Wow, last journal update was... Nov.. 2010!  Didn't check this page for quite a while (year maybe?), so I figure I write something.

I basically took the last 8-9 months off from pretty much all cosplay activity due to work.  65 hour weeks plus my God given affinity for laziness doesn't lend itself to many photoshoots or cons!  Also, I just sold my last 35mm camera lens today (no, I'm not quitting photography ).  Previously, at the peak of my obsession with cameras, I was shooting with pretty much 7 complete systems.  Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus, M43, and Sony NEX.  I had 20+ bodies and about 50+ lenses.  They were fun to play with, but I feel I never actually mastered anything.  Jack fo all trades, and master of none....  So I made a decision to sell off everything and just keep to 1 system....maybe 2

I recently bought a Leica S2 and couple of the lenses.  I hope to start shooting again so I can get to know my gear.  Hopefully, Ill be hitting all the cons like I used to.  PLus, I'd like to get some shoots in on weekends too!; just to practice and get back into the game.  It's now 2013....I started cosplay photo shoots around the summer of 2009.  Im not going to count 2012 since I took most of the year off .  That leaves me with about 2.5 years of experience.  I think I came a long way, but there is plenty more to go!

Anyways, I think I blabbed long enough.  Hope to see you all out there!  If you are in Socal and want to get together to shoot (be my test subject ), drop me a line and we'll see if we can arrange something!

Just wanted to share a few vids from the CosFest performance.  I haven't attended masquerades in quite a while, but I had 4 good reasons to attend at PMX 2010.

1.  , , and did a walk-on for trinity blood, and won best craftsmanship!  big congrats to her!  you can see their performance here: [link]

2.  next, we have and her crew of 8 girls who cosplayed snsd/girls' generation and did a medley of their songs.  i gotta admit, run devil run is really growing on me!  all 9 girls were fantastic and definitely looked the part.  you can see their performance here: [link] .  only complaint i had was the stage lighting...any girls not in the spotlight were pretty hard to see... sigh..

3.  next, we have the halftime show where mikarin did a 30 minute show.  she is a consummate cosplay professional who is a staple in the socal cosplay scene.  you can see her performance here: [link]

4. finally, going to PMX 2010 was another chance to hang out with who was the first person to give me a chance to do a shoot!  looking back at my first shoot, i really need to shoot her again to really do her justice.  thanks for giving me the opportunity!

also, just wanted to thank everyone who took their time to pose for me.  see ya'll at ALA!

Greetings!

In my previous journal entry, I mentioned that I would try to put together a short con video.  Well, I finally found the time to put one together (when I should be editing photos )!  I just wanted to experiment, and so it isn't super longI  All of the video footage was shot on the last day.  If there are any complaints about the music, please send them to ~Wasabipocky.  It was her idea

[link]

Wow, it's been a long time since I updated my journal! haha

Anyways, I see everyone post their Anime Expo 2010 schedule, I figure I do the same.  It is pretty easy, cuz I have nothing planned, yet!

One thing I'm toying with is to make a short con video similar to this one here: [link]

I met the guy who made the video, and he said it took about 4 hours to make?  But he seemed pretty experienced, and so Im sure itll take me 3x longer!

Eric of [link] picked up a Steadicam Merlin, and I thought about getting a glidecam myself for some stabilized video footage.  WOuld poeple even be interested in watching something like that?  I figure it would be a good way for me to learn some basic video editing as well.

Also, some of you have messaged me for some shoots, I will be responding shortly.  In the mean time, if you're a cosplayer and wanna get together to get some photos made, note me or something!  If you're a photographer, would definitely love to meet up and talk/shoot together as well!

Also, it looks like I will only be able to attend thurs and friday after work   so I will prob get to the con at about 5:00pm ish on those 2 days.  at least I wont miss the golden hour for some photos!  I then plan on being there all day sat except late evening because I have to drive someone to the airport, and most likely all day sunday.  

looking forward to it!

ok, tagged by ~kim-tram !

1. Post these rules.
2. Each tagged person must post 10 things about themselves on their journal.
3. At the end, you have to choose and tag 10 people and post their icons on the same journal.
4. Go to their pages and send a message saying you tagged them.
5. No tag-backs.

