#also cant find the photographer unfortunately

[shadowfoxsilver]

jackrisstuff/jacrstuff/jacrsstuff/ jacrstuffsposts/jacrstuffsblog psa/beware

Update: As of 7/26/2023 all accounts are now down! Unfortunately this kind of scam still pops up as other users so please take caution if you get asks like this from accounts that are only a few days old and don’t show any images as proof of who they are. Always ask questions.

Update 2: As of 8/13/2023, their back under jacrstuffsblog.

[Image ID: A screenshot of an ask sent by jackrisstuff that reads as follows: “Hello sorry for tagging. Please help a black mother in need. I'm diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer which has spread to my lungs, neck and brain. I'm in a very vulnerable situation with no treatment because l'm unable to afford one. Currently I'm homeless with my 19 months old daughter because we cant. Anything appreciated” and ends with a beating heart emoji. /End ID]

Just a heads up to my followers and anyone else, this account blocked me when I requested them to provide evidence that their a real person needing support. Instead of answering my concern and replying to a link that brought up suspicions, they opted to start spamming asks to my mutuals/followers in efforts to try and get them to share the aid post. This is clear proof they don’t intent to prove their a real person needing aid and are just spamming asks to everyone they can find instead of proving they actually need support.

I do not want people to be scammed because a blogger decided to spam my friends askboxes. If you got this ask, I also suggest you to ask the person for proof their legit or block them before they can spam your followers/people you shared from. It’s sickening they likely stole someone’s real fundraiser pictures to pass off as their own ill daughter.

This is exactly the reason why I try to tell people please don’t spam asks to get support. There are scammers who do the same thing and don’t like it when public concern is brought up. The email they give is linked to a suspended twitter account that was sending the same message but had an entirely different pic.

UPDATE!

New url is jacrstuff. Their trying to avoid my alert now which further proves their not legitimate. No one needing aid would change urls like this.

[Image ID: A screenshot of an ask sent by jacrstuff that reads as follows: “Hello sorry for tagging. Please help a black mother in need. I'm diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer which has spread to my lungs, neck and brain. I'm in a very vulnerable situation with no treatment because l'm unable to afford one. Currently I'm homeless with my 19 months old daughter because we cant. Anything appreciated” and ends with a beating heart emoji. /End ID]

Update 2: Url change again instead of verifying who they are and still trying to get away from this warning. Now under jacrsstuff.

[Image ID: A screenshot of an ask sent by jacrsstuff that reads as follows: “Please help a black mother in need. I'm diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer which has spread to my lungs, neck and brain. I'm in a very vulnerable situation with no treatment because I'm unable to afford one. Currently I'm homeless with my 19 months old daughter because we cant. I'm struggling for medicines, shelter and groceries that really puts a lot of stress on me. Anything help with a bearing heart emoji used and then and is very much appreciated ending with a praying hand emoji. /End ID]

Additionally, if you search their email provided in their post, it shows up with a suspended twitter account using the photograph of a white adult woman with a child while the asker claims to be a black adult woman with a child. The twitter post seems to use the same exact wording as the askers post though I am unable to find the source of the image they used for the twitter post.

Update again

yollandde on twitter is now running the same scam.

#scam #possible scam #jackrisstuff #cancer mention #psa #jacrstuff #jacrsstuff #jacrstuffsposts #jacrstuffsblog

[umbrvx]

i like ur art. its great and interesting!! i really like your artstyle and i really like the way u draw hsy, yjh, and kdj. you captured them so well in terms of vibes/character. also i was wondering do u have any advice to improve on drawing anatomy/poses/faces?

wahh thank you so much...!! i feel like im still trying to figure them out in a lot of ways but i do really like ironing out my visual interpretations of them so im really happy to hear if people like what im coming up with

also anon you super activated the part of my brain that cant help but yap about art theory... i spent some time writing as many tips as i could think of. unfortunately i dont think i have the time currently to do a fully illustrated guide, but ill still try to include some visual examples:

[incoming wall of text lol]

ANATOMY:

to preface i think that like 100% of the time you should reference a real life photo for anatomy rather than other artwork or drawn references. the best way to learn the body is by… well, actually looking at the body! but also artwork is informed by a person's own artistic ability/stylization choices/sense of idealism, so while looking at art can help give you an idea on how to break down forms, i think you would be best served observing real life references. i labor on this point because i do think that having over relied on drawn reference material and avoiding photographic references on the basis of not being interested on realism hindered me as a largely self-taught artist as a kid, so i want to encourage live or photographic reference since anatomy is one of the foundations from which everything else is built on. that being the case, all of my doodles i'm doing for this are going to be for the sake of example rather than to strictly say how you should or should not be drawing something

-> when you are doing a study of a photo, just try copying it as best as you can. pay close attention to the natural lines and shapes of the body -- the S-curve shape of the leg, the triangular shape of the forearm, the trapezoid shape of hips/thighs when they sit, and so on. note where the body folds or squishes or pulls; how mass will shift to accommodate a certain position. if a form is hard to visualize, focus on the negative space and carve that out, rather than strictly drawing the positive space.

don't expect to get it perfect the first time. in fact, iterate on it multiple times to build understanding. try doing it to a timer of 15, then 10, then 5 minutes. doing this will force you to have to prioritize the most important shapes. you can help reinforce this by using a thicker brush or a brush with no pen pressure (no joke ms paint works great for this) to force you to be loose and not become preoccupied with details.

-> pinterest is a great resource for finding and compiling photo reference material

-> organic shapes are curved, so embracing/emphasizing that (particularly for the extremities) can help make your drawings look more natural or fluid

POSES: -> it all begins & ends with contrapposto… you've probably heard of the line of action, which is related. if you're offsetting the shoulders & hips, it: makes poses more natural, more dynamic, and helps the pose sort of "draw itself" -- the legs will follow the direction of the hips, and you can use the arms to reinforce the angles

-> context is key. don't ask: what pose should i draw? instead ask: what do i want this character to convey? what does happiness, anger, sadness, and so forth look on this particular character? how do they express that? consider these drawings: these are both ostensibly the same pose, but look at how changing just the shape of the spine recontextualizes it.

for more on pose design i recommend watching Tracer & Pose Design 101 - The Animation of Overwatch by New Frame Plus (i promise this is a genuinely super informative video).

to expand on this, in general, all of the components of a piece (background, composition, pose, etc.) are best considered in conjunction rather than separately. it is difficult to choose a pose and then choose a background because they are missing the context that would make a piece cohesive. when you are planning a drawing, try to begin with your general concept/idea/prompt and then do several thumbnails -- small and quick doodles that should take no longer than 5 minutes each -- developing it: you may find that the pose and bg will naturally fall into place.

-> silhouette: the degree to which you need to push this varies by style but generally speaking the pose needs to be readable; i.e. instantly recognizable. try to keep important elements of the gesture outside of the silhouette. for example, if the character is pointing, keep that arm out of the interior of the body. the same pose can be more or less readable or dynamic depending on where the character is pointed in relation to the viewer

-> exaggeration!! goes along with the previous point. push the pose as much as you can (and what makes sense for your style) to communicate your pose as clearly and as intensely as possible.

FACES: -> i highly recommend the app Handy Art Reference Tool by Belief Engine for all things related to drawing hands/heads/feet. its on both android and ios. it isn't free -- it costs around $3 -- but that is seriously such a small price to pay for the amount of utility you get out of it: the hands models are fully poseable (there's also pose presets), you can rotate the head models however you want, and there is 3-point customizable lighting. it is really helpful for getting those super tricky and hyperspecific head angles that you just can't find a real life reference for. that being said given that there's only a few different head model variants, bear in mind how differences in features can affect what exactly a face will look like in those angles.

