Jack In The Box & A Woman In Red

        This post will contain photos taken throughout the four days of Comic-Con 2010 I attended. These are pics that didn’t make it into my blog for the daily postings I was doing while Comic-Con was going on, but that I ultimately thought people might like to see. I attended the preview night, which was on Wednesday, as well as Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I did not go to The Con on Sunday, the 25th of July.

        The reason I referenced “the cutting room floor” for the title of this post is because for one reason or another, I feel there is something technically or photographically wrong with the pics used in this post. Composition, messy background, bad exposure or not being tack sharp are the main culprits, so when I was making my decisions about what would make it in to my daily posts for Comic-Con, these pics didn’t make the cut.

        I have never liked it when tabloids print embarrassing or bad photos of celebs making a funny face. That being said, after attending Comic-Con this year and taking a bunch of celebrity photos, I think I understand why they do it… Sometimes a bad photo is the best photo you were able to take. With Comic-Con being a mad-house of 160,000 people, sometimes you are luck just to see the celebs with your eyes, let alone through the viewfinder of your camera. Above we see Mark Valley and Chi McBride during an autograph signing.

        Of course, it is next to impossible to take a bad photo of Kari Byron. The photo of Katey Sagal was taken when a security guard actually allowed me within about three feet of her. She was looking at me, but listening to the person that was in front of her, so whatever he told her caused her to make that face, not my camera. She was with Ron Perlman promoting Sons Of Anarchy.

Elvira Announces Her Return To Television

        Comic-Con is an imperfect place, and I think the photo above may help to illustrate this. Elvira held a press conference inside a room that is supposed to be for press only. Notice that in the photo above, taken just as Elvira’s press conference was wrapping up, there are nothing but people holding up camera phones, not journalists and reporters absorbing a story.

        A couple of flashbacks from the 1980′s were present at Comic-Con. To the left we see the metal skeleton from the Terminator movies, one of my favorite movie trilogies. Above is the actor Dirk Benedict, who played “Face” on the awesome, totally radical 1980′s TV show, The A-Team. I will not be watching the theatrical version of The A-Team because I think some things should just be left alone, and George Peppard as Hannibal Smith is the ONLY way I want to see Hannibal Smith.

        Star Wars is another story altogether. I’ll eat up just about anything that has to do with that set of movies, except for that asinine character Jar Jar Binks, of course. Comic-Con really is a natural habitat for Star Wars fans, especially those that want to arrive in costume. The R2D2 you see on the right was brought in by a fan and was operated by remote control. He slyly stayed a good distance away while operating his robot, so most people walking by actually thought there was some one INSIDE, working the controls, just like in the original movie. Someday, I’ll build my own lightsaber and tie-fighter, not necessarily in that order, but someday I’ll build them both.

        It is important to remember that Comic-Con is a place to have fun, meet people, look at costumes, dress in costumes, eat bad food, take pictures and collect S.W.A.G. If you have well thought out plans or an agenda, you will probably end up being disappointed because Comic-Con is a very fluid place, and plans will generally fly out the window once you arrive and hit the crowds.

Just Dance At Comic-Con!

The Second Day (Friday) At Comic-Con 2010

        Friday was the most crowded day yet at Comic-Con, and I don’t just mean the number of fans. There were more celebrities, security, police and handlers then I have ever seen ANYWHERE before, and to top it all off, there is a new “no sitting” rule on the convention floor. The 160,000 fans are now only allowed to sit in chairs and NOT on the floor… We’re gonna need a bigger boat!

        There were a couple ensemble casts signing autographs today, as well as several individuals doing signings as well. The cast of “The Big Bang Theory” seemed to be the big hit of the day, even though they were surrounded by lots of security, I managed to get a couple shots. It would seem to me that the best way to get a clean shot of any celebrity at Comic-Con is to take a shot while having them sign an autograph for you. The problem with that is that the lines for the signings are long, move slow, take a long time, and even if you are in line, the celebs might bail before you get up there. Above, on the left, Kunal Nayyer glances around during the cast signing, and on the right, Kaley Cuoco reacts to finally being done signing hundreds of autographs.

