Thank You!!!

A big thank you to whomever purchased a greeting card of "Yoda on the Dock" from my Red Bubble site! Your support is greatly appreciated!!!

Ninja Attack! recreated with Lego

Ever since recreating "Red vs Blue" and "Aw Shit!" I've thought about shooting "Ninja Attack!" But life got in the way and it just never happened. Today a friend came over to play through Halo 2; once he left, I didn't feel like playing video games anymore (especially Halo), so instead I turned to photography. I dug out all the pieces I thought I would need (as well as a couple of extra pieces that didn't end up making it into the finished photo) and set to work on staging this. I only have one white Spartan, which was a bit of an issue because there are two in the original photo. In the end I decided to make the front Spartan blue; it was more important to me that the background Spartan be white because that just happens to be one of my good friends. Besides, blue works for the whole "red vs blue" war that is Halo multiplayer.

Once that was decided, I set to work. I grabbed one of the large gray cave pieces and decorated it with random flora. The original has a couple of bare branches in the bottom left corner, so I took a couple of the branch pieces from the Dark Forest set Bandit Ambush; unfortunately they never made it into the finished shot (being a macro, they just didn't fit into the frame).

The next problem I had was making the red Spartan hover in the air. In the end I used some clear pieces (which are mostly hidden behind the blue Spartan). I later had the red Spartan standing on a thin 1x3 piece to better hide the clear pieces behind the blue Spartan, which worked rather well. The background is "In the Woods" which was also used for "None Shall Pass!" I was really excited when I noticed the trees in the original's background. They're rather faint, but they really reminded me of "In the Woods" so I thought that was perfect. Unfortunately I then had to fight with placing it properly. From the angle I shot this, you could see above the actual picture in many of the shots I took (as in "None Shall Pass!" and like "Loading Slave 1," this background is a printed version of "In the Woods." I taped it onto my usual black background, but the printed picture is smaller than my usual background). The cave piece already had to be elevated so you could see it properly from this angle; the background had to be even higher than the cave. Luckily a couple of stacks of books came to the rescue!

The one thing missing from my Lego recreation is the bubble shield. In "Red vs Blue," I used cellophane. I had every intention of doing the same here, but when I tried, I didn't really like the results. I thought that the blurry background that this shot had in macro worked just as well, so I left it at that.

So long story short, the Lego version is just an interpretation of the Halo screenshot. But that's totally okay with me; I'm really happy with how this shot turned out.

As usual, "Ninja Attack!" is on my Flickr photostream.

Your Best Shot 2011

It's that time of year again: time for Flickr's Your Best Shot group, where you get to post your best shot of the year. This time around, I decided to give it to "Squid Warrior." Originally I polled family and friends with a list of eleven pictures I took during the year; these eleven pictures did not include any of my Lego shots. "Sunset on the Rails" came out as the clear winner based off of my poll.

So about a week ago, I went to post "Sunset on the Rails" to the group. After doing so, I attempted to write this post about it. But the more I thought about it, the more I decided that "Sunset on the Rails" wasn't my best shot of the year. For me it was really a toss up between "Squid Warrior" and "So Be It, Jedi," both of which were backgrounds for my laptop this year ("Squid Warrior," the newer of the two, is still my laptop's background picture). It was really tough deciding between the two pictures, but in the end I decided that "Squid Warrior" was what I consider to be my best shot of the year. So today I submitted it the the Your Best Shot 2011 group on Flickr.

If you'd like to see my previous winners, check out My Best Shots, the set I created to showcase the pictures I've submitted to the last three Your Best Shot groups.

Another Big Thank You!

...to whomever just purchased a greeting card of "Yoda on the Dock"! Your support is very much appreciated! I hope you enjoy! :D

Speak Out with Your Geek Out: Lego Photography

When I first decided to participate in Speak Out With Your Geek Out, I immediately thought about writing something else. Maybe on video games, because I love playing them, or roleplaying. But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to write about my Lego photography.

I'm not exactly quiet about the Lego photography, especially online. My banner is a picture of some of my minifigures (or "minifigs" for the uninitiated). What started as a quick distraction from my studies quickly bloomed into an all-out hobby. I absolutely love dreaming up pictures with my minifigs, especially out in the real world. Athough that is admittedly a problem at times; when I see new minifigs I then need them for a new pic idea!

Ironically, while I love taking pictures of the minifigs, I don't really like using a full Lego setting (except in particular cases, such as "And Look at the Two of Us" or "Lenora as Rapunzel - Let Down Your Hair!". My favourite shots are ones in the real world, particularly out in a natural setting. I love finding the perfect background for a certain minifig, especially when it is coupled with the perfect focus/composition (for examples of some of my faves, check out "So Be It, Jedi," "Squid Warrior" and "Some Fishing Action").

But sometimes heading outside isn't very practical. So I use a set-up with a black clipboard as the background and a flashlight for my lighting (see my set "The Faces of Lego" for examples of this set-up). I'm always amazed when I look back on that set as it shows how much I've grown as a photographer; the older shots aren't as refined as the more recent ones.

Another awesome benefit from my Lego pics is all of the wonderful friends I have made on Flickr. I am always inspired by their own photos and thankful for their inspiring comments.

So if you have a camera, why not give Lego photography a try? Lego's made it super easy to start with their Minifigures series (Series 5 is currently out). And if there's a certain special minifig you're after, be sure to check out BrickLink! But if you'd rather just browse, be sure to check out one of Flickr's Lego groups, like Lego or Lego Adventures. There you'll find tons of fun images from fantastic photographers.

And if you see me out taking pictures with my minifigs, be sure to say hi! :)

This post originally appeared on shaunakosoris.com.

And Look at the Two of Us

And Look at the Two of Us, a photo by s.kosoris on Flickr.

I was listening to the Pet Shop Boys song "Rent," which gave me inspiration for this shot. I don't know if I really pulled off what I was trying to, but I gave it my best shot. I also should add, I've never seen the video before tonight (when I found it to post here), so it didn't influence this shot at all. Only the song itself did.

A while ago, my brother and I were discussing the Pet Shop Boys and "Rent" came up. I told him I thought it was a really pretty song. He agreed, but added that it's also really sad. Since then I've been listening to it on and off, paying special attention to the lyrics and I have to agree with him; it is sad.

The main inspiration for this is the first chorus and verse:
"And look at the two of us in sympathy
With everything we see
I never want anything, it's easy
You buy whatever I need
But look at my hopes, look at my dreams
The currency we've spent
(Ooooh) I love you, oh, you pay my rent
(Ooooh) I love you, oh, you pay my rent."

I built the Paradisa set Poolside Paradise for this. I thought it would get across the idea that this couple has whatever they want/need (especially with the butler present). Unfortunately I wasn't able to stage this so you can see the pool in the front yard which would've given that idea a bit better, but this worked. Then I wanted the girl to look unsatisfied, despite all the wealth around her. Meanwhile the guy is totally happy - that's why he's closer to the table and looking at her, not at the camera. I posted this version because you can see the background (and the palm tree, which is kind of behind the butler). I had another version that had the minifigs lit but the background was way too dark. So I went with this one because it better captured what I was trying to do (even though I like the other one more!)

When I was finished, I felt sorry for the rapper guy, so I took a portrait of him on my black background.

I hope I was able to convey everything I wanted to in "And Look at the Two of Us." Let me know what you think so I can improve the next time I try something like this again!

Thank You!

A big thank you is extended to whomever purchased a print of "Captain Jack Sparrow!" Your support is greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!!!! :)