OddballGreg - The Dangerous Life Of A Photographer

Look at how dangerous that is. He could hurt his back with that kind of posture. Honestly, some people just don't think. (Teehee)

In a world dominated by graphical media ranging from magazines to memes to blogs, it should serve as little surprise that people actually need to take all these pictures. Perhaps a law of averages issue, but it turns out that Photographers have a much rougher time of things than you might realize.

Taking good pictures is a tough job. Making a living by taking pictures? A very tough job. However, some articles I've read as well as the stories I've heard from photographers in real life has made me come to realize just how difficult and occasionally a life it is to be a photographer. Depending on their chosen choice of subject material, the dangers they have to deal with can come in many different forms.

We'll begin by considering the mundane. Photography is a hard thing to live off of. There's tons of laws about what's an okay picture to take and what isn't, there are so many photographers that the going rate for being one is usually fairly miserable. All things considered, just surviving as your ordinary photographer is probably a dangerous task in of itself in just trying to make ends meet. 

The real fun however, comes in when you consider that photographers that look for the less common shots end up in even more danger as you would probably expect. The rarer the shot, the more it's worth obviously, of course, the higher it's cost in effort and blood seems to be an accurate analogy.

A few months ago, Petapixel.com brought to my attention a case in which one such unfortunate photographer who was in the process of taking some rather high photographs of a beach was assaulted by a woman who felt that he had invaded her non-existent right to privacy in a public place. The unfortunate thing about the story, his footage was taken at such a height that the people in the shot are completely indiscernible from ants. An unfortunate turn of events which are sadly just one of the dangers that comes with trying to get more interesting photographs.

Of course, this unlucky individual is not the only photographer to have a bad day on the job. In this article by thephotosociety.org which was posted in commemoration of National Geographic photographer Wes Skiles, they compiled a list of reported incidents involving about 45 photographers who were out in the world trying to get the best shots. With things like panther attacks, hanging out the edge of a helicopter over a volcano, frostbite, avalanches, dysentery, flesh eating parasites, abductions, stonings by religious groups and various other ridiculous sounding incidents, it's hard not to wonder at the seemingly endless number of bad days a photographer can have. (And I thought I was having a rough day if I couldn't get out of bed early...)

While perhaps not as outwardly hostile or life threatening as these previous cases, there also some of the more interesting, still potentially dangerous things that a photographer does in their search for artistic shots. In a series of portraits name "Tinderella" by Australian photographer Kira Cheers, the 26 year old photographer took it upon herself to make interesting shots that exposed the strange world of online dating by going out with these people on the internet. Disturbing profiles of men that like to wear stockings aside, there's a definite element of danger involved in all cases of online dating. Not to say that it's a bad thing in of itself, but the ability to create fake profiles on the internet makes a general skepticism a healthy life choice when doing such things. (If you're going to do it, please don't go anywhere secluded until you're positive they're not a psychopath... you'll probably live longer that way.)

In any case, I find it fascinating to consider the different ways of life that people have in the world and that we may ourselves never actually experience or understand the difficulties of such a lifestyle as we continue through life on our own courses. While we may never know exactly what people like these sometimes unfortunate photographers may go through simply to survive and to thrive, it's an interesting to think how these people define their lives by the dangers they survive, and the pictures they get while staring danger in the face. Glamorous? Perhaps not with dysentery. Interesting? Now that is far more likely. Fun? If you're the adventurous type, or simply enjoy the livelier parts of life, most definitely. Though I might suggest getting your will in order if you're going to do this sort of thing.

In any case, that's all I've got for the dangerous lives of photographers. It is certainly possible that there are many more aspects to their lives that I have glanced over in this somewhat basic look at what they do, and so would greatly appreciate any input in the comments below or via Facebook/Twitter if you so wish, or if you would like to read more thoughtful articles such as this one, perhaps concerning writers or some other similarly impassioned career path, then be sure to say so as well

Of course, I would greatly appreciate any sharing of this article with friends of yours, perhaps even the photographers in your life who feel under-appreciated for their work. (A travesty to be sure.) I'm sure they will appreciate the thought. If you would like to read more articles by TCSA then do be sure to like the official TCSA Facebook page or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left so that you can get the latest articles, as they're published. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post, hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.

