The photographers of Unsplash.com provided me with a great collection of photos for my story “Kite Night,” a Sci Fi story set on the planet called the Globe. (If you’ve not read the story, you’ll want to read it first, as this post contains some spoilers.)
Firework
Snowy Vin took this perfect photo of a single firework explosion against a dark night sky. She shot it at Lake Kawaguchi at Fujikawaguchiko, Japan and titled the photo “Firework.”
I used this photo for the story’s main title image. Because the original photo cropping is very square, I had to “extend” the black night sky through photo image magic to make it fit into my regular title image rectangle. And, of course, I added the text.
You can see more of Snowy’s adventure, mountain, and animal images at unsplash.com/@sowny_vin.
Preparedness
Siniz Kim shot this beautiful place setting. She titled it “Preparedness,” which is a great title. When I saw it, I knew it was perfect for the table Capt. Ward was setting in the officer’s mess. Siniz is the principal and founder at Zigzag GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany. You can find more of his street and outdoor images at unsplash.com/@siniz.
Orbs of the Multiverse
If you have read any of the previous Tales of the Globe, then you recognize this gorgeous photo as the first image for each story.
If I understand this correctly, Daniel created this beautiful image by mixing soap and oil. I’m sure it’s more complicated than that, but I’m no artist. This piece, Orbs of the Multiverse, is from his new Soap & Oil Planet series. To my eyes, it looks exactly like a planet floating in space, and I love his title for the piece. So I chose this image to represent the beautiful, blue planet of the Globe.
Daniel is a freelance photographer. You can find his nature and landscape images at unsplash.com/@danesduet. You can also find his work at www.behance.net/danielolah and instagram.com/danesduet.
Moonrise
Kym MacKinnon took this shot, titled “Moonrise over Grotto Mountain,” in Canmore, Canada. Kym hails from Alberta, Canada. You can find more of her photos at unsplash.com/@vixenly and instagram.com/vixenly.
Pleasant Picnic
Marianela O.M shot this very pleasant picnic shot, which she titled “Picnic and wine on the grass.” You can see more of her wine, hygge, and animal images at unsplash.com/@marianelahygge and instagram.com/marianela.maruu and at her website, www.mividahygge.com.
Metal Mallet
Raul Barrios shot this great image of a blacksmith forming a crowbar on an anvil with his blacksmith’s hammer at the ready. Raul shot this at the Blacktown City Medieval Fayre in Blacktown, Australia.
This photographed hammer or mallet is not covered in runes, but it is a blacksmith’s hammer, which the mysterious Vernon is carrying. Because he is from Belmont, Vernon knows blacksmithing and has tools of the trade. I think you’ll learn more about the mysterious Vernon of Belmont in stories to come.
You can see more of Raul’s flower, animal, and architecture images at unsplash.com/@lookscanshoot.
Glowing Orange
Melanie Magdalena shot this mesmerizing photo, titled “Lift Off at Lantern Fest 2015,” at Sandia Speedway in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the United States. As the photo’s title indicates, this is a photo of floating paper lanterns, not mechanical grav-tech drones. To hide the fact that these are paper lanterns, I cropped the photo and rotated it 90 degrees. I think the altered image does manage to convey floating, orange shapes in a night sky that might be futuristic drones, if you don’t look too closely. But I’m also glad to be able to share Melanie’s beautiful, original image here.
Melanie hails from Austin, Texas, in the United States. You can find more of Melanie’s astronomy and nature images at unsplash.com/@m2creates and melaniemagdalena.com.
In case you missed them, here are the first five tales in the Globe Folio.
- “Pillars of Smoke” by Frasier Armitage
- “Shadow of the Dunes” by Shanel Wilson
- “The Towers of Whitehall” by Jim Hamilton
- “The Beast Below” by Shanel Wilson and Frasier Armitage
- “The Buried War” by Matthew Cross
Be stellar!
Matthew Cross