tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40588381771580401662024-03-04T21:37:29.196-08:00NightShadows PhotographyImages by Don McCaskill of NightShadows Photography.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-45406137782215776662015-02-12T12:48:00.000-08:002015-06-15T21:52:48.505-07:00Tsukino-Con 2015 Part 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_hIhiyUrQONeGUj8D_NzROpEqJSDyHq6l-zjec0Uew5MDTq7OY9SJH0ODvPoKpVBKT9cgZB7_X4ij2J3_lLuPjc2CtSfY30ahmrNV9EOXZA75A1UzPl-xdCJFifvMfY_a9kkIx8OzFs/s1600/0014P9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_hIhiyUrQONeGUj8D_NzROpEqJSDyHq6l-zjec0Uew5MDTq7OY9SJH0ODvPoKpVBKT9cgZB7_X4ij2J3_lLuPjc2CtSfY30ahmrNV9EOXZA75A1UzPl-xdCJFifvMfY_a9kkIx8OzFs/s200/0014P9.jpg" width="133" /></a>Tsukino-Con's dance always takes place thursday night, before the con, as a place to pick-up badges and entertainment to start the weekend. The last few dances at Sunset Room venue, I've discovered that it's better to take people outside to get shots than inside.<br />
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Inside I'm fighting with other people's movement distractions to the model and house lighting. Outside its me and my camera alone with the subject.<br />
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Friday came and the convention started in earnest and I had my largest group shoot. Eleven members of a cosplay group all doing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riddle_Story_of_Devil">Akuma No Riddle</a>. We shot in three areas of the UVic campus over a hour. I was very happy with the end results.
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Friday was also the Lolita Fashion Show, for which I was late, but managed to get some great shots.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada48.461028823793363 -123.3113622665405348.460864323793366 -123.31167726654053 48.46119332379336 -123.31104726654053tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-64428938611449351492013-06-04T14:31:00.002-07:002015-06-25T23:45:53.968-07:00Tsukino Con 2013As always Tsukino-Con is a labor of love. In past years I've been the Media and Public Relations person for the con, this year I added Webmaster. No easy situation for an Anime Convention with as many staff and departments as ours. The staff and departments though are what makes it easier on all of us putting together a three day convention with 1743 attendees.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2IktzdAhSEXr30XPrbdKM4qsMc7m_gh-AxiX5y_8AgvicIxNnyqfNSKHAYs5wDMTGv9qql25RM5z3IlO_5x8fGh5H6K6B1NdozqXCdPmz_EvZ_TFu__Yj73_mrIG6qjezWwU2xnvN_c/s1600/2988p9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2IktzdAhSEXr30XPrbdKM4qsMc7m_gh-AxiX5y_8AgvicIxNnyqfNSKHAYs5wDMTGv9qql25RM5z3IlO_5x8fGh5H6K6B1NdozqXCdPmz_EvZ_TFu__Yj73_mrIG6qjezWwU2xnvN_c/s200/2988p9.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
The great thing about my job with the con is that all my work is done in advance, giving me the convention to be a semi-official photographer. <br />
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<b>Thursday</b> after helping with setup, I attended the pre-Convention dance on getting some great shots of Chelsea spinning her hoops and a good crowd of cosplayers dancing to three different DJs. Anya won best costume for her <i>Vanellope von Schweetz</i> costume.<br />
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<b>Friday</b> I got in a little photoshoot with <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/110250758772206503961" target="_blank">+Alex Rodri</a> and her friend Ali, as they cosplayed Bunny and <i>Jack Frost</i> from the film <b>Rise of the Guardians</b>. I had fun with Ali's <i>Jack Frost</i> hoodie enhancing the frost detail that she had on it and giving her a paler complexion. As for Alex's <i>Bunny</i>, I used a contrast enhancement to bring up the detail of the fur and my usual method for giving smooth skin to models.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mqNdV8kYKLg/Ua5buckVxEI/AAAAAAAAIQ4/N-b0DPbq80A/s1600/3361P9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mqNdV8kYKLg/Ua5buckVxEI/AAAAAAAAIQ4/N-b0DPbq80A/s200/3361P9.jpg" width="133" /></a><b>Saturday</b> saw more Homestuck Cosplayers and I asked Jen if the tricksters were always supposed to be grey skinned, sometimes I saw them with faces and/or hands that weren't coloured so I wasn't sure. Once she confirmed, I knew that I needed to work on a post process to fix the tone of some tricksters flesh where the paint wore off, and where some people didn't paint.<br />
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<b>Sunday</b> was another great day for pictures and I got more of Jen, this time as a Gothic Lolita Trickster from Homestuck.<br />
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I also met a Tinkerbell who's an actress and wanted copies of her shots, so we did a set of 22 images and got some great shots. I love it when someone really knows their character.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada48.46102076745278 -123.3115422277862848.460362767452779 -123.31280272778628 48.461678767452781 -123.31028172778628tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-2852575208660123292013-05-29T14:28:00.000-07:002013-05-29T14:28:40.772-07:00CommunicationsWe live in a world of evolving communications, and when we want to leave contact information with someone, we really on <a href="http://www.designer-daily.com/a-history-of-business-cards-20266">business cards</a>, an old standard dating back to the 1600s. I'm not saying cards are a bad thing, just we need to look at the emerging communications. I like the well written article I came across for using <a href="http://cosplayphotographers.com/2012/12/cards-and-communications-for-cosplayers-and-cosplay-photographers-2/">QR Codes</a> when bussiness cards aren't an option, you have no pockets.<br />
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QR Codes are a two dimensional barcode as opposed to the grocery store styled vertical bars. The most complex QR Codes can contain 1,264 characters, that's half of this article. So what should you put in a QR Code? Business cards are limited in space and while they can be two-sided, you still need to be careful about overcrowding. The same applies to QR Codes, you can put a lot of info, doesn't mean you should.<br />
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Options for a single thing on your QR Code are easy, your name, your email, your website or your Facebook. What if you want all of them and a phone number or combination of other info? This is where another technical standard applies, the vCard.<br />
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vCards allow for formatted data that can include everything from Name, address and phone number to birthday and geographic location. Once you've created vCard information, it can be put in a QR Code, most modern phones and tablets can get free apps to scan the info and make use of it. On my Andriod phone I use <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.zxing.client.android">Barcode Scanner by ZXing</a>. I have added <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=la.droid.qr&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImxhLmRyb2lkLnFyIl0.">QR Droid by Driodla</a> for creating QR Codes on my devices. Now I can show someone a QR Code on my phone, they can scan it with theirs, and quickly add it to their contacts on the phone or tablet, if its android, it syncs with their gmail too.<br />
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There are other ways of transferring this information, Aztec Code, Maxi Code, NFC (near field communications), but none of them are as common and readily available as QR Code. One photographer that I know has taken to sticking removable vinyl to the back of his phone, with a QR Code on it.<br />
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Why not get rid of business cards altogether and just flash your QR Code? Even in a technically advanced mecca like Seattle and Vancouver, there are still people that don't have the equipment (smartphone) to read QR Codes. For them, carry a few business cards, let the others scan, then they can't complain, "Oh sorry, I lost your card."<br />
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Free resources websites:<br />
<a href="http://www.barcode-generator.org/">Free Online Barcode Generator</a><br />
<a href="http://goqr.me/">Go QR me</a><br />
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<a href="http://vcardmaker.com/">vCard Maker</a><br />
<a href="http://www.moongate.ro/en/products/qr_code-vcard/">Moongate</a><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-81885373445063998982013-05-06T12:16:00.000-07:002015-06-25T23:41:30.431-07:00Published!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g0hIpPls_ow/UYfx49Xkn2I/AAAAAAAAH7I/HsxFg3ECKoM/s1600/AU_51_proof3-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g0hIpPls_ow/UYfx49Xkn2I/AAAAAAAAH7I/HsxFg3ECKoM/s200/AU_51_proof3-1.jpg" width="153" /></a></div>
Been a few years since I've been published off the web. Over the years I've been writing and getting pictures printed in various magazines and newspapers in Victoria. Recently I wrote for <b><a href="http://absoluteunderground.tv/">Absolute Underground</a></b>, a Canadian magazine that covers Punk, Metal and the alternative lifestyles. Issue 51 dedicated some space to the large Calgary Comic Expo, and I wrote two articles on the subject.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u1Kfuo25D7k/UYf2EN_4OCI/AAAAAAAAH7Y/_WQTuDguaBk/s1600/AU_51_proof3-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u1Kfuo25D7k/UYf2EN_4OCI/AAAAAAAAH7Y/_WQTuDguaBk/s200/AU_51_proof3-20.jpg" width="153" /></a><br />
On page 19, my article <b>Preparing for a Convention</b>. I realized as I was writing this, a lot of things have changed over the years. I dug up the article I wrote for <b>Attractions Magazine</b> back in 2001 and used it as a guide, but the style of commercial conventions has changed in twelve years and I had to write to the current situations.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NQCBhBwEqUg/UYf7PrsKuNI/AAAAAAAAH7o/LDmLZCY_PBg/s1600/vamires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NQCBhBwEqUg/UYf7PrsKuNI/AAAAAAAAH7o/LDmLZCY_PBg/s200/vamires.jpg" width="133" /></a>My second article, which was originally written for the previous issue to coincide with Tsukino-Con, appeared with a couple of my photographs. <b>A Study of Cosplay</b>, looks at the making and role-playing behind the the most visible aspect of any Gaming, Sci-Fi, Anime or Comic Book Convention.<br />