-> i still recommend doing studies of real people. as with anything else, learning generalized proportions is important, even if you are going to later on bend or break this depending on style

-> as for my own approach... it kind of depends on the style i'm doing at that particular time. for my paintings (what id consider my main style) i approach a character with a few real-world features in mind and then apply them to the best of my ability. it usually will take a few iterations to land on an interpretation i really like as i try out different things. a lot of the face also gets developed during rendering rather than through my initial sketch too, as i adjust for lighting and correct proportions on the fly

(look how much this image changes between sketch and render lol)

if i were to recommend anything, i think it would be to nail down your most distinct features first -- the ones that will make your character's face recognizable, and could apply regardless of art style. in my case with kim dokja, i knew when i first started drawing him that i wanted to give him a longer face and down-turned eyes. when i decided to do the disco elysium inspired set, in which i was breaking out of my comfort zone by letting go of any idealizations focusing on conveying characterization/making them feel "real", i landed on some more specific traits (defined lower lids/perpetually tired eyes/eyebags(?) the crease there idk how to describe it) which i continue to try to evoke even if im drawing something much more cartoony

(pictured are my first kdj -> disco elysium style -> my post de-style kdj)

as a side note, this very same process changed yjh much more dramatically

(^ that first guy is mad someone else)

those handful of key features will be the thing that you can then take into a simpler style and simplify or exaggerate to whatever degree suits you. you can also play with shape theory (square = sturdy/solid, circle = natural/smooth/welcoming, triangle = energetic/dangerous). shape theory doesn't necessarily need to be so rigid -- you can combine shapes as you please to convey whatever vibe you're going for -- so please think of it as a tool that may help rather than a rigid law you must abide by.

-> expressions: exaggerate them. thats kind of it!! make it big!!! you wanna be able to really feel those emotions. the principles of squash & stretch help here: think of how the muscles move when you, say, open the eyes or mouth really big. as one side of the face stretches open, the other side squashes to accommodate it

even without changing the position of the jaw here, moving the nose and scrunching the eyes will sell the expression

you can also play with squash/stretch to break proportions to sell a feeling more

since expressions are just, well, poses for the face, everything else for poses applies here (and facial expressions & pose should also be considered in tandem). while the term contrapposto itself just refers to the offset of the shoulders & hips, the similar principle of asymmetry also carries here as that will help make the expression a bit more dynamic.

and i think... that's it!! all i can think of at least. i hope it helps anon!!!

#umbrvx.ask #sorry the reply took a minute i have been writing this post since i got the ask im so serious #i tried to determine what advice i could give that would be the most immediately actionable #also sorry its a huge wall of text im a little crazy about learning and discussing art theory . oops (the yapper)

[unlimitedhorsepower]

WHAT is ryan doing in this ancient promo art. because to me it looks like hes trying to do the same bump & grind hed do while clubbing, except with kotetsu

im actually trying to find the source and putting my findings under the cut

searching on tineye gave me earliest date for the image on october 24th 2013, which would mean that it wouldve most likely been some sort of promotional material for t&b the rising movie, which would come out early 2014.

it seems to be be a photograph of an open magazine page. unfortunately archive.foolz.us, a site that archived 4chan posts. and according to the text, this image wouldve been posted on the /m/ board, which is about mecha, why... i guess i dont care. however it has become defunct and i cant access the original full-sized image, because on the lower left corner theres more text

however a scan of it is somewhere out there because now, i found the original image on pinterest, but its clearly not related to the photo posted in 2013. because it lacks the glare from the overhead lighting/page bending that you can see especially over barnabys head

i also dont speak japanese and the text is written in a font (online tools to convert the text into stuff i can search wont work properly), so it gives me no clues as to where to search for its origin. 

however due to the early date and the pictured suit, im sure its official, because ive seen this suit be cosplayed and drawn...

#tiger and bunny #t&b #apollon trio #ryan goldsmith #kotetsu t kaburagi #barnaby brooks junior

[aureiki]

This is a continuation of my last post regarding the cast's backstories! Before I do anything, big shoutout to the discord for helping me out a lil on some of these.

While I was discussing backstories w some friends, they brought up a theory that since the themes are guilt/shame or whatever similar, the cast had probably done something awful. Such as yk, murder and the sorts. I'll most likely talk about these themes below! A prior warning for it.

I'll hopefully make this a little more longer, so without further ado-

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Rose Lacroix

"In the end, the only thing I can do is watch my wretched life go on."

It's basic knowledge in the community that Rose has INCREDIBLE photographic memory, and that she'll remember, well literally anything. As helpful as it was in the first case, and her actual ultimate, it's also definitely a huge inconvenience to her normal life.

She can remember ANYTHING, Rose has obviously seen some pretty... nasty things she'd like to forget, but can't. The way she calls her life wretched does show that she's- unhappy? Annoyed with her life? Well, nobody can really blame her.

If Rose did end up killing a person, and if not that, put them in an awful state with her own hands. It'd make sense yk? It'll obviously be a memory she'd rather forget but cant. And thus the HQ, in the end, all she can do is watch. Death is a scary thing after all. (Coughs coughs feed into my theory she will commit s word in the future coughs)

J Moreno

"Please don’t call me your daughter ever again."

Luckily for me, a lot of her backstory was revealed in the newest FTE video! It was theorized for a while, and I'm not shocked to find out it's actually canon! (/pos)

Her mother dressed her up all girly and stuff, made her do things that 'girls should always do.' Telling J that 'swearing isn't lady-like!' Wear makeup everyday! Don't cut your hair too short, no one will marry you if you look like a guy!'

Something I can (unfortunately) relate to, in fact a lot of girls do. J also reveals that her brother never had to go through that stuff, and was left to do whatever he wanted, much to J's jealousy.

When a parent drills the mindset that girls should ALWAYS be girly, and boys should ALWAYS be rough and rowdy, it'll really change how their kids see things. Thus, J was just lead to believe that all girly girls are lame and annoying (because well, her mother forced her to be one) while boys are cool and whatever (her brother didn't get annoyed by their mother, and J was just likely sick of being feminine.)

Personally I don't feel like getting into gender talk regarding J, I'm not cis of course but I'd rather leave it as it is, headcanons and all ^^

J does also reveal she really hates her mom, calling her annoying and stuff. For the fact that her mom forced her to be girly. I'm not saying that's a bad reason to dislike someone, personally I have a little dislike for my own parents for those same reasons. But I'm wondering just how bad did it get for J to act and behave that way.

The whole guilt and shame thing? With this alone, I'm not quite sure.. If her mother is important, then maybe J feels guilt for pushing her mother (or even, her whole family) out of her life? Or if I go to the more extreme route, J did/said something bad to her mom in a fit of rage, and caused her mom's own death.

Eden Tobisa

"You can’t go back, no matter how hard you try."

What I like about Eden's HQ is that it's sort of a play on her talent. (Go back/Turn back time) Unlike a good majority of the cast, Eden isn't an asshole, so it's a lot more unbelievable that she did something bad.. to me atleast.

Fits the guilt and shame theme, Eden desperately wants to go back, perhaps to a time when things were simple, or reverse an accident she caused. Eden is quite the foil of Teruko, being so willing to trust her in the trial despite being the most obvious suspect for Xander's death. And she was the (assumed) most upset over Teruko leaving, and Teruko's sudden outburst in the trial.

