play with your toys
Got this neat raptor plushy a couple decades ago... when the first Jurassic Park film came out. It's a Dakin, not a licensed JP toy, and a nice non-feathered raptor.
Robert Bakker is a paleontologist who wrote a cool little book called Raptor Red, about a year in the life of Utahraptor (what those oversized "velociraptors" really were). He did a lecture at Millersville one year, and friends and I attended. I got to ask him a question about that big claw, and how it relates to modern raptors (hawks, owls). After the lecture, you could go up on stage and talk to him while he drew dinosaurs in marker on great huge drafting paper (I got a protoceratops). Yeah, so here's this medium aged woman going "would you sign my raptor?"
He did. There it is, many years later.
We also got a closeup look at the tyrannosarus claw that flew past his head when the tyranosaur/raptor attack was filmed in Jurassic Park (he was on set, as one of the advisors). Of course the dinos were added later in CG, but the skeleton that gets wrecked was real, and real wreckage occurred on the set.
If you're confused by the raccoon, that's Rocket, he was one of the stars of Guardians of the Galaxy alongside "Starlord"... played by Chris Pratt, who also plays the raptor wrangler in Jurassic World. Rocket was, of course, CG. Chris Pratt defined cool by riding a motorcycle through the woods at night with a pack of raptors in Jurassic World. It became an internet meme in 2015.
Robert Bakker is a paleontologist who wrote a cool little book called Raptor Red, about a year in the life of Utahraptor (what those oversized "velociraptors" really were). He did a lecture at Millersville one year, and friends and I attended. I got to ask him a question about that big claw, and how it relates to modern raptors (hawks, owls). After the lecture, you could go up on stage and talk to him while he drew dinosaurs in marker on great huge drafting paper (I got a protoceratops). Yeah, so here's this medium aged woman going "would you sign my raptor?"
He did. There it is, many years later.
We also got a closeup look at the tyrannosarus claw that flew past his head when the tyranosaur/raptor attack was filmed in Jurassic Park (he was on set, as one of the advisors). Of course the dinos were added later in CG, but the skeleton that gets wrecked was real, and real wreckage occurred on the set.
If you're confused by the raccoon, that's Rocket, he was one of the stars of Guardians of the Galaxy alongside "Starlord"... played by Chris Pratt, who also plays the raptor wrangler in Jurassic World. Rocket was, of course, CG. Chris Pratt defined cool by riding a motorcycle through the woods at night with a pack of raptors in Jurassic World. It became an internet meme in 2015.
An island trip, and one too many listenings of the Hawaiian Christmas song, in December led to this...
The island happened to be on the Chesapeake Bay, in Maryland: Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge.
Good thing you can't tell the temperature from photos.
Good thing you can't tell the temperature from photos.
A higher angle on the horse, combined with a different angle for the beach shot (combined in Photoshop) creates the impression the horse is sitting.
Rocket, Genie and Toothless on Assateague Beach
Sometimes helps to take two pics from the same angle: one will have the foreground (action figure) in focus, the other has the background in focus. Combine on Photoshop. Use a tripod, or shoot by steady hand. It doesn't have to be perfect. Sport continuous mode or any mode that allows you to take multiple pics in one shot is great for action like blowing wind and moving waves.
wild horses couldn't...
an Avengers Yule beach party
It never hurts to have phun with Photoshop later...
greetings from Fiji...
Get down at eye level with your figures... they'll look more awesome and Hulk-like.
dragons at Rock Hall
Scale is a factor in photographing small figures. Water has scale (which is why the famous Loch Ness Monster photo is so obviously fake: the lake ripples are the wrong scale, it is clear the model is small). When the water is foamy and far, it works, when it is splashing close it's clear how tiny Toothless really is.
behind the scenes
2014 saw the loss of Robin Williams, the arrival of Guardians of the Galaxy and How To Train Your Dragon 2. The Avengers are eternal.
The two How To Train Your Dragon films gave us some great characters, and action figures. Toothless seems very familiar to me; all those big black beasts I loved as a kid: Fury, Bagheera, the Black Stallion, Zorro's horse Tornado.