<br />
The picture across the top of the article is actually three images combined of a group of nearly forty cosplayers from <a href="http://www.mspaintadventures.com/">Homestuck</a>, a web-comic that just ended a four year run with 6239 pages.<br />
<br />
The second image is a local group of cosplayers doing their rendition of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. As a matter of fact, the girl in the green coat, <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/110250758772206503961" target="_blank">+Alex Rodri</a>, and I are doing a shoot this week.<br />
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<b><a href="http://absoluteunderground.tv/">Absolute Underground</a></b>, can be picked-up in skateboard shops, record stores, and funky fashion house across Canada.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Trounce Alley, Victoria, BC, Canada48.4260075543058 -123.3673453330993748.4256780543058 -123.36797583309936 48.4263370543058 -123.36671483309937tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-41530892157550811392012-11-25T18:30:00.000-08:002013-05-29T11:37:34.877-07:00V-Con 37 part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGuPtzN-G1Qbk4t3lMxKjkTDPXt9O_0qmZ0KN2g9LyD0ErsxUSpZb8Ik_Eseu8pqjJDaKTcPrwF8PqkwLx1vLC0J5n0BCJCMFcTCAL4TglTQfGvEnwyThnmbUYv5qSwJvIVj7va_M_APM/s1600/vcon37tshirt_motherearthslastchild.png.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGuPtzN-G1Qbk4t3lMxKjkTDPXt9O_0qmZ0KN2g9LyD0ErsxUSpZb8Ik_Eseu8pqjJDaKTcPrwF8PqkwLx1vLC0J5n0BCJCMFcTCAL4TglTQfGvEnwyThnmbUYv5qSwJvIVj7va_M_APM/s200/vcon37tshirt_motherearthslastchild.png.png" width="184" /></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z68cCc-CwpY/ULJwyd8IQaI/AAAAAAAAHDc/xhdF3H_TQAk/s1600/2290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z68cCc-CwpY/ULJwyd8IQaI/AAAAAAAAHDc/xhdF3H_TQAk/s200/2290.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chrissy and Alys <br />
setting up <br />
Csinyos Creations</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Set up Thursday was a great opportunity to meet people and make new friends. I really liked the way everyone helped everyone. Giving a hand here, lending something there, all around great sense of community amongst the dealers, and con goers as a whole.<br />
<br />
All three days proved to be great for getting pictures of cosplayers. My favourite thing to do at a convention, being a photographer ;)<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yWCd8MgQJvI/ULJ-anSekfI/AAAAAAAAHD0/-R6XL7h0nqE/s1600/2340P9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yWCd8MgQJvI/ULJ-anSekfI/AAAAAAAAHD0/-R6XL7h0nqE/s200/2340P9.jpg" width="133" /></a>Friday started with a mini shoot with a lovely Steampunker, <a href="http://lessthan3-feathers.deviantart.com/">Jackie</a>. We got about 20 frames in to the shoot when someone else decided to insert himself into the shoot. I am generally okay with this kind of impromptu addition to the photos, if it adds to it, but I had to constantly warn him about boundaries, as his kept getting his paint-ball rifle right in her face and blocking me from the shot. All in all I did get some great shots of her.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLPIH8hKLNacreQOWb3b2ewA5tjG2Kh2pCmpBV1zAtBRX1pDjIsy_-_L7AH7LhVvgSBkW-sKQH3pXp2O-ImH48SPypo0rUuh85V_0AjBRLgDD_oNqfO4h_HXZVVOfk4Jm0-NnuQs_vKk0/s1600/2305P9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLPIH8hKLNacreQOWb3b2ewA5tjG2Kh2pCmpBV1zAtBRX1pDjIsy_-_L7AH7LhVvgSBkW-sKQH3pXp2O-ImH48SPypo0rUuh85V_0AjBRLgDD_oNqfO4h_HXZVVOfk4Jm0-NnuQs_vKk0/s200/2305P9.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackie the Steampunk Soldier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Saturday saw lots of hallway shots, which can be fun, but usually too quick to really get the essence of the person and persona. Nonetheless I got lots of great shots and met more than a few cool people.<br />
<br />
The real fun came when I met a pair of serious cosplayers from Vancouver that I have since had the pleasure to interview and Feature on my <a href="http://cosplayweek.blogspot.com/">Cosplayers of the Week</a> site. They formed the group, Spectrum Cosplay and where playing Ariel from <b>Disney's Little Mermaid</b>, and Alice from <b>Disney's Alice in Wonderland</b>. I shot 104 frames with them over the course of the weekend, including a quick set including Mimi's boyfriend James as a Steampunk Mad Hatter.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4GOgzB-NJRrc08AC-gvf2Xi6HZCePKMNv5KY5K9adT1fy3lzXLYPfsPaPewXhoE0n6Xl-1TlEomsueym29_qq0zM5VPZxUCbdwoHpM3-57Peo9A6fkfUq-MR0V3W7T95mB2w_0dcViE/s1600/2413P9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4GOgzB-NJRrc08AC-gvf2Xi6HZCePKMNv5KY5K9adT1fy3lzXLYPfsPaPewXhoE0n6Xl-1TlEomsueym29_qq0zM5VPZxUCbdwoHpM3-57Peo9A6fkfUq-MR0V3W7T95mB2w_0dcViE/s200/2413P9.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emmaline as Alice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sue, my wife, got a great offer to buy some bodyform dummies from one of the other merchants at the convention. It was really a price she couldn't refuse, but had to because of our transportation method, SkyTrain on a Monday morning, Coachlines then Ferry and Transit. She got back to our table and told me about the offer, which was overheard by a fellow Victorian at the next table.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lOIahGzs-oU/ULLAJKxZRbI/AAAAAAAAHEI/twm8eyliDi0/s1600/2401P9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lOIahGzs-oU/ULLAJKxZRbI/AAAAAAAAHEI/twm8eyliDi0/s200/2401P9.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mimi as Ariel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"I'll give you a ride." All of a sudden new possibilities erupted. We wouldn't have to go through the chaos of the Skytrain, as I described in <a href="http://falcona.blogspot.ca/2012/10/vcon-1.html">Part 1</a>, we would be home a day earlier, it would cost less. How could we say no?<br />
<br />
The ride was great, thank you <a href="http://www.medievalwares.com/">Mark and Barbara</a>. We chipped in for gas and Ferry fare and got home late Sunday, so I was able to enjoy a few days of relaxation before going back to work. It's been a long time since I took a full week off work for vacation, I need to do it more often.<br />
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I have a whole gallery of images, some I added today, on my <a href="http://nightshadows.ca/">NightShadows</a> web site.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com015269 104 Ave, Surrey, BC V3R 1N5, Canada49.191706472018915 -122.7990818023681649.191381972018917 -122.79969880236817 49.192030972018912 -122.79846480236816tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-85570621238618216762012-10-17T12:38:00.002-07:002012-10-17T12:38:48.042-07:00V-Con 37 part 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGuPtzN-G1Qbk4t3lMxKjkTDPXt9O_0qmZ0KN2g9LyD0ErsxUSpZb8Ik_Eseu8pqjJDaKTcPrwF8PqkwLx1vLC0J5n0BCJCMFcTCAL4TglTQfGvEnwyThnmbUYv5qSwJvIVj7va_M_APM/s1600/vcon37tshirt_motherearthslastchild.png.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGuPtzN-G1Qbk4t3lMxKjkTDPXt9O_0qmZ0KN2g9LyD0ErsxUSpZb8Ik_Eseu8pqjJDaKTcPrwF8PqkwLx1vLC0J5n0BCJCMFcTCAL4TglTQfGvEnwyThnmbUYv5qSwJvIVj7va_M_APM/s200/vcon37tshirt_motherearthslastchild.png.png" width="184" /></a>A few months ago my wife and I tossed the idea around of going to <a href="http://www.vcon.ca/"><b>V-Con</b></a> or <b><a href="http://www.coseffect.com/">Cos & Effect</a></b>, two conventions held in Vancouver, BC. As we live in Victoria, on a island, and have no vehicle or drivers licence, transportation was an issue for either.<br />
<br />
We have been to <a href="http://tsukinocon.com/"><b>Tsukino Con</b></a>, a Victoria anime convention for the last few years. Her as a vendor of costumes and corsets, me as a Cosplay Photographer and staff member, media relations. Something different and away from home seemed to be in order. Costs were weighed and time considered. It was felt that the late September date of <a href="http://www.vcon.ca/"><b>V-Con 37</b></a> gave better preparation time, and a venue that may react better to the clothing she creates.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Xtu1onfoJAVRw2O_hJVuh3ziXZXR0BE3Tethk0Pe7EfvQpk9HHkNrVq63TskEY_STyTqgrpIWRpWFZ9omUYjcAxVIxlCT4j36yl0PptdJ7oN3uw8w8cSs9iXILIa3ypLARB3FfrBCF0/s1600/2254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Xtu1onfoJAVRw2O_hJVuh3ziXZXR0BE3Tethk0Pe7EfvQpk9HHkNrVq63TskEY_STyTqgrpIWRpWFZ9omUYjcAxVIxlCT4j36yl0PptdJ7oN3uw8w8cSs9iXILIa3ypLARB3FfrBCF0/s200/2254.jpg" width="200" /></a>The dealers room was set to open at noon on Friday and all estimates had us arriving at the hotel no earlier than 2pm, so we departed on Thursday. Up at 5am, breakfast, final check of items and out the door at 6am. Standing waiting, we had a lovely view of Venus before sunrise then transit zipped us downtown to catch the <b>Pacific Coach Lines</b> bus.
On the ferry I spotted a couple of Harbour Seals in the water, and there was a P.A. call of a Humpback Whale on the Starboard side. Everyone hurried over to see, one girl even commented that the ship was likely to tip over with everyone rushing to one side. After five minutes of pering at the ocean and scanning the waters for no signs of the elusive whale, we returned to our seats.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QVqaG-iPExnLhKgfZrY9EiEN7-kxHd1ie7BTGDAUt14TpLNyuP3ghYowmYvOwAaNrgNsJ-li48jHj23KGwL9jv4UNA6hCq820-xHA1ZT_VTa7ZMYljwMnDQMAuRFzmMa45H1pvftf4k/s1600/2262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QVqaG-iPExnLhKgfZrY9EiEN7-kxHd1ie7BTGDAUt14TpLNyuP3ghYowmYvOwAaNrgNsJ-li48jHj23KGwL9jv4UNA6hCq820-xHA1ZT_VTa7ZMYljwMnDQMAuRFzmMa45H1pvftf4k/s200/2262.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Early morning fog/smog greeted us in the Salish Sea, but dissipated before we docked.
