I decided to go to MLG mostly because I thought it'd be fun to see/meet all of these Starcraft personalities in person. I've spent hundreds of hours watching them stream or play in tournaments, so it made sense to take a couple days away to go say hello.
When I arrived, one of the things I noticed was that everyone was going crazy getting things autographed: t-shirts, mousepads, parts of cases, SC2 boxes, etc. First I thought about picking up a mouse pad to get everyone to sign, then I realized that having a bunch of random signatures is actually pretty static and doesn't give me as tangible a memory of the event and all the personalities I met.
On the other hand, getting pictures with these guys, in my mind, is a better way of preserving the memories. The problem with pictures, though, is that these pros take picture after picture with hundreds of people over the course of each event and some are visibly tired of busting out generic smiles. And I understand; I hate when people tell me to smile before taking a picture. If I wasn't already smiling, then the picture isn't really capturing the moment.
My solution, then, was to ask each of the pros I took a picture with to "make any face they wanted, funny or otherwise." My thought is that this would give them an opportunity to break up the monotony of "SMILE!" pictures while also injecting some of their own personality into the picture, which I thought would also make a much better memory than an autograph or a "standard" picture.
Also, I tried not to wait in line to get any of these pictures, because I figured after having a whole bunch of pictures in a row, it might be a bit wearing for them to do something creative. So I basically just grabbed a pro whenever I saw them standing alone or whenever it seemed like they weren't rushing off to something. This seemed like a good time to get them to do a fresh pose, but in their defense it's very possible they just didn't want to be bothered right then (and a few of these guys did kind of give the vibe that they didn't want to be bothered -- sorry!).
So without further ado, here's what I (and the pros) came up with (brief description with each picture for fun):
Obviously had taken quite a lot of pictures but was quick to put on the mega-frown as his choice of expression, which I promptly copied. http://imgur.com/xFC37
Was quick to "give the tongue" which I gave back (but away from his tongue as I didn't want to make the pic too sexy). As a side note, Bryce was easily one of the friendliest pros I met this weekend; he seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me (and some other fans I saw him interacting with). http://imgur.com/xuoux
I'm not entirely sure MarineKing knew what I meant when I told him to make any face he wanted. Maybe he thought I meant "don't smile" which is what he did. But still, I kind of just want to pinch his cheeks. http://imgur.com/fX0fB
It's no surprise that Sheth didn't hesitate in making up a face -- he was one of the quickest to bust something out with the "I think I'm choking on my own tongue" look. He was also one of the few people who actually wanted to see how their silly picture turned out. I showed him, and he nodded. I think he was pleased. http://imgur.com/vVWTN
Like Sheth, asking Thorzain to make a face of his choice yielded quick results. I'm imagining that this face is the same one he made when he was younger after getting hit with a Nerf arrow. That said, I couldn't match his awesome "teeth face", like, at all. http://imgur.com/sAKIn
Anna's technically not a pro player, but I had a feeling she'd have a pretty good face at the ready. She did. On the other hand, I look like I ate too much Mexican food. Sorry, Anna! http://imgur.com/2AG8D
This one was one of the more memorable interactions I had. "Make a face -- anything you want. See if you can show up iNcontroL" were the instructions I gave Tyler. After a long, awkward silence where he was visibly trying to think of something to do with his face he just looked and me and said "no, I don't want to do that." I'll give him the benefizzy of the dizzy and say he was probably just worn out and had never experienced such a brilliant picture request, but this one was a clear win for Geoff. http://imgur.com/Ds5RC
Ben was quick to make a face of his choosing when asked. I feel like this is how he would look while watching Paranormal Activity, am I right? http://imgur.com/Jwdxe
I caught them both at the same time and both were super friendly and I had a short conversation with both. I told Jake I thought he should rage more on his stream and talked strategy with Nick. Nick's random face was typical Axslav "calm and cool", and Jake's was pretty understated. Jake said he was doing something out of Top Gun or some other movie -- sorry I can't remember, Jake! http://imgur.com/xgdz6
