Photography!

In class we were given a few digital cameras and told to go outside and find something Edward Burtynsky-ish. Something that showed the relation between nature and industry. While doing this we were also asked to only shoot with Manual shutter speeds, Aperatures and do this all BY HAND.

Having taken a photography class, I was excited to use a camera. However after using the digital, I was at a loss. I knew how to use a film camera, but a digital Nikon set on manual? God help me. Eventually though, over this past weekend I got the hang of the camera. Yay me!

Here is a photo I took of my ring, which is very much so over exposed.



Now, here is one that was under exposed. Also if you happen to see a Guniea Pig in any of these photos, that's because my two little boys (Guinea Pigs, not human sons) were running around my yard.



I am unsure of both of these photo's Shutter and Aperture speeds, however it is visibly changed through both of them. Below is a shot that I finally got right. How I cursed this Nikon after I was finished the photoshoot though...



I hope you can see the difference in the images, and actually prefer the last one to the under and over exposed images. I was quite satisfied with all of my photographs. And for all of those skeptics, no I did not edit these in photoshop and no I did not use an onion skin to get them all to relatively the same point of interest.

Love,
The NA.

PS, here is a photo of my Piggies <3


Mr. Mann is the gold-y brown one, and Voodoo is the one that looks like a peanut butter cup.

Edward Burtynsky!

In class practically a month ago, (sorry folks, I've been swamped with homework!!), we watched a video about Mr Edward Burtynsky. He is a Canadian photographer and artist, best known for his photographs of industrial landscapes. Edward Butynsky was born in Ontario to Ukrainian parents. AT age eleven his father purchased a darkroom. Complete with cameras, instruction manuals and chemicals, this darkroom allowed Burtynsky to learn how to make black and white photographs and prints with his father. All very interesting stuff!

This movie we watched, however was unfortunately very kind of boring. As somebody who learns well with audio and hand-on experiences, the droll music and mind-numbing narrative put me to sleep. Literally! I woke up when about to flop out of my chair and into a wet palate of paint.

However if you can get past the audio, the images were more than fantastic. They were absolutely STUNNING. In an "oh my gosh we're actually doing that to the world?!" sort of stunning.



For me Burtynsky's works are very shocking, and yet almost passionate. Each image holds a specific story, and being one for stories, while I was watching this film about the artist, I was yearning for more time to look at the photos being shown. Not the few seconds they gave the audience.

Hopefully you can get a chance to further explore Edward Burtynsky's work, it is very much so worth checking out!

Love,
A very frustrated Night Angel.

What's up for Tonight?

I happen to be watching Late Night With Jimmy Fallon tonight. While of course writing a few short stories :3
But yeah!
One of my stories is a fan fiction off of Assassin's Creed. Yeah, I know, the acursed fan fiction that all seems to hate but I have no idea why. Hey, I dont make crack pairings like Cesare and Ezio... *shudders*

Look out, its a Rant!!

As you may have noticed, I went to Anime North this past weekend. Fist pump! A fellow blogger of mine also went and seemed to come back with a very negative feeling. My peer was very angry that she was made to go to a weapon's check desk for her plastic swords. She also was angry that a twist tie was placed on her sword, as that deemed it safe.

This post is mostly to adress any misunderstandings for those who may have read her post. At ANime North people try really stupid things. Hide drugs inside their costumes, or plastic swords, hide real weapons inside fake ones and even supidest is try to photocopy a ticket/ pass.

What they do at the weapon check area is make sure that your weapon is indeed fake. They put a red or yellow tie on the weapon and write on your ticket that the weapon passed. You are asked to sign a few waiver forms that say if you harm anybody with them you know you will be kicked out of the con, etc, and have your phototaken to identify you as the owner of the checked weapons. The "fat dweeb" that checks the weapons (see, Im a bit insulted at that because I can fit into that catergory) is just doing his job.

A point made in my peer's post was that they were selling real hand-forged sharp metal blades at the Convention. While this is indeed true, the dont let you leave the booth without the sword being in a box, taped firmly shut. If you are caught with the weapon of the box, your convention pass is revoked and you're kicked out of the convention.

While some see the policies at Anime North as 'stupid', as even I sometimes do, at the end of the day I know that all the volenteers, workers and policy makers are just trying to keep everybody safe, happy and able to have a wonderful experience. Weather you are three or eighty three, I'm sure everybody looks out for everybody else. (Cause even when I was at a photoshoot a young child was participating and an older woman in costume walked over and helped the child have her photos, then let the child go back to her mother.)

