Oh Wow, More Links!

I was checking out my stats again today, and found this post which links to several of my shots! I'm really not sure who posted it, but I wanted to thank them for thinking so highly of my photography! I'm not really sure that I would label most of my included shots as really creative, but thank you chethstudios.com for thinking so!

If you have a chance, check that list out - there are some really amazing shots on it from Flickr

New Gallery: Lego Vikings!

I was really excited that my two new Lego Vikings came in the mail today, so to celebrate I decided to make a Lego Vikings gallery! I found some of the best shots on Flickr of Lego Vikings (which of course includes my all-time favourite, "Vikings on a cold nightwatch" by legofenris (included here). I also found some other fantastic shots, so please be sure to take a look!

Another Entry to the Friends of the Sleeping Giant Photo Contest

Back in the summer, I went to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park to see Joe Creek Falls, the picture I submitted to their photo contest last year which won third place in scenery. While there, I went with my parents to Middlebrun Bay, then we stopped at the Silver Islet Cemetary. We found two graves side by side with my parents' first initials scratched into them. My mom thought it would be great to pose by them. I took her picture first.

Then I got my dad to pose. He came up with the idea to put coins in his eyes. What resulted was an extremely creepy picture:

I decided then that I wanted to submit this pic to the photo contest this year. I finally remembered to ask my dad to help me edit it (I post almost everything straight out of my camera and only edit things in rare circumstances using picnik. My dad's the expert on photo-editing in our house, as he's the one with the programs for it). The picture is now cropped, a bit darker, and renamed (I don't remember why I originally called it "Still Life," but I renamed it "Pay the Ferryman" for the contest).
I honestly have no idea what the judges will think of it! It's a pretty unique shot, most likely different from most of their other entries. But it's extremely creepy! So wish me luck! I won't know anything until the spring or summer of 2011.

Just Discovered: Someone Blogged One of My Photos!

I was checking out my Flickr stats and found that a blog called Nippyfish: A Betta Blog had directed traffic to my photostream. When I followed the link to the site, I found my favourite pic of my betta, Ichabod, as the pic for the blog's post (attributed to and linked to me). I've seen my photos on another blog (The Brothers Brick), but that one displays the most recent pictures from the Flickr Lego group (so my pics show up there when they're first posted into that group). This is the first time I've seen a blog post that used one of my pics (other than the ones here). Thanks Nippyfish!


New Betta :D, taken January 16, 2010.

Here be Spartans!

Awhile ago, I was playing Halo 3 with a friend of mine. We were having a 2 vs 2 battle on Citadel. After the fact I took a couple of screenshots from the battle, including this one which I named "Red vs Blue" (it appears on my Bungie.net profile and in my file share under that same name). I thought it turned out extremely well and have been quite proud of this shot since I took it (it's one of my favourites).

A few weeks ago, I came up with the idea to try recreating it with Lego minifigs. This meant that I had to buy some more Spartan armour from Brick Forge, but that was okay with me (I've had my red Spartan for awhile now, but without other Spartans, it seemed a bit hard to come up with good picture ideas).

Besides the Spartans, I needed a few other things. First was the guns used in this shot. For the red spartan, I ended up using an assault rifle which I also acquired around the time I bought the new Spartans. For the Brute Shot, I ended up going with the Mega Bloks Brute Shot from one of their Covenant battle packs (I really don't like the Meha Bloks, but the Grunt looks kind of cool, and hilariously the weapons fit in my minifigs' hands).

But the bigger problem was what to use for the bubble shield. After thinking about it for quite awhile, I hit on what I thought was the perfect solution: gold cellophane (basket wrap). The first problem with that was finding gold. Eventually I found some yellow, which I thought would work. But then I ran into a lot of problems trying to take the actual picture. The cellophane reflects light and colours back, so I had a hard time getting a good shot of the blue spartan. Originally I put a piece of cellophane between the two spartans, but nothing looked right. Eventually I hit on the idea to cut a few holes in the cellophane and have the blue spartan coming through the bubble shield, which is what's happening in the original. Once I came up with that idea, everything was a lot easier, although it still took several shots before I got something I was happy with.

