Motion Capture

This is definitely one of the most challenging shoots I've had in a while. The goal was to capture motion that only a really high tech computer could see, of a person wearing a black suit in a darkened black hole of a warehouse. I was sweating it the whole time, but in the end I got a few that worked.



Inside a converted expo center warehouse in downtown Orlando, UCF students learning to be video gamers share space with the likes of Derek Jeter and Tiger Woods and dancers filming moves for the latest Hannah Montana video game. The motion capture studio at UCF's Center for Emerging Media, the largest of its kind on the East Coast, is a partnership between UCF, the city of Orlando and the studio that made films including "300" and "Beowulf. UCF Admissions and Enrollment Coordinator Shawnna Adamson goes through a range of exercises in the studio while wearing a MOCAP suit with 52 motion-capture markers on it, to show how it tracks her movements which are being digitized and captured by a computer.

Madman

How many surrealists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

A fish.

All Hail the Queen

The Queenshead Eurobar opened in June in St. Pete’s Grand Central District. It's quickly become one of my favorite new spots - with incredible food, a great beer list and a laid back, yet sophisticated scene. Queenshead is such a welcome addition to a growing list of great local restaurants, I hope they succeed. But don't just take my word for it, Laura Reiley liked them, too.

The owners Darren Conner and Paul Smith were awesome to work with. Always smiling and super accommodating, they didn't even break stride when I hatched a hair-brained idea to take a plaster deer head off the wall for a cheeky portrait.

GeekFest

It's official. I'm going. Hope to see you there!

Artsy Phartsy

While Mongolian horsehead violinist Sundui Chimidkhorloo waits to play, Dark Ocean Pictures cameraman Gino Norman, right, films the opening segment for the pilot of Artsy Phartsy, a new talk show focusing on artists talking about newsy subjects, like healthcare and the economy. Filming started Saturday at 8 a.m. at Baywalk in the former Being space.