Jessica Hamby Is Interviewed

        Directly above the cast signing of The Big Bang Theory, the cast of the HBO show True Blood conducted interviews and milled around with those that were worthy enough to gain access to that upper level.

        Comic-Con is not only for the new kids on the block, there are some faces that have been familiar to us for many years as well. Stan Lee, the godfather of comic books was on hand signing posters for a throng of fans. He was very cheerful and even stuck around longer than he was supposed to so that everyone in line could get an autograph. What a classy dude! Elvira, Mistress Of The Dark was also present, sans make-up doing a signing as well. I’m covering a press conference with her tomorrow and we have been told that we must address her as Elvira (not Cassandra Peterson) during the conference, so I think I’ll have some very different photos of her to share on my next post.

        I am a very big fan of candid, unposed photography. People smiling into the camera while they saying “cheese” is one way to take portraits and there’s nothing wrong with it, but I love it when I can get a shot of someone in a more natural looking way. Above, on the left we have Lafayette Reynolds from True Blood reading a magazine, and on the right is Cindy Morgan, looking at a line of fans in front of her.
        Cindy is known best known for her role as Lacey Underall in the cult movie classic, Caddyshack. Caddyshack was the first R rated movie I ever saw, and to this day, watching that movie is a right of passage for anyone that would aspire to be a movie buff. Just about every line in that movie is memorable, and even today, 30 years later, if you want to distract or mess some one up from what they are doing you just have to shout, “NOONAN!”

        Morena Baccarin, on the left, even without her long, dark, curly hair is elegant, classy and beautiful. I know her best as Inerra Serra from the sci-fi show, “Firefly” but she is now starring in a remake of “V.” Alison Haislip, above is a member of the ensemble show, “Attack Of The Show.” Morena was not the only Firefly cast member I saw at Comic-Con today. Ron Glass, who plays the shepherd was also there, but I don’t have a photo of him. Want to know why? Because during his signing, he had people around him that held sheets of paper in front of my camera, preventing me from getting a shot. They told me that Ron requested that no candid photography of him be permitted. Can you believe that?!? An actor in the middle of Comic-Con that had people physically preventing photography! Whatever, dude. Morena is way more photogenic then you anyway.

Olivia Munn Is In There Somewhere

        The last two photos I’ll be presenting in this post are to demonstrate just how difficult and time consuming it can be to get a good shot in a room with 160,000 other people. You can’t always get the shot you want right off the bat. You have to be patient and methodical, and even then, you still might not get the shot. So, the shot above, which is the best shot I was able to get of Olivia Munn, was taken as she arrived at her signing table. I was not in the autograph line, so I found a spot off to the side that was about a hundred feet away that I thought might work. It almost worked. Almost.

Kaley Cuoco Surrounded By Security

        The shot above of Kaley Cuoco was taken as she was being escorted away from her autograph signing table. Once again, my careful planning did not really pay off. I actually happen to like to photo above, but it is not the shot I wanted. From watching previous celebrities being whisked away from this particular table, I knew the route that the entourage would take when they left the convention center floor. So, I positioned myself in a strategic place along that route, where there were no other fans and patiently waited for them to come by. Unfortunately, she and her other Big Bang Theory actors had about 20 security guards with them, instead of the 3-4 guards that most of the other celebs had which made my carefully picked spot a moot point. Oh well, tomorrow is another day at Comic-Con and there will be many more costumes, celebrities and merchandise to photograph, so until then, cheers!

Captain’s Log: Stardate 07222010, Comic-Con Convention

        The first official day of Comic-Con 2010 kicked off in San Diego today, and I was there with a press pass and my trusty Nikon D5000. As I mentioned in my last post, there would be a lot more costumes, celebrities and events to see, and here they are.