The ride into Vancouver was pleasant, but met with a bit of aggravation for the driver as we were detoured around construction near the <b>Vancouver Hotel</b>, only to have the detour lifted as we approached from a different direction. Arrived at the Pacific Central Building, the terminus for the bus, and headed across the street to the <b>Main St. Skytrain Station</b>.<br />
<br />
Its been a few years since I've been to Vancouver and I thought all the stations had escalators for some reason. As I couldn't see one at ground level I thought I'd have to carry two large and heavy bags up a pile of stairs to the platform. As I hoisted them up a pleasant elderly chinese woman pointed out that there was an elevator in the corner, problem solved.
Once on the skytrain we found a place to stand, as most of the seats were taken, but after a few stops a two seat bench opened up and we moved over.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnid2oAnXJXZcXKDtjuEpLZWeSsi4G4eRsmmbaZftC4m2OBlkbF-ONKJieClKzM2QkkkYHKcIjLm1F5x_dJRYYAUUj8rlydYJT8s7rEVc4pbLGALEsJImNXqG4qoN0ZsEL-OGYr_RMp4/s1600/vancouver2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnid2oAnXJXZcXKDtjuEpLZWeSsi4G4eRsmmbaZftC4m2OBlkbF-ONKJieClKzM2QkkkYHKcIjLm1F5x_dJRYYAUUj8rlydYJT8s7rEVc4pbLGALEsJImNXqG4qoN0ZsEL-OGYr_RMp4/s200/vancouver2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Our luggage took up the aisle and blocked a few people in, so I was quite prepared to move things as people needed. I held the handles of both bags, just to prevent them from tipping. Everyone and and everything was good until three guys looking like construction day labourers got on. Right away they were talking loud at each other and yelling. The older of the three, looking hispanic and in his mid-fifties with droopy-drunk eyes moved into a seat my bag were blocking, and kept trying to get me to agree with his side of the argument. I just made non-committal nods and tried to ignore him. At a few points one of the younger two would tell the older one to sit down and shut up, "<i>I you get me kicked off the Skytrain again, I'm gonna pound you so hard</i>!"<br />
<br />
Truth to tell I was less worried about their argument and the potential for a fight, than I was that this was part of a distraction to steal luggage from some wealthy tourists. Not that I'm by any means wealthy, but the luggage was brand new. I had a death grip on both bags for the remainder of the trip. The youngest of the group got off and things calmed down, a bit, and the other two started talking about what stop to get off at and they agreed the Surrey Central was the one they needed, so did we.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8zdHXeW3oi0j33wRsxaO0se-D1NX8B73kwYong5SLokZA_vDf-MRW410tl3Sge2Zo0Ahx-Iq0nMQ7XuZprShDQ9ZnOxRE577ib32p0DrhH9PidcNpUp0QIgvnShFgVEA3iXRMJmaprU/s1600/cab-left.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8zdHXeW3oi0j33wRsxaO0se-D1NX8B73kwYong5SLokZA_vDf-MRW410tl3Sge2Zo0Ahx-Iq0nMQ7XuZprShDQ9ZnOxRE577ib32p0DrhH9PidcNpUp0QIgvnShFgVEA3iXRMJmaprU/s200/cab-left.png" width="200" /></a></div>
A quick whisper to my wife and we agreed to go a stop further, to distance ourselves.
Once off the Skytrain at King George Station we found a Taxi and headed for the Hotel. We had budgeted $20 for the ride from the closer station, but now knew it may cost more. Along the ride I asked the driver if he could recommend any places to eat near the <b>Sheraton Guilford Hotel</b>. He rambled off a good dozen places in his thick East Indian accent, but I caught the gist of it all, 152nd was where all the restaurants were, all within a seven minute walk. Arriving at the Hotel the meter in the cab said $12.79, but seeing as he was so helpful and the meter lower than we expected, I agreed with my wife and made the total $20.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com015269 104 Ave, Surrey, BC V3R 1N5, Canada49.191741530096849 -122.7990871667861949.025591530096847 -123.11494416678619 49.35789153009685 -122.4832301667862tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-54311608072331883072012-04-13T10:00:00.000-07:002012-04-23T17:40:22.170-07:00For Sale<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pFbgcH8yU5KR6Ydqd1iboIEJULWcVTw7YCiORE_7Joqn-L63XYk5XEr3ElIMrI_QpdU9Pq0rB6P0cAU4YkWyOgXu5XCZKcV69_Dd6cpmsaa7ML8bOO2g95IC3-uf1JV744mAkLtBI_s/s1600/GorgeChurch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pFbgcH8yU5KR6Ydqd1iboIEJULWcVTw7YCiORE_7Joqn-L63XYk5XEr3ElIMrI_QpdU9Pq0rB6P0cAU4YkWyOgXu5XCZKcV69_Dd6cpmsaa7ML8bOO2g95IC3-uf1JV744mAkLtBI_s/s200/GorgeChurch.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorge Rd. Church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Been a while since I last posted on this blog, but yesterday was a good day for my photography, so I thought I should mention it. I had my first Gallery opening, of sorts. The store that I work in does consignments, and the boss has been accepting lots of art lately, to get the store ready for what we hope will be a busy tourist season.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IroV-VhQWe4/T5WKiA_bAmI/AAAAAAAAFXo/P6kDan2B-CU/s1600/Portal+on+FanTan2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IroV-VhQWe4/T5WKiA_bAmI/AAAAAAAAFXo/P6kDan2B-CU/s200/Portal+on+FanTan2.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portal to Fan Tan Alley</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last week I got a paycheque from <span style="color: #6fa8dc;">G</span><span style="color: red;">o</span><span style="color: yellow;">o</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">g</span><span style="color: lime;">l</span><span style="color: red;">e</span> for ad content on a few different sites I have. Took a few years to build up to the minimum for them to send me a cheque, but it was worth it. I used to money to get some prints done at Black<span style="color: red;">'</span>s Photography, an adventure in its self. I had just enough left to go across the street from work to <b><a href="http://opusartsupplies.com/">Opus</a></b> and get one frame and mat board.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_KPFddslQJg/T5WLmA13GLI/AAAAAAAAFXw/yGvqQ6jD1gA/s1600/chainacentenial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_KPFddslQJg/T5WLmA13GLI/AAAAAAAAFXw/yGvqQ6jD1gA/s200/chainacentenial.jpg" title="China Town" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 signed & numbered</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yesterday I helped a fellow employee find and buy a car real cheap. He sold it today for nearly four times what he paid for it, and threw me a finders few. That was enough to get three more frames and mat boards for the pictures.<br />
<br />
So now there are three prints signed and hanging at <a href="http://www.barclays-exchange.com/"><b>Barclay's Exchange</b></a>, with the prospect of more to come.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-5986580775301302032012-03-10T17:30:00.000-08:002012-08-12T23:45:49.840-07:00Tsukino Con 2012<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bAQvRHN1UNg/Ty9oTbuvonI/AAAAAAAAEeg/_2jOZVqqxgU/s1600/dressA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bAQvRHN1UNg/Ty9oTbuvonI/AAAAAAAAEeg/_2jOZVqqxgU/s200/dressA.jpg" width="127" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Victorian Lolita</b> by <br />
Astra Crompton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This year's <b><a href="http://tsukinocon.com/">Tsukino Con</a></b> is over, but my editing of pictures is just getting started. I managed to take just under 1300 images over the course of the four days.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qRvdoC9K_CM/T1I8kDfJWtI/AAAAAAAAEkM/JoTgUMkyHB0/s1600/0393P9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qRvdoC9K_CM/T1I8kDfJWtI/AAAAAAAAEkM/JoTgUMkyHB0/s200/0393P9.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street Fighter by<br />
Tyler Krembrink &<br />
MJ Brown</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: red;">Day 1</span> of the con for me was Thursday February 16th with a noon start to set-up. At the end of set-up I helped with pre-reg badge pick-up. Then I got some pictures of DeeJay Yukkuri 's <b>Unlimited Dance Works</b> over at <b>Vertigo</b>. Various cosplayers dressed up and dancing to the hard beats.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pAbXSkCyeRI/T1mE3BrU2uI/AAAAAAAAEl4/2Vp9WsJJDDM/s1600/0396eP7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pAbXSkCyeRI/T1mE3BrU2uI/AAAAAAAAEl4/2Vp9WsJJDDM/s200/0396eP7.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: red;">Day 2</span>, Friday the convention starts in earnest and I get in a series of shots of a <b>Street Fighter</b> duo. Tyler and MJ did a lot of posses and I'm actually still editing a few. I had never met <b>MJ</b> before, but quickly discovered how excellent a Cosplay Model she is.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOBtNAiTQVI2sAVIrnarFXJch4mEYJMwGDS49GI8kSKghsfU1tYGQTlfXXROV-cweZnvl8eng8_Kobze-4rFnYQzqctuEAGA-Y4aDdi4a7E6YjxbGm59cGbSKaxLP2TTNZQeXehXbiU4/s1600/480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOBtNAiTQVI2sAVIrnarFXJch4mEYJMwGDS49GI8kSKghsfU1tYGQTlfXXROV-cweZnvl8eng8_Kobze-4rFnYQzqctuEAGA-Y4aDdi4a7E6YjxbGm59cGbSKaxLP2TTNZQeXehXbiU4/s200/480.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel as Spock<br />
