Tumblr account is thriving!

I'm happy to announce say that my Tumblr account is going strong and there is content being pumped out 6 days a week. The Elder Scrolls NDA has been lifted, so there will be many MANY M.A.N.Y. new articles coming out the next few days. Take a peek, favorite them, follow me, whatever :)

Closing

Hey all

I started a Tumblr account today and will thus be closing this blog because i'll be writing roughly the same things but wanted to have a fresh start, a different domain name and insert a few more different forms of content.

Thanks for following, it's been a fun ride, starting from the Warhammer Online days, including you with my photography adventures, going all the way to present-day domination (but increasing boredom due to slow content)with Mechwarrior Online. 

Drop by and say hi!

From the beginning

I can't believe its been nearly 2 years ago since I've had my first photoshoot with Jasey and my stylist Olive.

How much we've changed.

Merry Christmas

Toronto Zombie Walk 2013

Busy these days. Every Halloween, the week before there is the Toronto Zombie Walk in downtown Toronto. Took some amazing photos from it.

Women love horror/zombies. It felt like a 50/50 split of male/females at this event.

This is the most recent kind of makeup used by costumers this year; its like a frontal mask where layers are added to give amazing look. Find the rest of my photos on my Deviant Art gallery; many will be blocked unless you have a (free) account and turn off the maturity content filter.

So some notes on this photoshoot:

Success: 

- taking some amazing photos in inclement weather (cold, wet, windy, cloudy dark) and being prepared camera-wise (gear); I brought 2 lens (std kit zoom lens with VR, and a nifty fifty) and I never changed out of the kit lens, nor spent time switching any gear except batteries (took over 400 photos)

- 1 in 6 success ratio; there were alot of good photos, more, if I can take care of the below issues

Improvement required: 
- bring wipes for rain or shoot from a different angle; you may not see it in the viewfinder, but rain will affect the way the photo looks and appears (in most case, ruining the photo)

- arrive earlier; I intended on getting downtown about 15 minutes earlier so I could scout out a good place to take photos, but ended up right on time and failed to get a prime spot

- close focus issues; I tend to have problems when subjects get really close to the camera. I press the shutter button down to take a photo, but the camera failed to acknowledge it and fails to take a photo. I believe this is more of a lens issue and I must learn a minimum distance that the camera will auto focus.

Other notes from the shoot:
- I took all the photos in manual settings; generally low iso (~250), lowest f-stop (~3.5), ok shutter speed (1/80s)

- bring that extra memory card; my memory card is 8gigs, all taken in raw (only) and it lasted ~400 shots and I actually ran out of space. I'm very glad I brought the second card. One big card would be better (but also puts all your eggs in one basket)

- 1/80s resulted in some of my best photos; 1/60s resulted in lower quality. If you have a model, then 1/60s is fine b/c they are posing, but in a parade-style photoshoot, you need to freeze the movement. The only problem is that you need to worry about exposure and ensure the picture is not too dark.

- focus point is critical. Many photos were ruined by not ensuring the focus point was on the subject's eyes. A slight variation resulted in someone in the background being in focus instead. I see the value of a fast focusing lens now. I did single (vs continuous) focusing.. not sure whether that would make a difference. By increasing your f-stop (8/9) may help with this problem, but then make more of the background in focus, which is not what one would be going for when you're focusing on one person at a time.

- dress for the weather; I went with 2 heavier layers of clothes and then a light jacket because I find myself frequently having a backache from my heavy equipment. THAT was a mistake: it was a very cold day and I'm surprised I didn't catch a cold. Also: gloves. Very important. Something that covers most of your hands and leaving the dexterity to manipulate the camera. 

- bring snacks or water (atleast); waiting for the parade to get to your special spot takes a while. I was very lucky and a friend went to get me a hot beverage while I shivered while waiting. Be prepared in that sense as well.

- produce your photos early and have a media contact; I saw the photos taken from the TZW on various websites and found them of very low quality. Know of a way to get your photos out there and you could be staring at your photos from a very well regarded media source.

Mechwarrior & Tabletop

It has been an incredibly long time since i've last blogged.. I haven't been doing much other than playing Mechwarrior Online, although recently I've been watching Wil Wheaton's show: Tabletop. Very geeky (famous) people playing boardgames. Great show, really funny.