With that being said, I don't think the HQ refers to Eden's own actions *specifically*, not fully atleast. It could be an accident someone else caused, and Eden wants to go back to a time where it never happened. There's also the fact she's pretty awful at time management (ironic, she's a clockmaker)

Tuning out everything else while you work is normal, I do that. But for her to work on machinery for *14 hours without a single break*? It's very likely a joke, with the way she says it so casually but I dunno.. Maybe she wishes to be ignorant, like Rose, she wants to forget what happened and what she's done.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

That's all for today! Again, I'll do the rest when I have time! You're free to discuss more and add anything if u wish! ( ๑>ᴗ<๑ )

#danganronpa despair time #drdt #eden tobisa #j moreno #rose lacroix #they need therapy

[k00254063]

every sound can be represented by a waveform. by measuring the changes in sound pressure we can visualise it as a 2d image. the poem i used is inspired by this photo i took of a rose. so i thought it was fitting to have it as a backdrop for the poem itself and the waveform piece.

this is the poem printed out in the waveform alphabet by itself. i unfortunately couldn't do the entire poem as it was taking me a long time and im not full happy with how it looks. i would like it to look more like a letter or poem format so i think if i had hand written the sound waves it would of had more of an intimate feel to it.

i was also inspired by the artist jennifer cantwell who created this fascinating piece called 'letter home'. she recorded this letter in her garden. i love how personal and intimate it is but contrastingly mysterious and private as we cant read this right off the bat. only the person who recorded it knows, which i find quite beautiful.

[amcnallyy]

Audrey McNally

Professor Alfarone 

Module 9 Assignment: Photographer's Eye 

What is love? Love is one of the most beautiful emotions that we all possess. Love is simple. Love is challenging. Love can be found in places, animals, inanimate objects, people. Love is through laughs, strangers, looks, nature, touch, words. It is truly everywhere we look. Love is so special. Through this assignment I decided to set out on a few days' journey. Anytime I saw an act or emotion of the gift we so luckily have, love. 

#1

 I decided to title this photo “Together with a Plus Sign” by Audrey McNally. This photo represents two individuals carving their initials into a tree as a symbol of their love. These carvings can stay prominent for decades conveying that their love is everlasting. As one can see in this picture these initials must've been carved into the tree at least a year ago. I find this picture to be beautiful and be such permeance of a couples love. 

#2

I decided to title this photograph, “ A Summer Walk” by Audrey McNally. Love is not just found in couples. It is found in friends, strangers, family, animals, etc. This photo, to me, expresses a beautiful way of showing support and friendship. Interlacing one's fingers to others is proven to generate less cortisol (stress hormone). To love is to be in support of another person. Holding hands is a way of being there for each other, if one person trips the other will catch them. 

#3

I decided to title this photograph, “Love is everywhere” by Audrey McNally. During the time of this photograph I was in search of aspects of love found on the beach. Unfortunately I struggled to find the perfect photograph. My mother and I decided to walk the beach in search and miraculously found two children creating “ I Heart U” in the sand to show to their mother. I then asked for a photograph of their creation which resulted in such a memorable conversation. Not only with the children and their mother but also with my mother as we walked back to our car. I love you is three simple words that are a blunt way of expressing love. It is essential to express this not only through words but actions. Yet so special to hear from others, we must tell others how much we love them.

#4

This photograph is entitled, “Love is Happiness” by Audrey McNally. In this picture is my inspiring older sister and my dog Gus. These two exhibit such a beautiful love. Gus makes my sister happy through cuddles, his funny way of dancing, and simply always being there. While my sister makes him happy through taking him on walks, playing with his toys, or likewise to him always being there. Love is happiness and can be found in everything. Even though they cant physically speak to each other like humans do. They still convey a friendship to one another and are always they're for each other. Which truly is what love is all about.

#5

This photograph is entitled, “ Love can be Seen” by Audrey McNally. In this photograph is my Mother and my dog Gus. This picture is the most incredible rainbow that I have caught sight of. When I think of rainbows my immediate thought is love. Rainbows are the beauty after the storm. We can all struggle to find love but love is out there. No matter the dark times light and beauty will always shine through. That is symbolic of the rainbow. This storm lasted hours but in return created beauty. Love is beautiful. 

Through taking these images I learned that love is everywhere and through everything. Love is the most powerful force we have in this world. Love is found everyday, we must look for it. 

[busdriver-55]

Heir and Heiress AU

If Stars Never Gleam by Evangel10n: Rey is invited to spend the holidays at the Solo estate with Leia, Han, and their awful son, Ben. Ben Solo and Rey Palpatine both loathe each other with ferocity backed up by years of being childhood enemies. Will this be the year they settle their differences, letting the past die once and for all, or will they crash and burn? All The Money In The World by @hersisterskeeper: Ben Organa-Solo was well aware and rather fond of his reputation. He had been made aware of his place in life via a New York Post cover when he had graduated high school, which called him a party animal and heartbreaker and some more things of the like, and well, he rather liked the sound of that, thanks very much. He's the wild child of the rich Skywalker family and is very good at his job. Meanwhile, Rey Kenobi, an heiress in her own right and a Vogue photographer, is very careful and aware of risks that should and shouldn't be taken. To her, Ben Solo is her worst nightmare: careless, reckless, just asking to end up dead from his vices-- not unlike her parents. Not even all the money in the world could make this worth it-- right? Unfortunately, thanks to a Ben Solo hissyfit, she's responsible for getting his photo in the next issue of Vogue, which leads to her personally dragging Ben down a long and convoluted road to redemption-- kicking and screaming. Claiming a Fortune and a Family by ClaireLou: Rey Snoke has bent to her Fathers demands, Marry Billionaire Ben Solo and produce a Grandson. Both men have something to gain from this business deal. Ben Gets back a lost family treasure and Reginald Snoke gains a legitimate Heir to the Snoke fortune. But what about Rey? Rey made Ben believe she was in it solely for the money, that was her only choice, the real reason is something she cant share until she provides a Grandson for her father. Being married to Ben Solo was supposed to be just a transaction, Baby then money, then island, but it was proving to be a little bit more. She needs to keep her secrets hidden, but that's so hard when the passion she shares with her husband makes her want to reveal everything. Of Gods and Muses by X_Craven: Ben Solo was a world-renowned jeweller until a car accident scarred and crippled him for life. He's sequestered himself in the mountains, still working on his craft, but not once showing himself in public. His mother arranges a marriage for him with the Palpatine Heiress to expand the business and hopefully get her son out of the dark and into the sunlight once more. A Night at the Opera by born_awkward2: Prince Benjamin marries eighteen year old heiress Rey Palpatine by proxy and promptly leaves England for the continent, returning three years later after hearing his wife is going to have the marriage dissolved due to non-consummation. Aware also that his business manager, Snoke, has almost complete control over his fortune. Visiting the opera he claps eyes on the most exquisite woman he has ever seen. He asks his friend Armitage Hux who she is. Hux replies; ‘Your wife’ ... A String Attached To Your Heart by Lenkia: Ben never cared for soulmates. It destroyed his parent's lives. He'll be damned if it'll happen to him too. So when he meets Rey, his 16-year old, rich soulmate, he immediately denies her. Ben is not going to jail. Even if laws are different for Soulmate Connections, he still has some kind of morality! But when he finds out about Rey's loneliness, the identical feeling of being unwanted as a child matching his, guilt almost drowns him. Feeling the need to help her from the pain he suffered too, Ben bonds with Rey to fill out her loneliness. Totally innocent. Nothing odd. But it won't take long before the association starts to affect... 