The picture with Bling was the only one not taken during the actual event, but Bling was still quick to make this rocker face and was still outgoing even though I think I caught him at a less than ideal time. http://imgur.com/ectS9
Stephano was pretty elusive for most of the event as every time he left the player area he was swarmed with fans, but I managed to grab a quick picture with him. Our photographer missed the first shot so this second shot didn't have the same level of expression, but we still get to see Stephano executing a sick new "sidesmile" strategy... http://imgur.com/Ub2GU
A funny face from the typically pretty reserved Select. I believe it was his manager standing next to him who wanted to see the picture. When I showed it to him, he seemed impressed and asked me to send a copy to their team email. I guess that means this is a rare look for Select! http://imgur.com/RJYJs
After I took this picture with Grubby, he wanted to see it and assured me that if it didn't turn out good I'd be hearing from his lawyer. It turned out pretty darn good though; his expression reminds me of a ninja turtle from back in the day! http://imgur.com/8wlpB
I think Chris was confused because he threw up his standard Huk hand gesture, but them "BOOM!" -- big side-tongue action. I responded with some side-tongue of my own. Or wait, maybe his hand gesture was an "I'm gonna cut off your tongue with my hand-scissors" thing? http://imgur.com/2xaJJ
Like Nony, Gretorp hesitated when I told him to "make any face he wanted". "It's your picture man, you tell me!" "I want whatever comes to your mind, dude." "Well I've been picking people up..." "Seriously? Ok let's do this..." And then boom, I was in the air. I thought he was going to dump me over on my head, and was getting a lot of strange looks during this one. Andre definitely wins for creativity here, as he made ME feel awkward. Nice job, dude. http://imgur.com/mDQTS
Note that unless you are MLG, please send me a PM before using any part of these pictures somewhere else; I may be able to send you a higher-resolution or un-cropped version as well.
*Edit: Added imgur links for international folks or folks having trouble viewing the originals.
*Edit 2: Wow! Thanks everyone for the positive feedback. I was sure I'd have to put on my flame suit for quite a few comments but the response has been overwhelmingly positive! A few thoughts: First, I like the idea of doing this again at other events (I'm pretty sure someone else will now), but it won't ever be the same in my opinion. Many of these pros will get used to being asked to "make a face" and suddenly these pics could become like the new "Smile!". So I'd definitely challenge anyone to innovate in terms of memory-making at future events. Second, for the Idra picture, I gave him the same instructions as everyone else. I don't think he consciously thought the face he made would be funny, it's just who he is.
Hands down my fav pics of this MLG. The silliness does indeed show their personalities a lot more than the typical smile-pose. Great idea and thanks for sharing.
btw Grubby's expression is disturbing! and of course lolIdra
For the Australia/Singapore/Canada/other international folks I apologize, maybe Picasa (Google) doesn't allow some images internationally? Not really sure...
Oh god. I laughed pretty hard but also feel like I shouldn't be the one getting Geoff's wrath for that one. Note Mr.Face's 1 post count, he knows wassup
On June 12 2012 16:03 Theifzz wrote: the pictures don't load for me... is there any other way i can view them D:
Not sure the best place to mirror them...any suggestions?
That shopped pic cracked me up so hard just now. Someone did that pretty darn quickly. Pretty well done for such a quick turnaround. Also Idra wins etc.
Thanks for doing this, what a collection ^__^ some people were saying that the Idra was predictable, but I still thought that expression was golden, well-played. He looks like a boss too, true CJ face right there.
Love the Idra picture....though saying no to a 'do whatever you want picture' kind of puts NoNy more against the 'your too serious' side of the fence....though he is arguably one of the more photogenic people in the scene....cept IdrA
On June 12 2012 17:15 OptimusYale wrote: Love the Idra picture....though saying no to a 'do whatever you want picture' kind of puts NoNy more against the 'your too serious' side of the fence....though he is arguably one of the more photogenic people in the scene....cept IdrA
Well... when you're that damn photogenic, it's rather difficult to force yourself to take a bad picture.
I trying to keep me myself from laughing at work, damn these are priceless. Nony and you look almost like brothers, Anna made such a wierd/funny face. Demuslim and Thorzain LOL. And Idra... hahahaha
i honestly saw idra and then hesitated to click the spoiler X_X i was actually thinking what kind of face idra couldve pulled... but... OHH IDRA THAT WAS THE BEST FACE EVER!
