Autobots Roll Out!

Keeping it very simple (unlike the movie) I see no point in harping on about what I didn't like about Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen because lets face it most of the internet is doing that already.


Young art in its Prime, originally uploaded by Fanboy30.

The movie left me thinking about my childhood and why I continue to think that all these remakes and screen adaptations are souring those fond memories. What I should be asking is are these movies simply evolving over time and trying to attract new and younger audiences?

Its true that the toys are aimed at children and the fanboy's who have been brainwashed into collecting anything associated with robots in disguise. I read noticeboards about where waves of toys have been spotted so fans can race to purchase them, it seems that they aren't fazed by the poor quality of the Fallen toys compared to previous series. I have to admit I even look at the toys each time trying to find some essence of appeal, so far I have resisted.

The series of toys I collect are from the latest animated series which has now been canceled a long with the range of toys. For me this has been a short lived hunt as I only started collecting since Christmas and now that fun has been taken from me. Hasbro are concentrating on the Fallen range until 2010 so its fair to say that in the Transformer world I won't be purchasing many more for quite some time.

This summer also sees G.I.Joe hit the big screen, the movie looks a lot of fun and I collected the toys but my memories of the show are foggy. Its this reason that makes me realize I shouldn't be so judgmental about Transformers, ultimately its a summer block buster made for 12-25 year old boys. Over the top explosions and slow motion boobs bouncing up and down with some large fighting robots thrown in.
There are rumors that Michael Bay will bow out for the third installment which could save the series but could also reflect the X-men trilogy. Destroying everything that has been built up just so it ends with little possibility of return, this is the power and fickleness Hollywood has.

In the end they still win, because no matter how bad I thought this movie was going to be I still got in line and paid my $9 for 150 minutes of entertainment. The fanboy in me clearly has a louder voice than I give him credit for.

Mean Streets

Day 61: Mean Streets, originally uploaded by Fanboy30.

While I sat on the couch watching CSI: Miami last night minding my own business I heard a loud voice say "Show me your hands and get face down on the floor!". I rushed to the window of the apartment and looked down at the street below only to be faced with four police cars. I couldn't see who they were directing their attention to so I walked out to the balcony to get a better look.

Directly below the entrance to my building there were five kids (1 girl and 4 guys) all aged from 16-18 stood holding Tim Horton coffee cups. The armed police swarmed carefully in blocking any route of escape for the youths. After some bemusement the kids got down on the ground with their arms stretched in front of them. One guy shouted out "I just got off work I haven't done anything!" they searched him first looking at his wallet and cell phone.

One officer cuffed a tall nerdy looking kid and took him to a police car, he then walked back to assist his team. A stern looking officer stood in the middle and called over the radio "We have the item and situation under control". I could only assume the nerdy kid was the one they were after as he was taken to the car straight away while his friends lay on the street.

The girl on the floor shouted out "We haven't done anything" to which the stern officer replied "Well maybe you shouldn't hang out with kids with guns!". That's when it all fell into place, the nerdy kid had obviously been packing heat and probably bragged about it and was overheard. This was alerted to the police who responded quickly, they knew exactly what they were looking for and the kids never knew what hit them.

The remaining kids were put into different cars and the officers dispersed leaving the street to return to normal. All that was left were the Tim Horton cups on the sidewalk which the superintendent of the apartment poured into the drain.

I wanted to snap a shot of the incident but felt incredibly self conscious and wasn't clear on laws in Canada regarding the police. Back in the UK it seems to be a crime to photograph officers of the law without their permission so I wasn't sure if Canada holds the same laws.

Walking back into the apartment I looked at the TV and thought what cheesy line would Horatio Caine say at a time like this?

"You lie down with the Devil, you wake up in Hell" Horatio Caine

What Are You Doing?

Twitter, originally uploaded by Fanboy30.

The obsession with knowing other peoples business has become the latest craze. Facebook opened up that method of seeing what your friends were up to and who they were connected with ultimately letting you into their lives as well. Twitter took the Facebook status and made it the soul purpose asking the question "What are you doing?".