Sorry about the rant, I just get frustrated when something as small as a twist tie is able to ruin somebody's day. I wore my costume and had to run my wings through the Weapon's Check desk. They made me sign waivers, made me take off my wig and head acessories and then took a photo of me. As frustrating as it was, I didnt obsess over it and was able to have a really great time.

I hope that everybody who went to the convention this weekend was able to have fun, though.

Love and hugs,

The Night Angel.

My Banner is being EVIL!

My old banner with the angel and my blog title is still up, I promise!! For some reason when I am using Google Chrome it wont show up though.

*agitated*

It shows up on Safari and Firefox and Internet Explorer though... So, if the banner doesnt show up for you, I do apologize and are trying to fix it quickly!!

Love,
The NA

Drawing Hands!! ([Blog #19] 05-30-'11)

Drawing hands is a pain in the BEHIND. So please, take a look at this! I am reblogging this from a Year 2 student however this single image helped me out immensly (with hours of practice), so I wanted to share!!

New Blog Banner Already?

The possibility of a new blog banner and design is imminent. It will happen, and probably soon. Lately I have has a growing fascination with the Italian Renaissance, so it's likely to be very gold/ red with a masquerade theme. If you happen to despise this kind of change then I do apologize! But right now I have only had pre-made or base images up for banners. And photography by me seems like it would be a delicious change from other's work. Especially since I am an artist!!

I hope to have the new design up by next month!

It will take much planning '-'

Love,
The Night Angel.

Anime North 2011!!

Greg Ayres (Son Goku in Saiyuki) and John Swasey (Huang in Darker Than Black), shall be at Anime North!! I am very pleased!! Darker Than Black is one of my favourite anime series X3

A friend of mine is not coming with me though, and he is an even bigger fan of these two men than I am so he will be VERY jealous!!

Kumiko Watanabe (Shippo in Inuyasha) will also be there. I NEED to meet this woman! I mean... The first anime series I ever fell in love with, AND the cutest character in said series?! :D

Also, anime producer Taku Otsuka, who has worked on Tenchi Muyo, Trigun, Vandread, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star and The Sword of the Stranger, will be at Anime North. I love so many of these movies!!

GRAH.

I am SHAKING I'm so excited for this convention. GRAH >D
I only shake like this when I'm super angry!
So being this excited SCARES ME.

Love, The Night Angel.

Fan Expo Canada 2011!!!

Just now I was running around the Internet and thought I would see if the guest list for Fan Expo 2011 was up yet. I opened the lists and yes, I may have just wet my pants.

Those who I am excited to meet/ see are;

Victor Lucas (Creator / Producer / Host — THE ELECTRIC PLAYGROUND)
Elias Toufexis (Star voice of — DEUS EX:REVOLUTION, MAX STEEL & ASSASSIN’S CREED)
Tom Felton (Draco in Harry Potter feature films)


Okay, so there are a ZILLION more people I want to meet, and the anime list has not even been announced yet. But OHMYGOD. Elias Toufexis and Tom Felton?! BIG dudes, right? And one would think, with my insane obsession with Assassin's Creed I would want to meet Elias first right? AhA! Wrong!

As soon as I get to the Expo in August I am making a BEELINE for Victor Lucas. I must meet this man! I see him every day when I get home and if I'm lucky his show is on before I go to sleep. I wait until "Reviews On The Run" tells me if a movie or game is good before I will buy it or go to the theatre for it. I sound to creepy but Victor... I must meet Mr. Lucas!!! :'D

Then Mr Toufexis, then Mr Felton.

I'm excited for a convention two months away when I have one two days away! EEK. I should go check out this next Convention's guest list.!!

Be back in a few minutes!
For now,
The Night Angel.

Note to self; Booth 1824

My Poor Blog!

Hey there readers!! My poor, abandoned blog is having itself dusted and washed off today.
Cause I'm posting, wewt!

I've been SO busy with this costume and with school.
Both are driving me insane, and it's a bit difficult to balance both.

So, I've decided that because I'm not getting assigned any homework in Anthropology or Media Studies, I will take that allotted homework time and use it to make my costume! CyberARTS right now is doing photography/ painting so it's fun but doesnt come with much homework.

What frustrates me is that in Tech we keep being GIVEN blog post assignments. We watched a- no offense- slightly boring video in class that almost put me to sleep! The music was drab and the narrator's voice was so very non-interesting. So to write about it will be like trying to force me to eat a mushroom. I'll do it but I wont enjoy it XD

That being said, over all the subject matter and images in the video were amazing AND interesting. Just for somebody who likes to be hands-on and learns better with music (like I), it was horribly boring.

