I was on facebook a few minutes ago, and saw a pretty cool wall-hanging digital print of a halloween scary thing, clicked on it, and wound up at a vendor page that included: a picture of me!
Back in the day I used to shoot and post a lot of stock photography, because I got so sick of people photoshopping on my stuff, I thought I’d just embrace it and get over it. So, for about 5 years I shot all kinds of crazy weird things, cropped and posted them, and then they turn up all over the place. It’s kind of fun.
One of the models I shot for some stuff, back in ’08, once walked into a bookstore and saw herself on the cover of a novel in the sci-fi/fantasy rack.
My series with the black robe and the scythe was, by far, the most popular. I’ve cropped up in a lot of weird places.
Also, as unit art for an MQ-9 armed ‘reaper’ drone.
It was a fun way to get my weird creativity on: dress up, set up the lights, hide a remote control, and start clowning for the camera, go home, unload the camera, and see what you’ve got. Some of these were tough – I think I jumped up and down for 20 minutes until I got the pose and the drape and the timing right. I used to use a radio remote with an extension micro-switch that I’d tape between my fingers – just a slight pressure would set it off.
sept 29 2007
Wow – you’re famous! Nice! I like the Flying Mower Man. The robed Grim Reaper look is generally pretty awesome, I can see why it would be popular.
Years ago the fiber people had a T-shirt with the Grim Reaper standing over a huge smoking cauldron with the scythe. The scythe had a lot of colorful skeins of yarn hanging from it. The shirt said “Death and Dyeing”.
Are you a metalhead, Marcus? as in scary evil European stuff, not hair bands?
bmiller@#2:
I have eclectic tastes. There are some forms of metal I hate and others I really love. So “operatic metal” – Within Temptation, Evanescence, Apocalyptica – also Red Fang, Tarja, etc.
It took me a long time to figure out why: it has to do with a flat spot blown in my hearing spectrum by firing a LAW without ear protection. When the vocals are that weird growl some metalheads do (e.g.: Nightwish) it just sounds like mush to me. So Sissel, Emmylou, and Robert Plant make me happy.
I like scary and evil: Controlled Bleeding, SWANS, Bohren and Club Der Gore.
I don’t control how the stock is used, so it depends on how the artist uses it. The ones with the bass were a request. So “sure!”
I have a long black hooded cloak made for some school production by my mother. Many years ago I was living on a tiny estate of houses surrounded by light industry, including a funeral directors which I had to pass on my way into town. As is not uncommon in such areas there were a number of prostitues who plied their trade regularly and we were on civil terms, they knew I wasn’t competiing for trade and we said hello when I passed by. One dark and rainy night I was wearing the cloak, which happened to be my most waterproof garment, as I approached two of the women stood next to the funeral parlour having an argument with a potential client who had his back to me, he didn’t have a car and they were above doing their business up against a wall, but he was getting aggressive in his demands that they service him. They waved to me as I approached, the potential client turned, saw a figure swathed in a black cloak, exclaimed “f^cking hell it’s Death” and made off to howls of laughter from the women and me.
Still love that cloak.
That bass pic would make an awesome cover for Pratchett’s “Soul Music”!
I have most of a nazgul outfit assembled. I want to do a picture of a nazgul holding a really bright shiny red balloon on a piece of white yarn.
Ooooh please, pretty please with sugar on top?
jazzlet@#4:
They waved to me as I approached, the potential client turned, saw a figure swathed in a black cloak, exclaimed “f^cking hell it’s Death” and made off to howls of laughter from the women and me.
OK, that’s funny.
My favorite Far Side was always the one where Death is standing at the guy’s door, “It’s OK. I’ve come for your toaster.”