Ryan is incredibly lucky. I don't think Wil expected him to win so fast and all the games.

Check out Mechwarrior Online; it's gone "live", and today the new content of the Phoenix Package became available which includes 4 brand new mechs. I contemplated for the longest time whether I should get it, and although I love the game and think I should support PGI (the developers), I don't think i'd make very much use out of any of the packages (20/40/60/80$), so I'll just save my money for other future in-game fluff (camouflage designs and paint colors). Little babies complain that its not a free-to-play game, but they're literally being internet trolls; it'll take a bit longer, but you can be just as good as any player that spends money in the game. Spending money, just lessens the grind for money and experience, but it won't make you a better player or make you a one-man army.

Theros - Favorite Cards from the Set

I was looking at some all of the cards from the Theros set tonight and was really amazed at some of them:

1 mana for unblockable and a scry1? Thats pretty amazing. Has a cipher feel to it. Not crazy about the art, but it makes sense when you think about it.

Regenerate is typically pretty expensive on cheap/weak creatures, the Asphodel Wanderer is no exception. I do like the flavor text and the art though.

Once again, a cheap but powerful enchantment. I really enjoy the trample part. Fans of The Flash would enjoy this card.

I really like the art on this card; I absolutely love the colors used but moreso the helms and the fins at the back. Very Cool.

A great card for graveyard-themed (Golgari) deck; with enough creatures in one's graveyard, you could have a 10/10 in very short order. Give it hexproof/trample/unblockable and game over asap.

There are many artifacts and artifact creatures in this set! I think my girlfriend would enjoy the art of this card in particular.

Just when you thought that some artifact cards were over-powered, you get Colossus of Akros. I see it being put into ramp decks.. maybe a Green/Blue deck. Green to ramp, blue for hexproof and unblockable... wow. 20/20. Rage Quit.

I always enjoy strong and relatively cheap defenders; the art is pretty cool too. I like the right statue's tower shield which gets narrow at the middle.

Mechwarrior Online Launch!

Happy Launch Day for Mechwarrior Online!

Looking forward to some CRAZY sale *coughcough*. Maybe ill be able to afford many dyes so I can color my mech like above! (probably not, but its purty).

The next set for MTG is coming up very soon: Theros. A very Greek-themed cardset.

I really liked this token.

Finally, check out Cardhunter if you enjoy D&D and MTG. It went live last week but had a few issues (lag and queues), but seems to be better now.

Wedding Photography Observations

I was at a good friend's wedding last night and I thought i'd share some thoughts (photography-wise) from it:

- I guess (possibly unless you have a bride-zilla) most couples won't complain when you're up in their personal space b/c you're the professional photographer, but the ones I saw yesterday were uncomfortably close for my tastes, and it sucks for the guests b/c they block alot (when you have a team of 2 photogs and 1 videographer) of what is happening. Of course it is important to get the good shots, but I feel they were a bit too close at times.

- saying that, a telephoto lens would be very helpful for cases where the couple doesn't want you in their personal space. I was able to get rather good shots with my telephoto lens without the ability to get out of my seat

- outdoors under the shade is not always your friend. I don't know how the professionals will do it, but shade with sun is horrible for photos; the groomsmen for example were standing in a spot that was lit by the bright afternoon sun but also partially shaded by maple leafs. This created a very unflattering pattern of leafs on their faces, partially shaded, partially blown out by the sunlight.

- always bring a flash for indoor photography. As the night progresses, the lights get more dimmed and its harder and harder to get a good photo without a flash. Without one, the one real thing one can do is increase the ISO and I absolutely hate grainey photos.

My photos can be found here

Friday: Favorite Theros Card

Take a quick glance:

At first, 5 mana for only one +1 counter is rather lame.. especially when you see it is a rare. BUT then you look at the original cost of 2 mana (granted green+white).. for a 3/3 is pretty good: typical specialty of that color combination (a stronger creature). What blows this card out of the water is the Monstrous abilities: Hexproof (my favorite) AND indestructible. LOVE it! Time to make a white green deck!