Also in Tech with our new photography assignment we are using Shutter Speeds and apertures. I know how to already, so it's a little easy. Just blog posts about the images to come...

So, until I can get this stuff out of the way, nothing incredibly interesting for now. XD

See you later!!
Love, The Night Angel.

Heart Skips a Beat ([Blog #18] 05-18-'11)

Lenka's second video of her song called "Heart Skips a Beat", is not only addicting to watch but really fun! In the video she spends until one minute and thirty four seconds being "operated on", like the classic game called 'Operation'. This game consists of a player attempting to take out and put back in again a specific part of the board's body. Touch the rim of the hole of say, a kidney, and the buzzer buzzes, making you loose that turn. She then is taken off of the table and dances around in stunning choreography.

The setting of this video was VERY limited, as it was done in only two takes. It is VERY visible when the transition between takes is given. The actors in the video do a good job making sure to let you know that each take is consistent. While Lenka is being 'operated' on, the white hands doing the procedure are always clapping, snapping and putting bones and organs into the little slots. My favourite part of the movie is the choreography from 2:26 to 2:40. Beautiful stuff!!

Mostly the camera angles are Medium shots, close ups and long shots. Because of the only two takes 'thing' going on, Lenka has a limited variety of choices to play around with. Other way, in the hospital-like setting it really works well. The transitions could be better, though, between takes. Much smoother, but they kept to the no-special effects that goes on.

There really isn't a specific target audience that Lenka is going for. The song deals with, as the lyrics give away, love. The lyrics are of a girl who is deciding weather or not to accept a man's love. So that being said, perhaps the target audience is young adults...?

I love this song quite an amount but it isn't what really catches me. The music video is what I love best, and that is solely for the reason of choreography. It is simple and yet displays Lenka as a cute, and very bouncy individual!

Love and Hugs,
The NA

Media Studies

So.... I'm in Media Studies right now...
It is SO frustrating because the one unit I want to do well in is slowly messing me over.
Music is a really huge passion of mine and the one time we get to review a music video... *rage*
XD

An Album Review (Rise Against- Endgame) ([Blog #17] 05-18-'11)

A favourite group of mine, Rise Against, recently released a new album that was titled 'Endgame'. This Album is the sixth studio release by the punk-rock band, and was produced by Bill Stevenson. The finished Album was completed for international release by January 2011, and after some final touches was then ready for the world on March 11, 2011. And to date, Endgame has stayed at the number one Canadian, German, and UK Album Lists for many weeks.

The album deals with "the end of humankind as we know it," with lyrics that address world events including Hurricane Katrina (Help Is On The Way), recent LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual and Queer) teen suicides (Make It Stop), and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. According to lead vocal and guitarist, Tim McIlrath, "although the lyrics discuss grim topics, they actually take on a positive view and were written from the perspective of, 'What if the place on the other [side] of this transition is [a] place we'd all rather be living in?'".

The seventh track, "Survivor Guilt" is one of my favourites. The first approximately thirty-four seconds of this song features dialogue from the film Catch-22, and it really makes you think for a moment. The dialogue basically states that America thinks they will never be destroyed, even though "all great countries are destroyed".

My favourite song is seriously hard to place. Really, it is horrendously difficult. "Help Is On The Way", "Make It Stop", "Satellite" and "Wait For Me" are all tied. But I am not joking when I say this is probably one of the toughest decisions to make. So, I shall not make one.

I recommend this Album so much that it is painful. The lyrics are very powerful, and making you really stop and think about what is going on in the world. If one song sticks out for any reason, it would be "Make It Stop", or also titled, "September's Children". This is about all of the LGBTQ children who committed suicide in September of 2010. The song, when I first heard it, made me cry. It is very powerful, and being part of the LGBTQ community makes it even more so powerful. At the time of 3:03 in the song, a voice speaks the names of Tyler Clementi (age 18), Billy Lucas (age 15), Harrison Chase Brown (age 15), Cody J. Barker (age 17), and Seth Walsh (age 13).

I keep making this sound as if I'm ending the reading but there is so much more to say! However I shall end now, by saying that you need to listen to this CD. And also, that you need to watch what you say in this world. You never know who could be listening. And who you could be hurting.

Love,
The Night Angel.