Safe adventures my friends.

Madness Monday - Freelancer Roleplay (The Definition Of Madness)

Hello and welcome to Madness Monday; the day of the week where I tel you about a really great game I played for years... and then mention how the Madness of it's players turned from a factor of enjoyment to boredom.

Freelancer boxart is the property of Microsoft. (Also, the mirroring of the planet is not part of the original image. Box art is too narrow for my header image, so I made do.)

Have you ever pretended to be someone else and done strange out-of-character things in the name of Roleplay? If yes, you're either an actor, a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, crazy as all hell, or really kinky. (You dirty dog you. Haha) Some people like to pretend to be other people online sometimes. It can fun... sometimes.

Freelancer is the space gamers special memory of way-back-when game that was made by Digital Anvil, with Chris Roberts at the lead, and published by Microsoft Game Studios in 2003. (If Chris Roberts sounds like a familiar name, that's probably because he's the guy running the development of Star Citizen. You know, that game that made headlines with now $49 million in crowdsourced funding.) Anyways, odds are, if you meet a space game enthusiast, they've probably played one of Chris Roberts's games, and Freelancer is one of the more popular ones. (The other being Wing Commander. And that game was hard as hell to play when you're 7)

In any case, "so why is this on a Madness Monday?", you may be wondering. A couple reasons. Space game enthusiasts are pretty crazy. One good reason is that considering this game was made in 2003, there are still mods being made and updated for this game regularly, one of which is the main subject of this article. The Discovery Mod for Freelancer, which is in version 4.86, is perhaps one of the few things I continued to play for years. (My average playtime for most games is weeks at most.) This mod has added countless things to the game, to the point that it's a wonder that the game still manages to run unofficial online servers for any period of time.

So what did I do for years in a mod for an ancient game? Roleplay. (Apparently roleplay is the topic of interest right now, considering Saturdays article.) I think there must be a lot of bored and somewhat mad individuals out there, (like myself), to go to an ancient spaceship piloting game, fly out into space and pretend to a Space Pirate who goes and steals from the other poor carebears who thought that trading goods in an online game was fun. And the madness didn't end there. Not satisfied with simple in game roleplay, there is a forum more or less dedicated to the mod's official server and all the roleplay that took place on it. And things get weird on there and in game, (and on Skype for some). A term I used in my review of Aura Kingdom; Lolicom, is a fairly accurate description of some of the weird things these people did. Picture two grown men sitting at computers, pretending to be a guy and girl and roleplaying their "story". (*Shivers* it is the internet i guess, rule 34 of the internet being what it is.)

Still, it's not all bad. At times it was an utter blast. If you enjoy writing stories and seeing how people react to and interact with them, there was a definite allure to the strange things we did on this single online server. And the people who liked to make these stories were always a pleasure to meet. To be fair, if I had never played this weird game online, I'd never have started learning to do Photoshop, and maybe wouldn't be quite the actor I turned out to be later in life. (Ah, yes, another crazy thing about this game, everyone and their mother had a fancy header image or graphic that they designed themself or had designed for them. It makes no sense, but I guess people will do lots in an attempt to suspend disbelief.)

In the end though, it wasn't the utterly strange people that played the game, nor the visible aging of the game, that eventually made me stop playing yeas later. It was boredom. In the wise words of Far Cry 3's antagonist Vass Montenegro, "The definition of madness is doing the same thing, over and over, expecting things to change." (Although some other person might have said it first.) Basically, the scope of the game began to limit the stories that could be told. There's only so many times you can fly in and start shooting before the reason for doing so starts to sound overused. Eventually it felt like a chore saying the same things again and again. "Maddeningly monotonous" is putting it lightly.

In any case, it could still be fun for other people I guess, if you can put up with the element of sheer strangeness that even I don't compare to. (And that's saying something.) Do you think that's hard to manage?Or maybe just want to tell me about some other weird roleplaying you've done, make sure to let me know in the comments below. (Not the kinky kind though; keep that to yourself. This is a relatively child friendly blog.) Also, don't forget to share this any friends who think that they do weird things. They might feel a little more normal afterwards. And of course, if you would like to read more articles like this, make sure to like my Facebook page and/or follow me on Twitter using the associated buttons on the sidebar to the right. Regardless of what you do though, I thank you for taking the time to read this strange article; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again tomorrow.

