Challenges during photography?

[Urban Saboteur]

Ok in order to establish a tad more creativity and a better morale I'm starting this subject to cover basics on photography.
So Share with me your experiences and let everyone look into these experiences as all hope is not lost... .. :o
So any challenge you have overcome during photographing scenery for a dio.. be it needing to go to the loo while holding your camera for a perfect joe shot.. or maybe you stayed in the cold for 3 hours .. braved icey fingers to get your shot perfect. :)

Here is one of mine. I do have more to share but this is basically a start off. Please also post any tips for overcoming these challenges as you see fit.

Ice cool
I was getting set for the winter weather. My joes from the arctic we're all out and in great shape. I'd never captured shots in winter snow or weather before. So I was really quite excited. :o
I set up around 10 o clock and there was snow on the ground. Once I'd decided on a place to shoot I began taking some practice shots of figures. I don't tend to wear gloves primarily as it effects the pressing of the buttons and operation of the camera.
I finally got round to taking pictures of this Cobra W.O.L.F I'd bought this mid year around summer time and wanted to get pictures of it in its environment.
I did face something of two problems though. By the time i'd come to taking these pictures. The time was around 11.30 and the sun was turning snow to ice and finally to water.. my fingers were frozen almost solid and my battery was on its last legs.
Hunching up and nearing into the viewfinder I found the shot I wanted.. and this is the result I got..
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w74/UrbanSaboteur/Vehicle%20Pictures/Cobra%20Vehicles/IMAG1366.jpg

Cool huh? :cool:
Now lets hear of your own experiences and lets see if there are any funny ones!!

[General Scarlett]

I have literally had my arms and legs sucked dry by mosquitos during some of my shootings...... :p

And when I did my winter shots?? Raymond was in such an awkward position to stand out of the shot.......I don't think that if he was a completely grown man, he could have bent like that........... :eek:


But for me, the fun is in trying to get that 'one good one', you know?? So even if it's uncomfortable or freezing or woman eating insects..........I'll do what I need to to get the job done!! :D

I've even hobbled around with my ankle at 3 times it's normal size to make sure that I get in the 'Weekend Warriors' or 'Target Range' shot!!! :cool:

The things I do for this toy line........... :rolleyes:

[Outrider]

[QUOTE=General Scarlett]I'll do what I need to to get the job done!! :D [/QUOTE]

That just about sums it all up....freezing/burning location shoots (depending on the season), 90 min round trips to national parks for a handful of good shots, enduring strange looks from passers-by, muddy knees, setting up a dozen figures only to have a gust of wind blow them all over...the list goes on, as I'm sure we can all attest. Why oh why do we endure? Because we love GI Joe, and because getting that one great shot makes it all worthwhile! ;) Rock on, Joedios!! :D

[Urban Saboteur]

Now this is the place I like... this is more like the accustomed posts I was used to seeing.. who else has embarassed thereselves in public.. got their knees dirty.. or had comments thrown at them while taking pictures of joes!!

Throw your experiences in front of your fellow board members.. I have some more to share on this but want to hear everyone elses.. try and think of more story orientation.
This doesnt all have to be funny build up.. but it would be also cool to any particular challenges you yourself have overcome while taking shots. :cool:
Rich

[Jay]

When I set up figures and they fall... Especially in outdoor shots, using custom figures. Phantom fell twice during my last shoot, on a rocky surface no less, so I was scared to find damage to the paint or casted head...

[Flatline]

WHILE POSTING MY COMM. THRONE I HAD BEEN POSING THE CG'S WHEN I GOT A PHONE CALL WHEN I WENT BACK TO THE TOY ROOM MY SON KNOCKED THEM ALL DOWN . :mad:
SO I BEGAN ALL OVER AGAIN THEN THE HEAT KICKED IN SO I WENT OUTSIDE FOR A BREATHER. ONLY TO RETURN TO FIND THAT THE BANNERS HAD FALLEN DROPING A FEW OF THE FIGURES. I GOT STRONGER TAPE (DUCT) AND STARTED THAT OVER. AFTER A FEW ATTEMPTS AT GETTING THE LIGHTING RIGHT ABOUT AN HOUR IN WIFEY CALLS FOR DINNER... ARGH!!! :mad: :mad:
NOW THIS TIME MY DAUGHTER DECIDED TO PUT HER DORA THE EXPLORER IN THE COMMANDERS THRONE. :) HOW CUTE RIGHT, I FIXED THAT AND SOME OTHER DETAILS AND GOT THE SHOT 6 HOURS LATER FEEEEEW. KIDS 90+ HEAT AND CONSTANT DISTRACTIONS...... TOTALY WORTH IT :D

