Donald Holman

What a great day ... Saints 31 Colts 17

They were right. God loves me and more importantly hates the Colts. I think I may have to become born again. :D

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Not much to say, but I'm trying hard to get back in the habit of coming here regularly. If you're not into tech and toys, you probably wanna skip this.

Once again feel like making a portable power supply for my strobe lights. To recap:

"FrankenSupply I" was a re-worked UPS .. I think it was 400watts. Beefier transistors, heatsinks and batteries. Problem is, most consumer level UPS' aren't very efficient.

"FrankenSupply II". a RediLine electric generator combined with a 12V deep cycle battery. 500watts continuous, 750watts for 30 mins and I have no idea what the top end is for the fast, intermittent draw of strobes. In fact, I've kicked off 2400watt-second lights without an issue. Problem, RediLine + battery equals exploded disc in my back waiting to happen. Way too heavy for anything that requires walking.

Which brings me to ...

"FrankenSupply III". Went back to the solid state roots. Picked up a Cotek 600Watt 24V pure sine-waver inverter brand new and dirt cheap. This model goes for about $500 and I got it for $55. I'm going to combine this with dual 12V batteries. Probably something like the Universal UB12180 12V/18AH battery. The two together are almost the exact same size as the inverter making a pack that should be something like 7" x 13" x 6". Nice and compact for this kind of power. The little voice inside my head wants me to go with 35AH batteries, but the 18's will keep the weight managable (whole thing should be under 27lbs) and the choice of an inverter that has a 90-93% efficiency should have my light popping for quite awhile.

This pack should be a few steps above the Alien Bee Vagabond II. The Vagabond has a slightly higher capacity battery (20AH) and weighs about 8lbs less, but that's it. This pack is more efficient, has better safety (GFCI built into socket), more sockets (2 vs 1), fan cooling, higher current capacity, better regulation ... the list goes on.

Ok .. nerd mode off.

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Hey guys .. question. There's a performer coming from out of town and I'm going to be doing a shoot with her. We'll be doing some shots involving fire performance (fire sticks and maybe a little fire breathing). I'm trying to figure out a location for the shoot. I have a lead on a studio that will probably work, but I'd like to have a backup just in case.

Can anyone think of a location that would work? Preference is for an indoor space. Would love to find an empty warehouse or large garage type space with high ceilings (so that any smoke has a place to go). Electricity would be nice. Even a covered space would work well in a pinch.

If you have any thoughts on it, please let me know. Thanks!

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I am determined to keep trying to get back into the habit of reading and posting here on a regular basis. Hasn't worked out so far, but I'm stubborn and rarely quit. So, lets give it another try.

There's a rumor that's been going around a couple weeks that doesn't seem easily squashed.

In case it's not obvious, I am still alive. From the private messages, emails, voice mails and phone conversations I've had the best I can tell is that there was possibly a photographer in Seattle named Donald who took his own life a couple of weeks ago. Supposedly he shot fetish ... so, people put 2 and 2 together and came up with it being me.

Again, not me ... unless the afterlife is really, really disappointing. I am touched, actually, by the messages and the love thrown my way and a little disturbed by some who have decided to go kill the person who told them it was me *cough*Tomoko*cough*. :D

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That same night, we decided to do another geisha-inspired look. Love doing these .. they're so much fun to do. Added a 3rd light for this to get some separation of the red clothing from the red background.

Model: Elle - Wardrobe: Helene Hawthorne - Makeup/Hair: Pamela Grieco
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I feel like a yoyo .. I come out of my cave for a few days then vanish for weeks at a time. Hoping that will be over soon. We're actually hiring someone new .. as soon as someone comes along with the credentials. It's hard to find someone with both a computer and electrical/electronic degree background. Most people are either computers/networks -or- electronics.

Finally found time to retouch images from the shoot I did for Helene Hawthorne designs. This was done right before I left for Chicago. I wanted to see what I could do with only two lights and 2 medium umbrellas (what I had planned to take with me). Takes a bit more finesse to get good modeling of the light along with separation and definition of the clothes with just two, but it was very interesting to try.

Being for the designer, the focus was on the clothes/fabric and trying to bring those out. The black on black dress was challenging. :)

Model: Elle - Wardrobe: Helene Hawthorne - Makeup/Hair: Pamela Grieco
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Seriously neglecting LJ these days .. will try to fix that.

Leaving Chicago tonight and should be back in Seattle sometime around midnight. Ahhh ... sleeping in my own bed.

Of all the things in Chicago, I think I come away with two distinct memories/thoughs. One, their portion control for food is way out of control. When you bring me a calzone the size of my head, I start to worry.

Two ... Thursday morning, I walk to my car. -2 DegF .. -26 DegF Windchill. I'd like to thank my boss for having me in Chicago in December. :|


:)

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I've been around art and photography long enough to know that everything has been done. We've been rehashing ideas and themes for thousands of years interpreting them through our own perspective, circumstances, etc. I know that two people can have the same idea independent of one another and for them to look similar. It happens and it doesn't surprise me when it does.

Then there are those times when I want to just say "Oh c'mon ... damn ... at least try to hide the fact that you totally ripped someone." A friend uploaded a diptych to his portfolio on Model Mayhem. This was back on Sept 19th. On the 10th of this month, someone else on MM uploaded one. My friend's images are on the left ... the other person's images on the right:

           

At least mix it up a little...

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I almost made it back into the land of the living a few weeks back, but couldn't step all the way through the door. Work is of course weird. We lost an engineer, my boss put in for a new one and still no word. He decided to switch up schedules a bit and somehow I ended up with a pretty darn good schedule. I now work Mon-Thur which means I have Fri, Sat and Sun off every week. Lets see how long the universe lets me keep that one.

