Elffinarts

Just a quick post to let you know I'm best contacted via my own site Mark Greenmantle Photography: [link]

I blog more often on my news page which is fairly new and I'm about to really get my teeth into it now that the software is working smoothly so please subscribe to the RSS there: [link] I'm developing a soon to be regular HOW TO blog for both photography and Photoshop use.

If you're in the following communities, please do come and catch up via the following links:

Facebook (personal): [link]
Facebook page (photography): [link]
Model Mayhem: [link]
MySpace: [link]
Redbubble: [link]
LinkedIn: [link]

I hope you all had a great New Years and have enjoyed your festive season.

So much to get sorted in such a short time and after a day of fighting with the pc's here and at my business partner's home, I just want to chill and take time out. Mais il ne doit pas être! No chance, Friday will be retouching/deep etching fifteen shots, sorting out what the malware on this beast pc is, buying a new HDD and installing that before returning Khrys's WD640GB with fresh tunes and a big thanks, then wrapped up with *hopefully* a shoot with Imogen Green.

I would love for anyone who has heard of engaged couples looking for photographers to contact me. My calendar is wide open after the Abbey and call me odd but I do enjoy that kind of work!

waiting in town for commercial job to start... have to love finding unsecured wireless at Eagle Street. ;p

I'm booked through today, my first major commercial client. pity most of this will only pay bills instead of scoring me new gear.

I haven't really done a proper update since I started at APN seven months ago. So, my contract with Australian Provincial Newspapers ran out on Thursday last week and now that I have finally upgraded to the new Nikon D3, I am seeking new leads to photographic, design or image retouching work. Any and all help would be appreciated and so I am opening the following offer.  If you send me three paying clients you get a free portrait shoot (normally $300).  The information for my shoots is all posted on my site, www.greenmantle.biz

So, work didn't slow down after Easter as I'd hoped. Rather, it kicked into overdrive and when my co-worker tweaked her neck badly I found myself doing a 50 hour week in a crazy four days. I'd planned on getting out this weekend but kept falling asleep anytime I'd let myself relax even a little. I figure it's my body telling me I'm at the precipice of burnout when I suddenly get such low blood pressure that I was getting blackouts very easily this morning.

I'd spent last night redesigning some of my advertising material in preparation for when I get back into the swing of running MGP as a business. (and replace my camera of course) I'll just upload the tiny low res versions below for you to peek at.

I hope your weekends are as interesting as mine has been sleepy! On that note, I'm off to bed.....
Tomorrow I have more ads to design, more photographers to recruit for the Abbey Medieval Festival Photo Team (so far very few have bothered to apply and I can only assume previous team members who hadn't already done so couldn't be bothered), and a home to clean.

I still have a huge Abbey gallery to compile and upload but with my modem only staying connected for scant minutes at a time due to a huge iiNet fuckup (read: Mark's going to demand refunds on his business account) I cannot upload a full gallery anyway. ( Read more iiNet rant... )Below are the promised images of my refreshed logo and an ad I mixed up last night.



click on the ad for the higher res version (full res is 600dpi A4 print in CMYK colour

I had been trying to capture images of Mercury Rising the other day, using the camera with the dodgy shutter, focussed on the moon and got interrupted by VH-601.  (at least that what I thought its number was)  I'm surprised my D70 caught anything but blur with this shutter speed, approach speed to BRIS must be fairly slow. (unlike the roller coaster ride that is landing in Cairns - trust me)


larger version is here:  http://www.elffinarts.com/pic/albums/userpics/10001/QANTAS%281_of_1%29_copy_sml.jpg

Rightio then, I should be working on my application to get back to working at the newspaper - this time as a photographer!!  I had an encouraging call with the new pictorial editor who I have been mates with for a decade and I have a week to nail this updated resume and folio for submission.

http://www.cafepress.com/xmortis.171542359

that is all.  :p

Despite my camera dying in what is likely to be its final commercial shoot - we had some success! (HUGE thanks to Steve for loaning his camera on the fly so we could wrap up the shoot)  Right then, I've done as much editing as I can focus through for one night!  gota get up early to seek more paid jobs and somehow pay bills. 

If anyone is still wanting to take advantage of the half price shoots I am doing currently, step the hell up now or you may lose your chance for a $150 portrait shoot, $300 commercial shoot or $500 band shoot!! Prices go back to normal in a few weeks and it will likely be another year before I go crazy and offer this again.

Forcing myself to retain a positive work flow, and keeping busy whilst waiting for an expected call of whether I have a new job as a photographer for the government is really draining.  If I have it I want to party (not so much I cannot make it in tomorrow though) and if I don't have it, I want to turn my attention elsewhere but - not knowing is just killing me!

The interview went really well.  It was utterly informal, probably the most informal government interview I have heard of.  It was an EOI and basically only for an initial three month contract but the interview was great.  The questions thrown to me were exactly what I expected, the job fits perfectly in my skill set, was just enough of a challenge to keep me learning at the rate I enjoy, and the three interviewers absolutely GUSHED over my folio.  (which was SUCH an ego boost :p  ) The chief photographer there called my shots inspiring and at the end of it all they were all beaming like cheshire cats and promising a call on Tuesday...... So 1440hrs Wednesday is here and I am all but climbing the walls.  I phoned them this morning and the reply was a promise for a call back but that was four hours ago.

**face ↨ desk**

If not for a calming whisky and some Type O Neg loud enough to bug the entire block, I'd be going barking mad and out chasing trucks on foot in the middle of Sandgate Road.

