#and that spills over into the characterization of the other team black members

[wellijustfinnihedoneofthebooks]

Its honestly so funny to me when people talk about ryan condal's "team black bias" and its like yall... i dont think condal cares about the fictional waring factions of incest kingdom... i think he just thinks rhaenyra is his main character and thus warps the world to suit rhaenyra

[slrlounge1]

2018 Holiday Gift Guide for Photographers | $500 & Up

It’s that time of the year when we’re on the hunt for the best deals and savings on gear for the creatives on our holiday shopping lists. The team at SLR Lounge has had a look at, tested, played with, and researched a LOT of the best (and worst) photography products out there, and we’ve filtered them down to make your search a little easier.

Be sure to bookmark this page and keep checking back as we’ll be continually updating these lists as more and better products and deals surface for the season.

Wacom Cintiq 13hd $799

While the Intuos Pen Tablets are pretty commonly found already in a photographers kit (an extra one never hurts though), the Cintiq HD Creative Pen Displays are making an impressive leap into the photographer’s “must-have” tool list. These displays are an ideal choice when it comes to color-critical work and make working on your images and illustrations/designs a breeze with incredible accuracy.

Get It Here

Get the 24″ Version Here

eMotimo Spectrum 4-Axis Motion Control Kit $3499

If you’ve ever wondered what a timelapse on hyperdrive would look like, then the eMotimo Spectrum is the kit for you. This bundle not only saves you a bunch of money but will let you create complex time lapse & video sequences with incredible smooth repeatable movements across 4 axes. With the focus kit, you add precise movement, zoom, focus, & aperture control. The possibilities are only limited by your creativity.

Get It Here

Sunbounce Sun Swatter Starter Kit $699

Not all reflectors or scrims or diffusers are made equal, and California Sunbounce arguably makes some of the best, which is why you’ll see them in the BTS shots being used in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition shoots, Vicotria’s Secret sessions, and other major shoots akin. This Sunbounce system consists of a collapsible aluminum frame that can be easily assembled and combined with different reflecting, light-reducing, or light-absorbing screens to take full advantage of any kind of light–hard or soft, natural or artificial.

This Sun-Bounce Big Super Saver Starter Kit (6×8′) includes the lightweight, stable, anodized aluminum frame, a reversible silver/white screen, a grip head for attaching the reflector to a stand (not included), tuning clips for modifying the reflector by attaching custom fabrics or other material (not included), and a shoulder bag to hold the kit. The silver reflector is for reflecting strong contrasty light; the white reflector reflects a softer, diffused light. The frame is designed with an integrated crossbar and clamp so that it can be comfortably held in many different ways–by hand or by attaching it to a tripod, for instance. A great piece of kit for any photographer to keep and use forever.

Get It Here

Lastolite HiLite Illuminated Background (7’x8′) $755

Having owned one of these now for just over a year, I can honestly say it’s one of my favorite modifiers that I’ve ever used. It’s an incredibly unique device as you can use this as a backdrop to create hi-key photographs. You can place your strobes inside the background, filling the whole box with white light, leaving you worry-free of any light spills or uneven spots. Alternatively, you can use this device as a gigantic freestanding softbox and practically recreate daylight for your scene. The best part is they collapse down to the size of a large reflector bag for easy storage and transport.

Get It Here

Sony A&R III Body & Audio Kit $2798

Sony’s A7RIII is a versatile, high-performance camera characterized not only by its resolution but also by its multimedia versatility. Revolving around a full-frame 42.4MP Exmor R BSI CMOS sensor and updated BIONZ X image processor, the A7R III affords an impressive 10 fps continuous shooting rate along with improved autofocus performance for faster, more reliable subject tracking along with wide frame coverage. This updated Fast Hybrid AF System employs a combination of 399 phase-detection points and 425 contrast-detection areas for faster focus in a variety of lighting conditions, and also maintains focus on subjects more effectively. Then, of course, it has a battery that will get hundreds of shots per charge, a better OLED EVF, and will do and will do FF 4K. It essentially is the best all-around camera on the market today. Save extra with this bundle paired this with a Rode Mic, spare battery and shoulder bag.

