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[etherartsus-photography]

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[etherarts1]

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[kamehamehamlet]

The Tumblr reblog sensation is returning. But like the Sayians or Shakespeare’s folios, it has the potential to develop in many forms.

Visit kamehamehamlet.com to be notified when we have more details.

Follow this blog for a peak behind the curtain.

And read on to learn more about the show, how we got here, and where we’re going.

Thank you for waiting just a little bit longer.

Revival Project FAQ

Who are you?

Hi! I’m Daniel Cole Mauleón (@writepictures), the writer of Kamehamehamlet. In 2015 I co-founded the theatre company Play-Dot Productions with KHH’s director Shalee Mae Cole Mauleón.

What is Kamehamehamlet?

Kamehamehamlet: Good Night Saiyan Prince, was an hour-long one act play, performed during the 2015 Minnesota Fringe Festival. It’s a staged retelling of Vegeta and Freeza’s battle on the planet Namek. Marketed as a Dragon Ball Z and Hamlet mash-up, the parody quickly shuffled off its weighted gi, revealing it was actually a Waiting for Godot spoof. After five performances, Vegeta hung up his helmet of spiky hair. Seven years later, K (@amokslime) wrote this incredibly gracious post on Tumblr, which inspired two people to reach out to me via Reddit to ask if I had a script or a recording of the performance.

I want to pause the semi-marketing voice and say a heartfelt thanks to K. Kamehamehamlet was brought to life by an incredible team of artists during a summer I’ll never forget. We got laughs at jokes, gasps at fight choreography, and we broke even on the budget (a Fringe miracle TBH). K’s post gave me the chance to revisit that show through someone else’s eyes. The mix of pride and humility it stirs up is truly indescribable.

If there is art which has changed you, and especially if the artist is still alive I encourage you to non-intrusively share that with the artist.

Is there a copy of the script?

Yes, I’ll speak more about that at below.

Is there a recording of the performance?

There was, but I genuinely lost the files. And that’s for the best, honestly. It was a last-second attempt, filmed from two cheap cameras (with different qualities and resolutions!), both at bad angles and with truly awful audio. Trust me. It’s better this way.

That said, I do have other archival footage from rehearsal's, tech, etc. that I look forward to sharing for those curious.

What’s next?

This is the question I’ve been asking myself over the past year and the reason it took so long to post anything. Especially since one thing I want to do differently this time is make sure that any artists involved are meaningfully compensated for their time and skill. However, I can’t plan without a better estimate of what kind of support we would have, and I didn’t want to share our intentions without concrete details. Right now, the best way you can support this project is by signing up for the announcement on kamehamehamlet.com and following us on Tumblr and YouTube!

The second best thing you can do is to share with others about this project, if I’ve learned anything reading through the comments on K’s post, it is that there’s a much bigger audience for KHH than I could have ever imagined, and you likely know at least one more person who would be interested.

And while I don’t want to promise anything I can’t deliver on, I will share that I’m planning on making the script available this year and I’ll be writing a separate post about that in near future.

Update 5/21/24: We've announced a staged reading for later this year! (Click to learn more) Update 6/11/24: We're going live on YouTube every Saturday through June to rally fans and talk about the project. This link will always take you to the upcoming stream. And this link will take you past recordings.

If you’ve read this far thank you so much.

Photography by Ann B. Erickson. Vegeta is played by McKenzie Shappell. Freeza is played by Cayla Marie Wolpers. Costumes by Sarah Noel Simon.

[dreamsteddie]

steddie fic idea (in any form you'd like; drabble, short story, etc) if you take requests 😁💚:

Rockstar Eddie x Steve (whatever profession you think fits/is necessary to mention) where someone has a social media account called "Eyes on Eddie" and it's one of those accounts who posts when Eddie is spotted somewhere in public. it turns out to be Steve in disguise because he wants to posts the pretty "paparazzi" pictures he's taken of his boyfriend. all fun and games, nothing super personal or invasive, just him in a subway and Steve making some excuse to leave and snap a pic from outside before coming back in to enjoy lunch with his bf

It starts as a joke.

Steve and Eddie have had their home base here in Chicago for about 14 years, but now that Eddie and the CC boys have had their fun touring around the world had decided to venture into the wild world of both creating and producing music through their own, relatively small, music lable.

When he's home, Eddie spends a lot of time on the Blue Line going back and forth between their recording studio, their house, and the various other places that demand his attention as a rock star/record label owner. Since the boys have decided to focus more of their time on the label, slowing their own music production from one album a year to one every two or three, him and Steve have slipped into easy, well-worn routines that bring comfort to their everyday lives.

That being said, they don't always have tabs on each other, so when Steve wakes up half an hour late for work, already hearing Robin chewing him out in his head for making her open the store on her own, he's not expecting to spot his husband.

Eddie is leaning up on a post, looking every bit like the rock star he is with tastefully ripped jeans, a heavy leather jacket, and the same rings he's worn for as long as they've known each other (plus the one Steve put there himself four years ago). Without thinking, Steve pulls out his phone and aims it at his unsuspecting partner.

