Gaslight Gathering 2014

     Well, look at this, it's a rare blog entry. Better late than never! Back in May 2014 there was this Steampunk convention in San Diego called Gaslight Gathering. The theme this year was a "Martian Holiday." Oh yes, Steampunk is alive and well in Southern California. This would be the fourth year that I ran the photo booth, otherwise known as Tobias Eastman's photo booth. I was located at the top of the tower in the Le Chanticleer room. Throughout the years I've had the privilege to photograph convention goers and their wonderful outfits.
    So what happens at a Steampunk convention such as Gaslight Gathering? There is the Junto Academy which organized the demos and workshops, Saturday and Sunday teas, Friday and Saturday concerts, men's fashion show (which I was a part of), vendor hall, tea dueling, numerous panels, art show, etc.
    For my photo booth, I used a simple one light setup on camera right using a 40 inch umbrella. o see more examples please check out the galleries for each day on my photo website. In the meantime, check out some examples below.

Daniel and Tony with one of their quirky outfits.

 Here is Adam, an excellent maker, with his wooden/brass fists. I tried them on and they are HEAVY!

The great thing about Steampunk is that the whole family can participate as you can see in the above photo. It encompasses such a wide array of media that people of all ages can be a part of. From art, costuming, music, making, literature, etc.

 I love the colors on this woman's outfit. You don't have to wear all brown to be Steampunk.

 Here is April in one of her fairy creations. She made the mini top hat.

This is Belle in her own personal rendition of Harley Quinn.

 I was also witness to a proposal! Amber and Daniel have been attending Gaslight Gathering since the beginning. He had approached me about capturing this magical moment minutes before it happened.

 Adam punching out Professor Elemental who was our musical GOH (Guest of Honor). I would guesstimate the wooden fist is around 15 pounds give or take.

 So there was this awesome rum party in the Le Chanticleer. The photo says it all. You had to be there.

Here are more photos from my photo booth. To see all the photos from this awesome weekend, check out my website at Jerry Abuan photography.

Here is a group photo of all the fashion models in the Sunday Tea.

There will be a Gaslight Gathering 5 next year in Fall of 2015. Come check it out and make sure to stop by my photo booth. Check back here or on my website for further details.

Steampunks by the sea

                                                                                   
                                                      American Steampunk

       A couple of my photographs were featured in a San Diego Citybeat article last month titled "Steampunks by the sea" written by Kinsee Morlan. On the feature of Ingred and Eric Chamberlin (aka Professor J.S. Greyshade) the photo was my rendition of the famous painting American Gothic by Grant Wood. In this case I call it American Steampunk. You can view more pics from the photoshoot on my Agezinder Arts photography site.

       Another photo features Lady Mari who organizes the walkabouts at the Del Mar Antiques Show twice yearly at the Del Mar (or San Diego) fairgrounds. The past 2 walkabouts have been Steampunk themed but there have been other themes such as Venice Masquerade, Summer Darkness and Vintage eras to name a few.

                                                           Lady Mari

      To view more of the photos from the last walkabout please check them out at my April 2011 Walkabout gallery.

       Other friends featured in the article are Kim Hutsell of House of Hutsell, Winona Cookie who is an extraordinary collage artist (Check out her Etsy shop Winona Cookie Creations), Nancy and James Hay, and local pantomime troupe Steam Powered Giraffe. SPG will be performing all summer long at the San Diego Zoo starting June 25th. They are a must see! You won't be disappointed.

    

My first post! So this is what I do.

I have created a digital collage tonight to break the ice on my first posting into the blog world. Yes, this is my first time so be gentle. And I do hope you will come back. I've already had a photography website on Zenfolio for a couple years and felt it was time to delve into blogging so that I can talk more about my art and what goes on behind it. So please enjoy and comments are welcome.

Alex #2

The original photo was taken by me at Egyptian Tea Room in May 2011 in San Diego. Alex was visiting from AZ and danced for the first time in a couple years with her partner Lauren. They formed the bellydance group Alioth Lotus back then.

The photo was taken in manual mode in available light at f1.8 ISO 1600 using a 50mm prime lens. White balance was set to Tungsten. I try not to use flash as my proximity to the dancer is pretty close and I don't want to blind them. Some say they don't mind but I have grown accustomed to shooting in low light situations.