1. always thought about writing a screenplay based on my days as a wall street trader.  if you have seen the movie "boiler room," it's very similar!

2. big fan of little house on the prairie!

3. always looking for shoots to get better as a photog!

4. not very good at posing cosplayers, i always feel like im an inconvenience  to the cosplayers.  need to learn to take time and get the perfect shot rather than just rushing through it

5. not yet very good with lighting, but learning as i go along

6. ill stop here for now

not gonna tag anyone, cuz almost everyone on my list seem to have a list like this already!


As for ALA 2010, I plan on going all 3 days, maybe even thurs nite to meet some friends. and whats a journal update without talking about cameras!

on 1-15 and 1-16, samys on fairfax will have a Leica S2 demonstration, you can bring your own memory cards and take pics home.  they are going to have a lighting and model setup for you to shoot!  I plan on going and see what a $23k body can do! lenses will be another $3.5k to $4.5k, but at least htere are only 4 of them   for that kind of money, i think i rather have a phaseone setup instead, but the S2 is integrated so well!

my friend purchased a Leica M9 and the new Noctilux 0.95, and I got a chance to play with it. you really need to practice with a rangefinder to get the focusing down, which I find kind of difficult, but it could just be me not used to using a rangefinder.  i might try a photoshoot with it, should be interesting!  ok, ill stop here for me, let me know if you are attending ALA, hopefully, ill be able to snap a few pics of you!

Guess it's time for my monthly updates!

just wanted to feature 2 deviants who were super nice enough to feature me, felt bad since i never followed the tag rules!  here we go!:

1.  
GAO it's KURO-ZILLA
Graduation Day
Tsubasa Chronicles:Sakura cell

2.  
Vocaloid: Distorted Wonderland
MF: Hikari
+Miss Kira Amane+

In other news, planning on attending PMX, hopefully, all 3 days.  Say hello if you see me!  Also, whats a journal entry without talkin about new cameras??

Nikon introduced their refreshed D3, called the... D3s!  pretty much the same as the D3, except a new sensor...expanded iso range to 102,400!!  saw some samples, looks pretty damn impressive... also added a sensor dust shaker and 720p video recording... might be worth getting jusdt for the even better high iso ability!

Canon introduced their 1d mark IV!  i was surprised they actually with the number 4 since in japanese, 4 sound a lot like death, so often times, they will skip the number 4 in their naming scheme... notable changes are the 16mp packed into an aps-h sensor size... of course, i think they had to match the nikon d3s with expanded iso up to 102,400 as well...  of course, the 1dmark 4 comes with an improved af system (after the 1dm3 fiasco), with all 45 focus points being selectable, and 39 cross type af points!  from the high iso samples i saw, doesn't seem like it matches the nikon d3s, but i will need to see more samples to decide.

recently picked up the canon 17mm f4 TS-E.... really want to try it with cosplay photog with a nice backdrop, but it will require time to setup the shots (tripod) since the lens is manual focus, and you have to set the tilt and shift... might be interesting though!

also got a chance to play with a leica s2.. it's leica's newest and most expensive camera.. not sure what to classify it as, but the sensor size is halway between full frame 35mm and a medium format... 37.5mp, body is $23k US, thats right, $23,000! and the lenses are about $5k each, $6k if you want the leaf shutter version... yikes... it is a solid piece of camera gear though, feels more substantial than the top end canon and nikons... the lenses are huge as well!! im used to fast zooms and primes from the canon and nikon system, but i was still surprised by the size of the S2 lenses.. yikes!  viewfinder view was the largest ive seen too!!

a friend ordered the lecia m9, full frame!  can't wait to try it out!  my friend also recently picked up the new 50mm noctilux, thats f.95!  the lens was $10k alone!  i got an adapter to mount it to my micro 4/3 cameras, will see how it goes! maybe try it at a photoshoot!

ok, think i blabbed on long enough, tomrrow is friday, finally! definitely need a break from work!

Wooo, pbase is finally up, I have just finished upping my photos to my mikomicon 2009 gallery.  YOu can find it here:

[link]

i also have all my vids from mikomicon up on youtube.  have the 12 masquerade performances, the parapara dance, and the kamehameha contests in full!