#reylo #rich kylo #rich rey #Heir and Heiress #both are very rich #money

[tiesandtea]

Simon Gilbert

Simon Says

We interviewed Simon Gilbert, Suede’s drummer, whose book So Young: Suede 1991-1993 is a journal and photographic document of the band’s early years that will be published October 8th. So Young has foreword by journalist Stuart Maconie and a vibrant, lively text by Simon himself, documenting his move from Stratford-on-Avon, his hometown, to London, the audition with Suede, life in the van, the early success years and the many amusing things that come with it. It is one of those rare books that make an outsider feel like they were there, in the van. Or in absurd mansions in L.A. belonging to industry types. Or was it record producer(s)?…

The conversation extended to Coming Up, Suede’s third album that turned 25 this year and drumming. Simon’s witty, often, one-liners contrast with my more elaborate questions, proving an interesting insight into our way of writing/replying.

by Raquel Pinheiro

So Young: Suede 1991-1993

What made you want to realease So Young?

I was searching through my archives when researching for the insatiable ones movies and found lots of old negatives and my diaries. They had to be seen.

When and why did you start your Suede archives?

As you can see from the book, it stared from the very first audition day.

From the concept idea to publishing how long did it took you to put So Young together?

30 years … I’ve always wanted to make a book since I was first in a band.

What was your selection process for which items – diary entries, photos, etc.- would be part of the book?

I wanted to form a story visually with a few bits of info thrown in here and there, also most of the photos tie in with pages from the diaries.

Which methods, storage, preservation, maintenance, if at all, do you employ to keep the various materials in your archives in good shape?

Boxes in an attic … one thing about getting the book out is that I don’t have to worry about the photos getting lost forever. It’s out there in a book!

Other than medium what differences existed between selecting material for The Insatiable Ones documentary and for So Young?

Video and photos … photos don’t translate well on a TV screen.

Do you prefer still or motion pictures and why?

I prefer photos … they capture a particular moment in time … as video does, but there’s a unique atmosphere with a photo.

So Young’s cover photo has a very Caravaggio and ballet feeling to it. Its chiaroscuro also contrasts with the images inside.  Why did you choose it for the cover?

It was a striking shot and I wanted the book to be black and dark …it fitted perfectly.

How many of the photos on So Young were taken by you?

Probably about 3/4 my 3 school friends who were there with me at the beginning Iain, Kathy and Phillip took a load of us onstage, backstage, after  the gig, etc., photos I couldn’t take myself.

So Young can be placed alongside books like Henry Rollins’ Get in The Van and Michael Azerrad’s Our Band Could Be Your Life, that not only chronicle and show the less glamorous, more mundane side of being in a band, but also totally immerse the reader so deep in it that we are there, feeling and going through the same things. Was your selection of materials meant to convey that “band being your(our) life” sensation?

Yes, exactly that. I was fascinated by photos of bands, not on the front cover of a magazine or on TV. The other bits of being in a band are far more interesting.

In the foreword, Stuart Maconie mentions the brevity of your diary entries which, as someone who keeps diaries, I immediately noticed. Do you prefer to tell and record a story and events with images?

I haven’t kept a diary since the end of 1993 … looking back on them they can be a bit cringeful … So, yes, I prefer images.

Contrasting with the diary entries brevity your text  that accompanies So Young is lively, witty, detailed and a good description of the struggles of a coming of age, heading towards success, band. Do you think the text and images reveal too much into what it really is like being in a band, destroying the myth a bit?

I think the myth of being in a band is long gone … Reality is the new myth…

In So Young you write that when you first heard Never Mind The Bollocks by The Sex Pistols music was to be your “future dream”. How has the dream been so far?

Still dreaming … lose your dreams and you will lose your mind … like Jagger said.

Is there a reason why So Young only runs from 1991 to 1993?

Yes, I bought a video camera in 1993. It was so much easier filming everything rather than take a photo, wait 3 weeks to get it developed and find out it was blurred.

So Young has a limited deluxe numbered and signed edition already sold out. The non deluxe edition also seems to be heading the same way. How important is it for you to keep a close relationship with the fans?

So important. I love interacting with the fans and is so easy these days … I had to write replies by hand and post them out in 1993…

Playing Live Again & Coming Up

Before Suede’s concert at Qstock Festival in Oulu, Finland on 31.07.2021 you wrote on your social media “cant fucking wait dosnt come close!!!!!” and Mat [Osman, Suede’s bassist] on his “An honest-to-goodness rehearsal for an honest-to-goodness show. Finally”. How did it feel like going back to play live?

It was great. Heathrow was empty which was amazing. A bit strange to play for the first time after 2 years …., but great to get out again.

Coming Up was released 25 years ago. How does the record sound and seems to you now compared with by then?

I haven’t listened to it for a long time actually … love playing that album live … some great drumming.

Before the release of Coming Up fans and the press were wondering if Suede would be able to pull it off. What was your reaction when you first heard the new songs and realize the album was going in quite a different direction than Dog Man Star?

Far too long ago to remember.

Coming Up become a classic album. It even has its own Classical Albums documentary. Could you see the album becoming a classic by then?

I think so yes .. there was always something to me very special about that album.

Is it different to play Coming Up songs after Suede’s return? Is there a special approach to concerts in which a single album is played?

No … didn’t even need to listen to the songs before we first rehearsed … They’re lodged in my brain.

Which is your Coming Up era favourite song as a listener and which one do you prefer as a drummer?

The Chemistry Between Us.

Will the Coming Up shows consist only of the album or will B-sides be played as well?

Definitely some B-sides and some other stuff too.

Simon & Drumming

If you weren’t a drummer how would your version of “being the bloke singing at the front” be like?

Damned awful … I auditioned as a singer once, before I started drumming … It was awful!

In his book Stephen Morris says that all it takes to be a drummer is a flat surface and know how to count. Do you agree?

No.

Then, what makes a good drummer?

Being in the right band.

Topper Headon of the Clash is one of your role models. Who are the others?

He is, yes … fantastic drummer.

Charlie Watts is the other great …and Rat Scabies … superb.

She opens with drums so does Introducing the band. Your drumming gives the band a distinctive sound. How integral to Suede’s sound are the drums?

Well, what can I say … VERY!

Do you prefer songs that are driven by the drums or songs in which the drums are more in the background?

Bit of both actually … I love in your face stuff like She, Filmstar …, but ikewise, playing softer stuff is very satisfying too.

You’re not a songwriter. How much freedom and input do you have regarding drum parts?

If the songs needs it, I’ll change it.

Do you prefer blankets, towels or a pillow inside the bass drum?

Pillows.

Do you use gaffer tape when recording? If so, just on the snare drum or also on the toms? What about live?

Lots of the stuff … gaffer tape has been my friend both live and in the studio for 30 years.

What is the depth of your standard snare drum and why?

Just got a lovely 7-inch Bog wood snare from Repercussion Drums … sounds amazing. It is a 5000 year old Bog wood snare.

Standard, mallets, rods or brushes?

Standard. I hate mallets and rods are always breaking after one song. Brushes are the worst …no control.

How many drum kits have you owned? Of those, which is your favourite?

5 … my fave is my DW purple.

How long to you manage without playing? Do you play air drums?

7 years 2003 – 2010 … and never.

Can you still assemble and tune your drum kit?

Assemble, yes …tune no …have never been any good at that.

You dislike digital/electronic drum kits, but used one during the pandemic. Did you become more found of them?

Still hate them … unfortunately,  they are a necessary evil.

When you first joined Suede you replaced a drum machine. Would it be fair to say you didn’t mind taking its job?