Making your life interesting in 140 characters or less is a challenge millions face everyday. When I discovered Twitter I wasn't impressed and thought the idea to be a fad and completely stupid. Almost a year later and I tweet like the next man but still find it difficult to make my life interesting to others.

Why do I care so much about interacting with people (mainly strangers)? These people get a fake representation of me and my existence because I choose to tell them what I am doing and can fabricate the truth. Perhaps I should tweet complete lies of humongous proportions but it wouldn't take long until I was caught out.

Doing the 365 Days portrait project already gave people an insight to my persona and life. In that year I met many Flickr members, many became close friends, and every time I was met with the words "You are much more quieter than I imagined". This is a good example of how differently I convey my online presence. I am naturally shy and through my images I can be the outspoken life and soul of the party.

My tweets are different, I find that I tell the truth more.

"What are you doing?"

Well I just wrote a blog entry, how you like dem apples?!

Love's Labour's Lost

At the weekend I popped along to the local theater company 'Shakespeare By The Sea' to do some head shots for the Company's Director Elizabeth. I am good friends with one of the actors and shot their fundraiser back in May which was a lot of fun.

Elizabeth, originally uploaded by Fanboy30.

The shoot itself was very simple and easy but I only had an hour of Elizabeth's time as they were on lunch in between rehearsals. One advantage about photographing someone with an acting background is that they are very comfortable with the camera and usually have years of experience with portraits as its part and parcel for getting work. So I had no trouble directing her to what I wanted and she posed very naturally.

My issue came afterward when I edited. A number of shots weren't focused quite right but that is always a problem when using the 50 mm lens on a high aperture is your focal plain is very shallow. The shots taken outdoors were a little flat due to the weather but I knew I could save some with Photoshop.

I narrowed it down to a small shortlist and sent them off. A day later I get called by my friend to say she wanted to see more, in my head this meant she didn't like the ones I chose, so I sent the entire shoot over in an email.
A few hours later I received a selection back to edit, funnily enough the shot above was included in my original edit but I played dumb and sent it back with the new selection. Fingers crossed this is the one she will choose as I think it captures her warmth and personality.

There is a fine line between what is a nice portrait and being happy with your self image, I often forget this but maybe its because when I take self portraits I have all the control.

Things Have Gone This Far

Consumption, originally uploaded by Fanboy30.

A year ago I had just returned home after a wonderful 14 day trip to Canada. My feelings at that time were extremely mixed, the not knowing when and how I was going to be able to return there was agonizing. My family had been to Ottawa the previous year to visit relatives but I couldn't afford to go with them. Seeing Canada had been a life long dream and now there was the possibility to move there.

I explored many ideas but only found results in the Work Canada program (BUNAC). Initially I was told the program for that year was full which meant I had missed out because by the following year I wouldn't qualify because of my age. When August came along I received an email saying that some places were available so I rushed to get my application submitted.
After a few weeks of worry I was notified of my acceptance into the program. The next month was a whirlwind as I sold nearly all of my possessions on eBay, amazon and at local car boot sales. I left my job at Sainsburys grocery store a month before leaving the country so I had time to visit friends and family to say my goodbyes. It all seemed so easy for me, leaving it all behind at the time didn't really compute until I was sitting in the departures lounge at Heathrow. Overwhelmed with emotions I bordered the plane and took my seat.

A year has passed and I am living/working in Canada, some days I feel like a tourist and then I look at myself and think is this me now? Its scary how comfortable I have become considering a few years ago I had no desire to live abroad. The culture shock has worn off but going to Walmart is still an event to me and I don't think that will ever wear off.

Permanent State Of Abyss

Permanent State Of Abyss, originally uploaded by Fanboy30.

When you promise one of your best friends to make them beautiful you have to question what beauty is. As you will see from my images I have a dark undertone but this outlook doesn't stretch to life. For once I am totally happy with where I am right now with very little complaints.

My art has always been influenced by artists like H.R.Giger, slightly twisted and sinister with an essence of beauty.
I miss the days when I would pick up a pencil and sketch frantically the thoughts going around in my head. A simple confrontation at a grocery store or a snyde glance from a passing stranger on the street could spur off enough negativity to inspire a new picture. A lot of that I put down to being younger when you are angry at everything.