Steve has always enjoyed photography, or at least iPhone photography. He takes a second to get the right angle, trying not to draw too much attention to himself as he makes sure the little bit of sun shining from the windows behind Eddie hits him just right. He means to send it to Eddie right away. Means to send him a cryptic message saying something like "I'm watching you" along with the picture and watch for his reaction.

But then the train announces itself and he's rushing for the platform to get on the Pink Line while Eddie stays to wait for the Blue and then he's too focused on finding a place to stand, getting off at the right stop, and getting chewed out by Robin and it all slips his mind.

That is until it happens again...and again...and one more time. Opportunities he just can't pass up to take pictures of his perfect, handsome, oblivious partner. One at the park, another on the L, and one not far outside the studio.

He never means to do anything with them, but he also can't stop pulling out his phone to scroll through his slowly growing album of candid Eddie photos, even when he knows Robin is lurking about waiting to make fun of him at any moment.

Which is exactly what happens. It's their monthly Boy's Night Out where they go to the sports bar that plays women's soccer and have a pitcher of cheap beer and end the night with greasy takeout on Robin's couch. They stay up all night painting their nails, doing face masks, and talking about their partners even though it always ends up with both of them feeling weepy about how in love they are and how happy they are for each other.

It's at that point in the night that he pulls out his phone and starts scrolling through his small collection of now-familiar photos. Robin, heavily leaning into his shoulder as she is, immediately sees what he's doing and starts cooing at him and ribbing him in equal measure. Somewhere along the line, she convinces him that they need to make an account right now immediately. She insists that it should be a thirst account, but Steve is quick to shut that down. He's always become particularly stroppy when anyone besides himself lusts after his husband, even if he knows his status as a high-profile rock star means it happens every day. He insists he won't be "that guy" to which Robin rolls her eyes and calls him dramatic.

In the end, they decide on an "appreciation" account. To their surprise, the handle EyesonEddie isn't already in use and they take it as a sign that it was meant to be. They giggle as they put the whole thing together, making their first post with a simple 👀 emoji as the caption which, in the moment, feels like the funniest thing anyone has ever done.

In the morning, he wakes up sore and hungover, unable to deny that he's no longer in his 20s to find over 200 likes on his post already. He groans, waking up Robin in the process, and contemplates taking it all down. In the end, he leaves it be, content to let it all fade into obscurity on its own.

Only it doesn't.

He doesn't want to stop taking his pictures. It's fun and he likes trying to find ways to sneak them in without Eddie knowing. It's like a fun little game he plays with himself. That first picture does moderately well, but it's the comments that keep him going. It's fun, somehow, to talk to people who appreciate his husband even a fraction of the amount that he does. As jealous as he can feel when Eddie is away on tour, there's a certain joy in sharing his love for his husband in this silly little way.

So, a couple times a month he posts a picture of his husband. The most flattering, in public pictures he has and watches as the love floods in. He tries not to post too often, doesn't want anyone to think he's a stalker, and every now and then he puts one up with a comment about an "anonymous submission" which really means Robin taking pictures of Eddie and Steve at the grocery store or on the way to the studio.

It builds and builds and before he knows it he has one of the top Eddie Munson fan accounts on the internet. Robin thinks it's the funniest thing in the world, especially the first time Eddie shows him a picture he took of Eddie on the train telling him he didn't even notice his shoe was untied that day. She delights in reading the most outlandish comments in her Miss Piggy voice whenever there's downtime at the store, which is always good for a few laughs.

There's a part of him that feels a little guilty. They've struggled with invasive people in the past. People who try to get too close, take too many pictures, try to hunt down Eddie at bars after shows trying to get their taste of fame. It's not as bad as with major celebrities since the guys don't go out of their way to be public figures. No brand deals or movies or TV cameos, but they're still members of an extremely successful band with a number of die-hard fans.

He thinks it's probably going to be time to tell Eddie what he's been up to soon. Not only to squash whatever minor feelings of guilt have bloomed with the account's success but also because it's getting harder to get original pictures of Eddie the more time goes on. For a rockstar, he sure doesn't lead a predictable life.

God, Steve loves him so much.

Little does Steve know, Eddie has been well aware of who has been running the infamous EyesonEddie account since that very first post. What Steve doesn't know about that first picture is that Eddie saw him that day at the train station too. He'd looked up at the announcement, making sure it wasn't his own, and caught sight of Steve's favorite yellow knit sweater and leather messenger bag disappearing into the sea of people clamoring into the train car. He would recognize that famous head of hair from 100 yards with one eye closed.

He forgot to mention it when he got home that night, lost in the chaos of his everyday life until Gareth forwarded him that picture. He thinks about telling Steve right away, but ultimately it's funnier to watch him squirm a little bit. He flips his phone around to show Steve the candid "some stranger" look of him on the train with his shoe untied, complaining that it's pretty much the same as being caught with his pants down in public. It's fun putting his drama skills to good use, lamenting about his "uncouth appearance" with over-the-top theatrics to stop himself from laughing at the way Steve avoids his eyes and his ears turn pink while Robin tries her best not to bust out laughing.

He'll tell Steve eventually, put him out of his misery, but for now he's going to try and time this sneeze just right so Steve has to come up with a really good excuse for why he's 15 minutes late for their lunch date. He must get it right because he can see Steve curse a little from the reflection of him in the restaurant window.