Anna or Grubby wins IMO. Also why are people making such a huge deal with IdrA.......did you actually expect him to do anything? The amount of people surprised, is frankly surprising.
On June 12 2012 21:22 Slardar wrote: Great thread no doubt lol!
Anna or Grubby wins IMO. Also why are people making such a huge deal with IdrA.......did you actually expect him to do anything? The amount of people surprised, is frankly surprising.
what do you mean the amount of people "surprised"? It's not surprise, it's just straight up funny because we all "know" IdrA's character and it's so funny that he put all of these faces and ended it with IdrA just being classical IdrA :D it's like watching an episode of friends and seeing joey do something TYPICAL JOEY and u laugh your ass off. If anybody else would have done that face (e.g. Grubby), it woudn't have been that funny (or funny at all, for that matter).
So I COMPLETELY agree: great thread and I love how the OP posted IdrAs Pic in the end :D
You are walking in a dark alley, when suddendly you hear a noise. Franctically, you turn around to see what's happening, but no one's there. Then, when you turn back again to walk, you see Select's face.
grubby's comment is hilarious - he's gonna make a great father one day. machine seems so down to earth, even though eg likes to have fun with his kind nature i'd definitely like to meet him. and gretorp takes the cake.
Great photos! I feel like this is a good addition even though it wasn't intended xD It was at the TL Meetup '10 at Gamescom Cologne and we were not ready for the photo to be taken... well some might say we were :D
Greatest thread of all time. You win 2012's fan creativity award! I'm sure the players were all a bit excited that a fan actually had some different ideas for their fan picture!
I don't know whether I should choose Grubby or IdrA as the champion. On one hand, Grubby followed the instructions better than anyone else, but on the other, IdrA's was just so damn ironic.
If there was a "best of TL" (similar to the bestof on reddit) this would be at the top! Well Done sir and I nearly fell out of my bed laughing when I saw Idra. I bursted into laughter after I looked at all the picures for a second time as well. So epic!
Anna and Grubby for awesome wtf face. Grubby's face is not humanely possible. That doesnt' qualify for a face. That's like some painting by a expressionist artist on LSD.
Yeah I never understood the whole autograph craze, seems pointless to me. Much more fun to just chill at the featured station and you get plenty of time to chat with all sorts of pros.
omg, man. I was standing 4 feet from your head when Gretorp picked you up. I remember looking and thinking, "Somebody's planking on Gretorp! wtf?" It's pretty amazing to see the picture and find out that's what was actually going on, lol.
this is an awesome idea. i feel like its a neat glimpse into the personality of these players. grubby's face of choice in particular was a bit of a shocker. most of the others were consistent with what i expected, especially idras. great post thanks for sharing the pics!
On June 13 2012 10:08 Dontkillme wrote: Shoulda taken one with MC
He was on the list of people I definitely wanted to grab a picture with, but I literally did not see him outside of the booths/player area during the event. When I saw him wandering around at the Hilton with a few other folks, I approached him for a picture but his manager (or whoever it was) waved me off. Major bummer there.
I was laughing at each picture then I saw IdrA's and died.
I love these pictures! They show the real personalities of the players. You sir should be the camera guy in behind the scene and capture these players. These are great pictures!
On June 16 2012 07:35 BluDragon wrote: I was laughing at each picture then I saw IdrA's and died.
I love these pictures! They show the real personalities of the players. You sir should be the camera guy in behind the scene and capture these players. These are great pictures!
Thanks man! If someone wants to fly me out to each of the events I'd be happy to travel with my SLR and get more awesome pics to share! =)
Before I unspoilered IdrA's picture, I half expected something completely out of the ordinary from him, but then I did and I died laughing, because it was just so IdrA.
I was in stitches at the end man, very well done. Fair play to everyone who you took the photo's with you as well, these pictures are so relaxed it's great to see.
Nice, this is a pretty good idea. The idra pic was kinda expected but still funny. But the No1 prize goes to the incredible photoshop at page 5. That has to be the best and funniest photoshop I have seen in a very long time. Thank you Mr.Faces, that was awesome.
BTW: The best part about this thread is if you go through and look at the comments who talk about Idras face and then you look at their favorite team...
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