from the new film.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: red;">Day 3</span>, Saturday, always the most going on. I think I got in 3 group shoots before the <b>Cosplay Contest</b> at 1pm, then another before I had to get to my do my panel at 4pm. That in its self was an adventure. I went to my panel room 15min early to set up and do a but of a dry run, only to discover the presentation file on my tumbdrive had become corrupt. Its a good thing I have some improvisational skills. I managed to stumble through my <b>Cosplay Modeling</b> presentation with a few picture shown on the screen from my computer, but defiantly not the kind of presentation I wanted to give. I even lost a half-dozen people about ten minutes into the panel.<br />
The day continued with more individual pictures and a few more set, like one with Vanessa in her <b>Black Widow</b>, from Marvel Comics.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ulbx3CdfejI/T1I9BiXhOyI/AAAAAAAAElQ/rgpvp_PJVBA/s1600/HomeStuck_PanoramaP10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="68" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ulbx3CdfejI/T1I9BiXhOyI/AAAAAAAAElQ/rgpvp_PJVBA/s200/HomeStuck_PanoramaP10.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home Stuck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table border="1" padding-left="7px" style="border: 1px; float: right; width: 175px;"><tbody>
<tr><td><span style="color: #999999;"><b>Adobe Bridge</b> is an organizational software application created and released by <b>Adobe Systems</b> as a part of the </span><span style="color: lime;">Adobe Creative Suite</span><span style="color: #999999;">. Its primary purpose is to link the parts of the Creative Suite together. Bridge has many functions such as </span><span style="color: lime;">batch rename</span><span style="color: #999999;"> and utilities to help with organization.</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">Organizational features include assigning coloured labels and star ratings to images, the ability to </span><span style="color: lime;">edit metadata</span><span style="color: #999999;"> embedded within an image file.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="color: red;">Day 4</span>, I think I was starting to get a little tired, I kept talking to the <b><a href="http://mspaintadventures.com/?s=6">Home Stuck</a></b> cosplayers and calling them Home Sick, Home Suck, Home Tuk and probably a few other names. By the end of the day I managed to be part of a gathering of about 40 <b>Home Stuck</b> cosplayers for an amazing set of pictures.<br />
<br />
After the convention I've encountered a few editing issues. first my <b>Photoshop</b> kept bogging down, any time I had it and <b>Bridge</b> running. So I started editing one image then shutting down <b>Bridge</b>. A real pain in the rear to have to do every time I want to edit a new image, but I dealt with it. Now my <b>Bridge</b> program is not displaying image preview planes correctly, which makes it really hard to see what files I want to take into <b>Photoshop</b> to edit into a final image.<br />
<br />
I'm starting to get some more editing done but I have a full time job to work around. I expect to work on some photos from the <b><span style="color: orange;">Hunger Games</span></b> shoot I did with Alex and Jen.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-89469964441273312462011-12-30T10:00:00.000-08:002011-12-31T15:38:20.620-08:00Adventure in Chapters<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAhcsmZj8skQjNHI6rVPWufoRjfSqftGJq4c-uJqyTzMN8efmhA59j2vTYMpAq-RgIdeFrabyD6UR2ChhCPzmgxucjVPnDDbgUhTY0jUDAuONINVUw3_laDQIAmzQxEMjhVIm8muzd2Q/s1600/chaptersGC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAhcsmZj8skQjNHI6rVPWufoRjfSqftGJq4c-uJqyTzMN8efmhA59j2vTYMpAq-RgIdeFrabyD6UR2ChhCPzmgxucjVPnDDbgUhTY0jUDAuONINVUw3_laDQIAmzQxEMjhVIm8muzd2Q/s200/chaptersGC.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chapters Gift Card</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For Christmas I received about four <b><a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/">Chapters</a> gift cards</b>. Mainly thanks to my wife telling everyone that she was just getting me a <b>Chapters</b> gift card, so that I could chose my own presents. And in all fairness <u>my</u> procrastination in not coming up with a list of things I wanted for Christmas.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTIhHP-MX-jiueJzCsUuIh7aRflsdAvY8dpjogkQIWDjG9whQRoqQ96ey-hk2hyDaGEfeRFboeRKm9UxTYRZb3z5tn3EcKWYQbjAHtZEDU54gQzPH9Xm6q1t7lCwfziLl_7TTD89AQik0/s1600/PScc07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTIhHP-MX-jiueJzCsUuIh7aRflsdAvY8dpjogkQIWDjG9whQRoqQ96ey-hk2hyDaGEfeRFboeRKm9UxTYRZb3z5tn3EcKWYQbjAHtZEDU54gQzPH9Xm6q1t7lCwfziLl_7TTD89AQik0/s200/PScc07.jpg" width="151" /></a>Boxing Day I walked past <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/home/storeLocator/storeDetails/787/">the store</a>, as I do everyday, to discover it open before work. Usually I start work at 9am and they don't open till 9:30am. I walked in and the staff were busily putting up signs for the stores Boxing day sales. Huge <span style="background-color: red; color: white;">30% Off Hardcovers</span> signs were going up everywhere.<br />
<br />
In the magazine department I found a photography magazine that I wanted. A British publication collecting articles from past issues, and some new ones, cost is $34, but worth it with 200+ pages.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPxd8bcPDoBGVQoAXMwX1QmDNK4R8HE40l-MYxtKFYi5ZKkLu6_HCtmIHbDYf6RMZbITCCX2B3K0hbuv7NBQqk0HSUjr8x801EKwZydTP-varHTVu3_mxUJgidP80z-YnRUA_o9mM83El/s1600/fuzzyNation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPxd8bcPDoBGVQoAXMwX1QmDNK4R8HE40l-MYxtKFYi5ZKkLu6_HCtmIHbDYf6RMZbITCCX2B3K0hbuv7NBQqk0HSUjr8x801EKwZydTP-varHTVu3_mxUJgidP80z-YnRUA_o9mM83El/s200/fuzzyNation.jpg" width="200" /></a>I walked up to the front counter to ask <b><span style="color: cyan;">Chantel</span></b>, whom I've dealt with a few times, if the store wasn't doing anything special for Boxing Day? Remember that there are Huge <span style="background-color: red; color: white;">30% off</span> banners everywhere. Without blinking she looks up and starts to say, "Well, there's thirty-percent off all hardcovers and..." I stopped her, because I was kidding, and told her I had actually seen the signs. Her manager was walking behind her and just laughed, saying "Its too early in the morning for us to get your jokes."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QFzVh3dy4QE/Tv-K5WxePqI/AAAAAAAAEOs/z8ezBRF9taY/s1600/alloyLaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QFzVh3dy4QE/Tv-K5WxePqI/AAAAAAAAEOs/z8ezBRF9taY/s200/alloyLaw.jpg" width="128" /></a>I proceeded to quiz her about a Sci-Fi book that I was looking for called <b>Fuzzy Nation</b>. She found the name of the author, but because the book is due for a mass-market edition in the spring, <b>Chapters</b> as a whole is sold out of the hardcovers, no saving for me. A few more inquiries and her giving me the scoop on a hardcover Steampunk novel that I may still pick-up, I headed back to the counter to pay for my magazine.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Umvs5z9ctes/Tv9fVZxvH1I/AAAAAAAAEOg/HTVA09p4fQk/s1600/psE10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Umvs5z9ctes/Tv9fVZxvH1I/AAAAAAAAEOg/HTVA09p4fQk/s200/psE10.jpg" width="133" /></a><b><span style="color: cyan;">Lisa</span></b> helped me out with the multiple gift cards by combining them all into one. That saved my wallet some grief. I paid for my magazine and headed for work.<br />
<br />
On my way out I saw <b><span style="color: cyan;">Vanessa</span></b>, the store manager. Stopped her and complemented her excellent staff. Every time I'm in the store I get great helpful and insightful service. She appreciated the complement, as she said it was rare to hear, and as a manager all you ever seem to get are the complaints. Having been a <i>Retail Sales Manager</i> for 13 years myself, I knew what she meant.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NH3nQLhe4H4/Tv-abYxxByI/AAAAAAAAEO4/GGsP6kw2_bc/s1600/pract.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NH3nQLhe4H4/Tv-abYxxByI/AAAAAAAAEO4/GGsP6kw2_bc/s200/pract.jpg" width="158" /></a>Upon opening my bag at work to look through the magazine, I discovered I had the wrong mag. I had grabbed the Photoshop Elements magazine. That does me no good what-so-ever, I don't have that program and the tips in it don't translate well to Photoshop CS3.<br />
<br />