All in all, this shot took a lot longer to take than I planned. It took at least 1.5 hours, during which I took over 60 different shots trying to make it look just right. I realize that the Spartans aren't really lit like I wanted them to be (it was extremely hard to light them with the cellophane and with the light in the background) and I know that the bubble shield colour is wrong (bubble shields are usually gold, but in the original it looks silver). But overall I think it turned out alright.

This pic appears on my Flickr Photostream.

New Gallery: Lego Halo

It's been awhile since I made a new gallery. After finally posting pics of my three new Spartans, I decided to make a Lego Halo gallery. There are some really awesome Lego creations present on Flickr which are well worth checking out. As per my usual gallery building rules, I used only one picture per photographer. Some of the images were really hard to choose between (I accidentally had several shots from both Vengeance of Lego and mondayn00dle before finishing), but in the end I made a gallery that I think really showcases the Lego Halo creators of Flickr.

An Exciting Update

I know it's been awhile since I've posted here. School's been rather hectic and I haven't had a lot of time for photography. But over the last few weeks, I've had a few exciting things happen!

First of all, last year I found out the my picture, Giant Sunrise, was getting published. I finally received my copies of the book! Unfortunately, Giant Sunrise was published in black and white, so it doesn't look quite as good as the original, but I'm still extremely pleased. It appears in the book Creating Meaning: Reading and Writing for the Canadian Classroom.

The second exciting thing that happened is much more recent. Sometime over the last day I sold a print on Red Bubble! The print was for Wizard on Water (you may remember it from my post about the Cascades from early May). Thank you to whomever bought the print - you really made my day! :)

Back to Legos!

Lion Tamer
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris

After a bit of a hiatus from Lego pics, I am back! I went to Walmart the other day and stumbled upon the Collectible Minifigures from Series 2! After two trips to Walmart, I managed to get a hold of all the minifigs I wanted (and a few I didn't, but that's ok! I can use the surfer and lifeguard for some Paradisa pics!)

So for the next little bit, I'll be taking pics of those, like this shot of the Lion Tamer (I just love his expression!) I even started a new Set called The Faces of Lego in which I'm going to take some closeup shots of minifigs and non minifigs. So stay tuned for more!

Blueberry!

Blueberry!
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris

I went to Kakabeka yesterday. While taking some pictures of the Falls, I wandered into the gift shop and found this hilarious looking bear. I had to have him, so I bought him and took a few pics of him by the Falls. I was supposed to put in a secret code on a website to get his name, but I'd already decided on the name of "Blueberry." (I went onto the site and it told me his name is Owen. I still like "Blueberry" better, so I'm going t stick with that).

Blueberry has his own set on Flickr!

Alice

I have never been a big fan of Lewis Carroll's Alice story. I remember watching the Disney movie years ago and thought it was just alright. I also read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in Children's Literature a few years ago. I thought the story was entertaining, but again have never been a really big fan. So I wasn't sure what I would think of Alice, the made-for-tv movie I borrowed from the library. The cover caught my eye one day at work, so I put it on hold. When I finally got to pick it up, a friend who was working told me it was really good, and that is was kind of like Tin Man. So then I was a bit intrigued, but also a bit worried (I love the first part of Tin Man, but later episodes get a bit weaker). Little did I realize I had nothing to fear: Alice was fantastic!

While it seemed a bit daunting, being three hours long, that time just flew by! I'd like to say the Wonderland portrayed in Alice was enchanting, keeping me captivated, but that would be a lie. This Wonderland is a dark place, especially for people of our world trapped there. I think that makes this version a whole lot more grown up, much like Tin Man. And in many ways Alice reminds me of D.G. But where D.G. sort of loses her spunk by the end of Tin Man, Alice remains independant and awesome right to the end.