        Comic-Con means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For me it is a photo-op, for others it’s an excuse to call in sick to work, for die-hard fans it’s a chance to see childhood heroes, and for corporations, it’s chance to make money. This is the second Comic-Con I have attended, my first being way back in 1996, and it has changed a lot. I was interviewed by Alan Maloney of BBC News about the changes that have taken place, as was my cousin another, fellow journalist.
        We each had different, valid things to say about the direction Comic-Con has taken. From my eyes, Comic-Con has changed from a venue that brings comic book fans together with their comic book heroes to a platform for corporations to hock their multi-million dollar actors and movies, which I think is… Not what Comic-Con should be about. My cousin’s view was that in order to bring more money into the our city, it is necessary for the big corporations to take part, because that is what draws the crowds that ultimately spend the money. Both points are valid, both points are accurate, so… Where does that leave us? It really is a can of worms that has no right or wrong answer. Is Comic-Con about an annual event that brings fans a little closer to something they love or is it about pumping money into San Diego? Tough to say. Do the Padres play at PETCO park so fans can watch them play or is it because the city makes money by hosting baseball games? It’s seems like it’s six of one thing and half a dozen of the other to me.

I Am Spartacus!

        Today was a very busy day, photographically speaking, so I’ll try to minimize my text for this post and maximize the photographic content. I got a lot of costume shots, as well as a half dozen or so celebrities, so it really was a very exciting day. Comic-Con really is an awesome event, and there are still three days to go.

        The costumes at Comic-Con are the best part of the show as far as I am concerned. People go to a lot of trouble to build and don their costumes, so they are very willing to have their pictures taken. Comic-Con is so NOT like the real world! People that come to The Con in costume very graciously pose for photos if asked, so be sure to mind your P’s & Q’s while doing so. “May I please take your picture?” should be immediately followed by, “Thank you very much” after you have taken your shot. If you have a business card, offer it to them so they can see themselves on your blog once the photo is posted online.

Star Wars Is A Mainstay At Comic-Con

        Buddy Jesus, with an elegant halo of bright neon blue made his entrance to the Comic-Con, looked me right in the eye and said nothing. That’s OK. After his holiness walked away, a statue of a green female statue caught my eye. Straight up creepy is what this thing was. There’s just something about an undead woman with lizard-green skin that makes me want to not be with her.

        I think a beautiful princess and Captain America himself epitomize Comic-Con. Comic book super heroes and mythical royalty are comic book regulars, and there is no shortage of either one at The Con. I mentioned earlier that I saw some celebrities today, didn’t I? Yes I did, and here they are.

Richard Hatch – Captain Apollo In TV’s Original Battlestar Galactica Series

Gil Gerard From TV’s Buck Rogers In The 25th Century

Erin Gray From TV’s Buck Rogers And Silver Spoons

Mindy Sterling – Best Known As Frau Farbissina In The Austin Powers Movies

Johnny Galecki – Currently On TV’s The Big Bang Theory

Corey Feldman And Jason Newlander From The Lost Boys

Morgan Fairchild Is Best Known For Being A Very Beautiful Woman

        Photographing celebrities is just like photographing anyone else, except that their bodyguards and handlers keep you farther away from them. I had a zoom lens, so this was not a problem for me. My random tip for Comic-Con newbies is to wander around the Sail Pavilion, because that is the autograph signing area, which means there will be celebrities up there. Remember to always be polite and say “please” and “thank you”.

        After I wrapped up for the day, I left the convention center and headed toward the trolley. It was in between these two places that I ran into this motley crew of superheros. It is very neat to see entire groups of friends put on costumes and head to Comic-Con. After the last couple days, I can honestly say that life is good.

Welcome To Comic-Con 2010

        Preview night for Comic-Con 2010 was very crowded, very big, very colorful and VERY fucking awesome! I walked around for about 2 1/2 hours, but it seemed like I was only there for a few minutes. Once you enter the convention center, time and space become nothing because all your brain can compute is the incredible array of optical and audio stimuli. This made taking photos difficult because I wanted to just walk around like a kid in a candy store, picking up S.W.A.G every step of the way. For those interested in my camera settings, I had my D5000 at 1000 ISO for every photo in this post, except the pick of the Green Hornet’s car at the end, which was shot at 200 ISO. My aperture was always at the largest for whatever focal length I happened to be at, so it ranged from f/3.5-5.6. My shutter ranged from 1/40 to around 1/125 of a second.