Released; March 11, 2011 (2011-03-11)
Recorded; September 2010–January 2011 at The Blasting Room, Fort Collins, Colorado
Genre; Alternative rock, Melodic hardcore, Punk rock[1]
Length; 46:05
Label; DGC, Interscope
Producer; Bill Stevenson, Jason Livermore

Must Resist Urge.. To...

I am awesome. Well, cosplay-wise I am. Otherwise, for example, Heaven forbid, you need me to climb a tree... Don't expect much from me. No really... Unless it's a straight shot up with a couple handholds, there's no chance of me scaling a straight tree.

ANYWAY.

I figured out how to make my fold able wings. Ha ha ha ha. Ha. Ha... *deep sigh* I am slowly going insane.
After raiding all the closets in my home, I came out with about... seven metal coat hangers. Metal or copper, however Im putting my bet on metal.

I took two for each wing, bent and twisted them into shape, and voila! I had two separately attached winglets. They are... a little adorable. I will be attaching them to my back with similar wire, but will be coating this wire (which will be going/ looping under my breasts and around my neck. Ouch.), with a spongy kind of material, or fabric. Preferably sponge...

Anyway, last night I was going to being on making the attachment for my back. However as I was using the Vice Grips/ Pliers/ whatever you want to call them... I sliced a chunk out of my finger. It cant exactly be stitched... Cause, well, there's nothing TO stitch together. Gonna wait for it to heal XD

Tonight I plan on making the back attachments for these silly wings. The plan is to make them flexible enough to bend through crowds, firm enough to stand up to wind and then also loose enough to bounce as I run around!! (*giggles happily*)

After the finished frame, I shall add black stockings to the frame... And then will shout an even BIGGER voila!

Wish me luck the flipping wire doesn't rip the stockings!!
Love, The Night Angel.

Foldable Wings!!?

Anybody know how to make fold able demon-esque wings without visible joints...?

IE, these wings below?
I need them to be able to expand and then become compact or folded in so I can walk around the dealer's room/ convention comfortably without murdering anybody with the wings.

Know how to make them?
Give me a shout!




Desperate,
The Night Angel

Oh Look a Post!

I havnt posted in such a long time! or, what to me is a long time. I have missed you dear blog! I've just been soooo tired XD
Coming next on my blog will be a post about the new Assassin's Creed game.

IM SO EXCITED!! :D

Also, I may not make a post until about.... June 1? BUT thats just a really huge estimate. I have to balance school and a convention is in 15 days so I NEED to start working on my costume!! ;-;

Love,
The Night Angel.

Assassin's Creed Revelations ([Blog #16] 05-09-'11)

Assassin's Creed Revelations is soon to come to consoles in 2011!!
I'm feeling... ARTSY!

The Creed series always gets my brain pumping about not only what it could be about but also how I can design my own characters! I usually take the setting, date and area of the game and transform that into a brand new character designed by my own beautiful brain...

Ezio though, as this is the last game of his story, looks like he's wearing the same kind of cloth he wore in all the other games. Some more decorative cloth would be good, to suit the city of Constantinople.

Hopefully it'll be a great game!! :D

For serious information about this game other than my artistic inspirations, visit these;

Wikipedia
Multiplayer Information
Storyline Information

Enjoy!! :D
Love,
The Night Angel


Developer(s)
Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Annecy
Ubisoft Massive
Ubisoft Quebec
Ubisoft Singapore
Ubisoft Bucharest
Publisher: Ubisoft
Series: Assassin's Creed
Platform: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release date: November 2011
Genre: Third-person action-adventure, open world
Mode: Single-player, multiplayer
Media/distribution: Blu-ray Disc, DVD-ROM, Steam (software)

Checking Emails.

An artist, one I love, on DeviantART is sombody who I've been trying to contact for a while. But I visited his official photography website and there was a message saying "basically the only way to contact me is by this email adress."

As an artist online, always check your emails. XD

Art. ([Blog #15] 05-02-'11)

I want to see what you get from this. I'm not going to explain myself because if I need huge walls of text in order to do so then I really have not done a good enough job in creating this image.

The Quote, if you cannot see it is "Art cannot become a masterpiece if you force it through a straw." That quote there is copyrighted to me you best darn believe it!
Aren't I so smart, creating songs a poetry on the spot but it takes me five days to think up a quote.

Uegh.

Anyway, even if you have no idea what I'm trying to show, I hope you still enjoy my artwork that I did while in the Shazaam! program with CyberARTS. This'll be in the newspaper, so if you see it then let me know, I'm super excited!

(Canadian and local newspaper, but still ;3 )

Hope you enjoy my tea!
The Night Angel