Alice is also backed by a really cute Hatter, played by Andrew Lee Potts. I thought Potts was awesome, especially since he looked to be of a similar age to Alice (confession time: I watched Disney's Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp a few weeks back and it was really creepy watching him hit on someone who seemed waaaaay younger. Wasn't a fan of the movie in general, but that creepiness really didn't help).

After watching Alice, I did feel enchanted by the story. So much so that I'm planning on adding it to my video collection. It was a fantastic, adult look at Wonderland, and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys fairy tales, and to everyone who just likes a good story. Enjoy!

Mr. Freeze on a Pteranodon

Mr. Freeze on a Pteranodon
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris

I'm so excited - today my Custom Mr. Freeze came in!!!! Today was actually a great day - Mr. Freeze, my Pteranodon and my Stormtroopers all came in! :) The Pteranodon is for an unrelated picture project, but I thought this was a fitting first shot with Mr. Freeze!

1st Flickr Group!

Today I didn't feel like taking pictures of Lego, but I still wanted to take a picture of something. Having missed the sunset, I wasn't really sure what I was going to do. But while straightening up my room I noticed my two Starcraft action figures (the Terran Marine and the Zerg Hydralisk) and I decided to go take a couple of pictures of them.

Back on Flickr, I went looking for a group to post these pictures on. But I didn't really like most of the groups as they were full of game screenshots and artwork (most of which is from Blizzard). So I decided to start my own group, which I have named Starcraft Toys. I have never run a group before, so this is going to be an experience (especially since there aren't a whole lot of people taking pictures of Starcraft related toys).

Red Bubble Site

After a lot of deliberation, I decided to sign up on Red Bubble! Red Bubble is a portfolio where I will be showcasing some of my photos. On Red Bubble, I am going to be featuring what I believe is my best work, both nature and Lego photos. If you are interested in buying a print, or would just like to check out what I consider to be my best, please visit me there!

Six New Galleries

I just realized that I haven't blogged about the last six galleries I've made on Flickr. So I'm going to remedy that now with a run through of all six.

The first one that I made was Crystal King. As the name implies, it features shots of the Lego Power Miners Crystal King. The gallery was made in honour of me getting my own Crystal King. Unfortunately there aren't very many pictures of the Crystal King on Flickr, so like my Stormtroopers! gallery, this one features multiple pictures by the same photographers.

The next gallery I decided to make was my Flower Macros gallery. The name pretty much explains the gallery; it is full of close-up flower pictures. All of the pictures were chosen from my Favourites on Flickr. Of all the galleries that I have made so far, this is my favourite. All of the pictures were chosen from different photographers.

While building Flower Macros, I discovered that I had a lot of insect pictures in my Flickr Favourites. That prompted me to build The Insect World. The Insect World features macro pictures of insects and is really quite interesting. Like the Crystal King gallery, The Insect World again has multiple photos from the same photographers.

If you've looked at The Insect World, you may have noticed that butterflies are missing from it (with the exception of the Luna Moth, which is kind of like a butterfly). Instead of including butterfly pictures there, I built a completely separate gallery entitled Butterflies! Butterflies! features both butterflies and moths, and again is chosen from my Favourites from all different photographers, mostly because these photographers have excellent photos of different insects.

The fifth gallery I made is called The Life Aquatic. It is a fun look at some of the amazing aquatic animals here on earth. I started building it from my Favourites but had to go looking for other pictures as well. The Life Aquatic features pictures of eighteen different animals taken by eighteen different photographers.

The final gallery, Rocks in the Water, was made today. I had just added a new picture of rocks in the water to my Favourites when I decided to look and see if I had enough pictures to make a Gallery. Sure enough I did, so I put those pictures together into the fifteenth gallery I have made on Flickr. Like most of my galleries all of the pictures featured in it were taken by different photographers.

I hope you enjoy all of these pictures as much as I do!

First Camping Weekend of the Year!