[link]

This was my third time to mikomicon, but this was the first time where i actually explored the campus.  truly a lot of fantastic photoshoot places.... i guess i never really explored the campus because I have always been a hallway type photog, but im slowly moving away from that to doing more shoots... but sometimes, i find myself spending way too much time on shoots, and i miss other fantastic cosplayers... and so im going to have to learn to balance better.

on to camera news, i pre-ordered a canon 7d.  it's canon's latest crop sensor camera, it could have been the 60d i suppose, but i think canon really wanted a competitor to the nikon d300/d300s.  one of the things im looking forward to is the new af system, 19 cross type sensors in a pretty decent array, also, crop cameras have better focus point coverage than full frames...we'll see when ill actually receive it though!

on to other camera news, hasselblad has introduced the h4d series, coming in  50 and 60mp!!  of  course, it costs 20 and 30k euros, thats euros!  US $ will probably be 30 and 40k.  maybe ill rent a medium format for a weekend to use at a con, we'll see!  whats interesting about the new hasselblads is that the camera comes with an accelerometer to lock focus position.  that way, you can focus, recompose, and the object you focused on should be theoretically sharp!  they call it true focus or absolute position lock.  this is a big deal for medium format cameras since there are usually very few focus points, usually 1 or 3.  with this function, you should be able to have off center subjects in perfect focus.... even though the top of the line canon and nikons have 45 and 51 af points, they are all concentrated in the middle of the frame.  a lot of times for my composition, i will still need to focus and recompose, which I do not really like doing much... oh wells, just thought i mention the new hasselblads!

thanks to , i am no longer a tag virgin...


A. Post these rules.
B. Each tagged person must post 8 things about themselves on their journal.
C. At the end, you have to choose and tag 8 people and post their icons on the same journal.
D. Go to their pages and send a message saying you tagged them.
E. No tag-backs!

1) i used to work on wall st. in nyc, i took the subway and got off at the word trade center every monring.  i decided not to goto work one day, that day was 9-11-01

2) i have all 9 seasons of the sitcom, king of queens, playing on a loop on my comp, 24/7

3) i'm actually not a photog!  but i currently have 12 dslrs :/

4) since memorial day of 2007, i have been sleeping with the lights on

5) i work as a mediator, resolving tax controversies between the public and the irs

6) i know someone who has a handbag purchased for $180k, plus tax!

7) i've spent over 6 figures on cameras and equipment the past 4 years, but i havent spent a $1 on photography classes or training or anything :/

8) i KNOW the 13th great-grandson of christopher columbus. yes, THE c.c. and yes, this can be proven thru official spanish genealogy documents. his grandfather did a genealogy project, contacted old archives in Spain, etc, cataloged it all and found out.


im not going to tag anyone, well, because, i have no friends, and i like to keep what little friends i do have

Last weekend, I attended Nisei week for the first time!  It was a fun experience!  I met my photog friend JC there, and we were able to take some pics at the beautiful garden they had.  I was also good to finally meet mikarin (super talented cosplayer) and her husband!

before nisei week, i was lucky enough to do a shoot with and at the walt disney concert hall for their hitman reborn cosplays.  since i have never seen the series, i went online to find images of these 2 characters, and from the images i found, i thought they were lovers... which is NOT the case as it was pointed out to me during the shoot!

it was a good experience for me, always is to go on a shoot in a non-con environment.

then it was blizzcon this weekend, i only went friday... while i like blizzard games, im not as into them as i used to be, and the parking situation was bad, i still had to walk like 20 minutes from the lot to the con while carrying my gear (how do you cosplayers do it!).  the con itself is super dark, but there was a photog/cosplayer meetup outside by the fountain.  omg, soooo many photogs, they outnumbered the cosplayers, seriously.  im used to cosplay con photography where it is etiquette to ask the cosplayer first, but most photogs at cons just shoot away it seems...  it was difficult, at least for me, to get good shots with all the people there.  there are some AMAZING cosplayers though, wish i could have taken more pics...

i was debating about going today, but i prob will not go. i should be attending tomorrows yorba linda picnic though...

