The Herald: August 2008 Edition

[The Herald]

[The Herald]

Writers & Designers Contest

Yes, it’s still taking place. I’ve received all entries on the designers side, now I’m just awaiting the literature pieces from the wonderful writers that I’ve handed them to. Gray and myself will be judging the contest, and soon after we get all the entries, we’ll release the results. Everyone’s done wonderfully and I appreciated the participation. I’d like to see this even more expanded in the future.

Inactivity

I cannot stress this enough. E and I do realize there’s groups of moments where activity basically ceases to exist. Right now both our lives are hectic and we’re doing the best we can. A constant reminder via PM or MSN is not needed nor appreciated. And yes, for the final time, v7 is being worked on. So quit stressing on it.

That’s it for this month, I’ll see you again next month.
Enjoy the Herald!

Toodles,
Kay

For a change, I thought I'd feature a tutorial, namely Terminal Vortex Tut by Cymbals. This is more of a walk through but it does come complete with the files used to create the signature as well as the signature psd which means not only can you look at the tutorial but you can see the actual layers and effects used through the psd file.

What is also good about this tutorial is that you can apply it to other programs. There are now specific settings shown so it is very easy to interpret the instructions in another program as well as in Photoshop.

Another bonus is that this technique can easily be applied, so much so that you get your own version each time you go through it. So often with tutorials the final result is exactly the same as that created by the author of the tutorial meaning that there is very little learning to be done through it. With this tutorial you learn the process and produce something different each time. It really is beneficial.

Congratulations to Cymbals on receiving the first RotM for a tutorial!

This month I’m proud to say that it goes to Gadgetguy606 with his photo; A Storm Approaches. This is a beautiful show of architectural HDR, giving the true feel of a high dynamic range image. Everything is beautifully exposed, and much like what HDR is almost meant to do, it seems surreal. The location only adds to this feeling, but that’s the mark of a really good photograph. Not only is the exposure pristine though, but the sharpness and overall depth of the photo is amazing. This is definitely a shot worth checking out, and you can find the thread here.

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters. - Alan Simpson

Information's pretty thin stuff unless mixed with experience. - Clarence Day

All I can say about life is, Oh God, enjoy it! - Bob Newhart

The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur. - Vince Lombardi

To escape criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.
- Elbert Hubbard

Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.
- Roy Goodman.

Stubbornness is also determination.
It's simply a matter of shifting from "won't power" to "will power."
- Peter McWilliams.

Be slow in choosing a friend, but slower in changing him.
- Scottish Proverb

Quality means doing it right when no one is looking. - Henry Ford

A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains. - Dutch Proverb

It's better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. - Whitney Young

He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven. - Thomas Fuller

[The Herald]

After almost eight months of waiting, The Dark Knight is finally here. And god, it’s a great eight months’ wait for a show that did not disappoint.

Despite the show being about Batman, I found myself getting attracted to both Joker & Two-Face. Joker’s schizophrenic menace attracted me. Abandoning all rules, he does not become the villain because of money. He became Joker because he LOVES it. I like this dark feel to Joker; he appears calm and peaceful but underneath this facade is a total disregard for rules, a belief that any human is corruptible and a sucker for chaos.

Chaos is beautiful. Because only in chaos, will a man be tested and tried. You either fight to live, or you stick to your rules and die. That is the beautiful power of chaos. Call me crazy and insane.

All the actors’ acting is top-notch. I found myself getting sucked into the movie for the whole two and a half hours. Despite its length, it did not lose me. The whole concept of the world being divided in black and white; the show questions that and poses one question: how far is the righteous willing to step into darkness in order to destroy darkness itself?

And that is why I think this show is called The Dark Knight. The knight uphold justice, but it stays in the dark and remains in the dark. Because the only way to fight darkness is to become darkness itself.

Two-Face’s development was a little weak though. I think the director wanted the viewer to actually feel for the fall of Harvey Dent, but I didn’t really feel for him though.

The role Joker played in the making of Two-Face, however, hit home with me. I love playing with the mind. The mind is mysterious and given the right situations and “motivations” will allow you to manipulate ANY mind.