Get It Here

Broncolor SiRos L $2347

Broncolor knows how to make a sexy light. The quality and consistency of the light produced by the Siros L without having to purchase a color-correcting dome alone is unmatched in its class and will reduce precious editing time in post-production that could be better spent elsewhere.

The freedom that exists with being able to use a truly portable monolight is incredible, and if proper care is taken, the Siros L should last a very long time. The Siros L is innovative, freeing, and a lot of fun to work with. After photographing with a light of this caliber, it is difficult to consider going back to ‘normal’ equipment. The Siros L definitely lives up to the reputation that has become synonymous with everything Broncolor stands for.

Get It Here

Canon EOS R Mirrorless Digital Camera $2299

Canon has a new member in its mirrorless family. The EOS R is a full frame system with a 30.3 Megapixel body and four native RF lenses currently available, (35mm 50mm, 24-70mm and 24-105mm). Optional adapters will allow previous canon owners to use their EF lenses on the system and get straight to creating! Boasting the aforementioned 30.3 MP CMOS sensor, 4k Video, dual pixel AF, built-in OLED viewfinder, and a 3.15 vari-angle touchscreen LCD are just a few of the awesome and new features available.

Get It Here

LaCie 6Big Thunderbolt 3 RAID Array $1,899+

If you’re looking for a storage/security and speed solution with, essentially, no rival on the commercial market, this is it. It’s absurdly fast, reliable, and strangely beautiful. The performance of the 6Big is like a drug, it’s so addictive, and the kind of unit that will see studios, videographers, and individuals with large amounts of data elevate their operating levels, and the USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 connectivity makes it a daisy-chain and power solution that creatives can grow with. Like the Porsche slogan, “There is no substitute.”

Some stats:

LaCie has equipped this RAID array with Thunderbolt 3 technology that transfers data at a rate of up to 40 Gb/s and offers a reversible USB-C connection. For data performance and redundancy, an onboard hardware RAID controller lets you set the 3.5″ hard drives in 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, or 50 RAID configuration. With LaCie RAID Manager, RAID setup is straightforward by offering an intuitive interface to administer the LaCie 6big. Leveraging RAID 0 and Thunderbolt 3, the 6big is able to deliver up to 1400 MB/s read and write speeds.

Get It Here

Nikon Z7 Mirrorless Digital Camera Kit $4,147

Nikon has taken the next step in their imaging journey with the Z7 Mirrorless System, affectionately dubbed “The Perfectionist.” The 45.7Megapixel FX Format camera brings the Z Mount to the market with a boom. This is a large diameter design with short 16mm flange distance that allows Nikon to create compact, but powerful cameras and develop more advanced optics. It has a BSI CMOS sensor with the EXPEED 6 Image Processing Engine delivering outstanding image quality & speed with a native ISO sensitivity range of 64-25600!

It also features a UHD 4k video recording system at up to 30p and can use the N-log gamma profile along with the camera’s 10-bit HDMI output to create cinema-quality video. Even an 8k Time-Lapse mode.

Get It Here

B&H GIFT CARD $500 & UP

There are few things more practical for a photographer than a B&H Gift Card.  With free shipping to many of the U.S States, friendly return policies, and free shipping with orders over $500, this is an easy stocking stuffer.

Get It Here

Fujifilm X-E3 $799

A svelte, versatile camera, the black Fujifilm X-E3 is a progression in their rangefinder-style mirrorless series, and it features an updated sensor and processor along with familiar classic design. Revolving around the 24.3MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS III sensor and X-Processor Pro image processor, high-resolution stills can be recorded with notable sharpness and clarity due to the sensor’s organic layout and omission of an optical low-pass filter. The sensor and processor combination also avails quick continuous shooting up to 14 fps, an extended sensitivity range to ISO 51200, and the ability to record UHD 4K/30 video or Full HD 1080p/60 video.

Benefitting the imaging capabilities, the X-E3 retains its retro-inspired physical design complete with a high-resolution 2.36m-dot electronic viewfinder, 3.0″ 1.04m-dot rear touchscreen LCD, and physical shutter speed and exposure compensation dials. Also, its wireless capabilities have been expanded to include Bluetooth connectivity for low-power image transferring and remote camera control from a linked mobile device.

