On cosplay.com someone decided to have a meetup in NJ on Halloween day. We went to Donaldson Park which i’ll describe it as a park either riddled by bird crap or a by a bunch of tiny dogs laying gifts. I think we managed to avoid most of the treats and nobody was rolling in the grass so it wall worked out ;). The ground was wet from the rain earlier this week and for some reason just like the location AnimeNext was at a few miles away. The land was built to be a retention pond drainage system. A lot of the spots were just mud. Fall folliage turned into acorns flying off the trees and hitting you on the head. Fun times really! Here’s the photos.

I used this opportunity to test out some new equipment I picked up recently. First the Black Rapid R-Strap. In concept its great. But using it with a vertical grip just didn’t workout. Luckily though I bought it to hold my other camera so it won’t be a waste. Second I recently got a Tokina 11-16/2.8 that’s practically been out of stock for a whole year my wallet was hurting but when “IN STOCK” calls you have to press the “BUY” button. I got a chance to test it in daylight and not in a close quarter con situation where I can only get two feet away.

Its hard to tell. But if you look at the Edward on the right. The Mage’s blast added like 10 pounds to her because of the Ultra-Wideangle lens distortion. I’ll be forgiving and not post the 50 pound photo when she walks on the edge. I’ll have to look up the distortion fix for this one when I’m not lazy. And last of my boring equipment rants my still current favorite toy just last week had a new accessory released last week at the photoshow I went to, the Lensbaby soft-focus optic. Here’s an example.

Its a little exaggerated I think as it was hazy. So I’m not sure if the light haze compounded the effect or not. But it sure is glowy!

So back to the meet. A good mix of people showed up and it was a fun time. I brought in some Brawndo The Thirst Mutilator because its what plants crave, and “iTs got Electrolytes”. And Snake approves. Well anything’s better than bugs I’d guess.

Here’s most of everyone that came in cosplay.

And whats not Halloween without ghosts visiting.

Along with RUN. Not because you’re being chased with someone with a stick. Its raining!

And finally I got some decent lensbaby shots out. I wish I bought my tripod and one day I will. But they are better because there was nowhere for anyone to run 😛 and I had a little more time to spend on focusing. So here’s Haruko. Why? Its because a bright ass pink wig always stands out!

I had fun and hopefully they’ll be another meet that everyone can make it to. Another fun tidbit was the train ride back into NYC. I got to sit near all the wonderful drunk people in costume as they were going to Halloween parties. Fun stuff.