And Joker did just that. With simple words.

I also like the anarchic motivations of Joker. He loves chaos. He believes the world would only strive in chaos.

Chaos, chaos, chaos.

The filmography was pretty good as well. I like the dark mood throughout the movie, and I like how the characters are established. The whole plotline is believable and the characters are credible.

The dialogue is pretty well done as well, while the explosions and special effects are good as well.

Overall, well worth my money. Well worth my eight months’ wait. Well worth my time.

Watch it if you’ve watched Batman Begins. And even if you haven’t, WATCH IT STILL.

You wouldn’t regret it.

August was originally called Sextilis, it was later renamed in honour of the emperor Augustus Caesar due to several very fortunate events in his life occurring in that month.

In the Northern hemisphere, we are now half way through the summer months with this being one of, if not the hottest based on average temperatures. In the Southern hemisphere August brings hope too, signalling that winter is nearly at an end.

If you were born in August, your birth stone would be the sardonyx or the peridot and the flowers for this month are the poppy and the gladiolus.

• Maggie on the 11th.
  
• Me on the 14th.
  
• WebWorldX on the 28th.

[The Herald]

Basic Information
Episodes- 26
Genre- Action and Supernatural
Rating- 5/5

Background Information and Summary
If you loved Sybil, then Madlax is right up your ally. Madlax follows the story of young Margaret Burton, and her tie-in to an assassin for hire, the man who desires both their lives, and an ancient prophecy that people have died over. While Margaret comes from a peaceful and rich home life, Madlax is an assassin with deadly skill, hunting bounties down during a civil war. The two of them meet, and the true tale begins to unwind as they battle an organization known as Enfan that could change the world as they know it, and more. There are supernatural winds afoot, government conspiracy, and beautiful assassins. You couldn’t ask for more.

The animation of this show is astounding, as well. It’s flawlessly done with beautiful artwork and colours. Add to it a plot line that keeps you guessing up until the end, and you’ve got a masterpiece. The beginning can be a bit difficult to handle though, simply because you are switching back and forth between so many views. Keeping it straight in your mind is probably more difficult than remembering the names of all the countries that these girls visit. But don’t worry for long, because as the story starts to tie lives together, things get much easier to understand and think about.

So if you’re into assassins, plot lines that are so mysterious they’re confusing but thrilling at the same time, and fighting for the world, this anime is for you. And don’t worry, because this fight for the world is like nothing you’ve ever seen before! Koichi Mashimo made sure not to have any mary-sues or clichés deliberately present in his story, and this alone will keep you entertained for the thirteen hours worth of animation available.

[The Herald]

Name Ashleenah-Page.
Age Sixteen.
Sex Yes Please...No Wait Female.

Buttered Chicken.

Where is it that you live? New Zealand.

Are you married? Nope.

Do you have any talents other than designing? (writing, programming, singing, etc.) Uhh...Creative Writing, Yuhp Yuhp.

When did you start designing? But Middle Of 2007.

How did you start? Saw Lots Of Awsome Designs *&& Stuff *&& Wanted To Try.

What motivates you? Other Peoples Art Work.

Where do you draw your inspiration? From Inside Me?

-------------Personal--------------------

What is your . . .

• Favorite color?

Black *&& Blood Red.
[/li][li]Favorite Food?[/b] Buttered Chicken.
[/li][li]Favorite book?[/b] Betrayed By Some Random Lady.
[/li][li]Favorite movie genre?[/b] Horror.
[/li][li]Favorite type of music?[/b] Lots But...Mainly Rock/Metal/Punk/Emo.[/li][/ul]

How did you find SSD? It's Mentioned On Like 99.9% Of ProBoard Forums.

What do you think of the forum? I Love It So Far, Every One Seems Friendly.

Is this a community you are happy to be a part of? Definitely. How Could You Not Be?

