Announcing a Winner!

Congratulations Amanda Perry!

You have won a Full Event pass to Phoenix Comicon 2016!!

This pass will get you in all 4 days.

It appears that many of you want to see photos from Phoenix Comicon.
Here are links to my previous con photos:
Phoenix Comicon 2015
Phoenix Comicon 2014

Phoenix Comicon 2014 was AWESOME!!!!

This year was my second time attending Phoenix Comicon, and my first time as an official volunteer photographer or Contog. I was able to attend all 4 days and I had a blast. Here are some of my favorites!

Ace Ventura

John Barrowman (Doctor Who and Torchwood) signing autographs

Random man enjoying a comic book in the exhibitor hall.

Doctor Who Cosplayers

Duct tape costume contest Wookiee. (Yes, I had to look that up to see if I was spelling it right)

Disturbing dark figure on the escalator.

Hipster Ariel

Iron Man / Tony Stark

Jayne and Kaylee from Firefly

Moon Mermaid, her friend the Kraken, and an unfortunate pirate.

Lego Build-Off contestant

Superman and Deadpool battle with lightsabers.

Mermaid lounging at the outdoor lagoon.

Ninjas resting in the lobby at the Hyatt.

Michael Blaney and his new card game.

Guests planning their day.

Samara, coming out of the TV (The Ring).

Joe Holt explaining what a Nerf-Herder really is.

Walking Dead, Michonne cosplay with her slave zombies.

I can't wait until next year! If you want to see more Comicon awesomeness, go to Phoenix Comicon Flickr. There you will find more of my photos, as well as those of my other Contog friends. 

Ghosting on Halloween

I would first like to state that this project is best suited for those who can sit still for a long exposure. Let me share some of my more successful attempts at this strategy before going into the tutorial.

This image of the water spirit was my first attempt at "Ghosting" back in 2011. It took a couple tries, but luckily my parents were good sports.

 On Valentine's Day this year, I drove down to Tombstone for an assignment and met some very agreeable patrons who willingly posed at the Birdcage Theater and Doc Holliday's Saloon.

I needed one more so I called a friend and put her in a costume that my brother altered for a previous event and took her out to the desert to pose as a frontier woman. 

Just this morning I got the great idea to attempt "Ghosting" my kids in their costumes out on the road. 

The technique is not too hard. Like I said though, it takes a model who can hold a pose for a few seconds.

What you need:

SLR or DSLR Camera  set to manual mode

Tripod

1-2 constant light sources

1 strobe

dark or dim lit location

Here is the diagram I made using an online Diagram Creator

These are suggested camera settings. Feel free to bracket them as you see fit. The lights can be moved around as well. This is just how I set them up this evening. 

I set the shutter speed to 30 seconds with the aperture at f/8 and ISO100.

With the shutter being open that long, it is imperative to have a tripod so your background stays sharp. 

The constant lights will be on the whole time aiding in the exposure of the image. 

Now here is the trick for the treat.

Have your model pose at the desired distance from the camera. Press the shutter release button on your camera. If you have your strobe synced to your camera, that works great; if not, fire your manual strobe quickly after pressing the shutter release. 

Count to 3

Have your model hastily move out of the frame until the shutter closes. 

This will take a few tries, but in the end, it is a fun effect. 

I would love to see the images you create with the "Ghosting" effect!

I hope you all had a safe and fun Halloween.