Reflection in the Water
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris

Last night I got back from my first camping weekend of the year! I had a lot of fun, fitting in lots of fishing, some swimming and even some biking. I posted 18 pictures onto Flickr, including Reflection in the Water (featured here). Hilariously, I brought a ton of Lego with me, but I didn't take a single shot with them! (I forgot a few figs I needed, plus the beach was absent due to the water being so high, which meant I couldn't take a few pics I've been itching to try!)

Minifigs!!!!

Spawn
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris

I really wish I could take credit for these guys but I can't. It all started a few weeks ago when I found custom Lego Masters of the Universe figures on Amazon. You could buy Skeletor and He-Man together. He-Man looked alright, but I really liked Skeletor. I lamented the fact that they were super expensive, then got the idea to make my own. I started shopping around for the pieces (I have the right blue torso for Skeletor, as well as a face and some hair for He-Man). But then I looked on Ebay and found a Skeletor that looked even better than the one on Amazon!

I was determined to buy Skeletor, and while looking through all of the custom figures sold by one guy, I found Spawn, whom I purchased at the same time as Skeletor, and the Lizard. I wasn't going to purchase the Lizard, but my brother talked me into it because he's so cool! Then when I went back to purchase him, I found Thor, whom I fell in love with! So I ended up buying all four minifigs in one night! They finally arrived today, and I was super excited, taking them all outside for some great shots. They're all just as awesome as I thought they'd be!!!!

I'm looking forward to a few more minifigs coming soon - I found a He-Man I liked (I decided it would be cheaper to get him than to make him as some of the skin coloured legs and stuff were expensive), and I have a Mr. Freeze on the way, too!

Sideways and Tootsie

After putting these movies off for awhile, I finally sat down and watched them! I started with Sideways, a comedy about two guys who go off on a wine tasting adventure during the week before one of them gets married. When the movie first started, I wasn't sure what to think of it. Here are two guys whom I didn't really like much. One stole money from his mother while visiting her for her birthday. The other was determined to sleep around as much as he could before getting married. But after the movie got going, I really started to like it. There were some really funny moments, and some things I did not see coming. I began to sympathize with the one character (Paul Giamatti's Miles), and while I never got over his sleaziness, Thomas Haden Church's Jack was hilarious! I'm not sure what I think about the ending, but I really enjoyed Sideways overall.

Tootsie was also pretty good. Dustin Hoffman plays Michael Dorsey, an actor who cannot find work so he takes a job as an actress. His career as Dorothy Michaels takes off and he finds himself attracting the attention of several men. He also finds himself falling in love with Julie, another actress who works on the same show as Dorothy. Hilarity ensues as Michael tries to show Julie he loves her while fending off the unwanted advances from a male co-star and Julie's father.

So I have now seen all five movies that Gotham Writers' Workshop's Writing Movies book deals with. I'd like to re-watch The Shawshank Redemption and probably Die Hard) but even if I don't get to them right away I'll be able to get caught up reading the book (I'm about three chapters behind right now)!

Screenwriting!

This summer, I am taking a screenwriting course from Gotham Writers' Workshop. I have just finished up the third week of ten and I'm really enjoying it. I've got the beginnings of a screen play coming together and I like learning about an area of writing which I have never dealt with.

To help with the course, I purchased Gotham's book Writing Movies: the Practical Guide to Creating Stellar Screenplays. Writing Movies deals mainly with five movies: Die Hard, the Shawshank Redemption, Thelma and Louise, Tootsie and Sideways. I've seen the first two movies in the past, but had never seen the latter three. I watched Thelma and Louise on Saturday, but have put off watching Tootsie and Sideways for the last week. So tonight, with nothing to do tomorrow afternoon, I'm going to watch both of them!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!

Crystal King
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris

I got a Power Miners Crystal King for my birthday!!!!! This weekend has been a lot of fun - I hung out with friends and family and just generally had a great time. Thanks everyone!!!!!