Peace be with you friends.

Website Wednesday - 30 Day Special (One Month Of Oddballery)

Hello and welcome to Website Wednesday; the day of the week where I point out that I've been posting to this blog for 30 days concurrently, and then crack some terrible jokes while recapping some of the better posts of those days.

This may be the most technically advanced header image I've designed for this blog. I'm not sure, but I may have put more work into this one than any other... Maybe.... Not really... Nope. Shush. 

That feeling when you realize when you've been doing something for 30 days straight; that is somewhat rather scary. It's also quite fun in a way. If you have found yourself reading the risible ramblings of a certain Oddball called Greg, then you find this recap on what I've been up to entertaining, if only as I question why I would do the things I do.

I feel like I have the latest T-shirt design having been at this for 30 days. "I survived 30 days of blogging and all I got was this lousy T-shirt." It's been an interesting experience so far, and certainly demanded a very large change in lifestyle in order to accomplish. Like anything, I walked into blogging expecting it to be easy. (Naivety appears to be a trait I cannot shake apparently.) To be frank, I wasn't entirely wrong, but I was right for reasons other than what I expected.

Firstly, getting up early is an action with visible consequences on my physical and mental health. School made it feel easy, but getting up early enough to churn out a new post or two each day is comparable to punching yourself every day and enjoying it. Having finished High School last year, I spent 6 months this year doing very little productive, and that's a very hard habit to shake. (Unless you find sleeping in productive, in which case, I was a professional by the time I decided to get this blog working.)

Interestingly though, I have found that I have become a far happier person for having found something that is both productive and fun to do with my days; this is despite the difficulty of coming to terms with the fact that there is always work to be done, whether you like it or not. As a social person, it's been an experiment in planning and forethought to ensure that there was a new blog post each day, regardless of my access to my computer. Since I've not missed a day since I revamped this blog on the 18th of June, I would say that I've been highly successful in that regard. (Or, you know, at least not failed.)

In any case, listening to me talk about a small success isn't particularly interesting, even for me, so lets talk about what you're actually here for, the blog posts. Specifically, some special mentions for the 3 most successful posts of these 30 days, in order of view count.

1. Parkour and Muscle Damage. 

First and foremost is, ironically, also the first ever Storytime Sunday post I ever did; from the days before I had thought of making header images for each post. Believe it or not, that is something I've only been at for the past 10 or so days if I'm not mistaken. (To be fair, they add a fair 10 minutes to the production time of each blog post, but I think they are well worth it for the effect they have on making the images feel more related to the blog, and better introduce the topics. They're also great for Facebook previews.) 

In any case, Parkour and Muscle Damage holds the record of being the most viewed post on this blog, (for now), and details how I "cleverly" managed to injure myself by trying to be a parkour traceur without training. It doesn't matter how many times I tell that particular story, I still feel very stupid for it. Thankfully, having written a post for it, perhaps it'll stop some other keen individuals from accidentally injuring themselves, so it's worth it in the end.

2.  Crazy Cat People (And Crazy Cats Too)

When I consider the fact that the second most read post on this blog is about weird cats and the weird people that own them, (such as myself), I begin to wonder if the world is as sane as I think it is? (Or maybe I'm not as insane as I think? Possible. Probably not; but one of me feels comforted at least.) Crazy Cat People was, strangely enough, also the first blog post for which I created a... (wait for it)... unique header image for. I thought I was talking about the most popular things on this blog, not the first time I've done things. (If your mind is half as corrupt as mine, you may have laughed at that statement.) 

3. Learning Languages (Frugally)

Hey, guess I'm not the only cheap person around here. (Teehee) In the first post on this list that wasn't the first post to do anything special, Learning Languages was a fun little article I did about a very nifty website that allows the user to learn a couple languages for free with an online course. I started learning French with their service, and have successfully made myself look ignorant by trying to speak French to someone who can actually speak it. Thankfully she appreciated the attempt and didn't try to castrate me or any other similarly unfortunate punishment.

