A few more additions to my Masters of the Universe Classics portrait series. Still have three more to shoot, and hope to have them done by the end of the weekend. Then that will be it until mid. Sept. when Webstor is released.

~ Jason

*click on photos for better view

When I am dying to shoot, but the rain keeps me from shooting outside, and I am too lazy to set up for a major indoor shoot, say like yesterday, little gems like the following tend to happen.






My cat Marx...she hates the rain and laziness....

Subjects:
The Spirit, Silken Floss by Hot Toys
Captain Action, Superman by Ideal
Marx the Cat


~ Jason


*click on photos for better view

On assignment from Mezco Toyz a few months back, I photographed their San Diego Comic Con. exclusive comic book version Hellboy Mez-Itz 6" designer vinyl figure. The following are some of my favorite photos from the shoot.









The red rocks used in the above two shots were hand crafted.

~ Jason


*click on photos to get a better view.

Mer-Man is another figure from Mattel's Masters of the Universe Classics line. A fantastic line and the Mer-Man really turned out great. The best part about him, is that he comes with two heads. One head that resembles the original 80's action figure, and another head (the one you see in this shot) that is modeled after the art on the back of the original figure's package.



I think that most of the general public that have heard of The Maxx are those that caught the animated version on MTV's Liquid Television. The animated show was excellent, and there is a very good reason for that. Because it followed the comic to a T. I can't recommend the comic book enough, it is my all time favorite, and you should be able to find all the issues collected in trade paperbacks. The Pink Fairy Isz that you see in this photo never appeared on the television show, as they came later in The Maxx's comic run. It was a nice surprise that Shocker Toys chose to release one with their new Indie Spotlight Maxx action figure.

Subjects:
Masters of the Universe Classics, Mer-Man by Mattel.
Pink Fairy Isz, included with the Indie Spotlight, The Maxx by Shocker Toys.

~ Jason

These Masters of the Universe Classics are a perfect example of how a classic line should be redone. True to the original designs with better sculpting and articulation. They are very photogenic and you will be seeing more MOTUC shots from me soon.

Subject: Masters of the Universe Classics, Tr-Klops by Mattel.

~ Jason

My longest photo title yet, it was ripped straight from Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter's movie poster tagline.

I wasn't really happy with the way this photo originally came out, but I had planned to monkey around with it anyway. After the post processing I was pretty happy with the results. I really like the tones, and budget 70's film feel.


Subject: Toy Fair 2009 exclusive, 3.75 Cinema of Fear, Jason Voorhees by Mezco Toyz.

~ Jason

*click on photo for better view

Brilliantly written and drawn comic book. The painted covers were beautiful.

Subject: Indie Spotlight, The Maxx by Shocker Toys.

~ Jason

Some true monster toy classics, the Universal Monsters were produced by Marx in the 1960's. Each is solid plastic and stands about 6" tall.

I was a bit worried that the shots I had planned for these creeps would give me a lot of trouble. Figures of this type, shiny plastic, unpainted, can be tricky. Sometimes the detail can get washed out, and glare is always an issue. In the end though it was a pretty smooth shoot, and I was pretty happy with some of the shots.

I really dig shooting old beat up, worn out, broken toys like the one armed Mummy above. They have a certain charm to them, adds some character. Not so nice for one's collection, but can make for brilliant photo subjects.

- Jason

According to Flickr stats, this photo is my most popular/interesting photo in my Flickr photostream, and it is probably one of my personal favorites as well.

My love for ventriloquists and their dummies goes way back to my childhood. I believe it all began with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. Then there was the film Magic starring Anthony Hopkins as Corky a ventriloquist who's psychosis becomes a bit too attached to his dummy Fats. Somewhat similar was the Twilight Zone episode The Dummy. Oh, and I can't leave out Chuck and Bob from the show SOAP. I am a still a big fan of all those things, as well as vintage photographs and footage of ventriloquists with their dummies, and basically anything ventriloquism, with the only exception being those that use non-traditional style dummies.

When I was very young I received a Charlie McCarthy dummy for Christmas. I was extremely excited. It came with an instructional record, and I remember practicing speaking without moving my lips in the mirror. I never mastered the skill, or even close. Ultimately I think I was more into the weird creepy dummies than the actual art of ventriloquism. I have always been a big fan of monsters and the like since a very young age, and as if they needed the help, Magic and Twilight Zone cemented dummies as massively creepy. When I was slightly older I had a generic dummy, I believe he was called Simon Says, or something...how original. For a year or so I took him pretty much everywhere I went. I was a weird kid into weird things, and wouldn't have it any other way.

The subject in this photo is the incredibly cool and creepy GreGory from the Living Dead Dolls line by Mezco Toyz. In 2007 my brother and I went to the Wizard World Chicago comic con., where Mezco were showing prototypes of upcoming products. I pointed out GreGory, and come Christmas he surprised me with it as a gift. I was instantly dying to shoot him, and snapped off a few shots. I doctored it a bit (something I used to pretty much be against) and really liked the results. Apparently many others agree. In fact, I liked the way it came out so much, that I told myself I would never shoot them again, but that changed when Mezco ran a Valentines Day card contest this year, in which I entered the following photo. The backdrop was hand painted.


I didn't win....

~ Jason

*click on photos to get a better view

Hello, thanks for stopping by my new photography blog/site. This is something I have been meaning to do for some time now. This gives me the chance to talk about some of my shots old and new, and other things that are happening with my photography. I will also be selling framed prints from time to time, so be sure and check back often for those if interested. I plan to post updates at least once a week, and hopefully more often. If you have never been to my Flickr photostream, you you can see a ton of my work there. Enjoy!

~ Jason