The store I work at generally closes at 6pm, but things were slow for the later part of the day so, we managed to get pre-shut-down procedures done early and fast. The boss wanted to go home too, so we were able to leave about five minutes to six. I headed straight to <b>Chapters</b> to exchange my magazine, only to discover that they closed at 6pm for the evening. <b><span style="color: cyan;">Elizabeth</span></b>, who was manning the door asked me if knew exactly what I wanted, to which I replied "I know exactly where the magazine is that I want to exchange, I grabbed the wrong one this morning. " As there was a bit of a line still at the till she let me in. I ran for the magazine section, got the right one, and entered the line. The girl that served me double checked with <b><span style="color: cyan;">Elizabeth</span></b> about the return, just because they don't normally do refunds on Magazines, but she aloud it.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1jGRpZnBul09xT57u6kIE5Y5VWWV2CFhE3IWjCd5IZyZydXUiiGsyOgmdbDDsYRfBusieTAxGr7o27A5DY9Yq4EuGeO7NwrdaNmfmdaW28Lsq1h8VajAebMQyBhsENxHMcw59PX4omA/s1600/umbrella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1jGRpZnBul09xT57u6kIE5Y5VWWV2CFhE3IWjCd5IZyZydXUiiGsyOgmdbDDsYRfBusieTAxGr7o27A5DY9Yq4EuGeO7NwrdaNmfmdaW28Lsq1h8VajAebMQyBhsENxHMcw59PX4omA/s200/umbrella.jpg" width="100" /></a><br />
The next morning I was happy to have a new Photoshop magazine with tips on layers and masks, but (you knew there had to be a but) I was missing my umbrella. On a rainy December day and I've left my brolly in <b>Chapters</b>. Their store wasn't open before I had to be at work on Tuesday. So, once I got to my work I called the store, and talked to <b><span style="color: cyan;">Melissa</span></b>, but when she went upstairs there was no sign of my umbrella. Fortunately I left my name and number and five minutes later she called back to say they had it. On my way home I picked it up and went home under a clear and starry sky.<br />
<br />
That was my Christmas adventure at <b>Chapters</b> Books.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com01212 Douglas St, Victoria, BC V8W 2E6, Canada48.425687175212062 -123.3652853965759348.425028675212062 -123.36651939657592 48.426345675212062 -123.36405139657593tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-17750562313990336092011-12-18T09:04:00.000-08:002011-12-18T16:53:34.200-08:00Up Above<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-krvwFb_1FHw/Tr67DrX-V3I/AAAAAAAAD-c/JcYwvN7Cdq4/s1600/BishopHouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-krvwFb_1FHw/Tr67DrX-V3I/AAAAAAAAD-c/JcYwvN7Cdq4/s200/BishopHouse.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: center;">Sometimes you need to get above it all to really see what is at street level. The building to the left is the <b>Bishops House</b>, here in Victoria. It sits right behind St. Andrews Cathedral and on Sundays seems to attract quite a few panhandlers. </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E5lt0LaH-Xw/Tr67E8Q4l-I/AAAAAAAAD-w/7lGvX1sJpd8/s1600/Susex+Building.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E5lt0LaH-Xw/Tr67E8Q4l-I/AAAAAAAAD-w/7lGvX1sJpd8/s200/Susex+Building.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<br />
To the right we have a great angle on the <b>Susex Building</b>. A November morning sun to the left and behind with reflected light enhancing the blue glass windows.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZcqNDv9L19k/Tr67EU-I67I/AAAAAAAAD-o/YwKWXcs-wwk/s1600/Staples+BuildingP10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZcqNDv9L19k/Tr67EU-I67I/AAAAAAAAD-o/YwKWXcs-wwk/s200/Staples+BuildingP10.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
The Staples building, or more precisely the building at 747 Fort, with the Staples store on the ground floor, reflects the <b>CIBC building</b> in the next block.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGbHjQ8GAhg5xAie3rpILOcdO1eeaOZPgH7C3jvOzLQi6Cn4M_uSHIarL78mBc_L9ctHfWMvwR5f7jtIvXDXUkyp0NmfZz_cFKsS43GE9EAO0WJ7zFWur_cDefiw1QSAWfk6oGpaAR9M/s1600/MiniBackYates2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGbHjQ8GAhg5xAie3rpILOcdO1eeaOZPgH7C3jvOzLQi6Cn4M_uSHIarL78mBc_L9ctHfWMvwR5f7jtIvXDXUkyp0NmfZz_cFKsS43GE9EAO0WJ7zFWur_cDefiw1QSAWfk6oGpaAR9M/s200/MiniBackYates2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
The buildings to the right are over on Yates, but this views the back of the structures. While it may look like I used my tilt shift lens with a short depth of field, it was in fact an hour of time using multiple blur layers in Photoshop. I am really liking the way this effect gives the illusion of a miniatures or diorama set.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9oNlqOLW858/Tr67DtNYToI/AAAAAAAAD-Y/VqmT3jFI5Fc/s1600/MFAoBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9oNlqOLW858/Tr67DtNYToI/AAAAAAAAD-Y/VqmT3jFI5Fc/s200/MFAoBC.jpg" width="200" /> </a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Looking down on the <b>Municipal Finance Authority of British Columbia</b>, an older building on Fort St. sandwiched between much more modern ones.</div>
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All these shots were taken the same November Sunday morning from the top floor of the <b>View St. Parkade</b>.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0707-749 View St, Victoria, BC V8W 3Y7, Canada48.425171004646359 -123.3642125129699748.424512504646358 -123.36544651296997 48.425829504646359 -123.36297851296997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-27437779766693427772011-11-20T12:56:00.001-08:002011-11-20T14:14:17.017-08:00SteamPunk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xRpASxwvqU8/TslppTKgxdI/AAAAAAAAEBM/zaHTtTWSH_E/s1600/FullBody02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xRpASxwvqU8/TslppTKgxdI/AAAAAAAAEBM/zaHTtTWSH_E/s200/FullBody02.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
My friend <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/SkinzNhydez"><b>Ian Finch-Fields</b></a> has had some recent notoriety in the press for his Steampunk designs.<br />
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I kept meaning to send him a high resolution version of the image of <a href="http://nightshadows.ca/Models/Andrew"><b>Andrew Merpaw</b></a> from <a href="http://falcona.blogspot.com/2011/09/victoria-steam-expo.html">Sept 28th</a>, but other things kept cropping up. Yesterday I sat down and said, '<i>I am going to find that photo and email it to Ian.</i>' When I dug into my harddrive I discovered the other image that I took of Andrew and though, '<i>why haven't I edited this?</i>'<br />
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Three hours of editing and an accidental reboot of the computer later, I had a new image highlighting Ian's talents as a craftsman and Steampunk Master.<br />
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Then I managed find an article that talked about how <a href="http://goingpro2010.com/2011/11/14/how-to-know-you%E2%80%99ve-arrived/">you KNOW when you've arrived</a>. With the recent controversy over Ian's work for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Bieber">Justin Bieber</a>'s upcoming Christmas Video, I thought he needed a pick-me-up. The article says how when you've arrived, you'll have haters, and the recent fame and attention has brought the haters to Ian's door.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-59176554059180974252011-10-15T13:18:00.000-07:002011-10-29T13:27:41.258-07:00The Hudson<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L2yywf5ZwNg/TpfTj0hDJ5I/AAAAAAAADxE/SnheDg9RrHw/s1600/thehudson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L2yywf5ZwNg/TpfTj0hDJ5I/AAAAAAAADxE/SnheDg9RrHw/s200/thehudson.jpg" width="200" /></a>Another Thursday night going to the <a href="http://falcona.blogspot.com/2011/09/gorge-rd-church.html">VIMP</a> coffee meet and spotting a great picture to take. This time it was <b>The Hudson</b> building on Douglas St.. Devoid of traffic I was able to capture an unobstructed view of the building at about 10:30PM.<br />
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The Hudson was the home to the <b>Hudson Bay</b> department store from 1921 -2002 when it moved to the former premises of its competitor <b>Eaton's</b> in the 1100 Block of Douglas.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com01701 Trans-Canada Hwy, Victoria, BC V8T 4K6, Canada48.429912457149413 -123.3643198013305748.429253957149413 -123.36555380133056 48.430570957149413 -123.36308580133057tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-26307578894315868552011-10-04T10:43:00.000-07:002011-10-29T10:51:35.740-07:00October 4<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-soxsFN7hz-Q/Toc267vox-I/AAAAAAAADus/h1wMiigmxHs/s1600/A-Channel12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-soxsFN7hz-Q/Toc267vox-I/AAAAAAAADus/h1wMiigmxHs/s200/A-Channel12.JPG" width="200" /></a>"♪October 4 we open the door, October 5 we go live.♫"<br />
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This was our slogan at <b>CIVI</b> (The New VI) ten years ago as we launched Canada's first 100% digital Television station. No analog equipment in the building. It was ground breaking and monumental.<br />