What else is going on? You know, I love it when little surprises show up in my email. I received an email from Charly McCreary (managing director of Cabiri) letting me know the Seattle Times did a story on them and they published one of my photos online and in the Friday paper. Cool.


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/thearts/2010073306_cabiri16.html?cmpid=2628


Not much going on ... I want to get Mass Effect 2 for the Xbox when it comes out in January (I think that's the release month) so I decided to get Mass Effect and play it first. Been playing it for an hour or so after work while waiting for my lady to wake up. Great game ... love it.

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Over my weekend, I did battle with that little bug that seems to be going around. I think I won .. never got more than tired with muscle and joint aches. Still a bit tired and have a headache that comes and goes, but I'll take it.

I thought I posted this last week, but looking back I guess not. Yeeesh. Finished up the UofW Garage retouching. Moving on, but here's a couple more from that shoot.

Model: Shonna - Wardrobe: Helene Hawthorne Clothing



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Shot on the lower level of the UofW parking garage ...


Model: Shonna - Wardrobe: Helene Hawthorne Clothing



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You know .. there are a lot of foods I don't like and I won't eat. And if there's a dish made with those foods, you can be pretty certain I won't be eating them. That said, if there is a new food or drink that I've never tried before I am far more likely to leap before I look and see what it's about.

Such was today when I tried a new honeyed plum tea. In my mind, it was probably going to be like the chrysanthemum tea I drink, but with a different flavor profile. So I made some up and took a big old swig of the stuff.

My tongue may never forgive me. For 5 minutes after, I debated on whether or not to take off my shoe, remove my sock and suck on it to remove the taste.

I may need some alone time to cry after that. hoooooooooooooo ........



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I'm proud of myself. I actually had a weekend where I didn't get anything grownup done and didn't really care. Especially with this week. We've dropped down to 6 people in the engineering dept. That puts us at 50% of fully staffed; although I think the definition of fully staffed for our dept is no longer what it was. We had someone "resign" and I don't think they've approved a replacement at this point, but I could be wrong. So, of course, that means I'll be the lone engineer on my shift until a replacement is found, I quit or Jesus returns. One of the three.

Anyway, so I took the weekend off from responsible behavior. I finally beat Gears of War 2 single-player campaign on Hardcore mode, had pizza, watched movies and took naps whenever I wanted to.

Sometimes it's the little things.

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Posted a few shots of Kameron as Joanna Dark and received a comment from Eric Trautmann. He's the man who edited the Perfect Dark novels and scripted the comic book (http://www.erictrautmann.us/).

"A friend just sent me the link to these pics; I wrote the Perfect Dark comics and edited the novels -- VERY pleased to see your efforts here. Nice job!"

That was nice of him to take the time to drop a comment.

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About a month ago, a group of Seattle strobists had a meetup at the downtown University of Washington parking garage. I wasn't doing anything and thought, why not. Its been forever since I've been to anything. So I packed up a few of my portable lights and headed down.

I invited a model and clothing designer to go just so I knew I'd have something to shoot. Bonus was that the concrete of the garage fit with some of her wardrobe. Images from that night are what I'm working on now.

These first ones were from a model I met at the event. She was dressed as Joanna Dark (Perfect Dark Zero game) and I happened to have a big gun prop with me that I'd painted the night before. Why not? :)


Model: Kameron



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I was listening to music while I watched video of some equipment that I'm modifying looking for timing/coding issues in the operation. Guy walks in and tries to give me crap 'cause I'm listening to Johnny Cash and as he says "You lied ... you said you didn't listen to Country and Western ... ha!"

Now, I didn't slap the taste out of his mouth for calling Johnny Cash 'country and western' but I did educate him that not only is Johnny Cash not C&W, but that he was the first gangsta rapper .... he just happened to sing his songs and be more subtle about it. My proof for him:

"First time I shot her
I shot her in the side
Hard to watch her suffer
But with the second shot she died"

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"Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down, but to my surprise,
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer"

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"The Judge said son, what is your alibi,
if you were somewhere else, then you won't have to die.
I spoke not a word, though it meant my life,
for I'd been in the arms of my best friends wife."

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"Well I get into a card game in a company town
Caught a miner cheating I shot the dog down
Shot the dog down, watched the dog fall
Never touched his holster, never had a chance to draw
The trial was in the morning and they drug me out of bed
Asked me how I pleaded, not guilty I said"

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"I remember one night, Tex and me
Walked right up on two V.C.
Well we had our 16's on rock and roll
And, we separated them from their souls"

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"When I was just a baby
My Mama told me, 'Son
Always be a good boy
Don't ever play with guns'
But I shot a man in Reno
Just to watch him die ..."



You can do this all day long .. does that sound like "She took my car and shot my dog .... " ... now let me be with my Cash. :)

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Finished up the vampire Jayla shoot ... one more clothing designer shoot to retouch then quite a few model portfolio shoots and what not to get to.

Model: Jayla - Wardrobe: Helene Hawthorne - Makeup: Pamela Grieco
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Starting to make a little dent in all the shoots I did in August. This one was shot in Forest Park in Everett. Got eaten alive by mosquitoes on this shoot. Think I left about 2 pints of blood in the place.

Model: Jayla - Wardrobe: Helene Hawthorne - Makeup: Pamela Grieco



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Finishing up the images for Hawthorne and Grieco. They wanted images to show off the costume design and makeup they are able to provide for an upcoming Halloween project (I'll probably post more about that once they announce it). Fun shoots ... long days, but fun. :)




( +7 more images under cut )

Shonna [Elf]

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Woot ... that time of the year is almost here!! :D

Currently retouching a couple of shoots I did to help showcase the costuming work of designer Helene Hawthorne and makeup skills (special effects and normal) of MUA Pam Grieco for the upcoming Halloween.





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