Finally, is there any interesting things that you'd like to add? Uhh...I'm Not Really An Interesting Person, Other Then I Love Eeyore *&& Everlast. =]

[The Herald]

Art Nouveau, literally meaning 'new art', is a style of art that peaked in popularity at the beginning of the 20th century. It is a highly stylized art form, often using vivid colour, floral designs and flowing curves to great effect. Art Nouveau pieces could be found in popular formats such as advertisements, posters, and even calendars.

Alphonse Mucha was a renowned Art Nouveau painter. Some of his pieces are incredibly detailed, always beautiful, and often feature women and floral designs at their core.

Despite peaking a little over a century ago, it is good to see that Art nouveau is still inspiring modern artists.

Here are some examples of Mucha's work:

Here are some examples of modern Art Nouveau style pieces:

[The Herald]

Kingdom of Heaven is Ridley Scott's 16th film, and was released in 2005, and is Scott's true vision of historic action adventure. The budget for the film was $130 million, and achieved a revenue of over $210 million.

Scott's epic film was put together with meticulous attention to detail. Extensive storyboarding was done for the movie, and the tone of the storyboards was inspiration for several scenes of the movie. As well as storyboarding, scale models of the Jerusalem castle were made before actually building the fortress.

Some architecture in Seville, Spain, was used to recreate the architecture of Jerusalem, and Huesca in northern Spain was used for the France scene where Balian is first introduced. Some of the snow in the France scenes was created using a biodegradable paper product with water on top, and it ended up a bit like papier mache, and stuck to the ground. It doesn't melt like real snow would, allowing for a longer time to work on the scene.

_{Ridley Scott}

A large portion of the film was shot in Morocco, and the filming location for the Jerusalem siege scene was near the small town of Ouarzazate. The location of the castle was little more than an empty piece of desert before production began.

The Jerusalem castle was created with great craftsmanship, being massive in proportions and giving the appearance of authentic stonework. It is as detailed inside as it is out, and it actually looks as if it could be a thousand year old building despite being made of fibreglass moulding.

As well as the Jerusalem fort being built from scratch, the siege towers and working trebuchets were built to accurately replicate those used in medieval times.

In the siege scene, hundreds of extras were used to create the massive armies of crusaders and 'Saracens'. Attire ranged from armour to crusader robes, and from the weapons to the shields, the costumes perfectly represent warriors of the time.

All things considered, this film is expertly done, and is probably as close as you can get to the medieval crusades without actually going back in time.

[The Herald]

CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS


Starring: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman
Directed By: Timur Bekmambetov

James McAvoy plays Wesley Gibson. A boring, neurotic, who lets his girlfriend and everyone around him take him for granted, type of guy. After an unusual encounter with a woman in a drug store, he learns quickly that he’s not ‘normal’. Fox (Angelina Jolie) is there to protect him, from what he’s not sure of. After a long haul of trying to take matters into his own hands, the truth is slipped his way. Shot and killed on the rooftop of a building, the father he never knew now ceased to exist. Led by Sloan (Morgan Freeman), the identity of the Fraternity is revealed to Wesley. Filled with stories about his father, who apparently was everyone’s hero but his own, he finds himself running away from them. At first.

Discovering his bank account had gone from basically nothing to well over millions in a night, he started believing that his father was truly dead, and that his place was in the Fraternity. Fox and others accompany her to train Wesley to be the killer he was “meant to be”. Soon though, he learns of the deceit within the whole group and goes rogue. A nice little twist to the end will have you guessing throughout the whole movie.

For Timur’s first big production and two big names like Freeman and Jolie, this action packed flick will be sure to entertain anyone that can handle it. As long as you’re not over critical like some people I know, you’ll love Wanted just as much as I did. Special effects were kick-ass, and there’s lots of guns, and shooting.

All in all, I’d give it a 4 ½ out of 5.

[The Herald]

Totally Random

-The winning bid for "Nothing at all. Wanna buy it?" auctioned on eBay was $22.04. (Kay was the winning bidder.)

-It is impossible for it to hail when ground temperature is below freezing.

-Alaxender Graham Bell would not have a phone in his study because the ringing drove him nuts.

-The diamond is the only gem composed of a single element.

-There was never a portrant painted of Christopher Columbus.