God, Eddie loves him so much.

------

LMAO I was not expecting anyone to send me prompts but it was a lot of fun to bring this to life. Thanks @lumoschildextra for sending it to me 😊

As you can see I made them husbands instead of boyfriends. I just couldn't help it!

Also, not explicitly stated but Steve works with Robin at her bookstore. She opened it a couple years after she graduated. She went through a really difficult breakup after supporting her girlfriend through the last half of college and the first two years after graduation. When they broke up she felt like she's wasted years focusing on someone else's dreams. She stayed with Steve and Eddie for a while, and during that time Eddie offered to help her financially if she wanted to start building something of her own. At first, Robin refused. She didn't want to be that friend that uses their famous friend for their own gain. It became the source of their biggest argument but in the end, Eddie got her to accept the money as a loan that she could pay back, with no interest, when she started making money. She decided to open a small, specialty bookstore focusing on international literature and rare books. Steve works the cash register after three years of being a stay-at-home boyfriend/husband when Eddie started making bank since he was starting to get bored. He's mostly there to look pretty, draw in customers, and keep Robin sane.

[anemoiashifts]

ways to deal with possible tiktok withdrawals.

social media addiction is a very real thing. it’s so so important to be gentle with yourself, especially at a time like this if your screen time on tiktok isnt a number you’re proud of. I don’t say that to shame anyone, just to say “i understand” to those who may resonate & feel they could benefit from this. a digital shoulder to lean on. even if tiktok will come back, it’s good to put some healthy habits into practice anyways.

i don’t think a lot of people understand how detrimental the tiktok ban could be for some people — even if short lived. it served as a lifeline & im sorry if that’s been brushed off by anyone. this isn’t what i normally post but i did get an influx of followers recently of whom im assuming are from tiktok. thanks for making the trip over here, if you are one of those people :) !

disclaimer ! im not a mental health professional. if you are seriously struggling please please please go talk to someone who is qualified in dealing with addiction or any other issues you may be facing. wishing all of you peace in a time that feels like someone is pelting ten tennis balls at you from every direction imaginable.

────୨ৎ────

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ self care …

⋆ if your anything like me, your sleep schedule is way off. now could be a good time to try & correct it. set a time to go to bed & even if your not sleepy, try & meditate or listen to a youtube video in the background while you rest your eyes.

⋆ adapting some sort of routine even if it’s just eating enough & drinking water regularly. it’s a start & it’ll help you focus on doing something else.

⋆ most importantly be kind to yourself & give yourself grace in the moments you are struggling. it can be hard to even acknowledge that you want to develop a healthy habit or change for the better when you dislike yourself or feel hopeless. all we can do is try & that’s something most do not consider. if you did so much as just read this post, you’re doing more then most.

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚.

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ hobbies …

⋆ once you stop doomscrolling for hours on end, you’ll see how long the day really is. & there are so many things you can do to keep yourself occupied.

⋆ off the top of my head, here are some ideas on how to keep yourself busy ! : scrapbooking, coloring, sewing, jewelry making, video games, walking or running, photography, knitting, crocheting, people watching, making spotify playlists, going down youtube rabbit holes, embroidery, sculpting, poetry, learning astrology, meditation, yoga, baking or cooking, making mockups or concept art for various things.

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚.

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ read …

⋆ piggybacking off of the point above, go to your local library & get a library card ! they don’t just have books but shows & movies & dvd’s ! buy some blanks & burn em so they’re yours forever.

⋆ the site thriftedbooks has used books for cheap. ebay & in person thrift stores are good options too if new books (or shows or music) are to pricey. sometimes your library will even have sales ! i once got a beautiful looking, 1927 poetry book for $2 at one of those.

⋆ not to mention how important education is & staying informed. keeping history fresh in your mind will always do you good. get that attention span up :) ik you can do it !

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚.

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ be productive …

⋆ i know you at least have a messy closet or drawer or maybe your camera roll needs to be cleaned out. take this time to do it.

⋆ alternatively, if you keep a list of books, movies & shows to watch like me in my notes app … why not dive into one of those ?

⋆ trust me, I know it sounds like such a big hurtle sometimes to simply do the dishes but you’ll feel so much better once everything’s done. often, i feel physically lighter.

⋆ that compulsion that we do when we click on tiktok & go “oh right !! it’s banned …” then close the app & do it two more times in a row before you audible huff at yourself ? try to keep your hands busy so you’re not tempted to reach for your phone 24/7 & repeat that cycle.

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚.

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ community …

⋆ like i said, social media addiction is a real thing despite not being treated like one all the time. it’s unfortunately been normalized considering how many people are unaware they even struggle themselves. friends of mine have told me that they use tiktok to cope with things & something that serves as a distraction.

⋆ have people around you. don’t be alone as that’ll make you feel worse about yourself. even if you don’t have anyone in real life, im sure there are communities of your interest on the internet that would accept you with open arms. (like this one !) please don’t resort to online chat bots or ai tools for companionship.

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚.

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ do what makes you happy … :)

⋆ watching your comfort show for the tenth time, being in nature, trying on your entire wardrobe to discover a favorite outfit that you didn’t know existed ? do it all. everything that brings you joy, do unapologetically.