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About two dozen of us got together this weekend to reunite and celebrate what we had achieved, a few even still work there. I started as a studio news Camera man and graduated to News Writer and Associate Producer before my nine month contract expired. Its still one of the few jobs that I would return to in a heartbeat.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com01420 Broad St, Victoria, BC V8W 2B2, Canada48.4281398037119 -123.3660256862640448.4255058037119 -123.37096118626404 48.4307738037119 -123.36109018626404tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-35925121782809468362011-09-29T10:04:00.000-07:002011-10-29T10:11:24.655-07:00Pandora Building<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYDC6mt3BKoF2lJIi-dO4gngnHefOu9AEaDz1l3JsP_pFSAOJmnjmAMrbEq8D_91RfGWi-8RsIjIfJps1QMj0eFia_yJ1h9ZPfBx326B4jXlXkUd30HzwFmrWcaW6F5__HKAJvqrSans/s1600/buckerfields+lot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYDC6mt3BKoF2lJIi-dO4gngnHefOu9AEaDz1l3JsP_pFSAOJmnjmAMrbEq8D_91RfGWi-8RsIjIfJps1QMj0eFia_yJ1h9ZPfBx326B4jXlXkUd30HzwFmrWcaW6F5__HKAJvqrSans/s200/buckerfields+lot.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Over the course of the last few weeks I have managed, not by design, to come up with a few shots in HDR of the same partially torn down building on lower Pandora St..<br />
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The first one (left) was taken from the Fisgard St. side of the block before they obscured the fence. The second image (lower left) was taken a week later from Market Square entrance on Pandora St.. The last image was taken from the Store St. end of Pandora St..<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dXsgKM5eaOA/Tnu9oxgSltI/AAAAAAAADp8/H01fZcdJAlU/s1600/OldBuilding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dXsgKM5eaOA/Tnu9oxgSltI/AAAAAAAADp8/H01fZcdJAlU/s200/OldBuilding.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wc9m_ymDIXg/ToHVFDJ2cTI/AAAAAAAADsY/D_n5YnoZcYw/s1600/BuckerfieldsSide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wc9m_ymDIXg/ToHVFDJ2cTI/AAAAAAAADsY/D_n5YnoZcYw/s200/BuckerfieldsSide.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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</center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0514-540 Pandora Ave, Victoria, BC V8W 3G9, Canada48.42867374197769 -123.3684933185577448.42801524197769 -123.36972731855774 48.42933224197769 -123.36725931855774tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-23433536663023643982011-09-28T10:39:00.000-07:002011-10-29T10:40:35.267-07:00Victoria Steam Expo<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cf8dIGoM5aA/Tn6sj2U8W4I/AAAAAAAADyQ/jewtCEtezek/s1600/CyberAndrew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cf8dIGoM5aA/Tn6sj2U8W4I/AAAAAAAADyQ/jewtCEtezek/s200/CyberAndrew.jpg" width="200" /></a>This past weekend <b>Craigdarroch Castle</b> hosted the <a href="http://victoriasteamexpo.blogspot.com/"><b>Victoria Steam Expo II</b></a>. For reasons I wont go into I didn't attend, but my friend Andrew went and got all dressed up for it. He bought a Pauldron from Ian at <b><a href="http://skinz-n-hydez.deviantart.com/">Skin-n-Hydz</a> </b>a little wile ago and put it on for the Con, and so I could get a picture of it.<br />
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The HDR took a bit of work, as it wanted to give Andrew's face a coal-miner's look. I used a layer mask and brought out his cleaner face look. The second image (below) gives you a look at the original 0EV exposure before any processing, so you can see the differences.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iS2meX8QnCg/Tn6smq0oITI/AAAAAAAADyE/RO6WzhKTlK8/s1600/CyberAndrew-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iS2meX8QnCg/Tn6smq0oITI/AAAAAAAADyE/RO6WzhKTlK8/s200/CyberAndrew-b.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com01050 Joan Crescent, Victoria, BC V8S 3L3, Canada48.422575833198628 -123.3438384532928548.417307333198629 -123.35370895329285 48.427844333198628 -123.33396795329284tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-82593590349031509302011-09-19T09:45:00.000-07:002011-10-29T09:53:23.370-07:00Gorge Rd Church<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2N0RksRgfBZoJIAAIVl0LolARKPQ1G2GKUC7vfPGQz63ZDcZUSM3RZnMrJcWztVyLlxIHXU09i3DC5I01yC_nKpMcYAb2uCsVZ-uXq_-8V7fQSupvt00_ys13_19VcD-Pv_LR1PxSIQ/s1600/GorgeChurch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2N0RksRgfBZoJIAAIVl0LolARKPQ1G2GKUC7vfPGQz63ZDcZUSM3RZnMrJcWztVyLlxIHXU09i3DC5I01yC_nKpMcYAb2uCsVZ-uXq_-8V7fQSupvt00_ys13_19VcD-Pv_LR1PxSIQ/s200/GorgeChurch.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Every Thursday the members of the <b>Vancouver Island Models and Photographers</b> (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/80719893646/">VIMP</a>) group get together at the Gorge Rd <b>Tim Horton's</b> coffee shop. On my way there this image presented its self to me.<br />
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The setting sun just seemed to give it the right ambiance.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0649 Gorge Rd E, Victoria, BC V8T 2E1, Canada48.438810385437243 -123.3690834045410248.437493385437243 -123.37155090454101 48.440127385437243 -123.36661590454102tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-25945492220423886812011-09-16T16:04:00.000-07:002011-09-17T16:47:26.694-07:00Vancouver Island ArtistFest<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04l2EkICrKRMByGnKwAriU92L3tFTD16tMZykZMIml_EChaZ5y_ErCd1IV13f5UIqSoVlfoZjixnekFODk6XgBf2yoVxnvWLKkQEHgQRE8Pw4UNcgcLNcqHYGV7VicItXDuq7uI7jYq4/s1600/6847.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox[VIAF]" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Sexy Zombie Pair"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04l2EkICrKRMByGnKwAriU92L3tFTD16tMZykZMIml_EChaZ5y_ErCd1IV13f5UIqSoVlfoZjixnekFODk6XgBf2yoVxnvWLKkQEHgQRE8Pw4UNcgcLNcqHYGV7VicItXDuq7uI7jYq4/s200/6847.jpg" width="200" /></a>August 20th, I went Downtown with my camera. Not something I usually do on a Saturday, but today I'm glad I did. As I walked past the Pandora side of Centennial Square I spotted <b>Niche Unique</b>, who modeled in the <a href="http://falcona.blogspot.com/2011/09/annual-goth-shot.html"><b>6th Annual Victoria Goth Shoot</b></a> two weeks prior (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">see last post</span>). Turns out she was participating in the <b>Vancouver Island ArtistFest</b>.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-06xj_imTC5M/TlmleyW9wiI/AAAAAAAADk0/W_15wI1YO7k/s1600/6660.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox[VIAF]" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-06xj_imTC5M/TlmleyW9wiI/AAAAAAAADk0/W_15wI1YO7k/s200/6660.jpg" width="133" /></a>
Niche and her fellow model <b>DEVA</b> were being bodypainted by <a href="http://urbanheart.ca/">Kristin Grant</a> as Sexy Zombies.<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T9P4XZ4ufPU/Tlmld1r34KI/AAAAAAAADks/a__tWOT5uPY/s1600/6612.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox[VIAF]" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T9P4XZ4ufPU/Tlmld1r34KI/AAAAAAAADks/a__tWOT5uPY/s200/6612.jpg" width="200" /></a>
Having worked just recently with Niche, I expected great things in her poses, which she delivered. I wasn't expecting as great from DEVA, but I got it. Both girls were great to work with especially given the nature of the very impromptu shoot.<br />
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There were other body-painters and models there too. I never caught the name of the girl on the right in the image below, she was painted by <a href="http://jestercustom.com/">David Lloyd</a> and the girl next to her is first time model <b>Audra Jones</b>, who's painter I missed the name of.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0603 Pandora Ave, Victoria, BC V8W 1Z1, Canada48.428766290706641 -123.3657574653625548.42810779070664 -123.36699146536255 48.429424790706641 -123.36452346536255tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-35029852211287520502011-09-02T17:08:00.000-07:002011-09-04T21:16:13.624-07:00Annual Goth Shot<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONcmSlUVXLVM_N9lo8-ROus6fZsrYViT8k8J1v5XO55f1PctsJq5xyvUrukuFc4UtgPQsiKY6CKLMELwzquyiEpNZ-SPl4My_CToY9nperV7dYgTygdFszQHH2GzesNV6Ku8Em8U5WVM/s1600/6491P9.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox[avgs]" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="6th Annual Victoria Goth Shoot"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONcmSlUVXLVM_N9lo8-ROus6fZsrYViT8k8J1v5XO55f1PctsJq5xyvUrukuFc4UtgPQsiKY6CKLMELwzquyiEpNZ-SPl4My_CToY9nperV7dYgTygdFszQHH2GzesNV6Ku8Em8U5WVM/s200/6491P9.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Models: Niche Unique & Betty Kate</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYnWI0IhKJl1W2Dqi1zZEGTxhUuJOPgPmSlJO0bBZmJDEDdSg9pSVgPdKXAHrzYaYgc0zEGQ8UY3_USyeI9vt-IF8AyG0p2Fdx1b7s-JRupBsmEMVZ6G13jAnYDI-41r83rTerV_x3jU/s1600/goth+shoot+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYnWI0IhKJl1W2Dqi1zZEGTxhUuJOPgPmSlJO0bBZmJDEDdSg9pSVgPdKXAHrzYaYgc0zEGQ8UY3_USyeI9vt-IF8AyG0p2Fdx1b7s-JRupBsmEMVZ6G13jAnYDI-41r83rTerV_x3jU/s1600/goth+shoot+11.jpg" width="100" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONcmSlUVXLVM_N9lo8-ROus6fZsrYViT8k8J1v5XO55f1PctsJq5xyvUrukuFc4UtgPQsiKY6CKLMELwzquyiEpNZ-SPl4My_CToY9nperV7dYgTygdFszQHH2GzesNV6Ku8Em8U5WVM/s1600/6491P9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Every August I gather a few models and a few photographers for a Goth themed shot. At first it was just called Goth Shoot, but now that I've been doing it for over 5 years we call it the <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">6th Annual Victoria Goth Shoot</span></b>. This year I managed to get us access to a local metal foundry, with cool machinery and yards.