-Vince Lombardi coined the term "game plan."

-The founder of Kodak, George Eastman, hated having his picture taken.

-Sweet N' Low was the one millionth trademark issued by the U.S. Patent office.

-The Liberty Bell was made in England.

-Lemon Pledge has more lemons than Country Time Lemonade.

-More people die playing golf than any other sport, the leading cause of death is heart attacks and strokes.

-Each mile of a four lane freeway takes up more than 17 acres of land.

-Johnny Carson, Michael Douglas, and Clint Eastwood were all once gas station attendants.

-El Paso, Texas is the largest city without a major sports team.

-In a 1936 ping pong tournament, the players volleyed for more than two hours on the opening serve.

-Alaska by itself has as much coastline as the rest of the U.S.

-If you work nights, you are almost twice as likely to have an accident than if you work days.

-Monaco and Vatican City are both smaller than New York's Central Park.

-The geodesic dome is the only structure that becomes stronger as it increases in size.

-A plane uses less fuel the higher it flies.

-It was noted in King George III of England's diary on July 4, 1776 that "Nothing of importance happened today."

-Disney world is twice the size of Manhattan.

-A third of the Earth's land surface can be classified as desert.

-Las Vegas, Nevada is the brightest city when seen from space. Lightning bolts are only about two inches wide.

-"New," and "Improved" are the words most frequently used in U.S. TV ads

-An "average" wedding costs nearly $19,000 according to Bride's magazine.

[The Herald]

Do you like to eat eat eat apples and bananas?

Not all that much. I do occasionally eat an apple, but not with the vigour of 'eat eat eat', just one 'eat' on the scale, I'm afraid. I don't eat bananas.

Are you a shiny piece of rock, or a dull one?

It really depends. Sometimes I'll get the polish out and buff my surfaces to a lustrous mirror sheen to attract those mighty fine pieces of granite. Other times I'll just allow my rocky features to become dull and dirty in an attempt to avoid Geologists as I traverse the earthy ground.

Is barack obama an oreo

Oreo? What!? I always thought he was made of Chips Ahoy…

Favorite family guy episode, dude? xD

That is an impossible question man, every episode is so awesome. Maybe the one with 'the Griffin family history', or the one where Lois is a thief. That one where Stewie and Peter laugh their arses off while kicking Lois' ass is pretty funny too.

Which came first, the chickin or the egg?

It’s spelt Chicken my man.

Since chickens and all birds evolved from some sort of reptilian flying creatures, the first true chicken would have come from an egg. So the egg came first.

What's the best kind of cheese out there?

Smoked Bavarian and Monterey Jack are two pretty tasty cheeses, probably best eaten on their own or with crackers. But cheddar, Red Leicester, and processed cheese slices work the best in sandwiches I think.

...why?

I don't know why. These things… they just happen.

...and you are?

Ahem! I am Lord Obsidian the best. Herald writer and infrequent poster. Who the fuck are you?

Who do you think you are?

I will not suffer repetition. INSOLENT FOOL! Read above.

What gives...what...gives you the right?

It's a free country, get used to it Hitler.

Who is hotter Tyra Banks or Kay?

C'mon man. There ain't no competition, Kay is so hot right now.

Where am I?!?!?

Down a well? On a mountain? Stuck on a fire escape? If only we knew!

Is there anything you wouldn't do for one million dollars?

Hmm. Several things actually. They would have to be pretty extreme to get in the way of a million dollars though.

Like, eating tomato. That is way extreme. Last time I ate a slice of tomato I almost puked. Never again!

[The Herald]

This is a brief overview this month on what’s coming out in the industry, and what’s going on. For full articles and more in-depth information, please use your google machine.

From Nikon we’re looking at two new tilt-shift lenses, one a 45mm f/2.8, and the other 85mm f/2.8. Both are being added to the line of Nikons PC (perspective control) lenses, and will offer a wide range of options for all those interested in architectural photography. Tilt-shift will allow a DSLR to work like a view camera, without the bulk. Both lenses will cost over $1,500.00usd.