[Mobius_1]

When i was taking Photos in the park i was repeatedly mocked for my toys. what really cheesed me off was the fact that everyone kept calling my joes star wars! :mad: plus they got into a few of my shots via the reflection in the tide pool.

http://www.joedios.com/dioramas/showimage.php?i=4223&catid=member&imageuser=240

http://www.joedios.com/dioramas/showimage.php?i=4224&catid=member&imageuser=240

[Urban Saboteur]

So this one time I had to take out an enemy installation.. and and.. ooh wait.. wrong job wrong forum wrong topic :o

No experiences is what this one is.. that's write.. ok.. so this one time at band camp.. :p

My experiences with photography and overcoming them.

I wanted to do an action shot with Gung-Ho during my supermarine adventure. Just to fill those in who aren't familiar,
Supermarine tells the story of Jar-Head Gung-Ho coming to the rescue of Action Marine Roberts,. :cool: Roberts is ambushed during his first assignment out in the jungle and is about to be buried in a shallow grave by dangerous dreadnoks Ripper and Buzzer.
A quick intro into Gung-Ho and he springs into action. Carefully and decisevly making light work of the two heavies to rescue a fallen colleague.
In this picture I wanted to do Gung-Ho jumping up into the air and kicking ripper's gun out of his hand. It's actually around 1:37-1:40 and I decided to piece them together as a slideshow.

supermarine (http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w74/UrbanSaboteur/Videos/?action=view&current=SupermarineDio.flv)

For this I used a small stick from the garden and a blob of blue tack, I say blob because that's all it was. The stick was jarred into the ground at an angle on the opposite side of Gung-Ho so you can't see the stick at all. Then the other side of the stick was blu tacked in between gun-ho's torso and his backpack. When done right this gives the view that Gung-Ho is leaping into the air unaided. (just be sure to shoot the picture from the opposite side so you can't see the stick) ;)
So that's another experience by me that I overcome during shooting a dio story scene.
Rich

[Outrider]

[QUOTE=Urban Saboteur]For this I used a small stick from the garden and a blob of blue tack, I say blob because that's all it was. The stick was jarred into the ground at an angle on the opposite side of Gung-Ho so you can't see the stick at all. Then the other side of the stick was blu tacked in between gun-ho's torso and his backpack. When done right this gives the view that Gung-Ho is leaping into the air unaided. (just be sure to shoot the picture from the opposite side so you can't see the stick) ;)[/QUOTE]

Aaaaahhhh! A subtle variation of the old "coat hanger" wire! ;) :)

[Blowtorch]

[QUOTE=Mobius_1]When i was taking Photos in the park i was repeatedly mocked for my toys. what really cheesed me off was the fact that everyone kept calling my joes star wars! :mad: plus they got into a few of my shots via the reflection in the tide pool.

http://www.joedios.com/dioramas/showimage.php?i=4223&catid=member&imageuser=240

http://www.joedios.com/dioramas/showimage.php?i=4224&catid=member&imageuser=240[/QUOTE]

One of the main reason I try to stay out of public areas. There were some pictures I took years ago when I was collecting 12 inch figures that my wife wasn't hapy with how I took them. We were living in FL at the time and I was working on a series I called American's Finest Rescues (or something like that) Well anyway I wanted to have a car accident in the rain at night. A tropical storm moved in around midnite, and by 1 am I was out at my favorite spot getting the shots I wanted. The next day I went to Wal-Mart to get the pictures develope my wife looked at them and asked when I took the ones in the rain....yeah she wasn't happy when I told her when and where I took them. Then there was the Barbie car that accidently caught fire.....made a great picture. My wife wasn't happy about that either. Nothing really exciting I guess but they were some great pictures.