'Demons' paint/ink on paper 1992

Today I am more calmer but still have trouble taking a photo of something pretty in the picture book sense like flowers or a sunset. I can find beauty in moldy walls, flaky paint and derelict buildings, but then beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

In darkness there is always light or else we would never see anything?

Patience Is A Virtue

Grimlock vs Munkzilla, originally uploaded by Fanboy30.

It's lovely when a simple idea and a lot of patience pays off.

'Grimlock vs Munkzilla' has become my most popular image to date and I can't help but feel a little guilty for using Chris' (aka Powerpig) niche. The chipmunk in question was new to the backyard and after a few visits we noticed that she was clearly pregnant because of her large belly and noticeable teats. She was extremely timid and erratic which led Chris to believe she wouldn't be able to perform like previous chipmunks.

I sat out in the garden alone with a handful of almonds watching her movements as she darted around under the shed, occasionally popping her head out to stare in my direction.

Sitting low seemed to be less threatening to her and she soon started venturing closer so I threw some nuts in her direction which she happily stuffed in her cheeks. I lay down on the stone path and made high pitched chirping noises similar to the sound they make (Chris usually whistles but I have never been able to, I only discovered how to snap my fingers from the age of 20 so don't ask).

It wasn't long before she was darting to and fro collecting almonds from my hand. It was now or never so I grabbed a bunch of Dinobot Transformers and set them in a group on the concrete path. At first I thought they may scare her off but she scampered around them without a care in the world. The shot just didn't work with three figures in it due to the wide crop and too much background making the chipmunk very small in the frame.

I settled for a simple face off between Grimlock the T-rex and my new little friend because Grimlock's mouth can open and close so I placed a nut in it. Within thirty seconds the furry mother to be was sniffing around him and after some apprehension she stood on her hind legs and took the almond from his mouth. I fired off a number of shots using burst and caught the moment perfectly.

Chris came outside looking slightly less disappointed on seeing the chipmunk performing. He looked at me and said that I could name her considering I had made first contact. Without any hesitation I turned towards her and said Molly, the same name as my new niece back in Brighton.

So a star was born that day, but I never got her to sign a model release.

Hello Good Evening & Welcome

It's been A while since I have blogged and that is probably because life has managed to get in the way. For the first time that is something I am not complaining about.

A lot has happened since I closed 'My Stars & Garters' blog over a year ago. My ramblings on there had gotten far too personal and my dirty laundry really didn't need to be aired to every Tom & Dick, and there are far too many Dicks on the Internet so this time around I am using this blog to promote my photography and whatever attracts my attention in the world.

For those of you that have stumbled upon this from Flickr or Facebook then you will already know me pretty well but for any newbies then the short version is that I am an Englishman now living in Canada for a year on a work visa. I am in the process of trying to extend my visa because I feel its not the right time to return to the UK due to the state of the economy. Plus this is the first time for years that I find myself not living from paycheck to paycheck.

My photography is well received here in Canada because there doesn't seem to be as many professional ones in practice compared to Brighton where I lived previously for two years. Everyone was trying to make a go of it especially with digital cameras being so affordable and technically high standard. I think I allowed myself to fade into the crowd and didn't push at all to be noticed and settled for Flickr fame which realistically meant very little in the profit margin.

I manage a funky environmentally friendly store which sells a huge range of products from designer ware like Alessi and Blomus to fun gifts from Fred and Kikkerland. Over the past 5 months I have seen many new products introduced to the store, Lomography cameras and designer vinyl toys from Strangeco are two of my favorites.
There is nothing else like it in the area let alone the Provence which means we are receiving great success and have recently won a design award for our unique style.

Now that you are up to speed I hope I can entertain and inform you over the for seeing future. Who knows how long I can keep this up and be interesting enough to gather any sort of following. So I encourage you as readers to comment on any of my posts just so I know that you are out there. That is the one disadvantage of being a blogger, is all my ramblings falling on deaf ears and yes I know you are all thinking can I really be arsed to bookmark yet another nobody hoping to be a somebody...only time will tell I guess.

Thanks for listening.

Matt