Nikon also announced the launch of the D700, but more on that is elsewhere in the Herald.

The online photo gallery, SmugMug, has added RAW file archiving to their list of services offered to photographers. Not only will the RAW file be archived, but a JPEG file preview will be created for it.

Leica is selling the last 100 of their 50mm f/1 lenses in special limited edition packages. The sale price however, starts at $15,500usd.

Nik has launched new software compatible with Photoshop and Aperture called Silver Efex Pro, making fine art black-and-white conversion more controllable by the user.

Phase One announced a new 60.5MP 645 camera system, while Hassleblad announced a 50MP camera—the H3DII 50. Both are expected to have large pricetags placed on them, and are top of the line in image creation, boasting over 100MB files straight off the camera.

[The Herald]

Photographing fireworks is often one of the most interesting adventures any photographer can take, because there really is no one right way to do it. It involves a lot of experimenting to get the effect you want. So go out and try, because that’s all you really can do to determine what’s going to work best for you.

That being said, I do have some general tips and techniques on how to photograph them from experimenting myself.

You can hand hold or use a tripod, but I’ve found having a tripod makes it that much easier to do, especially if you’re going for long exposures. However, camera shake sometimes looks very nice with fireworks. Simply because fireworks are like one big painting with light abstract.

You’re also going to want a wide angle lens. Telephoto lenses are great for close-up, but the fireworks aren’t going to go so high and be so small that they work well. Unless you really want a close-up, or are super far away, the wide angle is going to be your best bet.

As for settings, this depends on what you’re comfortable with. Same goes for using auto or manual focus. There’s really no right or wrong way. The only setting I do feel should be used, however, are Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual. That way you still have some control over what’s going to happen with your image.

The technique that is used most often is compositing to get a bunch in one shot. You can do this, but there are ways to capture fireworks without that. It takes a lot of work in Photoshop to do, so if you’re not big on that, I don’t recommend doing them this way. And it’s not impossible to capture two in one with a single shot, should the fireworks be fired off fast enough.

There is the long exposure shot as well. These create interesting effects with light, but if you’re going to do them make sure that your aperture is set near f/16 to avoid blowing out the image. Generally, 2-3 seconds will do the trick, but it depends on the display that’s being done.

Or, if you prefer to capture the true essence of the firework, shoot with a fast shutter speed. Something around 1/125sec will get you stopped motion, enough that you will seen a firework frozen in the sky.

You also have to decide if you want to capture the trail of light as it zooms into the sky as well. Some people like this effect, while others do not.

When you’re shooting, you will also notice that you get a lot of smoke appearing in the background after a while. This can’t really be avoided, since it’s the sulfur from the explosions. You can generally edit a lot of this out by adjusting the contrast of the image later on though.

Fireworks also look really odd when you get them on screen to retouch. This is because they’re like zigzags in the sky. You don’t notice it as it happens, so seeing them in a photograph like that looks really odd. Don’t worry, at smaller sizes (IE: 72dpi/ppi) you normally don’t notice it. It’s supposed to look like that, and your image isn’t messed up.

So those are the basics to capturing fireworks that I can share thus far. Have fun, experiment, and bring them back to the photo board to share!

[The Herald]

On the first of July, Nikon announced their latest FX camera, the D700, along with two PC-E lenses and a new Nikon flash, SB900. In this article, I'm just going to talk about the new camera.

Now it's just my opinion, but personally I think Nikon did a great job with D700. While I've always been a Nikon user, the one camera that tempted me to hop over to Canon was the 5D. Seeing how I print photographs in A3 size rather often, the 5D's image quality is very good.

So when Nikon announced the D700, frankly, I was thrilled.

The D700 is essentially a D3 with D300 pervasion. The FX sensor (12.1 megapixels) is the same as the one in D3, housed in a D300's body. It is capable of shooting at 5FPS without the vertical battery grip and 8FPS with, like the D300.

There is a whole lot of other technicalities that I would not go into, in this article. Should you be interested, read more here.

With the newest releases from Nikon, I can't help but wonder what will Canon do in response. Discuss any speculations in the Photography Board!