Advice II

Advice II, originally uploaded by Venn Diagram.

More fun with Stikfas figures, inspired by playing FPS computer games.

Strobist: One 430EXII to camera left with a 1/8" grid, one 430EXII top right, with a red gel through a pass-through brolly. Both fired via a 580EX on-camera, ratio set 4:1 in favour of the red light to the right.

Advice I

Advice I, originally uploaded by Venn Diagram.

I enjoy a good computer game, and play FPS for preference. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that a bit of tactics will get you a long way, like having a squint around a corner before running out like a twonk.

These are some Stikfas soldiers that I picked up in a sale a few years back, finally cranked them out of the boxes today.

Thought I'd go for a cartoon-style triptych for this shot to try and capture the different angles.

STROBIST: One 430EXII to each side of the box, one with a 1/2CTO gel, the other a straight red. Fired on a 2:1 ratio in favour of the red, using a 580EX on-camera as controller. My wife laughed A LOT as I was setting this up and taking the shots on the living room floor...

Man does not live by bread alone...

Man does not live by bread alone..., originally uploaded by Venn Diagram.

I haven't been out taking many pictures recently - partly because I've been ultra-busy with work and buying (and renovating) a new house, but also because I've been trying my hand at brewing beer.

The picture is a pint from my first batch of home brew - it's Woodforde Wherry, which came as part of a kit of fermenting bin, barrel, bits and bobs and a beer kit. Very nice too, and in all honesty I've been drinking it earlier than strictly advised, since my birthday on the 5th August last week.

A nice pint, and not at all unlike something I'd expect to get in a pub, if not quite so alcoholic. I didn't measure the specific gravity of the beer at the start, so I can't say how strong (or not) it is, but it tastes nice, so what's to worry about? Also got #2, a stout in a barrel at the moment an #3, a Scottish Heavy sitting fermenting away (bloop, bloop, bloop). Popped into the brewing shop today (5 minutes from the new house) and Jacqueline picked out a ginger beer kit - a hobby we can share!

Strobist: A 430EXII to rear left and right as "B", 580EX on a wire above the beer as "A", ratio was 1:2 / A:B. Flash Exposure Compensation set as +2/3.

God knows your lonely souls

God knows your lonely souls, originally uploaded by Venn Diagram.

"God knows your lonely souls" - UNKLE / Lonely Soul

With thanks to Threeleaf.com for the skull image - may have to take this image down if he's not keen to have it used - would have waited but he hasn't uploaded since February 2008, so it could be a while before I hear back...

This is my first attempt at compositing, and a revisit of an earlier shot I uploaded. Loaded the skull shot as a separate layer then selectively deleted parts until I got where I wanted to go. A bit of colouring to bring it near to skin tone and a slight edge of transformation to make it fit and Bob's your uncle.

Oooh, ooh, ooh - got a new picture ready...

...well, I say new, it's a re-working of an earlier shot, and I'm just waiting for permission from another flickrite whose image I've used. Quite excited - it's the first attempt I've ever made at compositing and I quite like the end result. The rest of the world may hate it, but hey, I like it.

Hopefully he'll get back to me soon and I can post this monster...

Needless to say, it's a selfie...

Radiohead (Tribute)

Radiohead (Tribute), originally uploaded by Venn Diagram.

[S'me, yet again - apologies if you don't like staring at my mug, but it's the only one that regularly agrees to be involved in my photographic adventures...]

EDIT: Re-reading the title, makes me think of Tenacious D's "Tribute", but there you go...

Just messing about, listening to UNKLE and playing with lights. Bit of a tribute to Radiohead, having just watched their excellent live show from a European festival.

Didn't quite capture the blue as intensely as I'd hoped, but you can't have everything. Where would you put it?

Strobist - Two sidelights, each a 430EXII at 105mm with "Bright Red" Honl filters and a 580EX on-camera as controller with a "Just Blue" Honl filter a
Attached. Ratio was 1:2.33 A:B with the two side lights being group B. Impromtu use of bedsheet to cover up the bookshelf behind my noggin.

Post was Photoship to posterise the image (but you'd guessed that, right?).

Once, we swam in the sea...

Once, we swam in the sea..., originally uploaded by Venn Diagram.

Playing with my 50mm f1.8 wide open at Whitley Bay today. Realised that I'd never really tried to get the most form this lens before, just hung around the edges, using it for IR photography. As I'm toying with the idea the a f1.4 lens would be a good thing (either a Canon 50mm or a Sigma 30mm), I figured ti would be good to see why I thought that was a good idea.

Part two of the experiment was setting my 18-55mm lens to 30mm and taping it at that focal length and seeing whether a prime at the length would suit me. Short answer - yes, it seemed pretty good. So, when I can scare up £380, I'll be looking to the 30mm f1.4 Sigma lens, though that might not be for a while yet.