Michael W. Moses Southern Geek Fest 2017

 Lets go back in time just a bit here and look at the images that I took on May 20, 2017. I went to Southern Geek Fest in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.  SGF 2017 was a con that covered sci-fi, fantasy, horror, comics, and all things Geek in general. When I first entered the con I was immediately struck by the state fair, cattle show appearance of the venue itself and then by the dismal arena lighting! I thought that this was just going to be a no-go for getting any great images. Let me tell you one thing -- well two. First, did I ever get some good photographs! Second, I had the best time I have had at a con in along time.

"Guardian"

"Fallen Heroes"

The lighting may not have been what I was hoping for, but I must say that I have over the years been to some cons where it was flash photography only. Dark and gloomy lighting that prevented much in the way of shooting a truly superior image.  Much to my surprise the lighting at SGF was just perfect for my Fujifilm X-T10! I took some of the most delightful images that I have ever taken at a con. I must not only credit the camera, but mainly all the people that I photographed that day.

"Finally a Day Off"

Everyone was just so photogenic! It seemed as if there were only professional models at Southern Geek Fest. From the tiniest child to the most advanced Fen. There was just a subtle beauty to their attitudes, movements, and costumes, that made for a fantastic photographic experience. There were every imaginable costume to be seen, from Steam Punk, Action Heroes, Monsters, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and a dozen other genre!

Click the link below to view some of the images I took, that have been posted on the "CoastConFan Blog".

Click for Photos of Southern Geek Fest 2017

When I do my art photography, I start out, as many photographers do, by taking as many images as I can. I then go over them one by one choosing the ones that I find the best quality and then I pick out the ones that I want to manipulate into my art images. When one has a thousand or more images to parse, it can take a fair amount of time to go through them all.

"Travel Companions"

 There are certain images that I know exactly how they will look finished as I am taking them. There are other images that literally evolve from one picture into another and end up being unrelated to the original photograph. One of these images is "Fries For the Emperor" The moment I saw this heroic warrior king eating his fries, I knew that an image I had taken a bit earlier in the day would be what completed this and took it from being just a photo to an finished tableaux vivant. A little slice of life. Well, fantasy life that is to say.

"Fries For the Emperor"

Some of my art photographs may only take an hour to create (not as often as I would like), others may take five or more hours to manipulate and process. Some of them, I don't feel satisfied with and they are filed away, not to be thought of for years. Then one day it clicks and I know how to finish the image.  "Fries for the Emperor" took about twelve or so hours to process, making about ten or so variations before I had the image as I had originally envisioned it it should look.

Sometimes an image just happens, like the "The Cats of Ulthar".  It started out as raw image 1, that I took of this very well done pavilion that one of the groups had set up as their base camp.

raw image 1

 I originally took the image just as a possible background for future use. Once I was going through the images I looked at this pavilion and remembered an image I had been working on of one of my cats leaping through the air.

Cat Poster

One thought lead to another and I had made up a cat poster.

Then I added a few cat images and did a bit of touch up work here and there. I chose a background that I had created using "Bryce 6". then I "photoshoped" the living daylights out of it and ended up with "Cat Circus"

"Cat Circus"

I liked it, but there seemed to be something just lurking on the threshold of my mind and then it hit me it needed to be cropped and renamed "The Cats of Ulthar"

"The Cats of Ulthar"

This was an abbreviated description of how through the use of my digital photos and some manipulation of them, I produce my artistic images.

"Dreaming of Air"

So, back to Southern Geek Fest in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It was a very good time and I ended up with some very satisfying art images. I look forward to going to the next SGF and I am anxiously waiting to hear when it will be.

"The Heist"

I would like to belatedly thank all that were involved in making Southern Geek Fest 2017 such a wonderful experience! The people that put the fest on, the guests. the merchants, and especially all the fans that attended.

"Do You Have The Time Sir"

"Cookie Monster Warrior"

"Exploring Together"

Another post will be coming soon....Michael W. Moses