Fuck him!

Brett [Anderson, Suede’s singer] as described the new album as “nasty, brutish and short”. How does that translates drums wise?

Very nasty brutish and short.

When researching for the interview I come across the statement below on a forum: “If you’re in a band and you’re thinking about how to go about this, get every player to come up with their own track list & have a listening party. I’ve done this, not only is it great fun, it’s also massively insightful when it comes to finding out what actually is going on inside the drummer’s head!”. What actually is going on inside the drummer’s head?

Where’s my fucking lighter!

And what is going on inside the drummer as a documentarist head? How does Simon, the drummer, differs from Simon, the keen observer of his own band, bandmates, fans, himself, etc.?

There is no difference … I’m Simon here there and everywhere…

What would the 16 years old Simon who come to London think of current Simon? What advice would you give to your younger self?

Don’t smoke so much you fool!

#simon gilbert #suede #so young book

[jalboyhenthusiast]

Hiii!! So recently this theory has come to my attention (I'm sure it's not new it just is to me) and it's basically that what may have exacerbated the animosity and feelings of betrayal after z left is that it apparently affected hl's plans or something?? I know it's all conjecture but could you elaborate on this bc I may be dumb but I genuinely don't understand how his departure may have potentially impacted their speculated coming out or whatever? Like the logistics of it all bc I'm baffled.

Contd: Also just thinking about it some more, even though I am certainly not z's biggest fan, I do not at all blame him for putting himself and his mental health first but do you genuinely believe he would have willingly and knowingly done something that would jeopardise their relationship in any way like Lou and him were the best of friends and although I don't fervently support him the way I do hl I find it difficult to accept he would do something to knowingly hurt them y'know?? Idk I'm torn.

hi babe yeah obviously none of us will ever know the true story behind what went down between z/h/l but there has been some theorising that it may have changed the plans for h/l. i remember reading a really good post on it a while back which i cant find now annoyingly but basically if they did have any sort of CO plans for h/l in the works then with zayn leaving its thought that it would have been too much change all at once for the fanbase thus reversing what felt like months of seeding. its also worth noting that louis’ image did a complete 180 from around the same time (photographed out almost every night from early march onwards and then we all know what that snowballed into). personally i really dont know what to believe but i do know that whatever happened between them it had to have been personal for h/l to react the way they did especially in contrast to liam and niall who didnt seem to hold any personal resentment. maybe it was related to a CO maybe it was completely unrelated but just as important to them. we’ll never know unfortunately. 

i also want to add that i 100% dont blame z at all for doing what he did either. im predominantly a hl fan but i do love z to bits too and i will always defend his decision to leave when he did (although he did some messy press afterwards... but again there seemed to be some bitter feelings from all 3 of them. it was generally a messy time lmao). i think we have to consider just how bad it was for him. he was miserable he was literally unwell he was dragging himself out on stage every night for years when all he wanted to do was get away from it all. he had put himself second for years and i just think enough was enough for him. i dont think it was a malicious decision or he intended to hurt anyone with the consequences of it. it was just something that had to be done. getting out of a contract early probably also meant some sort of consequence for him too so i dont think he got out of it scot free either. again we’re all just theorising what went down behind the scenes so we can’t say for sure what z leaving meant for the rest of them but clearly it left scars between z/h/l for years :/ hopefully though with louis publicly reaching out this year it means they’re mending that rift 

#hopefully that helps somewhat #i dont really want to dwell on this topic sorry! #ask #anon

[warrioroflondonbelow]

HC:

WWII!Verse

-Richard has a notebook, that he keeps in one of the pockets inside his uniform. During those rare, still moments, or during those nights when he cant sleep, you will most likely find Richard sketching away. He usually ends up sketching the towns they pass by, to the nearby landscapes, memories (whether those memories be painful or not), to different people he meets, or even friends from his unit. These sketches become painful, however, when Richard comes across an old drawing of, say, one of his friends who unfortunately died in one of their battles. Yet, as much as these images hurt he never dares throw them away.

-Before leaving another town, Richard tries to scavenge around for art supplies (mostly pencils, erasers, and charcoal).

-This notebook is also something of a scrapbook because between the pages he may wedge meaningful letters here and there, photographs, or just random mementos he finds along the way.

-Richard always also tries to get a new book whenever he passes through a new town.

#richards thoughts; #the drums of war;v #the blog train goes queue queue

[sngalbums]

Pander Sera Deviates From Her Own Deviations on Errant LP [Excerpts from an Interview]

The original interview appears on Grimy Goods. The introduction is reprinted in part below. The conversation that follows is a continuation of that article. 

After establishing her own rhythms, Pander Sera is ready to shake everything up again. Last spring, the Los Angeles noise artist, also known as Swan, released Bothy, a raucous explosion of percussion and wit. The sound of that record was unified and relentless—ambitious enough to leave a distinct mark, though not quite the breadth of musicality that Pander Sera is capable of. On Errant, she rights the ship by sinking it.

Read the original interview. Continue reading for more. 

Pander Sera | buy Errant | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Soundcloud | Bandcamp

---

Did you make the art for this record? Tell me about it.

SWAN: Yes! ... I started ashing in my painting and smearing it around. ...

That’s ash?!?!

SWAN: Yeah, it’s like tobacco and ash and a very small amount of brown and black paint splattered against it. And there’s a bit of my hair in there too.

That’s so cool. I guess I assumed it was black paint. Have you put white paint over it or did you scratch out the eyes and mouth? The exposed canvas at the top also feels like a nod to Bothy’s corrugated cardboard texture.

SWAN: The eyes and mouth were white paint I believe. Yeah, I’m looking at it right now. They are three-dimensionally protruding from the canvas so yeah I think it’s white paint. As for the unfinished corners, I was in a rush to try to expressively finish [the painting], but I really like that you can see the corners of the canvas and…everything seems to have some sort of inherent connection. Even if I didn’t realize it at the time, it connects with a lot of the songs and the feel of that album. I very much like drawing awareness to the medium. Which is a funny cuz some critic could look at it and say it’s unfinished or it’s amateur. But not if it was intentional! But yeah in this case, I can assure you, it’s not an excuse.

---

---

You have described Errant as “an album about veering from a course.” Are you referencing a specific course that you have veered from?

SWAN: Several specific ones! ... Bothy had an intention from the get-go. We had been building a studio downtown and I suddenly found myself with access to these more professional resources. So we thought, “let’s make a pop album! Let’s do it every step of the way the way that a pop album would be produced and released.” To me, it became this sort of performance art that only I was aware of after awhile because the process ended up taking years. [laughs] I would not recommend such a foolhardy endeavor without better proper planning and things like that. 

I was so inundated by the sound of Bothy that I wanted to do a completely different thing. I think “Con Past Young” was one of the first songs that came to fruition in that way. It came into my head and I thought OK, I want to try to see what I can do with this instrument that is so ubiquitous. I don’t necessarily think I do anything impressive with the guitar on the album but I really enjoyed using it as a texture and as like a new paintbrush. Shoot I’ve gone off course. I’ve erred! [laughs] 

---

[about the flow and structure of Errant]

SWAN: There’s this very intense early early childhood memory I have of the first time I was introduced to a narrative structure that seemed to have no end, like an infinite story. It terrified me. I read Wind in the Willows before I would go to sleep and all of these beautiful stories intertwined, but it didn’t really seem to have a beginning, middle, and end. It was just this continuous cycle and that really intrigued me. After I got over the initial existential dread of there being no form, I mean, look at me now: as an adult who does not abide by binaries and loves noise music and so forth. I really enjoyed the freedom of that fluidity of this infinite story being told, and you can find that in a lot of old errant stories. They’re called knight-errant like old King Arthur type shit. That’s all well and good, the Lancelot stuff, but I prefer different forms of those legends. 