The Lives of Lego

I haven't made a gallery on Flickr since February's A World of Crystal, so while I was relaxing this afternoon I decided to make one in honour of all the Lego photographs I admire. As I am a fan of fun pictures with Minifigs, The Lives of Lego was born; this galery features fun pictures of minifigs going about their crazy lives. With only 18 spaces, I unfortunately couldn't include all of my favourite shots, but I did include all of my favourite Lego photographers. Like most of my galleries, all 18 shots are taken by different photographers, providing a showcase of everyone's great Lego ideas.

Legos at the Cascades!

Wizard on Water
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris

I went for a hike with my friend to the Cascades today and brought some Lego minifigs along. I ended up just posing the Knights I brought with me and ended up with some great shots. I was also really lucky that I didn't lose anything as the rapids were roaring (this shot of Majisto for example had him balancing practically in the water at the top of a section of rapids. My friend placed the rock for him to stand on. I thought for sure I was going to lose him!)

As I was packing everything up, I decided I am definitely going to bring some pirates next time I come! I think they'll look great with these backgrounds as well. And if it's nice enough to go swimming, I can bring a ship, too....

Duluth Trip with (Amazingly!) No Pics!

I've been saying for awhile now that I wanted to get away, even if it was just for a night. This past weekend I finally got my wish: I went to Duluth for the night! The trip was a lot of fun - my brother and I met up with my parents and we all celebrated Mother's Day together out of town. Surprisingly though, I didn't take a single picture while I was away! I had my camera with me, but I had no desire to stop and take any pics! Oh well. It was still nice to get away, and it was kind of nice not worrying about anything!

First Pics with My Space Police Officer!

Flagged Down by the Spyrius Scout
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris

Today I finally took some shots with my Lego Space Police Officer whom I've named Officer Geoff Dodge. The shots with the Spyruis Scout and the Dragon Masters would've been better with snow (both groups were robbed in the snow), but I think they still turned out well. I still have the Blessed Easter Peep, so it was fitting to get a pic with it, too. I'm sure there will be plenty of other shots with Officer Dodge in the future, esecially if Gary and Mr. Hardcore keep up their shenanigans!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from the Blessed Peep!
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris

Hope everyone has had a great Easter! After an excellent dinner, I came home and took a few pics. I started out with the Blessed Peep pic (my grandmother had peeps blessed at church in her Easter basket) but then I had the idea for a few more Snowtrooper pics. Enjoy!

Skunk Cabbage!

In the Moss
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris

Today my dad and I went on an adventure to take pictures of Skunk Cabbage. This used to be my dad and grandfather's yearly spring tradition, but they haven't gone in a number of years. We went to the same swamp that they used to go to, and low and behold, the skunk cabbage are still growing there! It took us a little bit at first, but we found them poking up out of the underbrush. The first few were green, but we found the ones with red leaves, too. We're planning on going back in about a week, at which time they should be flowering!

While wandering around the swamp, I found a few areas that will make some great Lego pictures! So when I head back in a week, I'm going to take some minifigs with me!

I'm also going to need some rubber boots for next time. I wore my winter boots, which were fine because the ground is still firm. But in a week it might be a lot wetter!

Betta Died

Ichabod died today! :( I'm really not sure what happened. :(

Saucer Scout Update

Unfortunately, right after my last post about the Saucer Scout Hijack, the snow melted. So it looks like I'm going to be moving onto other Lego stories and pictures due to the lack of snow. I might be able to finish it off without the snow, but I'm not holding my breath. So look forward to new stories with new characters. And don't worry, you'll still be seeing Mr. Hardcore and Gary around!

Photo Contest Update

I just checked the Friends website and the 2009 Photo Winners are there! So please check out Joe Creek Falls and the other contest winners!

A Few More Pics for the Story

We Are Not on Hoth Anymore
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris

On Monday, I went out and took a few more shots to add to my ongoing story about the Snowtroopers hijacking the Spyrius saucer. The four new pictures were not uploaded in order, so I have now added a line in the summary of all seven shots that says which part of the story is which.