This Is Only The Beginning Of The Comic-Con Crowds

        There were so many people that it made getting clean shots of my subjects just about impossible, but I still managed to get a few keepers. That being said, this post will be heavy on photos and light on words. I’m exhausted from the evening and I still have four days to go, so sit back and enjoy the show, as I captured it.

        There were not a whole lot of people in costume for the preview night at Comic-Con, but don’t worry because they will be out in force over the next four days. Above on the left is Peter Meyhew, the actor that played Chewbacca in the original Star Wars movies. He walks with a lightsaber cane, which I though was very cool and fitting. On the right is a female Deadpool, the “Merc with a mouth.”

Ghostbusters Car Ecto-1

        There are TONS of movie props at Comic-Con, some actually used in production and some replicas. This car is the real deal… Peter, Ray and Egon all rode around NYC ghostbusting in this actual car.

        Legos can be used to make some very cool things, as the legos above can attest to. The Hagrid statue was actual size while Buzz Lightyear and Woody were about five feet tall. I’ve actually being trying to find a “bucket-o-legos” for a couple years, but without success. All that seem to be available now are lego kits that are meant to build a specific object.

A Model From The Movie Avatar

        All the big name movie production companies are represented at Comic-Con, which is probably why The Con has become so crowded over the years. I think more people go to Comic-Con hoping for a chance to see someone or something famous than people that go to look at up and coming comic book companies and artists.

Dog Handler Predator With His Hound

Predalien Predator/Alien Hybrid

Iron Maiden “Killers” Statue

        There are some things at Comic-Con that just defy explanation, and what you see above are a couple of those things. A mock-up of a murder scene and a life size statue of a woman with an empty gaze. It takes all sorts to move the world, I guess.

The Exorcist Bed Scene

        Of course there are other things that need no explaining at all. The Exorcist still ranks in my top 5 scariest movies of all time

TRON Lightcycle

        I bet it’s fun to ride one of these! For those of you that didn’t know, they have remade TRON and I’m sure the special effects will be amazing.

        While I’m not really starstruck when it comes to movie props, it is always neat to see actual size statues of BIG things from the movies. Bumblebee, the most caring of all the Transformers loomed 20 feet high, standing next to an untransformed Camaro. The first two ALIEN movies also occupy a couple spots in my favorite scary movies. In the second one, I love the line, “They mostly come out at night… Mostly.” And of course the most famous line of all, “Get away from her you BITCH!”

The Green Hornet’s Car

        So, here is a short rant about what I DIDN’T like at Comic-Con, as well as a few tips for people that will be attending over the next four days. First, what bugged me. Groups of 2 or 3 people that form a daisy chain while maneuvering through the crowd, so they won’t get separated. This is SO annoying. It’s hard enough to move through a crowd of individual people, but the daisy chainers create these impassable objects that force people that would otherwise slip between them to have to go around them. It’s very rude, so don’t do that. We all have cell phones, so it’s OK to let go of the apron strings. I also didn’t like that the SMALL PRESS area of The Con was almost empty because most people are in the other areas playing the latest video games or hunting for S.W.A.G.
        Tips for newbies to Comic-Con: Wear comfortable shoes, because you will be on your feet all day. Bring a camera. Bring your own food and bottled water so you can maximize your time inside The Con. If you DO leave to go eat, try any of San Diego’s Gaslamp restaurants because it is some FINE dining. I do not recommend buying food inside Comic-Con because it is worse than food at a ballgame and just as over-priced. Oh, one last thing, HAVE FUN! Cheers!

Comic-Con Has Just About Arrived In San Diego

        SDMTS and a local San Diego radio station, Rock 105.3 teamed up at the Gaslamp trolley station to hold a Comic-Con inspired contest where the prizes for every participant turned out to be passes to Comic-Con! How awesome is that?!? There were only 12 entries, so each and every one of them got their 15 minutes.