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DaV2WZWou0M/TlEj-eeniWI/AAAAAAAADdk/hR-htYk84wk/s1600/6328.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox[avgs]" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Goth Shoot"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DaV2WZWou0M/TlEj-eeniWI/AAAAAAAADdk/hR-htYk84wk/s200/6328.jpg" width="75" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Model: Niche Unique</td></tr>
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Other than myself, photographers <b>Jason Tice</b> and <b>Steve Luckinuk</b> showed up to photograph models
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZxG15VTtxrU/TlEj93NcXJI/AAAAAAAADdg/hcPReqjgQ68/s1600/5942.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox[avgs]" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZxG15VTtxrU/TlEj93NcXJI/AAAAAAAADdg/hcPReqjgQ68/s200/5942.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Model: Betty Kate</td></tr>
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<b><a href="http://www.modelmayhem.com/723358">Betty Kate</a></b> and <b><a href="http://www.modelmayhem.com/2272439">Niche Unique</a></b>. Niche's Mom even helped out as camera assistant for all of us. We enjoyed the use of the space and got three-and-a-half hours of shoot time. I don't know about the other two, but I shot 656 frames.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikp_AvaFb-3k986DCctGEEFA_SDLRVB-5m3lchcRBSysJLKuNIzOvKyA0SXAtsAyczZjWwQNWaBepjtSapIkSOZYSOz0itslwZ7GkpL38_luvo9kenSshaQh08-pvQ-we_KW9ziRJ2QX8/s1600/6216.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox[avgs]" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikp_AvaFb-3k986DCctGEEFA_SDLRVB-5m3lchcRBSysJLKuNIzOvKyA0SXAtsAyczZjWwQNWaBepjtSapIkSOZYSOz0itslwZ7GkpL38_luvo9kenSshaQh08-pvQ-we_KW9ziRJ2QX8/s200/6216.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Model: Niche Unique<br />
Model: Betty Kate<br />
Corsets: <a href="http://gothgirlfashions.com/">Athanasia Fashions</a></td></tr>
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The girls were both fantastic to work with, and while they had never met before, they worked well off each other when we had them together. Individually they posed great and were very much aware of their angles and light.<br />
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Thanks again to everyone that made it a great afternoon. Jason Tice of <a href="http://gallery.geoectomy.net/doku.php/start">Geoectomy Photography</a> and Steve Luckinuk of <a href="http://www.stevelukinuk.ca/">Steve Luckinuk Photography</a>, models Niche Unique and Betty Kate and of course <b>Smith Bros. Foundry</b>. The assistance of Karren and corsets supplied by Sue McCaskill of <b><a href="http://gothgirlfashions.com/">Athanasia Fashions</a></b>.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-80398910143773256252011-07-21T16:00:00.000-07:002011-09-02T14:15:45.823-07:00About Time<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hmN_0VaWFuo/Tiiu2_LwvVI/AAAAAAAADU8/wCc_3pf3r8A/s1600/Empress%2Bfrom%2BGordon.JPG" rel="lightbox[HDR]" title="Empress from Gordon"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631943593723739474" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hmN_0VaWFuo/Tiiu2_LwvVI/AAAAAAAADU8/wCc_3pf3r8A/s200/Empress%2Bfrom%2BGordon.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 133px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a>I figured it was about time that I got some more of my images up from that <span style="font-style: italic;">failed</span> shoot two weeks ago.<br />
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The previous two were taken from the old <span style="font-weight: bold;">Eaton's Parkade</span>, as is the first image in this set. This HDR image was taken from the corner of the parkade of the north-side of the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Empress Hotel</span>. You can see the scaffolding on the front of the building, where they're doing some restoration.<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5V6D2vLzhfg/TiivrPRt-3I/AAAAAAAADVE/xPUacR5lDa4/s1600/Victoria%2BTimesP9.JPG" rel="lightbox[HDR]" title="Victoria Times Building"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631944491396889458" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5V6D2vLzhfg/TiivrPRt-3I/AAAAAAAADVE/xPUacR5lDa4/s200/Victoria%2BTimesP9.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 133px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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A look north from the Parkade gives us the Times Building, or at least a facade of it. This is a little part of the Victoria Bay Centre that I'm sure most people never notice. The building on Fort and Broad was the home of the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Victoria Daily Times</span> for forty years.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ILYg3O8wDl8/TiizAa_IfBI/AAAAAAAADVM/8a76hF03rPY/s1600/BayClockP9.JPG" rel="lightbox[HDR]" title="Bay Centre Clock"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631948153852296210" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ILYg3O8wDl8/TiizAa_IfBI/AAAAAAAADVM/8a76hF03rPY/s200/BayClockP9.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 133px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a>In the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bay Centre</span> is a fantastic Brass & Copper clock with the local time as well as other locations of the British Empire. This view is of the North-West corner of the clock at nearly 10:15am.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pEr93ykEX5U/Tii2TfFYs1I/AAAAAAAADVU/yT32_f7bKys/s1600/TrounceAlleyP9.JPG" rel="lightbox[HDR]" title="Trounce Alley"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631951779904664402" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pEr93ykEX5U/Tii2TfFYs1I/AAAAAAAADVU/yT32_f7bKys/s200/TrounceAlleyP9.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 133px;" /></a>At the bottom of the clock is a dedication to the "<span style="font-style: italic;">Victoria Eaton Centre Grand Opening 1990</span>." Yes it was called the Eaton Center when it first opened, and was the location of the Eaton's Department Store prior to that.<br />
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"Westward the Course of Empire Goes Forth." is written bellow the right side. Above, on that side, are four smaller time-faces for London, Nassau, Zanzibar and Kowloon.<br />
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On the other side of the Bay Centre is a curios building that sits at the corner of Broad St. and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trounce Alley</span>. I really don't know much about it. The dome sits on just the one corner of the building, and really doesn't fit the standard Victoria architecture, I would love to learn more about it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-36218790878533809472011-07-07T14:00:00.000-07:002011-07-07T15:19:20.746-07:00Today's Shoot<a rel="lightbox[Out]" title="Olympic Mountains" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XuVfLSe0JPVqj-4swOWqkEK13NhTngPaYKjShPaFSWeU-anIf-8aZUSN3Iu5TASlGxLTV-dcsF0WVIhWGAdtkB-V4buAjrAJRD3rNWq28XDk8OSC7bxzbX4X5-ItPtUpfzMUuL3j1wM/s1600/OnP12.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XuVfLSe0JPVqj-4swOWqkEK13NhTngPaYKjShPaFSWeU-anIf-8aZUSN3Iu5TASlGxLTV-dcsF0WVIhWGAdtkB-V4buAjrAJRD3rNWq28XDk8OSC7bxzbX4X5-ItPtUpfzMUuL3j1wM/s320/OnP12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626734046974462562" border="0" /></a>I was supposed to shoot Sun-Dresses and Swimsuits today. Facebook failed to pass me the message that one was sick, and the other had said she wasn't sure she could. So after waiting downtown for 45 minutes, I got there early, I went for a walk and ended up on top of the old Eaton's Parkade on Gordon St.<br /><br />So far I've edited two images. The first image was a look south between buildings at the Olympic Mountains. To the right is the Magnolia Hotel. The green domes in the lower right are the east side of the BC Legislative Building. I believe the Peak above the Legislative Building is Mt. Pleasant, about 45 miles away.<a rel="lightbox[Out]" title="Little Broad St" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BkVeroT7qwk/ThYszo1z6aI/AAAAAAAADR4/ErP323cruyk/s1600/Tilt-BroadP12.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 127px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BkVeroT7qwk/ThYszo1z6aI/AAAAAAAADR4/ErP323cruyk/s320/Tilt-BroadP12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626734050094082466" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The second image is from the opposite side of the parkade. I looked out on to Broad St, towards the Bay Centre and realized the perfect opportunity for a tilt-shift image.<br /><br />A tilt-shift image uses depth-of-field focus to causes a scene to look like a miniatures diorama. See how the cars appear to be toys, and the buildings look like models.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-35159019921415069992011-06-27T07:30:00.000-07:002011-09-02T14:16:12.708-07:00Andrew Old Fashioned<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TlgvH7-LNvc/TgZKOIqF8AI/AAAAAAAADOM/CAFWYEk3L6w/s1600/5459Sepia8.jpg" rel="lightbox[AM]" title="Andrew in Waddington Alley"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622262791521300482" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TlgvH7-LNvc/TgZKOIqF8AI/AAAAAAAADOM/CAFWYEk3L6w/s320/5459Sepia8.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 213px;" /></a>Decided to do some editing and give the latest <a href="http://falcona.blogspot.com/2011/05/andrew-merpaw.html">Andrew Merpaw</a> images an old fashioned look.<br />
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The Sepia was achieved in photoshop by creating a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer</span> and selecting the Colorize box. I then set Hue = 25 and Saturation = 25. I added my own texture layer over-top and set the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Layer Blend</span> to Overlay and Opacity to 40%.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-3396072938024585962011-06-25T13:00:00.000-07:002011-06-25T18:50:50.330-07:00Tutorial: Out of the ShadowsIts amazing how well the eye sees things that the camera can't, or can it? Cameras are often tricked by back-light, areas in your shot where there is ample light. This causes other areas to come-out dark, because the camera is adjusting the whole image to the lighter areas.<br /><br />I'm going to show you a great way to use photoshop to get images to come out of the shadows.<br /><br /><a rel="lightbox[Tut]" title="Before and After" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-41LeY07kt-k/TgZrUWLs2nI/AAAAAAAADOk/iJ-FZOW3qJA/s1600/shadow-tutorial1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-41LeY07kt-k/TgZrUWLs2nI/AAAAAAAADOk/iJ-FZOW3qJA/s400/shadow-tutorial1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622299182114855538" border="0" /></a><br /><a rel="lightbox[Tut]" title="Layers Pallet" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VIm8axyVDMc/TgZsZyjxqcI/AAAAAAAADOs/mxD8Pb9KSY4/s1600/shadow-tutorial2.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 114px; height: 175px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VIm8axyVDMc/TgZsZyjxqcI/AAAAAAAADOs/mxD8Pb9KSY4/s200/shadow-tutorial2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622300375143000514" border="0" /></a>To start, I always make two copies of my original image. [Ctrl+J] or Layer<img id="arrow" style=" margin:0 0 0px 0px; width: 30px; height: 13px;" src="http://nightshadows.ca/da/arrow-r.png" alt="arrow-r" border="0" />Duplicate Layer.