know this is something she has wanted to do for some time and now she is finally grabbing the preverbal bull by the horns and making that dream a reality.
As a benefit to me, I am apparently the repository for misfit cookies. You know, those oddball stragglers that that don’t ship out to customers or do not meet the highest of quality standards. As a way to pay back this kindness, I will do what I do and take some photos she can use for advertising. I mean it is the least I could do for the ability to consume such tasty photo subjects.
If you are interested in having your very own custom cookies made by this wonderful cookie chef, why not check out the Angie Pangie’s Facebook page right here: https://www.facebook.com/angies.pangies.cookies And to wet your whistle just a bit, here is some of her handy work!
Be excellent to one another!
A Jeep Thing
The post today is purely for me. I have been in love with the Jeep Wrangler for as long as I can remember. Maybe Daisy Duke started the ball rolling, or maybe it was the first time I saw one climb to the top of a snow bank in all of its lifted glory. No matter where my love for this iconic vehicle started, it has yet to leave me. Of all the vehicles I have driven throughout the years, my 2006 TJ is the one I miss the most.
Sadly, I traded in my 13MPG gas chugger for something a bit more fuel-efficient. However, I met my wife in that Wrangler. I took her into the Tennessee Mountains with the top down in February on one of our first dates. I took friends off-roading and beat the crap out of the suspension, tires, canvas top, and body in doing so. I caked that sucker with mud on the weekend and wore that same mud for a week as a badge of honor. I could not do 70MPH and hear myself think, yet I did not care because the sun was shining down on me. I laughed at the rooster tails it shot out in the rain thanks to the oversized tires that stuck out two-inches from the wheel wells. Heck, even showing respect to other Wrangler owners with a simple three-finger “Jeep Wave” was fun. That TJ is the only vehicle I miss to this day. It is a Jeep thing and I understand.
To all the other Wrangler fans out there, this is my wave unto you all! Drive happy my friends!
Be excellent to one another!
Technical Info:
Exposure: 1/6 sec at f/8
Lens: 60mm
ISO: 200
Lighting: Nexus 7
The Master Inspires the Grasshopper
Man, the last shot in the Toy War with Jon Stolarski totally killed me. I mean he nailed the lighting and the setup of the figures. I highly recommend scoping out his work if you have not graced your eyes with it yet! Admittedly, seeing this image instantly made me start planning how I could raise the ante. It took me a few attempts of trial and error, but I finally produced the scene I wanted!
In this image, Master Splinter uses Bruce Lee to teach the turtles new techniques for battle. I teetered on the edge of processing this in color, but then childhood memories hit me like a pizza in the face. Those cold and rainy Saturday afternoons where my stepfather would bring home old Asian movies for my brother and me to pass the time with. You know, those terribly dubbed flicks in black and white with horrid screen flicker. Seeing how many of those times consisted of the master himself, Bruce Lee, I wanted to pay tribute to that which I remember so fondly.
The processing on this image is rather minimal. I used the Ilford HP5+ preset from VSCO as a starting point. I then adjusted the exposure down a smidge, upped the contrast, applied some heavy grain, and finished it off with a dark vignette. I debated taking this to Photoshop to apply some “film scratches” but I opted to stayed in Lightroom and do no such brushwork. Sometimes knowing when to stop is every bit as import as where to begin.
Now if you will excuse me, I have some Way of the Dragon to watch.
Be excellent to one another!
Technical Info:
Exposure: 6.0 sec at f/11
Lens: 60mm
ISO: 200
Master Chief
Some of you may remember me posting a screenshot of this image last week and commenting that it must be my “style” thanks to nailing this in one shot. This led to a small conversation with Scott Woodwhen I said I might be leaning too heavily on this particular setup and that I was sure people would just become sick of seeing another similar style image, but that I greatly enjoyed them. The conversation ended when he reminded me that I needed to shoot for myself first, something that I lose amongst all the noise of life. These are wise words that I need to print off and tape to both of my cameras!
Part of my goals for 2013 are to try to teach a class on the fundamentals of photography. I also want to share some of the behind the scenes on what I do and how I achieve some of the images that I post. What better time to start that knowledge sharing than right now. Almost no low-key image I post consists of off-camera flash, but rather a constant light source. I made Helghast Invasion with a simple desk lamp from Target and a 40-watt light bulb. I achieved the lighting on Bow Before Stewie by setting the figure on my iPhone after starting up iLumination, a free flashlight app. The light for Master Chief is courtesy of my Nexus 7 and Color Flashlight, yet another free flashlight app.
While I do own an off-camera flash setup, I do not always have the room necessary to achieve the lighting I want or need. I also do not even remotely require the full power of a flash as most of the toys I shoot max out at a measly three-inches. I have found that these low cost solutions provide enough control to produce the results I am aiming for.
Be excellent to one another!
Technical Info:
Exposure: 10.0 sec at f/11
Lens: 105mm
ISO: 200
I am a Ames, Iowa based photographer. I enjoy automotive, macro, still life, and street photography. To relax I wrestle dinosaurs.