I had a folio shoot planned for this evening but the model had to postpone by a week.

Perhaps I should do some paperwork -even make a early start on this quarter's TAX BAS statement - hrmm a no activity one, that should take all of 3 minutes. grrr

edit: got news back right on 5pm, I missed out and was the second choice for the job.  I'm on their short list at any point now that they need a shooter but this doesn't pay the bills I have due now.

I'm dead keen to use this idea on my old SB600 flash unit that didn't bounce well enough (as in off the floor when it landed)
I now have one SB600 flash unit that failed to properly latch onto its mount and one that was knocked over attached to a very heavy tripod by a drunk at a nightclub.

The one linked to is an old SB24, now sporting an external flash tube which makes it possible to connect it inside softboxes while (if using my SB600) retaining the iTTL functionality. It's a low power studio option that would really suit my preference to get back to shooting studio shots at very wide open apertures.

I do need help with soldering though - I'm so out of practice and no longer even keep a soldering iron. That and I am trying to track down some usable specs for the wiring and if different capacitors may be required for the different flash tube.

Click on the image for a larger resolution version and if you want a print, then visit my Redbubble page where it's available in anything between postcard size and 600mm framed prints. 

Cross your fingers for me as I've just been interviewed for a government job doing both photography and photographic archiving (much like I used to do at the Courier-Mail newspaper).  Too few people are taking the chance to make use of my half price offer of $150 model folios or portrait sessions and I've had to seek work elsewhere.  If I do get the job ( I find out on Tuesday) then I will still offer those very competitive priced shoots after hours and on weekends. 

Monday afternoon should find me shooting with Brissy band iNation and I'm sure that's going to be a hell of a lot of fun :)

I'm still shooting modelling folios but not at TFP or TFCD terms unless there is something outstanding in the shoot I simply must add to my folio.   I am interested in shooting more classical and contemporary dance by professionals preferably in their own dance space.  A Tokyo dancer is going to be adding to my folio on Monday though in a sunset beach shoot.  Should be a fun challenge, and I'm hoping the weather and lighting will be as good as my last commercial shoot  at that beach.


Click here for terms and conditions and booking details for a standard Model folio shoot, booking fee included, two hours of photography, all images delivered on DVD with ten shots retouched - $300
The prices available are far below what most studios offer if they provide all shots on DVD and do in house retouching. Each shoot is provided with an on-line gallery if desired hosted on my servers until clients wish otherwise.
Other options are available as well, please contact me directly with any questions via my email

The image below is a collaboration between model Imogen Green, Asylum7 Corsets, After Dark Jewellry (Houston Texas) and myself.  Weapons supplied by fight-master Damien Fegan of Lion Rampant

Extras are being sought for a specific type of character as background movie extras on a Apocalyptic film called "DAYBREAKERS"

We require people who have to have the appearance of gaunt, skinny types of characters as this is a semi-Vampire film and will need to be able to fit into potential costumes etc.

The production company are after character people and not necessarily "beautiful people" (The age range can be between 15 -100 as long as the person meets the casting requirements above) .

What I require is a bodyshot and a headshot, so when the next round of casting are put out I can put you forward, also the people have to be reliable and able to get to Warner Bros Studios at short notice as sometimes shooting can be early morning call or late night finishes up to 1am.

There is usually food and drinks and the catering is fantastic.

Please submit your Jpeg photos to darrell_dower@hotmail.com and your contact details.

This is paid movie work. The shooting dates are between July 16 - Sept 07.. with a chance for ongoing work, cannot guarantee steady work as the film industry can be fickle, but once you are in for continuity sake the
likelihood of regular work is possible.

I'm not going to preach my anti drug thoughts at you but with this new threat to my risk taking friends read on.
PMA is being pushed by some dealers as an enhancer to MDMA but if offered reject it and here's why:  http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/176_10_200502/bya10720_fm.html
(courtesy of the Medical Journal of Australia)

In far lower doses than E, PMA kills.  It drives your core body temp up above 41*C so you'd have a fairly quick and fatal case of stupid.

I've just uploaded the bulk of the shots that had enough stage lighting from the Combichrist gig last week.
View it here:    Combichrist Live at The Globe, Brisbane

Combichrist live at the Globe theatre 2007

Combichrist's singer Andy LaPlegua backlit by the drummer reaching critical mass and exploding!! Seriously the two drummers were fucking amazing. You could have powered a suburb for a week just from their kinetic energy alone.  Add to that Andy carving up the rest of the stage and it amounts to a bloody wild show. :D The lighting rocked - I still wanted a big more front of house white flashes to work with but luckily I didn't have the three song rule to stress over and through the set I managed to burn through 7Gig of shots and grab a few frames I'm really happy with. This shot was actually blown out so badly I thought it would be a throw away but Lightroom's RAW conversion pulled it back with so much more detail than I'd expected and the effect looked much cooler than I thought it would. Good thing I don't shoot JPEG! The Globe theatre recently upgraded their lights and if the gig had been a week earlier it wouldn't have been worth shooting at all... not without flash anyway. Model: NIKON D70 Shutter Speed: 1/160 second F Number: F/1.4 Focal Length: 30 mm ISO Speed: 1600 Date Picture Taken: Jun 28, 2007, 10:29:26 PM

just too cute for me to not repost :) splodey from cute

Holy crap that was fun!
Click on Andy to go to the gallery:


Easily one of the most entertaining bands I have ever worked with!