<br /><br />Shut off the background layer. This saves it from damage and right now you don't need it.<br /><br /><a rel="lightbox[Tut]" title="Desaturated, Invert, Overlay " href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kAFgr_gVaX8/TgZ27yDK6TI/AAAAAAAADO0/wDDnke-FDvU/s1600/shadow-tutorial345.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 71px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kAFgr_gVaX8/TgZ27yDK6TI/AAAAAAAADO0/wDDnke-FDvU/s320/shadow-tutorial345.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622311954238073138" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />After selecting the top layer we need to remove the colour, so we are affecting the shadows and light. [Ctrl+Shift+U] or Image <img id="arrow" style=" margin:0 0 0px 0px; width: 30px; height: 13px;" src="http://nightshadows.ca/da/arrow-r.png" alt="arrow-r" border="0" /> Adjustments <img id="arrow" style=" margin:0 0 0px 0px; width: 30px; height: 13px;" src="http://nightshadows.ca/da/arrow-r.png" alt="arrow-r" border="0" /> Desaturate.<br /><br />Next we need to invert the image so that we brighten the dark and darken the bright. [Ctrl+I] or Image <img id="arrow" style=" margin:0 0 0px 0px; width: 30px; height: 13px;" src="http://nightshadows.ca/da/arrow-r.png" alt="arrow-r" border="0" /> Adjustments <img id="arrow" style=" margin:0 0 0px 0px; width: 30px; height: 13px;" src="http://nightshadows.ca/da/arrow-r.png" alt="arrow-r" border="0" /> Invert.<a rel="lightbox[Tut]" title="Layer Blend Mode" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T-fmbdCSJIA/TgZ4z6wSLKI/AAAAAAAADO8/Oh75WbGSBJ8/s1600/shadow-tutorial6.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 119px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T-fmbdCSJIA/TgZ4z6wSLKI/AAAAAAAADO8/Oh75WbGSBJ8/s320/shadow-tutorial6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622314018159078562" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Now we need to apply the effect to the layer below. We do this by adjusting the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Layer Blend Mode</span> to Overlay.<br /><br />This will make our colour a little weird, but we'll fix that in the next step.<br /><br /><a rel="lightbox[Tut]" title="Top Layer" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ix3x9U0K_RI/TgZ7NtfyfMI/AAAAAAAADPE/p-6cRxjcUik/s1600/shadow-tutorial7.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 121px; height: 157px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ix3x9U0K_RI/TgZ7NtfyfMI/AAAAAAAADPE/p-6cRxjcUik/s320/shadow-tutorial7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622316660300086466" border="0" /></a>Make sure your top layer is selected.<br /><br />Select Filter<img id="arrow" style=" margin:0 0 0px 0px; width: 30px; height: 13px;" src="http://nightshadows.ca/da/arrow-r.png" alt="arrow-r" border="0" />Blur<img id="arrow" style=" margin:0 0 0px 0px; width: 30px; height: 13px;" src="http://nightshadows.ca/da/arrow-r.png" alt="arrow-r" border="0" />Gaussian Blur<br /><br /><a rel="lightbox[Tut]" title="Gaussian Blur" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tyesauduO78/TgaBeU1oJ0I/AAAAAAAADPM/OscDVkBsMy0/s1600/shadow-tutorial8.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 157px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tyesauduO78/TgaBeU1oJ0I/AAAAAAAADPM/OscDVkBsMy0/s320/shadow-tutorial8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622323542808340290" border="0" /></a><br />You'll have to adjust the slider to get the desired effect. I find somewhere between <span style="font-weight: bold;">20</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">70</span> works best. For this image I needed 70.<br /><br />Try it on you images and see if it does make you images pop just a little more. Thanks for reading, any questions or comments will be answered below.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-45510734911453776062011-05-23T09:00:00.000-07:002011-05-23T10:39:33.981-07:00Andrew Merpaw<a rel="lightbox[AM]" title="Goth and Dragon" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zxW6G50vOMU/TdqSBg7jNgI/AAAAAAAADM4/BPisa3u2VKA/s1600/Andrew-DragonP9.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 226px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zxW6G50vOMU/TdqSBg7jNgI/AAAAAAAADM4/BPisa3u2VKA/s320/Andrew-DragonP9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609956840560604674" border="0" /></a>Made the realization that I hadn't posted my images of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Andrew Merpaw</span>, the model I was shooting with when we came across the <a href="http://falcona.blogspot.com/2011/05/alley-cat.html">alley cat</a>.<br /><br />Andrew and I became friends after a group shot he was in, five years ago. Since then we have done about six shoots, He always has a great sense of fashion, and I have never been disappointed by what he shows-up in for attire.<br /><br />For this shoot we started in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Victoria's Bastion Square</span> and walked through the alley to Fort St. Croossed over to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Waddington Alley</span> where we discovered an amazing textured wall mural, made out of icing sugar. From there we walked to Johnson St. to discover that the street was close to cars for the <a href="http://www.tc10k.ca/">TC 10K race</a>, perfect opportunity to stand on the road and take pictures. Then it was into <span style="font-weight: bold;">Market Square</span> and over to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fan Tan Alley</span>.<br /><br /><center><table border="1"><tbody><tr><td><a rel="lightbox[AM]" title="Dapper in the Square" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-338ppRPxA0E/TdqWuPXXJHI/AAAAAAAADNA/UNUnby9os8c/s1600/5418P9.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-338ppRPxA0E/TdqWuPXXJHI/AAAAAAAADNA/UNUnby9os8c/s320/5418P9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609962006986040434" border="0" /></a></td><td><a rel="lightbox[AM]" title="Framed" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PfPRdYhMxas/TdqWugXGzCI/AAAAAAAADNI/p-e1qb-jXQo/s1600/5462P12.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 208px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PfPRdYhMxas/TdqWugXGzCI/AAAAAAAADNI/p-e1qb-jXQo/s320/5462P12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609962011548372002" border="0" /></a></td><td><a rel="lightbox[AM]" title="On the Street" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlDbHLF5R_Io6zGme0XWraZ9RSCeiVdiZof3ZtYlyIfkiqYPMj-qePaORZIpj6LdSHwbrTF0adnyNhrpKz8wm48Y7gsQwVKlCXD3sLrmDhy5tKW81nkr24m5w-kVJ0UADJoMwM0sE79g/s1600/5474p9.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 88px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlDbHLF5R_Io6zGme0XWraZ9RSCeiVdiZof3ZtYlyIfkiqYPMj-qePaORZIpj6LdSHwbrTF0adnyNhrpKz8wm48Y7gsQwVKlCXD3sLrmDhy5tKW81nkr24m5w-kVJ0UADJoMwM0sE79g/s320/5474p9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609962016990503954" border="0" /></a></td></tr><tr><td><a rel="lightbox[AM]" title="Andrew in doorway" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b7LCKE3__vM/TdqWvM_1NbI/AAAAAAAADNY/6V7_cUq--_U/s1600/5480P12.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 133px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b7LCKE3__vM/TdqWvM_1NbI/AAAAAAAADNY/6V7_cUq--_U/s320/5480P12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609962023530345906" border="0" /></a></td><td><a rel="lightbox[AM]" title="Gated" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIZaPZX40DIeaKa1CB4FrR9XanQOrur6n7dvOxCTpjjOk5JbuF5579qJ0Ve1rHlBoEybHLWTlV9h0zAo8rzOUzPmQ34rVorlIbDgfjIvrVH7tkIjLc1iidkwssEtJQ8hqB5O4WWLH1JQ/s1600/5529bP12.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 187px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIZaPZX40DIeaKa1CB4FrR9XanQOrur6n7dvOxCTpjjOk5JbuF5579qJ0Ve1rHlBoEybHLWTlV9h0zAo8rzOUzPmQ34rVorlIbDgfjIvrVH7tkIjLc1iidkwssEtJQ8hqB5O4WWLH1JQ/s320/5529bP12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609962026136378802" border="0" /></a></td><td><a rel="lightbox[AM]" title="Closed off Square" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UDINWp63-5I/TdqbAK_zybI/AAAAAAAADNo/KgCXUySu0j4/s1600/5531P9.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 125px; " src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UDINWp63-5I/TdqbAK_zybI/AAAAAAAADNo/KgCXUySu0j4/s320/5531P9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609966713097669042" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-70370601419342702192011-05-05T11:00:00.000-07:002011-06-13T07:56:52.640-07:00Alley Cat<a rel="lightbox[Cat]" title="Fan Tan Alley Cat" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgctYGnl0rlthQKlACd4z1_cw3R1wq1tkfzVnPYrCZhnZOC7426qzQvKnMpqKpnBoOwjlF2ZMo2S112TOjSdN5xf0E4bMGvifTyxBnho0YAjW4mhSKrI3XlX2pjyn5_Y9487l9xWi7ZU/s1600/AlleyCatP12.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgctYGnl0rlthQKlACd4z1_cw3R1wq1tkfzVnPYrCZhnZOC7426qzQvKnMpqKpnBoOwjlF2ZMo2S112TOjSdN5xf0E4bMGvifTyxBnho0YAjW4mhSKrI3XlX2pjyn5_Y9487l9xWi7ZU/s400/AlleyCatP12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603286481619008866" border="0" /></a>Last Sunday <a href="http://falcona.blogspot.com/2011/05/andrew-merpaw.html">Andrew Merpaw</a> and I walked around downtown and shot everywhere from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bastion Square</span> to Chinatown's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown,_Victoria"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fan Tan Alley</span></a>. In the process we found this friendly Alley Cat in Fan Tan.<br /><br />I spend a good chunk of teen life in this very alley. My next-door neighbor was a <a href="http://darcygouldsculpture.blogspot.com/">sculptor</a> who shared a studio in #3 Fan Tan Alley, just to the right in this picture. Then the building was fixed up and shops were put in on the ground level and a few guys I know opened a <a href="http://www.profilecanada.com/companydetail.cfm?company=2242178_Yellowjacket_Comics_Toys_Victoria_BC">Comic Book store</a> in the space that I'd hang out at for hours. After they moved the store to an alley between Yates and Johnson, a friend opened a metaphysical shop in the alley.<br /><br />In a lot of ways I felt like I lived in the alley for about five years. I still have friends and acquaintances that work and/or live in or very near the alley, and I always enjoy visiting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058838177158040166.post-3365445045789906752011-04-30T07:30:00.000-07:002011-04-30T07:53:27.577-07:00Johnson St. Bridge<a rel="lightbox[HDR]" title="Johnson Street Bridge" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bAG-jm7pHfM/Tbwg8UukUGI/AAAAAAAADMo/0mA04UOIYMM/s1600/BlueBridge01P12.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bAG-jm7pHfM/Tbwg8UukUGI/AAAAAAAADMo/0mA04UOIYMM/s400/BlueBridge01P12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601388257270321250" border="0" /></a>Took a little walk before meeting a couple of models downtown last Sunday, and managed to get a nice angle on the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Blue Bridge</span>.<br /><br />For those reading this from outside the area, the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Johnson Street Bridge</span>, or the tourist called Blue Bridge, connects Vic West and Esquimalt Rd. with downtown Victoria and Johnson Street and Pandora Avenue. Pandora runs one-way to the bridge and Johnson one-way from the bridge.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0