────୨ৎ────

[thefrogman]

The Happy Clippers

Why do I love product photography so much?

People have asked this from time to time. They will be confused as to why I choose to put so much effort into photographing a jar of hair gel or a soda bottle instead of something more meaningful. Or they will be impressed by the photography but their distaste for advertising in general will give them pause. Or they will complain that artists are wasting their talent helping companies market their wares.

And I understand some of that. But I fell in love with product photography mostly because I like the challenge. It requires a lot of very high level lighting techniques. It is essentially light sculpture. And it just so happens that when sculpting with light, the best subjects are those with glossy surfaces. And when learning and practicing this genre, it is super easy to just grab something you have in your house. And the glossiest and most reflective stuff tends to be... products.

Product photography is also easier for my disability. I don't have to deal with the anxiety that photographing people can sometimes cause. I don't have to go to a location. I can get up, move a light, lie back down and rest. Get up, move another light, lie back down. I don't have to do everything all at once and burn myself out.

There is also the fact that photographers can make a nice living shooting products. Artists deserve to eat. And there is nothing wrong with using your talent to that end.

But I also really like the idea of taking something mundane and ordinary and trying to make it interesting or beautiful. It takes a lot of creativity to figure out how to make a bottle of shampoo "sexy" or make a bottle of cheap wine not look so cheap.

And that is why this photo of nail clippers is one of my favorite product photos. I think it is funny because these clippers probably don't deserve to look this good.

In the future I do actually hope to take still life photos of more meaningful subjects. And I'd love to help people with small businesses get better photos of their items. There are a ton of folks who make awesome stuff on Etsy who just don't know how to capture a nice photo of their work. And I am planning an art project where I take portraits of people and their most cherished object.

But if a cosmetics company ever asks me to splash some water on a bottle of bronzer, I'm definitely going to take that paycheck.

[westonspharmacyphotodept]

Disposable Camera series, no.3: The Birthday Gift

--

Suppose that for her birthday, Ellie received a gift from somebody in Jackson. A new friend, or maybe Maria. A rare treasure from the old world - a little yellow plastic Kodak camera containing a full roll of unexposed film. As a curious and creative soul, it would be the perfect thing to take along on her birthday hike with Joel to a surprise location in the forest.

As before, we’re working with a cheap piece of hardware, designed to take functional pictures in bright sunlight, though thankfully on this occasion there’s plenty of sunshine to use. In the dark museum, we’re really gonna need the flash.

The film is degraded, and the developing facilities are not ideal. In Jackson there’s an old abandoned pharmacy (guess which one), and Eugene has managed to bring the processing machines back to life. In a warehouse not far out of town we found some leftover chemicals and other supplies (even a stack of faded red envelopes to store your prints).

We don’t know Ellie’s birth date, we only know it must be in the summer — nobody is hiking in Wyoming in a tank top outside of June, July or August. So I’ve given my best guess. Hopefully one day we find out the real date.

Once again please enjoy, and if you share please remember to credit.

(Original game photography from The Last Of Us Part II by @westonspharmacyphotodept, created with all manual post-production using no presets, templates, stock or AI).

[sirfrogsworth]

I have some guys here taking pictures of my mom's stuff. Yesterday I noticed they put a white cloth over our big kitchen light. "Oh, is that for diffusion?" I thought it was a clever hack to get softer light for their product photos. They were surprised I knew what it was for. I told them I was a photographer. I mentioned I actually had a bunch of special plastic that I use for diffusion. One mentioned he had an interest in photography and was curious about my diffusion material.

He told me about his camera and how he wished he had a better one so he could take better pictures of jewelry for his job. I didn't say anything, but his camera was fine. All modern cameras are fine. Smartphones are even fine. If he wants better pictures of jewelry and whatnot, he needs to learn about lighting. I didn't want to correct him, but I thought maybe if I showed him my lighting setup with the plastic he was interested in, that might send him on the path to better pictures.

So today I brought out my computer and showed him some examples of my product photography and my lighting setup with the diffusion plastic. But once he saw my photos his attitude changed very quickly. He acted like he suddenly lost interest. I found this really odd.

The leader of the group asked to see the pictures. He was impressed and wished his auction photos could look that good. I told him my approach would not work for the assembly line style photos he needs to do, but there was a different approach that might work. I showed him the Karl Taylor light cone.

You just put two lights on either side and take a picture through the hole in the top. You get wonderful gradient lighting with almost no effort and you could create a system to take many photos very quickly.

He was very interested and asked his friend, "Have you seen this light cone? You should also look at all of these product photos he did. They're amazing."

He was once again dismissive and uninterested. And it was then I figured out his issue.

Jealousy.

I kept trying to explain the cone and lighting to the leader and the other guy would say, "Yeah, I already knew that. I just need a better camera is all"

The leader then made me show him my photos and I already knew it was a bad idea, but I was kind of stuck. I showed him more of my product photos of bottles and jewelry and he was like, "Yeah, I could do that. That's called a "sexy bottle shot." I've done that. I just need a better camera."