I'm hoping to wrap it up soon, especially since the snow is melting! And since I've bought some new Lego minifigs, like Indiana Jones and my Space Police guy, I'd love to start something new. I also have an idea for a shot featuring these two once the saucer is out of the picture.

Third Place!!!!

Joe Creek Falls
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris

I was out all day, so I just got my mail a few minutes ago - I won third place in the scenery category of the Friends of the Sleeping Giant 2009 Photo Contest!!!!!!! I entered this picture of Joe Creek Falls into the contest after taking it this summer. I was wondering about the contest back in January, but kind of forgot about it during the last few busy months.

Joe Creek Falls is going to be on display in the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park Visitor Centre this summer, and may appear in the park tabloid and on the Friends website!

Wish Me Luck!

I'm presenting a short paper at a local conference tomorrow afternoon! I've given a few seminars over the past few terms (one last term and two this term) but this is my first oral presentation at a conference. I'm feeling a bit nervous right now, but I'm also getting excited. This is going to be fun!

Cat Pics!

Today I went to my mom's work to take pics of their office cat, Chomp. Chomp's been living in the office for the last few weeks. I'd heard all about her and wanted to take some pics of her.

Well, today really wasn't my day for taking pics of cats. I took a lot of pics of Chomp, and when I got home I took even more pics of Sasha, for a combined total of 65 cat pics. The 9 nicest ones are now on flickr. Unfortunately, the vast majority of them are blurry; for some reason my camera didn't want to focus on the cats, but instead focussed on the floor behind them. I think it might have been because I was a bit too close and I was using the Sports mode rather than the Program mode that I usually use. Program is a lot better, as I can take macro pics, but it's too slow. So I guess I have to take the good with the bad.

Saucer Scout Hijack

Scoping Out the Saucer Scout
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris

I took this picture a few weeks ago. And ever since posting it, I've been thinking about taking a second picture in which the Snowtroopers succeed in hijacking the saucer. So today, after a bit of set-up (I had a bit of trouble figuring what type of rope to use for the second Snowtrooper), I went out and took a few more shots! While I was out there, I came up with the perfect ending to the story as well. So now there are three pictures all featuring the Saucer Scout that tell the whole story of the Snowtroopers hijacking it! I'm really pleased with how the new shots turned out!

Unfortunately, while I was heading outside I dropped the saucer. I was able to find everything except for one of the red tiles with the grill. So on one side, there's only one, while on the other there are two. I'm hoping to find the piece in the spring once the snow melts, but I might buy a few replacements in the meantime (this isn't the first time I lost one; I was just really lucky that I found it last time). So for now, my saucer is going to be a bit unique!

I also finally announced the names of my Snowtroopers today on Flickr. The one who is dual wielding is called Mr. Hardcore. That's what I called him in the picture of him in the shrub and it sort of stuck. His accomplice I've called Gary for no real reason. That name has stuck, too, so there you have it: Mr. Hardcore and Gary!

Lego Indiana Jones!!!!!

Wow, I really need to stay out of the stores right now!!!! I wandered into Zellers earlier this evening and found that they had a LOT more Lego than Walmart and Superstore. And I found asmaller Indiana Jones set, Ambush in Cairo. So after standing around for a little while, trying to decide what to buy, I eventually settled on it; I thought it would be cheaper to buy this set than just the Indiana Jones figurine from Ebay. And for some reason, the set came with an extra pistol, so be prepared for pictures of mmy gunslinger adventurer!

More Deer Pics!

Today, my dad was off work early, so we decided to go picture taking again. The weather wasn't the greatest (it was hazy - there was no sparkle to the snow) so we decided to go back to Mission Island to take more deer pics. I go some fantastic new shots, like the one featured left, and they're all on my Flickr page!

Lego Space Police

lol, I've been eyeing this Lego set up for a while now, but I had a hard time justifying buying it. And then today, I wandered to the store and decided that I really, really wanted it. I have an idea for a shot (lol, when don't I have an idea for a shot nowadays with Lego?) and I wanted some of the pieces for it. Unfortunately I'll need to wait for something to come in from Ebay (of which I'm excited about!) before I can put this shot together. But in the mean time, I have a couple of cool-looking space vehicles too!