---

You describe how Bothy had this particular sound, which differed from what you were doing before that record. So in a way do you think that on Errant you’ve returned back to what you were doing in the pre-Bothy era?

SWAN: In some ways yes and some ways no. ... [Yes] in the sense that this was an album that came from more personal wanderings and meanderings. It is a return to when I was living in Santa Cruz and I would just record some bird in the forest and go back and suddenly I’d have a trip hop beat. Day to day, and I believe I’m not the only one who experiences this: you just wake up almost a different person. My interests are so varied in terms of the kind of art that I want to make that sometimes that can be paralyzing, you can get frozen and go, oh shoot there’s too many options, I’m drowning in options! But if you can sit down and say, ok I woke up with this song stuck in my head today that I’ve been working on so I’ll work on that. 

I can relate to the art paralysis. I like to paint, I’m trying to learn how to be a better photographer, I like to write (though that is now its own burden), and I’m trying to learn the drums. But then I worry that I’m spreading myself too thin, and why am I pursuing any of them? But I also just enjoy it whenever I can. 

SWAN: It’s unfortunate in a lot of ways because, in the creative field, you’re almost expected to be able to do it all. Or to at least produce it all. If you cant make your own art then you can find someone who can do art for you and you better be able to pay them. Oh, also! I’m really excited that you’re learning to play the drums! It’s a very healthy, cathartic activity. 

Yes, the catharsis has been great! Just smacking shit, it’s so fun. 

SWAN: Yeah! And then eventually learning oh, if I smack it a little softer then I can make a different sound. 

Yeah, well, I have an electric set and I think there’s a short in one of the cables. But it’s almost its own fun challenge. Because when you learn something some way, then when you hear it a different way, it’s uncharted territory. 

SWAN: Like a happy accident? 

Yes, exactly. When something different happens it’s not a bad thing. I’m trying not to think of it as wrong as much as it’s just not the way that it always is. 

SWAN: Exactly! What you just described, that’s the theme of Errant. [laughs] Or at least one of the arms of the tree of Errant. 

Pander Sera · Con Past Young

#Pander Sera #Errant #interview #new music #music #album art #new album #new record #album #noise #experimental #acoustic #Con Past Young

[kweebtrash]

11, 12, 23, and 100

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Oof...uh...im not even like a shoe obsessed person but somehow i feel like i have a lot of shoes. Im gonna say that 85% are black boots tbh. I have a pair of pastel purple boots that i love and some heeled white boots that i normally use for lolita. Then i have a collection of wedged jelly sandals in rainbow, silver glitter, white, black, and light blue (i may be missing a color) and those are my fave too. Maybe 30 if i was gonna guess?😅

12. What was your last dream about?

Okay so i dont remember my like last dream from tonight but a dream i do remember that happened like a day or two ago was (and this is very long so bare with me. Yes, i usually dream about johnny, yes my dreams are super detailed because my writer mind kinda goes with it. Yes, my dreams can last like an hour or two. This also happens with dreams that give me anxiety which is fun🙃🙃)

N E WAY:

(I feel cringey saying 'i' but it was me...albeit a hotter version but whatever). I was a business person that was starting my own brand of lingerie (like one of those that was kinda geared towards more plus sizes but still wanted to be inclusive-whatever lol) and Johnny was my best friend who was a photographer (shocking i know). I was needing his help because i needed more professional model pictures to show the lingerie i had produced but because my business was still starting i was basically the model. Johnny had gone out of his way to book a stay at this bed and breakfast that he found because he was trying to find the perfect backdrop for the pictures and this bed and breakfast was gorgeous. The room he booked was a two story room with this giant bed and a whirlpool jet tub and a balcony that overlooked this really pretty garden below. Anyway it was amazing and we got there and actually did normal stuff like take pictures and get close up shots yadda yadda but we had also gotten some cheap wine from the supermarket (we stopped to get snacks before we got to the bnb). So in between shots we were drinking and drank a little tooooo much and got all giggly and stuff. (There might have been some transitional thing here but i dont remember)

Anyway, i get excited because i had wanted to try the tub because id never been in a whirlpool one before but i was like "wow this is weird that its outside the bathroom and a few feet from the bed. Is it gonna be weird if im in the tub while youre here because i really wanna try it. I even got bath bombs." And johnnys like "well i wanna try it too!!" And we're both tipsy/sorta drunk at this point and giggling about that fact that were gonna be naked together or whatever but who cares because its a cool af tub, we just wont tell the others that we took a bath together, its cool, whatevs. So i had the bright idea of dumping all the bathbombs i had gotten (like two or three) in which was a bad idea because they had like softening body oil and glitter in them so it made the tub extra slippery. We both get in and spend forever trying not to slip and slide to death in this tub and of course i end up slipping close to him, like in between his legs and were pressed together (alright heres the smut part -condensed version)

-we start making out hardcore and groping the hell out of one another

-we establish that maybe its okay to just have one hook up, again we just wont tell the guys bc theyd just tease us bc they were always saying how we acted like we were married and should just be a couple already

-he pushes me (cringe) against the tub wall and starts fingering me and i start jerking him off.

-ofc he starts kissing and biting my neck and putting all of his weight on me/gripping the side of the tub to get leverage to make his thrusts faster (and this is still just for the fingering)

-eventually he turns me around and starts fucking me from behind. Im bent over the edge of the tub but i had one hand in the water and accidentally pull the drain plug so the water starts to go down

-we laugh about it (again still kinda tipsy) and johnnys ofc like lets go to the bed.

- he picks me up and throws me down on it and i think it was missionary first but he def started choking me which was great because he did not hold back on that grip👌🏽

-then i think we went into doggy again?(this is kinda the part where the dream was ending and i dont remember too much) and he was pressing down hard on the back of my neck and spanking me. And unfortunately i dont remember anything after that😫

23. Have you ever met any celebrities?

Yeah!

-bullet for my valentine

-clown/corey/craig from slipknot

-pentagon! (Well hi touch)

-ateez (hi touch)

-monsta x (hi touch)

-amber rose

- a TON of drag queens from rupauls drag race (bianca, bob, thorgy, jujubee, the list goes on. I went to drag con i think 2016? Something like that)

-i met the voice actor for yusuke urameshi (yu yu hakusho) Justin Cook and he was the SWEETEST guy ever and i have a good story about him. Also YYH is one of my fave animes so i def cried

-Amy Doan, the creator of Sugarpill makeup (i love her okay)

-the guitarist of Heidevolk and i think the bassist? I cant remember

-Laverne Cox

I think that might be it?

100. Color of your room?

Pfft white because i rent an apartment 😅

Thank you for asking (and always reblogging my stories😅🥰) i love you!

[write-it-motherfuckers]

There’s something thrilling about getting into places that you know you shouldn’t be. It’s almost an addiction at this point. The moment you see that a place that interests you is forbidden to you, it becomes just that much more tantalising, some devious part of you growing giddy at the idea of being somewhere that you are forbidden to be.

That’s how you find yourself climbing over a wire fence one afternoon, the overcast sky sitting low and heavy, casting the world in a deep shadow that tinges everything grey. It’s your favourite kind of weather, and the perfect atmosphere for your childish adventure. 