If anything, I think the fact that Learning Languages is the third most viewed post just shows that you, the readers, enjoy reading things as randomly as I like writing them. None of these posts bear any more relation to each other apart from the fact that I wrote them and tried to be funny while I wrote them, (Which I hope I succeeded at.)

Interestingly enough, these 3 posts in particular are the most visibly popular posts on my blog, with the rest having page view counts so similar, it was easy deciding to only mention these 3. Maybe I should just talk about freebies, cats and hurting myself from now on? (Not really, that would be boring as hell.)

In any case, it shall be interesting to see what happens over the course of the next 30 days of blogging. I've got some interesting new posts lined up and will be trying out some new things as time goes on. (That's a guarantee I suppose. Stagnation never was that entertaining.)

In any case, I'm writing this at 11:15 at night (*facedesk*) since I will be spending tomorrow with a friend. (The agony I go through to keep you entertained. Teehee) As such, I think I'm going to stop for today. If you wish to leave a comment, such as a suggestion for something interesting you'd like to see in the coming 30 days of blog posts, please leave it in the section below. Also, don't forget to share this with someone. I'm too tired to think of a good reason why, but I would appreciate it. And of course, if you would like to see some more of my crazy thoughts and writing or are interested to see what I have planned for the next month, consider liking my Facebook page and/or following me on Twitter with the associated button on the bar to the right. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you have/had and AWESOME day. I will see you tomorrow.

Later people *Goes to sleep*

Madness Monday - Organisation (What on earth is that?)

Hello and welcome to Madness Monday; that special day of the week where I explain why my desk looks like a war zone, and then crack jokes about it to help you get through another week.

Warning: Those with OCD may become violent while reading this. (Teehee)

Do you feel like your life is disorganized? Are things too hectic for you? Well, if it'll make you feel any better, I don't even know what half of the papers/things on my desk even are, and my daily decisions are often made spontaneously without forethought. I also have a habit of leaving things half-way through. Sounds like fun doesn't it? (Yes.)

As a somewhat rather free-spirited and creative person, I've come to terms with the fact that bomb-craters often look and sound more organized than my desk. (and my mind to be honest.) It is a common occurrence for me to begin doing something furiously for a hours on end, only to promptly stop, walk away and completely forget about it. In yesterday's post, I mentioned how my dear friend Angela Pellobello can devote herself to her writings more than I can. I'm not kidding, there's a folder on my computer's desktop for stories I've started writing. None of them are finished. (*facedesk*)

You think this looks bad, you should see my harddrive's file structure...

I also draw, a lot. Which is awesome and terrible at the same time, because I have a habit of liking to display things I've made. So not only is my desk horrifically cluttered, the wall around it looks like a (fairly cheap) art gallery. Frighteningly enough, this is just some of the drawing's that I've mostly finished, the rest living in a large pile somewhere on the desk to my left.

Wall? What is this wall? OHHHHHH You mean the thing I stick my drawings to.... Forgot that was there.
The TV is older than I am if you're wondering. It hasn't been used in a while.

Perhaps worse, is my habit of keeping things with semantic value. Actually, no, worse is my habit of giving things semantic value in the first place. (Teehee) So apart from countless school books that I've yet to turf out, drawings, stories that I decided to write on paper instead of a computer, a computer, various electronic components and several other oddities, (And beanies and gloves apparently), my desk is filled with several small and mostly pointless trinkets from over the years.

My shelf with various containers and an obligatory Hello Kitty birthday card.
You see that pink Tupperware on the right side? That has marbles in it. I dunno what is in the rest.

 Thankfully, there is one small saving grace. For you see, there is a mystical tome upon my desk, in which I write everything I need to remember for the upcoming days. Without it, any sense of organisation would be lost... Which would probably be bad, since idea's for what to write on this blog come at random. As we all know, you never just remember those ideas. It's also where I doodle randomly when I'm bored. There's a magnificent bird I drew on page 3.

My Blog schedule. The only modicum of organization on my desk.
There may also be spoilers if you can read my handwriting.