He was in pain seeing my photos. I'm pretty sure he felt like I was showing him up. Asserting photo dominance. And that was never my intention. I just wanted to share what I knew. I was excited to meet another person with the same interest. But that turned into an awkward and jealous dismissiveness and he did not want to know how I got the results I was forced to show him.

And then, despite the dismissive lack of interest, he says under his breath, "What kind of camera are you using?"

After all the awkwardness, he still didn't catch on to the lesson I was trying to teach.

It is not the camera.

"I just need something to get better closeups."

I should have kept my mouth shut after that. I already knew he didn't want to listen to what I had to say. But I also felt bad that this guy was going to buy an entire new camera and lens to get the same results he is getting now. And so I was like, "Have you heard of macro extension tubes?"

"Oh yeah, I know about them."

He did not.

"You can get some of those and put them on any lens you have and get really great close up shots. Works even on a cheap $100 lens."

"Yeah, I've seen those. Not sure they're what I need. I just need a better camera."

Oof.

[medra-gonbites]

WIP Wednesday

Ok I have started way too many fictions at once and now I'm in over my head and do not know which to pursue first.

So here is the beginning of a long fiction I am working on currently (Trying to get a few chapters ready before I start posting). It is a very silly Modern Au Film set inspired by one of my Headcanon blorb.

Multi ships (Galetav, Bloodpact and Durgetash amongst others), comedy and a lot of shenanigans.

Here's the recruitment passage, inspired by every heist movie you ever saw (you son of a bitch, I'm in!)

Orin opened her eyes wide and waited for Tavita to continue her tale. Faced with the silence that followed she could not stand the suspense any longer and enquired vehemently. “And then?!” “You gotta watch the series!” Durge teased, as Gortash’s smile spread wide at his partner’s excitement. Ketheric shares a look with his two collaborators and nods quietly. “Do you already have an idea of your cast? Your target audience? Your costs?” Durge smirked. Tavita had laid the bait; they had bitten. Now it was his job to reel them in. “We have estimated 20 million gold pieces for season 1; It is for the mainstream audience although there will be mature content. We were thinking of casting Wyll Ravengard for the main role. He is up and coming and extremely talented but not hot enough yet to cost too much.” Thorm nodded enthusiastically at this choice and glanced at Gortash. “You know his agent, correct?” “Of course I do!” “Crew?” Durge grinned and placed a dossier on the table containing the resumes and filmographies of the professionals involved. “Almost all of them have been approached and agreed to participate in the project! They will provide their own assistants as well. Gale Dekarios, will be our director of photography. He is opinionated but he has proven his skills more than once. He won a silver Karsus last year for the feature “Weave is the warmest colour”. Jenevelle Hallowleaf will take care of our production design. She has an extensive knowledge of period piece set as she was responsible for “Game of Thorm” which I’m sure you know.” Thorm let out a proud puff of laughter at the mention of the critically acclaimed series, loosely based on his family line, he had produced two years back. “From the same set we have poached Astarion Ancunin for our wardrobe department. He specialized in costume drama and although he's been known to do mostly theater these days he has accepted to join our crew. He and Jenevelle work together often. Karlach Cliffgate will be our chief electrician. I believe you already know her?” “Ah Karlach! She has been doing an amazing job on Zariel’s weekly talk show; it was sad to learn she quit… Glad to hear she still works in the business.” Gortash comments looking at her picture with an amused look. Durge continued: “Last but not least Lae’zel K’lir will be our first Assistant Director. She is rigorous and professional. She has been working on several projects for the last decades but I supposed the most notable one would be Orpheus’ game show, “Squid or no Squid”. “The longest running show on channel 2?” Orin asked, clearly impressed by such dedication. “The very same!” Durge confirmed, happy to read the great impression he was making on these three executives. Thorm opened the folder and studied the resumes before him before handing it to Orin to check. As she flipped through the page she hissed at the sight of one of the involved parties. The bearded elf peeked at it and frowned. “Minthara Baenre? Surely you must reconsider.” “We know of your griefs against her and the tumultuous past she has with DTS Films,” Durge admitted, “But I can assure you she is more than qualified to do the job. And due to your… thorough blacklisting a few years back, she is extremely cheap to hire…” “We did not do such a thing!” Orin protested, ”Minthara’s temper is solely responsible for her decline in the industry!”  “And since then she has managed to keep it under control. I can vouch for her personally.” Thorm pondered, his eyes darting back and forth between the files in front of him and his colleagues at his side. He turned back to Durge and Tavita with a solemn look on his face.  Tavita held her breath for an answer she was certain would be negative.  “Could you leave us a moment? The elf politely requested, “I must consort with my associates before we reach a decision.”

No pressure tag @dr-demi-bee @marlowethebard @lewdisescariot @alpydk @auroraesmeraldarose and @emmy-dekarios-bg3 if you'd like to share what you are cooking up at the moment?

[dross-the-fish]

Thoughts on AI I was talking to some people about AI and generally I've been pretty neutral on AI as a tool. I've seen people bring up that it could be used as a good way for disabled people or people who generally aren't good at art to bring their ideas to life and honestly I'm pretty ok with that on principle. I am pretty firmly against AI being allowed to indiscriminately scrape the work of artists without their input or say so and I'm against Ai being used by the entertainment industry as a replacement for actual artists and writers. However what I really want to talk about is the use of AI as a tool, assuming it can be used ethically. I really hate the argument of "It's soulless," or "It's cheating" (used ethically it's just anther medium like photography or collages. Art is not measured by the amount of effort or the tools used. I am really tired of that take) and a particular scaremongering argument I've had directed at myself "It will replace you."