The building you find yourself approaching, is an old manor, beautiful, but in an incredible state of disrepair. It saddens you that this and many other buildings like it, will never get the chance to be rebuilt and returned to their former glory, instead being bulldozed down by corporate greed, and replaced with lifeless monstrosities with zero character. 

The weight of your camera in your bag has you smiling softly, a bounce in your step. Part of why you love exploring these kinds of places is that it gives you an opportunity to photograph and immortalise what is left of such beautiful locations, before they are lost forever. You also occasionally get the chance to take home little souvenirs since the owners of the land don’t care, more concerned with ridding the land of what once stood, to make room for the new and “improved”.

Humming to yourself, you squirmed your way past one of the broken doors and the demolition tape that hung loosely over it. You’re not likely to take too many photos today, but it would be good to see where everything is, and plan ahead for your exploration tomorrow, when you know you will have more time.

The manor seemed to be such a richly furnished place, though most was well past a time that it could have been salvageable. Whoever had lived here had been very well off, likely from old money, given their tastes. It was undoubtedly a stunning manor in its prime, something that would have stolen ones breath away upon entry. How you longed to have seen it.

You took your time exploring, eventually pulling out a torch for guidance in the darker sections of the home. Several spots were too dangerous to explore, but you have long since learnt how to navigate places like this, your body holding quite a few scars from your exploits when you were less experienced.

A pigeon suddenly flew out of nowhere at you, startled by your torch and startling you in turn causing you to hastily leap back out of harms way. As if the world had decided that you needed a reminder of the dangers that came with abandoned buildings, the floor abruptly gave out beneath you, sending you plummeting into the darkness with a sharp yelp.

Your landing was rough and painful, and below you, you heard what sounded like wood, crack loudly. Letting out a string of incredibly colourful and creative curses, you squinted in the darkness and weakly shifted, falling off of what ever it was that you had landed on with a pained grunt and thump. Scooping up your fallen torch, you shakily directed it to the sharp pain in your thigh and calf, grimacing at the sight of the massive gashes there.

With a groan, you yanked off your bag and pulled out your first aid kit, having long since learnt how to tend to wounds, thanks to your exploits. These days you were always prepared for the worst, your bag always well stocked for any situation, just in case.

Suddenly, you heard rustling fabric, and froze, listening anxiously and intently. With only your torch and what little light was shining through the hole in the floor, there was very little you could see, even if it was right in front of your face. Unfortunately, you were pretty certain that the sound had come from right beside you, and what ever it was you had landed on when you fell.

As if to answer these thoughts, there was the sound of movement again, and then then the distinct sound of something large and wooden being moved, directly beside you. Your heart began to pound in your chest as you debated actually using your torch to see what the noise was, some childish part of you wishing to believe the age old lie, “if I cant see it, then it cant see me”.

Before you could panic on the thought further, there was an ominous creak above you, and you managed to look up just in time to see part of the floor start falling towards your injured form. Your cry of fear was cut off abruptly as an arm wrapped firmly around your waist, yanking you out of the way with inhuman speed, and directly into someones chest, their knees pressed either side of you, as though cradling you protectively. The floor crashed down heavily onto the spot where you had been only a fraction of a second before, sending up a plume of dust that had you coughing, until fabric was carefully and lightly pressed over your face, shielding you from the worst of it.

#write-it-motherfuckers #writing prompt #writing prompts #writing #prompt #story prompt #story prompts #story #prompts #my prompt #original #random #inspiration #idea #ideas #imagine #supernatural #mythology #vampire #vampires #abandoned building #abandoned #abandoned buildings #guess who's on their vampire bullshit again? #it me

[skippyv20]

Copyright on Royal Photographs - Maybe ?

Hi Skippy!! Biggest hugs to you. First of all, I started to write this, then got distracted. I realise you get many people asking or posting comments and we understand that you cant post everything. You stated earlier, that many posts can be about the same thing or the story doesn’t flow. I fully expect you to use your judgement and post what you feel is timely and relevant. I trust your judgement. Unfortunately for me just this minute I am a little frustrated because I wrote a post and accidentally lost it, so I am trying to collect my thoughts to rewrite it, arrrrggghhhh. Please excuse me if I ramble or sound disjointed while I try to explain some ideas I was having about the comment about the copyright ‘christening’ pic being posted on a royal twitter or instagram account that seems like an odd thing to do.Then I thought, this could be LG in action. Whether it was mm or LG that applied for the copyright license the photos that it has been added to are very select. We all know that HMTQ knows that this is all a sham and why this odd royal has made us all uncomfortable. Now, for afterwards. The BRF is known not to copyright their photographs, allowing the public to use them freely. There are also the photos taken at public events like the 'wedding’, tours, charity visits and royal family events where many other pics are available from RRs and the public. These are all floating around on the internet accepted when used as being legitimate. The only pics that have copyright are private pics posted by mm (or LG), from pre wedding moments, unreleased wedding pics, Sussex 'baby’ intro video & pics, mothers day, fathers day and now christening photos. You could possibly add in photos taken by their own private photographer. These are the photos that the BRF do not want in circulation after this fraud is exposed. I dont understand copyright law, but surely this way BRF can control and make sure that these images are not representative of the royal institution.  I look forward to hearing views about how this could be used to their advantage from others knowledgeable in this area.

Cheers xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

We have had. Couple of anons mention this as well about copyright.  It’s easier if people don’t post them..as they will be erasing her from history....I should take my down...and will do in a couple of days.....I find long posts, you should screenshot before sending....I have to do that when I do one....it usually gets eaten!😁❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[aidanhnd1bphoto]

Catch Me If You Can

SPORTING EVENT..RESEARCH

Adults running about a field chasing a ball, or running very fast, jumping over things of varying heights, throwing things, catching things, hitting various things with a stick. In a small confined space punching each other. Or swimming up and down and up and down. Sitting on the back of a running horse.The list is almost endless. This world of needless physical exercise is called Sport...and is full of drama and emotion, both for those who do it and those who watch it...apparently!!

In this project I will show a selection of these people, both participants and spectators in the “moment”, engaged in their chosen activity.

Using a variety of photographic techniques I will attempt to make a visually appealing assortment of images....So here goes, first things first...

How to do it!

With every sport there will be a differing set of challenges facing the photographer.. The size of the area, is it the size of a boxing ring (for two people punching each other) or the size of a football field (for 22 people kicking a ball) or even bigger.

How close can you get to the action 

How many people are taking part..just two or a whole lot.

Is it indoors or outdoors

Natural lighting or specially constructed lighting specifically for the sport in question.

All of these different scenarios will dictate what kind of equipment the photographer will need and the way the camera should be set up.

So before you can really start it’s helpful to know what sport you will be photographing. Sometimes you will just have to learn quick and work it out on the job.

SOUND ADVICE FROM PEOPLE WHO DO THIS FOR A LIVING

Having just read a google’s worth of ‘Top ten essentials for sports photography’ and for the basics there seems to be a general consensus with the preferred functions on the camera. The main factor for professionals is continuous burst speed with some of the present crop of top the range sports oriented DSLR’s shooting 14fps or more. With the speed of the action things are changing in those fractions of a second and having the ability to be able to follow those changes so closely is a highly sought after function. With most prosumer cameras these days the ISO capabilities are becoming increasingly impressive with ISO32000 in the native range of the camera becoming the norm and with that also stunning reductions in the noise at these high ISO levels. These ISO levels really assist in reaching the shutter speeds used in a lot for freezing this high speed action. Starting at 500th of a second and going up. 2000th of a second is not unusual. Along with high ISO the next thing to assist in these high shutter speeds is the next topic of general agreement....