        The best thing about Comic-Con is the people. Lwaxana Troi, mother of Deanna Troi of Star Trek: The Next Generation was on hand with Super Rocky. These two were the most energetic of the participants and really knew how to work the crowd. Super Rocky has a great pair of gloves doesn’t he?

        Above we have a Death Eater from the Harry Potter franchise and The Scarecrow, which debuted way back in 1941. The Scarecrow is the only participant that I actually talked to, and it was a very good conversation. We talked about costume shows being very under-attended. The grand prize for this costume contest was a 4 day pass to Comic-Con, and there were only 12 entries! A one in twelve chance to win tickets to the sold-out Comic Convention?!? I like those odds!

        By far, the creepiest thing pedaling around the Gaslamp trolley station was a child, dressed as Jigsaw from the SAW franchise. This kid had it nailed… He pedaled around randomly and never spoke to anyone. It was creepy and it was awesome. The weird Spiderman, above on the left was a different story. He actually wasn’t Spiderman, he was something else, which he explained which I have since forgotten. He had silly string for webbing and “accidentally” sprayed all over the contestants waiting in line. It was a sorry attempt at subterfuge that was noticed by everyone, including his fellow contestants.
        Being a photographer, Comic-Con offers you a lot of lee-way. It’s OK to not get a perfect shot because when people are in costume, there is no perfect shot. All the photos in this post were taken at the Gaslamp trolley station with a radio station broadcasting and hundreds of people around. There is almost no way in Hell to get the perfect, clean shot you want, so you have to learn to incorporate a million people into a shot where the subject is a single person. No problem. Use your widest aperture and then work some magic in photoshop. It takes practice, but you’ll learn. If you keep in mind that you are infinitely more aware of imperfections than than ANYONE else that views your pics, you will be able to see just how great your photos are.

Erica Fox Interviews Comic-Con Superheros

        People get get their news from independent bloggers these days because we are the ones that dig and speak plainly. News crews at comic book conventions are not reporting news, they are entertaining municipalities, and people are starting to realize that. The ironic thing is that what Erica Fox is seen reporting above is what bloggers should be doing, and the in depth reporting that bloggers do is what mainstream media should be doing.

A Taste Of Comic-Con 2010

La Mesa Police Officer Performing A Routine Traffic Stop

        La Mesa is an eastern suburb of San Diego and it is a great place to live. As the crow flies, La Mesa is about 13 miles from the coast so it is not a proverbial “beach town” like Pacific Beach Imperial Beach or even La Jolla, but to me that is a good thing. People don’t come to La Mesa to party their asses off, get drunk or cause trouble. People come to La Mesa to shop for antiques, play around Lake Murray, hike at Mission Trails, experience fine dining or attend our weekly classic car shows in the summer.

Lights On A La Mesa Police Cruiser

        Besides location and demographics, La Mesa’s police officers do a great job of maintaining a general feeling of safety in the city. They are professional and are always quick to respond when called upon, whether there is an emergency or not. I think that most people living in or visiting La Mesa know that crime and bad behavior stick out like a sore thumb around here, and will immediately draw the attention of our boys in blue. All of these things make La Mesa, CA a great place to live.

Vacation Isle

        There is a short inline skate trail that runs around Vacation Isle, in the middle of Mission Bay. It’s a smooth, concrete path that follows the eastern and southern shoreline of Vacation Isle before swinging back around the model yacht pond, past Paradise Point Resort Spa and over to Ingraham St.

View Larger Map

Vacation Isle In Mission Bay

        As I sat on a bench while lacing up my skates, I thought about just how lucky I am right now. Even though I spend four hours dedicated to looking for work every day, I am still able explore San Diego’s inline skate paths during the middle of the week, so the crowds are at a minimum and in some case, like in the photo above, non-existent.

Model Yacht Pond On Vacation Isle

        The model yacht pond is a rectangle shaped pond that is for model boaters only. A few times a year there are model boat races in the pond and they always draw a crowd.