Get It Here

Profoto B10 OCF Flash Head $1595

Profoto continues to affirm their commitment to full-featured flash systems with onboard TTL capability with the introduction of the impressive, battery-powered B10 OCF Flash Head. Part of the OCF family (which began with the reduced-size B2 power pack, continued with the full-sized B1X monolight, and most recently featured the A1 shoe-mount Studio Light), the B10 combines the best characteristics of the monolight with those of auto-exposure, on-camera flashes. In a move that’s consistent with their ongoing “techno-logic,” Profoto packs all the features of the previous OCF lights into the 7″ B10.

Get It Here

Also Available as a 2 Light Kit with Bag Here

Deals $1000 And Up

Need more gift ideas? B&H has a full list of holiday recommendations for $1000 and up!

See more Info Here

Again, be sure to bookmark this page and keep checking back as we’ll be continually updating these lists as more and better products and deals surface for the season.

  from SLR Lounge https://www.slrlounge.com/2018-holiday-gift-guide-for-photographers-500-up/ via IFTTT

[albanlakepublishing-blog]

February Alban Lake Spotlight

Mike Morgan, Author

For our very first interview, we have Mr. Mike Morgan, a prolific and excellent author. He was kind enough to take time to answer our questions; but first, a quick bio for Mike:

 Mike Morgan lives in Iowa with his wife, two children, and increasingly infirm cat. After careers in the UK, Japan, and Texas involving accountancy, freelance illustration, non-fiction writing, and teaching, Mike now does improbably complex things on computers for a living. When he's not worrying about the cat or tidying up his kids' toys, Mike gets overwrought about politics and attempts to write short stories. It's possible his two hobbies get muddled up from time to time. He has written for several publishers in the UK and the USA, with pieces in anthologies, comics, and magazines. Follow him on Twitter as @CultTVMike, where he posts about all things sci-fi. Oh, OK, it's mostly Doctor Who.

 My website is: https://perpetualstateofmildpanic.wordpress.com/

 My latest project is this month's Outposts of Beyond.

  And on to the interview . . .

 Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

 A: I've wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I looked at book covers as a young child, maybe five or six, and thought, "I want my name on a book." When I got into comics with 2000AD and then Star Wars Weekly, this would be when I was 7, that desire spread to wanting to be in the credits boxes in comic books, too. Unfortunately, as I got older, it became apparent that selling work wasn't going to be as easy as I'd initially thought.

 I tried for a sustained period in my twenties to break into comics, but never got anywhere. At one comics convention in Bristol, while hauling my portfolio around, I got chatting with Matt Brooker, who was brutally honest with me. "Look," he said, "There's nothing particularly wrong with the way you draw, but there just aren't any openings. We hire on maybe one or two new freelancers a year and they have some quirk. You draw well, but there's nothing unique. To develop that style, you need to put in thousands of hours of practice, and you're not going to get paid for that. You don't strike me as independently wealthy, so I doubt you can afford to do it for free. So..."

 He was right. I was dirt poor. I got a job in accountancy, which I hated. But at least I could go back to affording food.

 Later, after years of doing things I loathed, and then teaching for several years in Japan, I immigrated here to the U.S. Starting a new career in Texas, I worked for seven years as a technical writer and editor, which helped me fine-tune my knowledge of English grammar and punctuation and gave me first-hand insight into how hard it is to express complex ideas in plain, no-nonsense sentences. I got enough feedback to sink a fleet of Titanics and developed a tough skin to criticism. I also learned how important it was not to treat my fellow writers the way I was treated, and I became a mentor to some of the newer team members. Although the working environment was hostile, I did love the act of writing and I found joy in helping others improve their written work.

