Category: Storytelling

Aspiration by Joe WilcoxFeb 28, 201510:04 am

Comic-Con Heroes: The Heroine

It’s Saturday, and that means another excerpt from my ebook Comic-Con Heroes: The Fans Who Make The Greatest Show On Earth, which profiles one-dozen attendees from SDCC 2013. One week ago, the Con held Open Registration, where participating for the first time I was fortunate enough to obtain passes for all four days and the Preview Night. From 2009-2014, accredited press status assured access.

Without press accreditation, I expect San Diego Comic-Con 2015 to be my last, as obtaining passes one year is no guarantee of getting them the next. Judging from social network responses to last week’s 59-minute ticket sales, many people who attended last year couldn’t purchase passes for the next one. Attendance is capped at 130,000.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 28, 20157:35 am

Flickr a Day 59: ‘Men of Patience’

The second month in this series wraps up with an intimate photo from the 1st International Hong Kong China Tattoo Convention, where See-ming Lee shot self-titled “Men of Patience” on Oct. 6, 2013. “Most of the photographs I have taken from this day was made possible mostly because of the excellent low-light high ISO performance of the [Canon EOS] 6D”, he explains, “combined with the super 100-400mm [lens] which allows me to photograph people from afar without alerting their attention”. Vitals: f/5.6, ISO 4000, 1/320 sec, 260mm.

There are different philosophies of photography. Some shooters like to get in close to their subjects, interacting with them. Others like to keep the distance, which is a good approach for an event like this one.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 27, 20157:00 am

Flickr a Day 58: ‘Time is an Expressway Between Cradle and Grave’

In making today’s selection, I looked for something that would be quite different from the past three days of United States Marines. Julia Eckert provides just that, with “Zeit ist eine Schnellstraße zwischen Wiege und Grab”, which […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 26, 20157:02 am

Flickr a Day 57: ‘Pure Inspiration’

Iconic best describes the last of three pics chosen from The United States Marine Corps photostream. Isn’t this exactly the kind of scene that many people outside the military imagine? Depicted: “Sgt. Justin Glenn Burnside […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 24, 20158:40 am

Flickr a Day 55: ‘Spot Me, Bro’

Meet the few and the proud. Today starts three days of pics picked from The United States Marine Corps photostream. I purposely avoid any of the many evocative combat training or deployed troops shots out […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 23, 20157:22 am

Flickr a Day 54: Harley Riders

I chose today’s selection, by Andrea La Rosa, for composition and use of black-and-white photography. The sky could be a painted movie-set backdrop, and it is perfect emotive canvas. The pic juxtaposes Day 53—motor- and […]

Society by Joe WilcoxFeb 22, 20156:07 pm

Sometimes Reddit Comments are the Best Storytelling

What could be better Sunday reading than cats jumping into cars? I stumbled onto this Reddit post roundabout way from something that appeared in my social network. Stated simply: A “cat climbed into” Jonny_Bloodbeard‘s “work van in downtown Detroit to keep warm. They choose you right?” Nearly 500 comments later, I’m impressed by the civil discourse and some of the cat tails—er, tales.

Take a look at the screenshot and the story about the cat riding to church for attention and a couple other Redditers’ ribbing responses. I love it. This is what interaction should be among commenters, and their personal stories add so much to the original post.

Storytelling by Joe WilcoxFeb 22, 201511:05 am

Road to Jericho

Spring 1985 in Washington, D.C., the cherry blossoms adorned the streets. I was 25, feeling virile and wanting to write something different. My lyrics typically tell tales of women, which interest me as a heterosexual man. By contrast, “Road to Jericho” is the hero’s story—man fighting against other men and weakness within himself.

I am no scholar of Old Testament stories but admit with some certainty that the tale this song tells isn’t in the Biblical record. Being unfamiliar with the historical period when writing 30 years ago, armaments aren’t right either. So I take poetic license, for which I ask your pardon if someone of Faith.

Living by Joe WilcoxFeb 21, 20156:57 am

Comic-Con Heroes: The Bicyclists

I am quite reflective about San Diego Comic-Con on this fine Saturday. An hour from now, thousands of people will begin the registration process that, from 9 a.m. PST, will let them into the online waiting room where they might be chosen to purchase tickets. I will be among them, for the first time since moving to San Diego in October 2007. My attendance was always guaranteed, for being a news reporter.

But SDCC has yet to re-certify my press status, and as time drags on the likelihood diminishes. Earlier this week, I received email indicating eligibility to participate in Open Registration, for which I am hugely appreciative. I worried about my uncertain status locking me out from purchasing tickets. Press get free admission, which is a benefit I can take or leave; paying is no problem. It is the assured admission that matters to me.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 19, 20158:45 am

Flickr a Day 50: ‘Happy Enough to be Caricaturized’

I strongly debated about whether or not to feature this photo, because the EXIF data isn’t readily visible. All pics picked for this series are authenticated for copyright, which is less certain when camera info […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 18, 20157:07 am

Flickr a Day 49: ‘Happy Snow Year’

Today’s selection is the first of three found searching Flickr for “happy”. Winter weather is a constant across much of the northern and eastern parts of the United States and Canada—although days are unseasonably warm here in San Diego. For those of you sick of snow, delight even if briefly in this magnificent portrait.

John Britt joined Flickr in September 2008, and he primarily shoots nature. His experimental, photo techniques, particularly the most recent work, is fun—and educational. He communicates about what he did to capture the image and why.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 14, 20158:06 am

Flickr a Day 45: ‘Love in the Subway’

Happy Valentine’s Day! As you can see, today’s selection is all about love. They say love is mysterious—so is the photographer, Benurs, who joined Flickr in October 2009 but hasn’t posted to his stream in […]