Because I do draw that's the one I get leveled at me the most. That AI will do what I do and do it better so there will be no point to me or what I make. They like to paint artists vs AI as John Henry vs The Machine and I just do not care for it. I think it's reductive to art and to artists to frame the value of art as a matter of effort vs quality of product. AI cannot make what I make because it's not me. It won't create my characters, it can only output what it's fed. The work it creates may be of better quality, more complex in texture and composition, more precise or more detailed but it can never build my characters because it doesn't know my characters like I do. I got curious and tried to use an AI image generator to see if I could make art with it and I could not. I have no idea how to input the fucking prompts in a way that makes something worth looking at and I lost the motivation to learn how to do so very quickly. As a creative outlet there was something so joyless about it. I felt like I was doing paperwork or coding and that's the shit I regularly get paid to do at my soul killing day job. I don't want to do it for fun. Also the intimacy was gone? I didn't feel like I was spending time with my creation and there was no sense of bringing something to life. None of the pleasure of watching a face take shape line by line and filling in the details until my character was looking back at me, imperfect due to the limitations of my skills but still fully realized and in some strange way "alive". Working with an AI generator felt so tedious. Even if I could learn how to use this tool and do it properly so that I get "better" looking results I don't want to. I feel so disconnected from the end product that I can't envision it ever bringing me any kind of fulfillment to make use of this tool. But I think, again, assuming it can be used ethically, as just another tool for making art it deserves to exist and be accessible to people who might enjoy using it to be creative. It's not the process or the software that's the issue, it's the way it's being abused and no amount of people trying to scare me with "AI could do it better than you" is going to frighten me away from preferring to draw by hand.

The point of art is not to be good, it's to create, it's to make something and to bring ideas to life. As much as I have my criticisms about AI I feel like a lot of the language used to condemn it presents a narrow view of what makes art "worthy" and it sets a goal post where none should exist.

Everyone should be allowed to create, and they should have access to whatever tools they are comfortable using and when we talk about AI vs Artists we should focus less on the quality and ease of use and more on the dilemma of using other people's work without consent and the potential for mass production of cheap and lazy products for profit from the entertainment industry at the expense of employing writers and artists.

[daz3dforbeginners]

DAZ for Beginners Advice.

A Basic intro

Thought I'd write a little list of things I wish I'd known about daz3D, which for me, are essential.

1, Learning Daz3D to be able to work with characters will require focusing on tutorials and lots of practise. It's all about getting your feet wet, almost drowning, then eventually realising you can float.

Stick to sitting thru a dozen or so tutorials.Just to reinforce the basics of the viewport, which is the biggest hurdle when learning Daz.

Try to always use it whenever you have free time.

Learn to understand the basics of the viewport, as well as accessing whatever assets you require.

Poke Smart Library, learn the library structure, then you can shape it to your specific needs.

Keeping it organised in a way which works for you.

Doing this will reduce the usual frustration connected to learning something new.

Oh yea, also! The trick to learning something you just want to be able to do without actually learning it! The key for me is:

2. Learn some, play some, learn some, play some. That's the best way to do it. See the first few months as time to enjoy learning the new tool (Daz3d), after all, that's what it is.

Once you feel comfortable then wander a little more into it.

Start to focus identifying the many different aspects involved in creating great art with Daz3d. There's the geometry side, textures, materials, skin on characters as opposed to objects, lighting, posing, composition, populating the environment with props which look realistic.

Adding realism to poses, expressions etc.

You don't have to know EVERYTHING about Daz to be able to create something you'll feel proud of. But, when you see what other people are capable of, hopefully it will inspire you to push yourself.

3. Don't just collect assets for the sake of it.

I'd suggest working with base models. Maybe buy some cheap characters to start off with. DON'T buy lots of characters you like the look of. They're usually just morphed geometry, with some cheap skin. Try and control the size of your library to speed up your workflow. Mess with base models. Learning how to tweak their physicality.

Also, you have to appreciate Daz3D eats storage space like it's at an all you can eat buffet.

Learn how to store the library (where all assets are kept) on a separate SSD drive.

Go for one with plenty of storage space and connect it to the fastest port etc.

There are a lot of products out there for you to use "sliders" to make subtle or more significant changes to the body shape of a character. But try not to clutter yourself with products.

Remember what it is you actually want to do.

4. Composition/structure is key.

Learn this by looking at the art you like, then writing a list of what you like about it.

When starting out, it's hard to articulate the many different variables related to 3d art.

So learn some stuff about 3d modelling, art, composition, photography etc. The more you learn, the easier it will become for you to understand the what and why, then you develop the how.

I'd suggest reading short pieces about photography, as Daz is all about capturing the image with one or multiple cameras.

These are designed to behave like real ones.

So yeah, read about photography when you can.

5. I'd definitely say to watch the first dozen or so official Daz tutorials, then re-watch them. If Daz feels like it's doing something wrong, it's because you don't understand it yet.