 While all that was going on, I was continuing to put out one or two pieces of my own writing. Teaching in Japan gives you a lot of spare time, so I'd started floating a few things past publishers. Moving to Texas, I was determined to keep that up, but stuck in a car for three or four hours a day on a hellish commute, working tons of extra, unpaid hours, and starting a family didn't leave a lot of spare time. It was only with our move to Iowa, where I still am now, that I found a better work-life balance and was able to kick the writing into high gear. To my inordinate surprise, I discovered that publishers wanted to print my short stories. Not only that, but readers showed every sign of liking them. I was flabbergasted.

 I look back now and I see my name on a book cover and my name in a comic book credits box and I'm glad I never completely gave in. One of my best friends, Kath, said this to me years ago and it stuck with me: "What I like about you, Mike, is that you keep on trying." I'm sure she's forgotten ever saying that to me, but I remembered, and I've tried to stay that way.

  Q: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

 A: Oh, a 'quirk'! I have yet to develop one with my drawing, but with my writing...? Editors have often told me, in withering tones, that I over-write. You only have to glance at the length of this interview...

 Also, as part of over-egging a box full of puddings in every story, I tend toward the proliferation of pleonasms. And uncalled-for alliteration.

 If you catch me doing it, slap me.

  Q: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

 A: I watch lots of science fiction and read comics. I really enjoy reading stories to my two kids at bedtime, too. Honestly, with two young kids in the house, I spend a lot of time taking endless delight in everything they say and do. I try to carve out a few moments every day to remind my wife how much I appreciate her.

  Q: How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

 A: I've had 10 short stories published professionally, with two more coming out in the next couple of months. A couple of those were my Titanville stories, which were published together in an e-book by Nomadic Delirium Press, getting me my first solo front-cover credit. I have a dozen more stories in slush piles as we speak, so one or two more will probably work their ways through to acceptance this year – that seems to be the typical ratio of stories sent to stories accepted.

 I've also had a few stories in charity anthologies, and a couple of poems (one was about Star Trek and was printed by Iron Press in a collection sold throughout a major high-street chain of bookshops in the UK), a few non-fiction articles about the long-running BBC TV series Doctor Who in various tomes, and a comic strip script in the British small press comic Futurequake. Another comic script is being drawn now, as it happens, for Futurequake. We're hoping it'll be included in the Spring issue, but we'll see how that goes.

 Oh, and I worked for a short while at an online word mill, putting out articles about sci-fi. You can find them at WhatCulture.com. They accumulated about three million page-views, I think.

  Q: What inspires you to write?

 A: I am drawn to the act of wrenching something into existence through the blunt application of imagination and willpower. I am compelled to create. For better or worse, you guys are on the receiving end of that compulsion.

 When it comes down to deciding what I'm going to write about, I think there are some themes I keep returning to: the beauty in the world, the triumph of love and kindness over indifference and cruelty, the eternal fight against injustice, how any attempt to simplify the complexity of the real world down into stark black-and-white concepts will lead to hate and death...

Also, I love writing characters who are flat-out wrong. There's nothing more fun and more human than someone who is utterly convinced about the rightness of a cause, and that cause is based on an utter misunderstanding. Really, that type of thinking characterizes most of our species' history. People who are wrong deserve our sympathy, our help, our love, not our derision. Anyway, that's some entertaining stuff to write about.

One final thought – I don't want to be a downer but I do feel time pressing on me. Nothing like worrying I'll be dead in a few years to spur me to get some writing done.

 Q: Do you set a plot or prefer going wherever an idea takes you?

 A: I try to have a clear idea of what the story's about before I get too far down the rabbit hole of writing. Preferably, I have an end worked out as well, even if that ending changes by the time I get to it. Sometimes, I'll start the story with the end and work my way backward to the beginning. But there should always be a purpose to a story, even if that purpose is to have fun.

 Every time I carve a tale out of the disorganized mess of my thoughts, the process seems different. One time, the whole story will spill out of me in a rush. Other times, I have to sit down and think through what I'm trying to express.

 Every now and then, a neat idea will occur to me, but I can't find a way to get a coherent plot out of it. Then, a second, entirely different idea will come to me, and I find mashing the two disparate strands together into the same reality brings the whole thing into focus.