Lenses.....lenses should be fast, as fast as can be. The aperture of a good lens for sport if using a zoom is f2.8. It’s not uncommon for a professional sports photographer to have 3 camera bodies.The most common, and most versatile, setup for most professional sports photographers is to start with the trio of 16-35mm ƒ/2.8, 24-70mm ƒ/2.8 and 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 lenses. These three options provide all the coverage needed to shoot everything from wide-angle shots of a packed stadium through any action happening up to midway down most sporting venues. Though these lenses are not cheap, when it starts to get to the bigger fast primes that will allow you to see the action close up at the other side of a stadium or football field they can cost the same as a nice family car. For those beginning their sports photography there are some great lenses that along with the high ISO capabilities just talked about it will do a great job without having to be so wide open. A 70-300mm f4-5.6 or even 150-600mm f5-6.3 will do a great job of covering that far away action.

Another piece of advice where there is general agreement is in positioning. Get to the venue early and have a good look at all the potential spots and make sure you’re good to go with your settings before the action starts....But don’t stay in the one place and don’t just focus on the action. In the audience there is as much drama as on the field of play, or after some high point of action...the reaction. There are winners and losers and both have equal visual weight and potential to produce the image that encapsulates the moment and the whole event.

Another is ..You are a photographer first and foremost, the subject is sport but the intent is a striking image with light and shadow, composition, balance, colour, story all fundamentals.

WHERE TO SHOOT.

If you are not inclined to sports then it is apparently very easy to block it out of your daily experience and be blissfully unaware but as it happens, open your eyes to sports and its everywhere, EVERYWHERE!

Local newspaper for local events, google to check out what's on in your local area and further afield. Amateur or professional. Check out sporting arenas, sports and athletic clubs, football stadiums. If there is a particular sport you are interested in you can refine your search. If you’re not to bothered which sport to start with then prepare a general polite letter asking whether you can come and take photos. Send it out to as many events as you can find. Cast the net far and wide and the chances are you would be spoiled for choice.

Here we are about two months later...It’s taken a while to get access to sports, longer than I had at first thought but now I have I’m hoping for a variety of sports to shoot. I made contact with Glasgow University Sports Association which is the umbrella organisation for more than 40 sports clubs at the University. The Association has recently been actively seeking Photographers to shoot all the club games. 

Seeing as time was running out on the brief I took the first possible opportunity to shoot. It was an inter-university fencing tournament Men and Women. Men against Bath University..cant remember the women's opposition University.

As soon as I was confirmed to shoot I started to watch some YouTube videos on the rules of the sport, the moves and the scoring.

It was quite a challenging shoot. It was in a large, bright gym hall. A long (14m) rubber mat with the essential markings for the game was rolled out and taped to the floor about two meters from the wall. Too close to the wall to be able to shoot from the wall side, just too near the swishing blades. The problem was that this wall was one vast mirror reflecting not just those fencing but the spectators and myself. This made for a challenge to minimise the distraction of everything else in the reflection.

In fencing the action is fast. In Olympic sports second fastest behind shooting I was told by one competitor. I was set to f4 and to get the quick exposures  I needed to freeze the action (1/1000th/s) the ISO was pushed up to 6400.

Saturday 8th March. 9am-5pm. Glasgow Caledonia University. Today I shot a trampolining tournament with all Scottish Universities competing. It was in a large high gym hall with what looks like big halogen spotlights. There’s about 200 people in the hall, mostly either competing, judging or organising. Its not open to the public. After some shots my exposure settings settle at 1/320th f4 ISO6400. I didn’t want to push the ISO much higher and had to make a compromise with shutter speed. In many of the images there is movement in the feet of the athletes. I made a decision based on the aesthetics. I liked this slight movement in many of the images, a suggestion of movement. There was no high vantage point so I made do with standing on a chair. It gave me enough of a height advantage to clear the images of the people walking about in the hall. They really didn’t add to any of the images. I did include one or two all the same that didn't distract from the action.

 I’m much happier with this set of images than with the fencing from the previous sports shoot. With that shoot the large wall mirror behind the 🤺 that ran the length of the hall was so distracting..reflecting everything in the hall..the fencers, the other competitors...and me! It made it almost impossible to get simple, strong images being much too busy. 

This time around it was a far easier shoot to get a more aesthetically pleasing result. Often against a background of a large plain wall with few distractions and with lighting that also had a dramatic quality.

Overall i’m extremely pleased with the results. There are some possible portfolio contenders. 

Third and final set of photos for the brief. This time it was outdoors, in the evening, cold and pouring of rain. Bellahouston outdoors ski and snowboarding center. Again it was an inter universities event sponsored by Glasgow Taxis. 

It was a difficult shoot. Unevenly lit, there were pools of light and areas of dark. The area was large and the athletes were going at speed. This demanded several skills. The most challenging was to get a handle of the AF system on my  new camera. Sports are generally demanding on AF and this was no different. Using 2 camera bodies..Canon 5dmk3 and 5dmk4  with a 24-105 f4 on one and a 70-300 f4.5-5.6 on the other. 

The action started just as it was beginning to darken so the exposure needed to be adjusted over the first half hour or so until well after sunset and the only light was artificial. Because of the layout of the slope and the nature of the contest there wasn’t much variety of movement and routes taken down the course. At the end of the ski tournament there was some snowboarding a ski freestyle which promised a lot more exciting images but unfortunately the heavens opened as this began and the rain poured down. Having been out in the bitter cold with no gloves for 3 hours (lesson learned) and the lenses not being weather sealed to a Scottish downpour level I decided to retreat.

This has been a thoroughly enjoyable brief, much against expectation. There have been challenges at every event that I would like to think I have dealt with and overcome to produce many images I'm very happy with. I have become more aware of the reasons why sports photographers need that extra quality in their gear. Proper weather sealing and fast f2.8 lenses are just near essential for any professionals working in this area. Knowing something of the sport you are shooting helps. Getting to the venue early and checking it out, finding where the good light is, also helps enormously. And moving about to get different points of view. 

There have been many photos taken for this brief-in total probably near 5000. Of those I have whittled it down to 500 or so. The final challenge is to choose the final 6 for printing and submission. 

Of the 3 sports I shot for this brief the trampolining was by far the most enjoyable and i’d say successful. Producing the most images I was happy with. Well lit venue with not too many visual distractions and the sport itself was so conducive to aesthetic interpretation.

The time spent has been quite considerable for this brief with two full days and one half day of shooting and then because of the huge number of shots another 3 full days of choosing, deleting and optimising the images. That said, there has in fact been very little optimisation in post. In all three sessions I have used lens correction, in some a tweak of white balance. And in very few a touch more, lightening shadows or reducing highlights but very little else.

On revising everything I see that after 5000 photos I've forgotten one of the requests of the brief..to have a panning shot!!! This is bad news. Time is very short and to shoot some more sports is a days worth of work. First getting some sports to shoot, shooting and then picking and processing. For not reading the brief properly I’ve lost a day at a very crucial point in time where I need every second. One big lesson learned. Less than 2 weeks to go.

SOURCES .. So Far

https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/the-art-of-sports-photography-from-prints-to-images-1835-2017-the-olympic-museum/MwKStrCJtolhKg?hl=en

https://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/technique/how-to-shoot-action-and-sports-photography-625

https://photographylife.com/getting-started-with-sports-photography

https://improvephotography.com/52236/15-tips-get-started-sports-photography/

https://petapixel.com/2018/12/06/6-simple-tips-for-getting-started-in-sports-photography/

https://expertphotography.com/complete-guide-sports-photography-87-tips/

#catch