I also really liked the alien guy (I think his name is Kranxx according to the box) and thought he looks fitting for some shots with my Star Wars Lego.

Found: Fright Knights!

To celebrate getting my essay to length, I decided to pull out my Legos! I have an idea for a shot of Majisto which I am hoping will look really cool, so of course I had to dig him out. When I opened up my Lego bucket, I was really surprised: apparently I own Fright Knights!

As far as I knew, the newest Knights that I owned were Royal Knights or Dark Forest. Actually, the last set I remember buying before my Snowtroopers was the Dark Forest set Bandit Ambush. So imagine my surprise when I find two small Fright Knight sets, the Bat Lord and the Bat Lord's Catapult!

I'm not surprised that I bought the Bat Lord. He comes with a black dragon with orange wings, which looks deadly! I'm not quite sure why I have the Bat Lord's Catapult, but hey, I'm not complaining. So hopefully I'll be able to take some fun pictures of the Bat Lord and Company in the near future!

A World of Crystal

It's been awhile since I made a new gallery on Flickr. And so I just finished making A World of Crystal. I've been planning on making it for a few days now. It features some of the amazing shots people have taken using crystal balls. I wanted to call it Mirror World, because the images are upside down in the crystal ball (but many of the images in the gallery have been flipped), but that is the name of my Crystal Ball set. And so I settled on "A World of Crystal" instead. This new gallery features 18 shots, all by different photographers.

Crystal Ball!

Lately, I've been admiring pictures other people have taken using a crystal ball. And then I remembered that I have one stashed in my closet! A number of years ago, I bought it from Winnipeg when I was visiting the Forks. It has dragons on it, but I thought it would still create the effect which I wanted. So I dug it out of my closet and went outside to play! I posted two shots which I liked onto Flickr; one I flipped using picnik, and the second I left as it was (the image is upside down). I'm quite pleased with the results, and hope to take more pictures with it soon!

Charity Print Auctions

There's a group on Flickr who is auctioning prints of their pictures for Haiti! The idea behind Charity Print Auctions is that individuals bid in the comments of the picture. The auction will end at a designated time, at which point the highest bidder pays the winning amount to a charity designated by the photographer. The photographer then makes a print copy of the photo and sends it to the winner. Almost 100 prints have already been sold, with winners making donations to charities like the Red Cross, Shelter Box and Doctors Without Borders. I've made my donation to the Canadian Red Cross and will be expecting a beautiful print in the mail in the near future! I'm also considering offering one of my pictures up for auction, but I'll work out the details after I'm done my school seminar. Please, check out the group, or donate to help Haiti in their time of need!

New Fish and New Gallery

So here he is, my new fish, Ichabod! I had a really hard time deciding which fish to get, but I finally decided to get him (I was also choosing between three veil tails. One was white with blue on its fins, one was red with pink, and the third was a pretty blue). But in the end, this guy was just so beautiful that I had to have him! I have one other picture of him on Flickr, so definitely check it out!

To celebrate, I made another new gallery. This one is betta pictures! It was so hard to choose the 18 shots because there are just so many beautiful betta pictures on Flickr. I tried to put a variety of shots and fish into the gallery. There are both male and female bettas, as well as halfmoons, crowntails, veiltails and everything in between!

Found: My Saucer Scout!

I was randomly looking at Lego guys on Ebay, when I remembered that years ago, I had one Lego Space set. I also remembered that the last time I saw the set, it was sitting in my closet (which is not where the rest of my Legos are) fully built. I wasn't sure if I'd eventually put him in with the rest of my Lego or not, so I took a quick look in my closet. Fortunately, I found him almost right away, buried beneath some other things. Other than being a bit dusty, everything is in good shape; more to the point, the set wasn't missing anything!

