Ragnarok!

Ask any photographer out there and they will probably tell you about what influences their art. If you do this you will also find that a lot of people are motivated by at least a few very different things and draw on different experiences when creating their images.

I'm motivated by many things...including cookies.

Theater has been a large part of my life since I was 15; as I look at that number I realize that means it has been a part of me for almost half my life... whoa. Theatre students hear the word images over and over again throughout the course of their study. Directors talk about creating "stage pictures" or specific moments that are meant to be noticed by the audience. While we'd like you to believe that these are crafted on purpose they are often the result of a happy accident.

Right now I am in a play about LARPers. For the uninitiated you can find out a lot of info at the production company's website on what LARPing is all about. I can't speak to the specific intent of the director, but the image below is a good example of a stage picture.

Could be a poster for a love triangle movie.

You've got the protagonist downstage center, his best friend upstage right, and the girl that's "coming between them" downstage left. In this simple frozen moment you can see how oblivious he is to this as well as his friend's disdain with just a dash of her scheming. This aspect of theatre has taught me that when creating images little touches can go a long way towards conveying your intent clearly.

That being said, go see Ragnarok at the Tenth Avenue Theatre in downtown San Diego for the next two weeks. All pertinent information is available at the company's website in the above link. I'll leave you with one more image to entice you to see the rest for yourself...

Dodge!