The Misty and Stormy of Chincoteague models are by Breyer, I bought both on the island, Misty the last year she was alive. I repainted Misty from photos to her proper color and pattern. Breyer still makes her in the wrong pattern; based on Wesley Dennis's excellent Misty of Chincoteague cover. Dennis painted her in her foal coat, misty white gold with her darker (palomino) adult coat showing through around her eyes, totally correct. Breyer, usually the icon of awesome horse art, misinterpreted this as a palomino pinto pattern. She's pinto (you can still see her taxidermied self on Chincoteague) but her head, typical tobiano pattern, is solid golden palomino with a white blaze.
Surfer Dude: On the latest trip to Chincoteague/Assateague, I took the Safari model of the Chincoteague Pony, and the Welsh pony that looks just like Surfer Dude (the most famous Chincoteague Pony since Misty), and the Safari mare that looks like mine. I took some pics, then learned Surfer Dude had died. So this is sort of a memorial to the chocolate stallion with the silver gene and the blond surfer dude mane. He's left a number of descendants across the islands.
The blue crab was a found object (sadly expired) at Rock Hall MD. He had a second life as an actor in a photoshoot.
A cheap craft store beach chair, painted in Apple Barrel turquoise craft paint, with a bit of stripey sock for a towel, is priceless.
The two How To Train Your Dragon films gave us some great characters, and action figures. Toothless seems very familiar to me; all those big black beasts I loved as a kid: Fury, Bagheera, the Black Stallion, Zorro's horse Tornado.
The Misty and Stormy of Chincoteague models are by Breyer, I bought both on the island, Misty the last year she was alive. I repainted Misty from photos to her proper color and pattern. Breyer still makes her in the wrong pattern; based on Wesley Dennis's excellent Misty of Chincoteague cover. Dennis painted her in her foal coat, misty white gold with her darker (palomino) adult coat showing through around her eyes, totally correct. Breyer, usually the icon of awesome horse art, misinterpreted this as a palomino pinto pattern. She's pinto (you can still see her taxidermied self on Chincoteague) but her head, typical tobiano pattern, is solid golden palomino with a white blaze.
Surfer Dude: On the latest trip to Chincoteague/Assateague, I took the Safari model of the Chincoteague Pony, and the Welsh pony that looks just like Surfer Dude (the most famous Chincoteague Pony since Misty), and the Safari mare that looks like mine. I took some pics, then learned Surfer Dude had died. So this is sort of a memorial to the chocolate stallion with the silver gene and the blond surfer dude mane. He's left a number of descendants across the islands.
The blue crab was a found object (sadly expired) at Rock Hall MD. He had a second life as an actor in a photoshoot.
A cheap craft store beach chair, painted in Apple Barrel turquoise craft paint, with a bit of stripey sock for a towel, is priceless.
There is a story behind Ariel and Ariel: Ariel and Ariel: https://swordwhale.wordpress.com/2015/07/14/he-probably-swam-to-fiji/
Of course you know the Little Mermaid, one of my icons of Disney fandom. I scuba dived with a buddy once who was wearing an action figure of Ariel’s dad on her BC.
The Ariel Beanie Bear is this: “These Beanie Babies were originally sold in the memory of Ariel Glaser, who died of AIDS at the age of 7. The money raised from the sale of the Ariel Beanie Babies were donated to The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Despite these Beanie Babies not being worth very much today, lot’s of money was raised for the Foundation. Over the years Ty Warner has donated millions of dollars to charity through the sale of special Beanie Babies.” http://lovemybeanies.com/ariel-glaser-beanie-babies-value-guide/
I found mine at AC Moore. I don’t collect Beanie Babies, but the story of Ariel connects with a little piece of my life…
One of my favorite TV shows in the late 70s was Starsky and Hutch, a funny, action filled buddy cop show starring Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky) and David Soul (Hutch). Opposites make a great buddy team, and this pair was iconic. Also I had a slight crush on Mr. Starsky.
Ariel is Paul Michael Glaser’s kid. Elizabeth Glaser wrote a touching book about their experience with aids: http://www.amazon.com/In-Absence-Angels-Hollywood-Courageous/dp/0399135774