Don't get angry though, at least your getting your hands dirty. Just Google the issue and you'll find someone else had the same issue.

6. Don't restrict yourself.

Don't just use Daz3D, learn Blender too. Then learn Gimp after that. Stuff Photoshop, no one should pay premium to use it, it's 2024, not 1992.

7. Make stuff you want to make (legal only of course!)

Try not to please others, or guage your skills from feedback. The internet is massively restrictive these days when it comes to growing an organic fanbase. So stick to your art, like Van Gogh and all those others. Make it about your message, not someone else's!

8. Walk away from it for a bit.

Don't burn yourself out (which I did recently). I was doing 12 hour shifts learning how to use it until I realised I lost all love for what I wanted to do. See it as an extension of your creative needs. A tool which offers so much to those who apply themselves to learn it.

9. You only have to know as much as you need to know.

What I mean is, if you're happy with what you make and feel you have the skills down to make it.

Then bravo, you just learned something new, which is always good for the brain.

Of course, you could then go on to learn more. It's all up to you.

[etherarts1]

For those seeking product photography Miami, FL, we provide an extensive range of options beyond basic product photos against a white background, including lifestyle and action shots that showcase the product's appearance and functionality in use. EtherArts offer High quality product photos at affordable prices. Our photography pricing is lowest in Miami with highest resolution.

[the-ghost-king]

I know ur not gonna watch the show but I would b so into hearing ur takes on it, it's just not hitting for me rn

from what bits and pieces i've seen posted on here i would say that the cinematography seems really nice, most recent disney shows seem to have a very casual "content" style of filming. i don't know how else to explain it other than the current productions even in their filming are designed just to push more media out rather than a love for film and photography as an art form, and i think the pjo tv show from the screencaps and commercials/trailers i have seen seems to balance this nicely. disney is inevitably going to want to push out content as that is how they profit, but the camera angles and the camera details (Percy doing fortnite dances, very funny, but also very well shot! Medusa's veil, very clever and I like the "coy" way the camera plays with the viewer seeing her eyes in those gifs) have an intention and care into them that other recent disney tv shows geared towards the same age group just don't seem to have. i will say that's nice!

the only negative thing i have to say from what i've seen in the gifs and screencaps is that camp looks very... cheap... there are some cool details i seen someone make a post pointing out Percy's seaweed lamp (very cool! i like the fish skeletons I seen hanging too!) but the campers running around in the background do not have the same level of attention given. of course they are background characters and they're definitely not given full styling teams or proper wardrobe, but it is so bad imo to the point where it has become distracting to me in the background a few times on those clips, i can't imagine trying to watch the show and seeing all these background characters running around looking disconnected from the main cast by the lack of attention to their wardrobe. it's not that it's inherently wrong or anything, there are budgets shows have to stick to and cutting background characters is usually one of the first places shows cut, so maybe i should just be thankful all the kids aren't poorly done cgi but at the same time seeing Percy or Annabeth's chb shirts be very well tailored to them as individuals and then seeing the exact opposite in the background characters is just ??? to me. i don't know if it's a problem anyone else has but i tend to just pin point weird details like that.

i know they have changed some of the details of the plot and such, i can't comment much on that as i haven't actually watched any of those episodes. i hope it doesn't have any significant ripple effects down the line in terms of them having to skip entire bits of development in characters or plot because they felt something wasn't important 3 seasons ago and then they have to go "oh shit wait we needed that obscure bit" but who can say we are no where near that point.

my favorite bit of anything and everything to come out of the show though is the god awful horribly incorrect predictions people are having, people crushing on Luke, and people hoping for Percy as if he isn't the main character. if i was a more chaos driven person i would be frothing at the mouth for people's behavior in later seasons where there's a wider cast and stakes are higher and outcomes are more unknown. do i want the 2014 pjo/hoo drama rehashed? no absolutely not that sucked we should never do that again. do i want to sit back with a snack and watch other people rehash the same points and start the same fights 10 years later simply because it would be a mess? someone find me an original persassy post and sign me up. (it's like when you've worked in retail and then you're out in public and another customer is being awful and you're having flashbacks but also your nosey so you keep watching and you only intervene if it gets excessive... someone here has to understand that comparison....)

honestly i can't say too much about the actual show itself i haven't seen it, i've just seen bits and pieces of what (mostly mutuals) have posted or shared. i stand behind the fact i'm not really interested in fandoms with tv shows in the same way i am towards book fandoms and that i won't be watching the show; but i am open to staying neutral on things if people want to reach out just for someone to share thoughts with as if i am not even watching it i won't have strong opinions on most things, if any.

i know there have been more episodes dropped since you sent this so hopefully some of your tv show wants are happening, nonnie <3

[evil-robot-cat]

Can I ask where you got those cute chibis? The Sidon link and Zelda.

Yes, you're welcome to ask! I have some good news, some medium news, and some bad news.

The good news is, Link and Zelda are Nendoroids, made by Good Smile Company! They're highly articulated figures with limbs that come apart and can be posed.

The medium news is, Nendoroids are only in production for a limited time, and both Link and Zelda had their run a few years ago. They tend to go for around $150-200 each. Link was rereleased when Zelda came out, and they might do that again after TotK is out, but there's no way to know for sure.