 For example, someone having giant spiders in her home and not being bothered by them because they're not in any way dangerous is a neat mental image, but it's not a story in itself. But, add a second strand: imagine there's a neighbor whose job is to twist facts to meet political dogma and that neighbor comes into contact with those spiders... what happens? Does she believe the objective truth that they're completely safe to be around, or does she react with emotion and twist reality to meet that baseless viewpoint? After all, that's her job.

 Boom – you have conflict. The wrong-headed, fact-denying neighbor suddenly at war with nice, harmless giant-sized arachnids. For no other reason than she can't see the truth in front of her face, which is a very common and very plausible failing. What's more, the story takes on a greater message: we shouldn't twist facts to meet our prejudices, no matter how tempted we'd be to do that if we were in the neighbor's shoes.

 That's where A Spider Queen in Every Home came from, the mingling of two ideas that, on the face of it, can't coexist in a single narrative; but, they can, and that story was picked up and published in More Alternative Truths by B-Cubed Press.

 Lastly, some publishers require that you pitch ideas. There, you have to submit a complete plot, along with character notes, up front. If a pitch is accepted, there's no scope for changing details along the way as you write the actual story. For all you know, by altering the agreed-upon tale without consultation, you might be encroaching upon territory occupied by another story in the same collection.

 When fleshing out a pitch, it can feel like you're working while wearing a straightjacket. But it's an opportunity to find ways of making the piece as entertaining as possible without venturing beyond the plan you gave your word on. I've written a couple of stories based on pitches. Unto His Final Breath in Uffda Press's King of Ages: A King Arthur Anthology was created that way, and it garnered some nice reviews. I really like the world building I got to do in that short story.

  Q: What types and forms of writing do you do? If you're also an editor, what is your niche?

 A: I mostly write short stories these days, but I toy with novels. I do have a novel I'm working on (doesn't every writer?) - but, it's the short stories that sell. I am sneakily putting together various stories that work as elements within a greater whole, so that by the time they're all published you'll find they're a novel-length narrative printed in discrete parts across multiple publishers, books, and media. That's the idea, anyway.

 For example, the Titanville stories stand alone as individual tales, but the intent is to have themes and sub-plots that build as time goes on, without requiring the reader to be familiar with every installment. The Age of Asmodeus stories have a similar approach; there's a history to that world, and each story explores a different sliver of it. As those stories go on, readers will see various characters moving in and out of segments of the series or they'll be referred to. Again, the readers won't need to read every story, but there'll be a sense of events moving forward for those who do.

 With the tales featuring Professor Lazarus, the cumulative narrative will unfold using text-based stories and comic strips. Again, that's the hope. Futurequake, a British comic, has printed one story so far and has another one being drawn at the moment. With the short stories, I've had some luck; Flame Tree Publishing printed Fishing Expedition a while ago. I've written a couple more Lazarus stories since then that I'm waiting to hear back on, so we'll see how that goes.

 But you were asking about types of writing. Occasionally, I have a poem published. More often, I'll get non-fiction pieces accepted. I contribute on a semi-regular basis to the range on media and culture put out by Watching Books. This year, they're printing a volume called You on Target about the Target series of Doctor Who novelizations, and I have two essays in that.

 With editing, I offer my services to small presses who print my stories, with regards to proofreading or checking formatting. I'm always willing to help put out the best publication possible.

  Q: What is your area(s) of subject matter expertise? How did you discover this niche? What intrigues you about it?

 A: With living in Japan for several years, I found writing stories set there pretty easy. Not much research required! There's a story of mine being printed soon by you fine people at Alban Lake Press set in Japan. Kuro no Ken (The Back Sword) is slated for the next issue of Outposts of Beyond. The scenes in Ise City take place twenty minutes down the road from where I lived for three years, and the part in the vast cemetery—I've visited that cemetery and it really is that creepy. I love Japan. Those were some of the happiest years of my life.

 Having said that, I lived for longer in Stoke-on-Trent in the UK, and that was the setting for Reverse Horror Story. Your fine company published that piece in Bloodbond just last year. I had way too much fun putting Stoke-themed jokes into that monster-mash-up. I guess, to answer your question, I'm an expert at shoe-horning places I've lived into my stories. I find having a deep knowledge of the settings makes them feel more authentic.