so for the past 3 events, ive been trying out my 4/3 and micro 4/3 system.  recently purchased a panasonic gh1, which i actually really love!  i used a panasonic leica 25mm/1.4 lens with it which is 50mm in 35mm terms (one of my favorite focal lengths).  what i really like about it is that you can place the focus point almost anywhere in the frame which is something my full frame cameras like 1dsm3,d700,a900, or d3x cannot do nearly as well... plus im not a big fan of focus and recompose, especally working with fast lenses.  also, since gh1 is not a TRUE slr (no prism and mirror box), it uses live view 100% of the time, and it comes with a fully articulated screen, which really helps with camera placement.  ok, i should stop now before it gets any nerdier

ill be posting a few more from the hitman reborn, some nisei week, and some blizzcon pics today hopefully!

ok, 35 images, all taken in a row, enjoy the slideshow!

[link]

ok, you can goto the above link for the full sized slide show, but i also added the pics as an animated gif, "animated silliness!"

big thanks go out to , , and !!

it was hot, the sun was harsh, but they were in cosplay!!

amanda was kind enough to bring along kati and shiya, and i got a lot of good practice in.. and hopefully, they will get some decent pics out of the ordeal!

too bad i will be away next week... going to new orleans for cpe (continuing professional education)... ugh, but ill be back friday... it would be nice to brush up on my irc code section 469 passive activity loss though! lol

ill have tons of free time at the hotel to go through the pics i took today (about 500, but a lot of multiples and bracketed shots), and post process the ones that actually came out like i intended!

ill also mess around with hdr too, wonder how those will turn out... itll be a bit hard for me to process these pics on my laptop, im used to doing it on my mac at home, but we'll see!

ill have internet, so ill be around, dont you all worry, yes, all 4 of you!

time to pack and sleep a bit!

oops, forgot to mention, all of the awards from the masquerade from ax2009 are up in glorious hd, check them out!

Ok, finally finished uploading all of the masquerade videos from Anime Expo 2009.  Be sure to watch them in glorious HD!  There were a total of 44 performances, and I am also uploading the award ceremonies...  I think it is broken up into 4 videos, and I have video #1 up already.

you can find them at www.youtube.com/sting458


also a bit of Nikon news, they just released 2 new cameras and 2 new lenses...  First we have the Nikon D300s.  Nikon uses the "s" designation to signify an incremental upgrade, usually just updates the camera with features that were introduced since the original d300.  The big thing is probably the movie mode in 720p (introduced with the Nikon D90) and the dual cf/sd slots.  Now you can place 2 memory cards (cf and a sd) in the camera.. you can use it to backup the pics you shoot, use the 2nd card after the 1st is full, place jpg on one card and raw on another, pics on one and vids on the other, etc.  imagine quality will be more or less the same as the d300

2nd camera is the d3000, this is a replacement for the nikon d60...  biggest upgrade is probably the af module, the d3000 uses the one from the d5000 and d90.  it also has a "guide" mode which tries to simply the use of the camera so that people coming from point and shoot cameras can pick up quickly.

first new lens is the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II... this lens has been rumored for quite a number of years now, and it is finally here...  improved edge sharpness on full frames,  VR II (up to 4 stops) stabilization, and nano crystal coat...  i think msrp will be $2400, ouch...  i have the 70-200mm version 1 already, not sure if ill upgrade, but being the gear head that i am, i probably will

2nd lens, which actually surprised me, is version II of Nikon's 18-200mm, which was just introduced a few years ago.. Im surprised they updated it so quickly when they have tons of primes that could have introduced or updated...the biggest update to the lens is a new zoom mechanism, which prevents zoom creep.  suppose to have some new coatings too to cut down flaring and ghosting...

ok, enough nerd talk, back to the regular programming!

ok, 34 videos uploaded to youtube from the ax2009 masquerade performances... i think there are about 10 more, including the award ceremonies...  sorry it is taking so long, been busy with work....

i did pick up a new camera though!  i'll write more about it in my next journal entry.  it'll be pretty boring geek stuff, unless you are into cameras... even then, still not that exciting, lol

i have upped the first 30 performances from the ax2009 masquerade.  still compressing the remaining ones.

you can see them in all their hd glory at:

www.youtube.com/sting458

thanks for looking!