(You can find cheap bootlegs of Link, but the quality is very poor. I won't tell you not to do it, but if you do it, start a piggy bank to save up for the real thing later on. 😉)

The bad news is, Sidon is my custom creation. I took body parts of several different Nendoroids and carved, sculpted, sanded, and painted them to resemble Sidon. It took over a year to finish, and cost - um, well, it's best not to mention what it cost. 😅

I can't make another Sidon (even had to tell his VA no, and that broke my heart!), but if you're willing to tackle a big project, I can show you everything I used and everything I did to make mine, and offer all the tips and advice and encouragement you could ask for.

Since I've been treating my Tumblr like a Sidon fancam, after I post this I'll self-reblog a few of the posts I made during and after his creation. You can scroll through and see the photos and steps.

ALL THAT SAID, I am open to suggestions for scenes to take photos of my little Sidon (especially if it's sidlink-flavored 💖). I can't promise anything - their poses and my props and photography skills are limited. But I can always do my best. ^_~

[eclipse89]

Where do you think is a good place in terms of equipment to start astrophotography? It feels like an ocean of info that doesn't make sense to a newbie

as someone that went through the same overwhelming amount of info and products, the main choice you have to make is what you intend to do- the questions i would try to answer are these:

1. do you want to do visual observation in addition to astrophotography?

2. do you want to be able to do regular photography, in addition to astro (assuming you don't already have a camera)

3. what type of astrophotography do you want to do? i.e. lunar, planetary, widefield/milky way, nebulae, galaxies, etc

4. whether or not you care about future-proofing, buying (relatively) higher end equipment now vs buying cheap or used and upgrading as you go

there's not a ton of advice i can give you on specific equipment/products unless you know what you want to do, if you elaborate further on that i can probably help more !

(also if you just want more general info on the terms and specs and such i can help with that too)

[thefrogman]

Hey Froggie! I need to take better product photos indoors. I have a decent camera, and great success shooting outside, but I really hate being at the whims of the weather when I need pics of new items. Most of what I shoot is small (under 1 foot long, often 6” or less), and I’m setting up small staging areas with little props for them. I have a couple tabletop lights with tracing paper covers to diffuse them a bit, but I struggle getting enough light. If I only have space and budget for one big floor light, is there a model or brand you’d recommend looking at for maximum lighting returns?

I've been struggling with some health issues and don't have a lot of energy. But I did want to give you a few quick suggestions and hopefully if I feel better in the future I can answer more in depth. I've been wanting to make a post about this with cheap lights and basic equipment and shooting my own examples, but the energy has eluded me.

Without a budget it's hard to give a recommendation for new lights, but COB (chip on board) video lights can be found for around $100-150 these days. I would say 2 of those with a "bowens mount" would be able to do just about any product photography with no trouble. The bowens mount allows you to apply photography grade reflectors, diffusors, soft boxes, etc. Neewer is a budget brand that makes surprisingly sturdy equipment. It's an investment, but you will find working with proper lights will make things a lot easier.

That said, I have used ordinary desk lamps with great success. Better lights are easier to work with and much more convenient, but light is light. I was just playing around with my mom's red stapler that she liked because it was red and didn't realize it was from Office Space.

I used desk lamps, diffusion material, and also... a smartphone. And while it was a bit of a pain in the ass compared to my old studio setup, I was really surprised with the results.

I do miss my studio though.

But I'm hoping to rebuild it soon.

My point being... having better lights isn't always necessary and you may find it does not improve your situation much without changing a few other important things.

First, if you shoot with a tripod you can increase your shutter speed and even if the lights aren't very bright, they can still work. You just need to be sure you are in a very dark environment and the lights for your photos are the only ones affecting the exposure. You don't want light from a window or overhead light mucking things up.

But I think your biggest issue is how you are using diffusion. Tracing paper is actually great inexpensive diffusion, especially for gradient lighting. (Savage Translum or Lee Filters 216 white diffusion would be the professional equivalent). But by attaching it directly to the light you are limiting your options greatly. I would create tracing paper panels that you can move closer and farther away from your lights. Just create some kind of DIY frame so you can stand them up vertical and move them around your lights. Or you can just hold the diffusion in front of the light if you need to. Make the panels as big as your space allows.

By seperating the diffusion from the lights you can play with moving things closer and farther apart. Move the light closer for a harder light source. Move the tracing paper panels closer to your subject for a larger light source. The permutations are endless and a lot of fun to experiment with.

Just remember...

Bigger light source = soft light Small light source = hard light Light close to tracing paper = short gradient Light far from tracing paper = long gradient

When using the tracing paper, remember the surface area of the paper is your light source, not your actual light. So the closer you move that surface to your subject, the bigger and softer the light becomes.

So to summarize, make your room really dark, put the camera on a tripod, get the tracing paper off the lights and see what you can come up with.

Also, here is a Karl Taylor video where he uses only desk lamps to do a high end wine bottle photo. His "scrims" or diffusion panels are huge and you can build your own much smaller. They only need to be that big if you start taking photos of bigger stuff.

And this is his video on diffusion material which might be helpful too.