Where do you get your inspiration???
 

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering were some of you Joe collectors get your inspiration to take pics of anything involving cool G.I. Joe stuff. Do some of you go scouting for locations, or look in books, magazines or other media that make you motivated to take pics or maybe do you see something that just screams Cool G.I. Joe stuff and you need to take a pic with your Joes??? As Mike Myers said on SNL ,"Discuss amongst yourselves!!!"

BKC: Not just another Burger King Sandwich!!!

Well, I can't sight a specif media I get my ideas from, but I can tell yout hat there are certain movies that heavily influenced my work and characters. For instnace, Pitfall was heavilly modled after Martin Sheen in Acopolysps Now (<-I know I spelled that wrong)

Movies are a great way to get ideas for Joe stories. Sometimes the best ideas just come to you though for no rhyme or reason and when you realize that its awsome and thats a great feeling. In the Joe Universe the possibilities are endless coming up with storylines and adventures for your Joes.

Other diostories are a big help with how to do/what can be done. People like Violentfix, Justin and Luke are a great inspiration (reading Operation Rapier got me into making them). Movies and cartoons are a big help, as well as comics (big DC fan).
An unusual thing is music, if a song has a theme I really like or lyrics that I really get then I'll just go with it. My newest one is inspired by Judas Priest's "Out in the cold" (the title is also named after one of their other songs, Winter Retreat)
Other times I just get a figure and want to take some pictures "oh yes Cobra baby, take it off... wha?... I'm talking about his hood... you perverts!"

Well one thing for certain is that this website is an excellent source of creative energy when its comes to cool G.I. Joe Stuff. This place really can get the creative juices going when you take pics and its always fun to see what someone comes up with next.

This starts totally off-topic so bare with me. As a skateboarder and snowboarder, we tend to look at the world with different eyes. As a skater, we can look at a ledge and think, "skate that". We saw a slanted wall or a bank and we think, "skate that." As a snowboard, it's very much the same. A weird bump in the run, we think, "hit that". In terms of GI Joe, I have found that I keep my eyes open when cruising around. I haven't quite gotten to the point of stopping, pulling out a Joe or two and then taking a shot. However, I have taken a Joe or 3 on trips just in case something strikes me as a way awesome place. I took a whole bunch up to Victoria, BC but alas, I got lazy. I admit, these days I absolutely LOVE the weapon cases that come with the Sigma6 figures. They are perfect for backgrounds, warehouse scenes, whatever!

As for coming up with stories for the dios, it comes from all over. Maybe there's something from Aliens I like. Or something from Clear and Present Danger (in my dio, "The Ultimate Weapon", my opening scene is taken from the sequence where Ding is being checked out by Clark). I get ideas from everywhere.

Seeing stuff that people do here and on other boards, it helps a lot too. Luke, Fred, Outrider, and a slew of others get me pumped to want to shoot. A lot of it comes with just 'playing' with the figures and what you can come up with. Sometimes, that awesome scene you just created has to have a story go with it, even if you have to make up the story to cater to just 1 shot.

Sonnelion,
You have a very interesting perspective on how you view the world when when it comes to the activites that you do and that can very easily be used in taking pics of really cool G.I. Joe stuff.

Ideas for pics can come from anywhere; movies, comics, old war photos, a great location, or a flash of inspiration. The "Deadly Apparition" pic I posted today came about simply because I walked outside, saw an ominous stormy sky, and thought "wow, that would make for a dramatic pic". "Show of strength" was inspired by a WWII pic of a line of tanks heading for the front after D-day, and "Destro and his Generals" was based on a civil war pic of Gen Grant and Gen Meade looking at a map. And of course, all of the great pics on this site are truly inspiring!

Did I mention movies have a huge impact on my dio stuff? I wasn't very specific before because it is all dependent on what mood I'm in. It also kinda depends on which GI Joe series I'm dealing with.

If I'm dealing with Sigma6, the gnarly articulation is great. So the SW prequels are great for fighting storyboards and whatnot. Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon too. I honestly can see Kamakura and Storm Shadow flying through the air, tiptooing on the top of trees and going Matrix-style in our bamboo in the backyard. Heavy Duty, of course, doesn't fly. lol.

I don't deal with ARAH. But for the 2002+ themed Joes, stuff like Aliens, Fast And the Furious, Soldier, Last Samurai, Lord of the Rings... Just tons of stuff that I pull from. And I ALWAYS have music going when I do a dio which might not actually help much. ;)

Still, it really is someone like Fred (LeoTDragon), Luke, Outrider, etc that open my eyes to what we can really do. I'm still learning, just like everyone else. I'm putting more effort into "A Matter of Anti-Matter" moreso than any other dio. I haven't posted it here yet because I'm only in Chapter4 (short chapters) and have a bit of a ways to go.

Go ahead and take a look now. Navigation is in the upper right hand corner.

A Matter of Anti-Matter WIP

In the beginning it was dio stories that inspired me to get snapping, as I wanted to do a dio myself. I was in total "AWE" of the Generals dios, as well as timscorner and violentfix's dios too. I have had a dio in production for ages and have made a lot of progress but I'm not quite ready to share it with the world yet. It's because of these three guys I caught the dio story bug! It also inspired me to part with a lot of cash to buy a new digital camera!

However this very website also inspired me to take more photos. Not only did all the pictures already on Joedios inspire me, but a place where people could store their efforts is fantastic. I signed up as soon as I found out about this place and had a look around. The photos on this site and the fact we can talk and get tips from eachother is enough to inspire anyone in my opinion! Again I was inspired to part with a lot of cash to buy another newer and better camera for my pictures!

I find myself also inspired by different conditions, such as the weather and fading light. I like to see just what I can achieve, and how these effects turn out.

Right now the weather here is awful, so I haven't uploaded as much recently. Outside is dense freezing fog and you can't see further than 900 yards, gotta love the Scottish weather!

Although time is also a factor in me getting out to take pictures. It's not always easy to find the time, or got home before its dark, thankfully, in the summer, this is not a problem. I just have to wait. Although some snow would be nice for my dio! :D

Dave