2013 Motor City Comic Con Part II: The Wrestling

The majority of my Comic Con duties were to take pictures of the XICW crew in action during our two shows. I did that both days (and got distracted both days as well – Saturday I took pictures half the time at the costume contest) with some pretty cool results.

Prepare yourselves for a whole lot of muscle. And also faces, because I love taking pictures of people’s faces.

XICW CEO & General Manager, Ross with DJ Shortstop

Downtime = shopping

Former WWE wrestler, Zach Gowen

And then Iron Man came out.

cos

 

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2013 Motor City Comic Con Part I: The Costumes

This past weekend, I attended the annual Motor City Comic Con for the first time ever and it was a TOTAL BLAST!

I was part of the XICW (wrestling) photography crew, but I got to run around taking pictures of everything. I’ve recounted my adventures so many times already that I don’t really want to recount them here anymore, so I will let my photos do the talking. Enjoy some of my favorite costumes.

 

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Mini Apple Pies

Yesterday, my mom was feeling crafty, and we had a lot of apples, so she decided to make “apple hand pies”. Personally, I don’t like the term “hand pies” so in my head I call them mini apple pies. They turned out to be really delicious, especially with a dollop of whipped cream.

I wasn’t watching when she made them to see exactly what ingredients she put in there, but I’m pretty sure it was just the following:

- puff pastry
- cut up apples
- cinnamon
- brown sugar
- a thin layer of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter (you can use coconut oil or whatever else) before the stuffing
- egg wash on the top

Baked at 400 Fahrenheit until golden and crispy. Super easy. Super delicious.

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Frozen Chia Smoothies Just in Time for Summer

I have this thing where I go on various food “kicks” and all I can do is gorge myself on said food for varying amounts of time (days, weeks, sometimes months). Recently, I’ve once again formed a close loving bond with SMOOTHIES.

That’s right, smoothies. What better way to get delicious and nutritious fruits inside your body (aside from eating them raw, of course) than to blend those babies up with some juice and honey?

Also, I bought a bag of Chia seeds and I CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THEM. They’re a fantastic ancient grain that becomes gelatinous when introduced to liquid and they’re really good for your insides, according to some documentary I watched on Netflix. Click here to read more from Dr. Oz.

And of course, I don’t like to leave you all without a recipe!  Remember you can change the ingredients to fit your needs/taste. It’s a smoothie, as long as you don’t put apples or oranges in there, you’re fine. (Trust me, I’ve tried. Don’t do it.)

Frozen Chia Smoothie (~2-5 points on Weight Watchers)

- 4-6 strawberries
- 1/2 cup frozen mango
- 1/4 cup frozen cherries
- 3/4 cup juice (I used limeade for this one)
- 1 tbsp honey or agave nectar
- Top with tsp of chia seeds and mix in post blending

 

Hydrate yoself.

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d7100 Test Shots

The d7100 arrived in the snail mail a little over a week ago, and I haven’t been able to test it out properly yet because the weather in Michigan REALLY SUCKS THIS “SPRING”. It’s been raining for like, 2 weeks which = poor natural lighting. And I generally only shoot in natural light as I don’t have a studio setup.

However, the first time I got it, the 18-105mm lens hadn’t arrived yet, so I popped my macro lens on and captured a few pretty shots. It makes my macro lens work amazingly fast because it’s a newer (and higher class) camera so the processors are faster.

The file sizes are massive compared to my old d3000, and so is the body of the camera. It’s quite hefty. It also delivers on one of the key selling points: it’s WONDERFUL in low light situations. I’m still waiting for my 50mm lens to arrive – it should be here next week. Can’t wait to see how that works together, the Amazon customer photos and reviews were phenomenal.

All of the photos below are unedited in terms of coloration/curves adjustments. They’re straight out the camera. Except for the one of my brother, I fixed his acne cause I couldn’t stand it.

This is my handsome younger brother. Don’t be fooled by that gorgeous skin, he refuses to use the face wash I buy him – that’s all me in Photoshop.

I found this vintage sterling silver and aventurine ring in Downtown Royal Oak around the time the camera arrived. Only $8!

 

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