 Considering how easily I seem to completely forget things, I'm fairly certain that I'd have lost my head long ago, were it not for the fortunate fact that it is attached to me. That and it talks... it's always helpful if things can get your attention, otherwise you could be liable to forget what your're... *stops talking and stares blankly at a wall.*

Hmmm. Oh, sorry. Was I saying something? Oh yes, Organization. It's a good idea for those who are good at it. For crazy people like me, it's a pretty word that we don't particularly understand, but get on well enough without somehow. Bearing in mind that I still know where my head is, I still think it could certainly be worse.

Whether it is worse or not, I hope that you feel a bit better about how organized you are in your life at least, or maybe just think I'm funny. If you have a suggestion, or need to let me know where I've left something, please feel free to do so in the comments below. Perhaps even share this with a friend who feels like they don't know what they're doing. If you particularly liked this post, or maybe just want to read about some more of the strange things that I do, consider liking my Facebook page or following me on Twitter using the associated button on the sidebar to your right. And, of course, I hope you have/had and AWESOME day, and I will see you tomorrow.

*forgets to say goodbye*

Madness Monday - Crazy Cat People (And Crazy Cats)

Hello and welcome to Madness Monday; that day of the week where I talk about those strange people that keep cats and about these strange cats that keep people.

OOOOH. Fancy new pictures :D

Have you ever met those strange, fuzzy little creatures that for some reason decide that we humans are fun to be around? Have you met the strange people that think cats are fun to be around? (I'm one of them.) I've really got to ask. What on earth made us think that was a good idea?

Cats are very weird animals. Some of them are completely docile, some are friendly enough to sleep on your lap (or face), and some are utterly off the ball and demented that you can't help but wonder if it's not currently contemplating your ultimate demise. Humans are like that too.

Behind that facile guise of cuteness, this guy is imagining your death...

I can't help but wonder at the first human who saw one of these fluffy, feline fur-balls in the wild and decided "Hey, I like him, lets keep it in my house so that it can retch hair onto my carpets, eat all my food and purposefully place it's tail in my mouth while I'm snoring." He was probably a previous incarnation of me, but I still think he may have been on something. (Perhaps the cats brainwashed him? You never know.)

"Hooman. You shall luv us. Or else."

Perhaps more strange though, is the fact that so many of us don't seem to care. We invite these frightening little caterwauling creatures into our abodes, spend excessive money on beds they'll never sleep in, toys they'll never play with and food they don't particularly like eating; since you'll probably give them your's instead, and don't once think it's strange that the only time they want to cuddle is when they're hungry. Hmmm. Sounds like human children actually when I put it that way. (Teehee) On the upside, they make impeccable hot water bottles if you don't mind the licking.

"Skweeese me agen hooman, and I won't be teh only nootered one in this house."

To be honest though, despite the fact that these cats treat humans like walking furniture and can-openers, I do not actually regret ever wanting to keep them. Sure some people are scared to come by my house now due to some strange fear of black that they associate with my little fuzzy's; but I would be sorely hurt to ever find any of these frightful predators that I call my pets hurt or missing. Who else would lick my hands clean until they were clean, especially after I've washed them?

"Hey Hooman. Boo!"

To be honest, these cats may be strange, but I think that us humans that keep them are far stranger. You have to be fairly crazy to listen to a screaming cat at 3AM, climb out of bed in the middle of winter, and go investigate to make sure this little whiskered creature is okay, despite the fact that you may be dying of hypothermia. 

"I wsnt actually screaming, I jus wntd to see if choo would come. Feed me?"

Humans are perhaps the maddest creatures I've met, but I suppose that what makes us so much fun. Is predictability really that satisfying? Who knows, but at least we'll have these maddening little mammals around to prick us with their claws, lest we be dreaming. In any case, I hope you found something to laugh here on the hardest day of the week. If you're a fellow cat lover (or even if you're not), perhaps consider dropping a comment below, and sharing this with someone who needs a laugh. If you really liked it, "would you kindly" follow me on Twitter or like my Facebook page with the buttons on the sidebar to your right.

No matter what, I hope you have/had an AWESOME day, and I shall see you tomorrow.

Abschied freunden.