 But, to be clear, I've never lived on the enormous asteroid Ceres, the setting of The Library of Ice in this month's Outposts of Beyond. I'd be willing to give it a try, though.

 Being serious for a moment, I keep writing about people who are struggling because I've been through that. Want to be an expert on the poor? Try being unemployed for years on end, not having enough to eat and worrying about losing the room you're renting. That'll give you an understanding of what that life is like. Newsflash – it's really stressful and depressing.

  Q: How do you balance your creative and work time?

 A: I have yet to find any balance, but live in hope. I get the kids to bed in the evening and then try to write. Sometimes, I even succeed.

  Q: Where have you been published? Upcoming publications? Awards and other accolades?

 A: Other than the things I've already talked about, I'd like to mention Nomadic Delirium's Divided States series, which explores a post-USA North America. My contribution to this excellent range was The Wall Is Beautiful. I hope to finish a second story in this shared universe. I was also fortunate enough to have submissions accepted in their Martian Wave and Disharmony of the Spheres collections.

 One other project I'm very proud to have participated in was Metasaga's Futuristica anthology. I had Something to Watch Over Us included in that amazing collection. I can't heap enough praise on that spectacular book; if you like science fiction, you need to own it.

 As far as upcoming releases go, that I haven't already called attention to, I have a story called Buddy System accepted in Myriad Paradigm's upcoming Mind Candy anthology. The intent is for that book to be released in the next few months. I also have something in the editing pile with Red Ted Books, which should be advancing toward publication this year.

 And, yes, it's a fanzine, but I like fanzines, I'm working with the wonderful people who put out the Doctor Who-themed Fannuals to see what they might want from me for their next volume. I'm so in love with the Fannual project; it's incredible fun. It's actually what I'm starting work on after finishing this interview.

  Q: What are you working on now?

 A: Well, Alban Lake announced they were going to do something with ghost stories, so, you know, I thought I'd try to submit to that. *Grins*

 In the pipeline are more Age of Asmodeus tales, more Titanville, more Lazarus, more space opera antics, more of everything I'm obsessed with.

  Q: Who are your favorite characters to write? How did they come into being, and what do you love - or loathe - about them?

 A: I love writing about Professor Lazarus. She gives her life in every story, usually to save the world from some terrible fate. Then, next story, she's alive again, in a world that's transformed. It forces me to reinvent her and her milieu every time. And there's a point to all her deaths; it's leading to something.

 She came into being because I thought, "Hah – killing the lead character every time would be funny." Then I thought, "What if it's the same lead character every time, and there's a reason she keeps coming back?" How does knowledge of her deaths affect her? Where, at a character level, does that propel the over-arching storyline?

 Another fun character was Silas Smith in The Man Who Killed Computers (published in Disharmony of the Spheres). He's able to lie to computers and have them believe what he's saying. Once you realize how he's doing that, it's less amusing, because you also realize that he can manipulate the humans in the story. I love the ambiguity of his character. He tries so hard to convince everyone he's a hero—the story revolves around how others respond to his claims.

  Q: Any advice you would like to give to aspiring writers?

 A: If someone says you need to improve, he or she is probably right. Every writer needs to improve, every day. It's a process that never ends.

 Don't take rejection personally. It's the work that sucks, not you.

 Keep trying. Stories are only published if they're written and then submitted.

 Realize that even after you've had a pile of stories published there will still be more defeats than victories. And that it's OK.

 Anything else you’d like to add that I haven’t asked? For example, what would you like to see more of in your specific genre? In the publishing field?

 We all like to get things for free. But—! Readers: try to pay for that fiction you're consuming. The more the publishers earn, the more they can pay the writers. The more the writers earn, the more they can write. It's a virtuous feedback loop. If you can't find good fiction out there, it's because you won't pay for it.

 Or, you know, you haven't been to Alban Lake's store. There's lots of good writing there.

  Once again, we’d like to thank Mr. Mike Morgan for his time and to thank all of you for supporting Alban Lake and all of these awesome authors and artists.