I did a bit of poking around, and I was able to discover that this set was the Saucer Scout from the Spyrius Space collection. I don't really remember why I ended up with this set; it's the only space set I have (I have mostly older Knight sets, the majority of which are Dragon Masters, and Paradise, because that's obviously what a girl who plays with Lego wants - insert eye roll here).

Needless to say, now that I've dusted him off, I'll probably try taking some pictures of him on wacky adventures - maybe he'll even meet the Snowtroopers!

New Gallery and New Deer Pics Uploaded!

Yes, I made another new gallery. This one was inspired by a picture my dad took of leaves covered in frost. The entire gallery is pictures of leaves, flowers and berries covered in frost and ice. There are some beautiful pics, so definitely take a look!

I also uploaded the deer pictures I took a few days ago. My dad and I went for a drive and found the cutest fawn by the side of the road with his mom. I have some fantastic shots, which are all on my photostream!

Finally, in unrelated news, I bought a new fish today! Pics will be coming soon!

Snowtroopers!

Snowtroopers Scouting
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris

After poking around on Flickr a bit and finding some awesome shots of Stormtroopers, many of which were Lego Stormtroopers, I wanted to get into the action. So I went and bought myself some Snowtroopers. Unfortunately, there are currently no little Star Wars Lego sets with Stormtroopers, so I had to settle on the Snowtroopers. But being winter, I thought Snowtroopers were fitting for taking some fun outdoor pics. So I went home and headed outside with my new Snowtroopers. I took a few pics and then my camera's batteries died! Luckily a few pics turned out, two of which are posted on my Flickr page. Definitely star tuned for more Snowtroopers in the future!
Snowtroopers in Tree
Originally uploaded by s.kosoris

Last Gallery for the Night

I originally had only 14 pictures in My Your Best Shot 2009 Cats gallery. So I decided to bring it up to the full 18. Unfortunately, there were so many nice cat pics in Your Best Shot 2009 that I couldn't decide amongst them. So I built a second gallery of cat pics. Enjoy!

Your Best Shot 2009 Big Cats

This was the first gallery that I created. It originally had only 5 shots. I took a few minutes and finished it. It now has the full 18 I'm allowed to put into a gallery. There were some spectacular shots of big cats in Your Best Shot 2009, and I wanted to put them all together. Enjoy!

Another Gallery

lol, I made another Gallery. This one's called "A Mask of Leaves." A picture from Your Best Shot 2009 started it all. Enjoy!

Flickr Galleries!!!!!

A few days ago, I discovered Flickr Galleries! Galleries are collections of up to 18 pictures taken by other people that you put together however you'd like. I started making them out of the Your Best Shot 2009 group. The first gallery that I made has some of the big cat (lions, tigers, leopards, etc) pictures from the group. The second gallery I made has some of the fantastic house cat shots from the group. I think this second gallery is better than the first one, just bcause I have a better idea of what I'm doing. The third gallery I made has nothing to do with the Your Best Shot group. Instead, I decided to make a Star Wars gallery. But after I had brought about 8 pictures together and realized that 7 of them were Stormtrooper pictures, I switched it to a Stormtrooper gallery. Please check all three galleries out, ands stay tuned for more! And thanks to everyone featured in the galleries (and those who didn't make the cut - it was tough!) for sharing their fantastic shots!

Here's a link to all the galleries that I make. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! 2009 was a great year, and I'm hoping 2010 will be even better!

The first important thing that I've done this year concerns Apocalypse Madness. There were 14 authors there, and only 6 post with any regularity. Once again, the idea is that a quote is posted on the last Monday of every month, and you write and post a story which is inspired by the quote. You do not have to post every month (sometimes you are busy, or the quote just doesn't inspire you), so there's no pressure if you forget or whatever for a month or two. But I do want authors who will contribute during the year. So all of the people who joined and have not posted anything at all, or anything in the last year were removed; the blog is down to 6 authors now. If you are interested in becoming a contributor, there's still lots of room (there can be 100 authors). Send me an email at inkscribbler@gmail.com and I'll add you to the blog!