Sea Cats Of Vacation Isle

        These stray cats live at the southern end of Vacation Isle, where Ingraham St. crosses over. I was really surprised to see cats that lived by the sea, right next to a skate path. I didn’t try to approach them, but they seemed to be doing all right and since there was a plastic food dispenser nearby, I think that some good Samaritan feeds them at least somewhat regularly. I’ll bring some cat food with next time, because feeding some beach-bum stray cats before inline skating around Mission Bay sounds like a wonderful idea to me.

Jacaranda Tree

        The sky was completely overcast, so I went walking around La Mesa with my Nikon D5000 in tow. I wanted to take photos of my area is if I were a tourist, and everything was new to me.

Price For Gas In La Mesa, CA – June 28, 2010

        Of course, I mean that I wanted to take photos as a tourist that happens to also be a photographer. If I was from some far off land, there would be a lot of things I have never seen before in La Mesa.

Fixing The Roof Of La Salsa Restaurant

        I think I would photograph a lot of signs if I didn’t speak the language or couldn’t read their alphabet. Regular people doing regular things would be another thing that would interest me as both as a photographer and as a tourist.

Walking The Dog Across El Cajon Blvd

        The above shot was taken right where El Cajon Blvd ends and merges into I-8 heading east. Downtown La Mesa is about a 7 minute walk from here.

Tree Ornaments Hang Peacefully From A Tree

        I found these to hanging decorations to be very Zen and very clever.

The Bridge Over I-8

        The high fence on the left is very sturdy and in intended to keep things from falling or being thrown off the bridge onto the traffic of I-8 below.

Construction Barricades

San Diego Pedestrian Bridge To Nowhere

        It’s been about four months since my last post that featured a photo of San Diego’s pedestrian bridge to nowhere. Progress on the bridge has been slow over the last 2 years of construction, or so it seems to me. The dirty white sky is the “June gloom” of San Diego, and it is a constant in the city for most of the early summer. In the background, on the right of the photo is the San Diego Convention Center, which will host the 2010 Comic-Con in less than a month. Because I am a journalist, photographer and blogger, I have been issued a press pass for all four days of the event, plus the preview night.

The Top Of The Bridge To Nowhere

        Of course there are benefits to shooting during an overcast sky such as the even lighting and lack of shadows. The clouds diffuse the sun’s light, so light comes from the entire sky, not the singular point of the sun. Natural, even light from all directions really is a photographer’s wet dream.

Great Place To Start Inline Skating Around San Diego Bay.

        My latest inline skating adventure led me to the northwest area of San Diego Bay. There is a path that runs from Market St. & N. Harbor Dr. all the way around the northern edge of the bay, past the airport and over the bridge at the western edge of Harbor Island. I took the orange line trolley to American Plaza station and then walked 1 block west on Broadway, where I popped on my skates and headed north. I was there on a Friday at lunchtime and it was pretty crowded with pedestrians from the Broadway pier until I got to Hawthorn St. At that point, the foot traffic dropped off so it was smooth sailing. The trail is concrete and parallels N. Harbor Dr. and the coast of the bay. It is wide and smooth the whole way, and as the trail curves to the west you can see planes taking off from San Diego International Airport on your right, and watch the calm, San Diego bay to your left. The path goes right past the Coast Guard base, so you can see their helicopters and hangers as well.

Inline Skate Path At San Diego Bay -- Shot with Nikon D5000

        In the spirit of making this blog more dynamic and interesting, I am learning the best ways to use my Nikon D5000 to add video to the posts. The best way is probably not to shoot video while hand-holding the D5000 and skating at the same time. That being said, the video above is a little jumpy, but it will give you a great sense of what the path is like, as well as the video capabilities of the D5000, in case you are considering purchasing one. One thing I don’t like about shooting video with the D5000 is that you have to focus manually, which is not fun when you are trying to stay upright on skates.

New Flowers For The Path

        The shot above was taken just where the trails curves to the west, between terminal two of the airport and the bay. This will make a great before and after shot, once the plants have matured and the orange safety fence is removed.
        So, yet one more skate path that is accessible on San Diego public transportation. Both the orange and blue line trolleys stop at American Plaza station and from there it’s just a one block walk to the path. To see other blog posts of mine from other San Diego skate paths, click here.