Dragoncon 2012 - The Pictures

There were almost as many people with cameras this year as there were costumes. Nevertheless, there were some new costumes I had not seen, and several Snake Plisskens (I was told there was a female Snake Plissken, but despite searching all weekend, I was unable to find her, a pity). 

Here are the best of the hundreds of pictures I took at this year's Dragoncon. More pictures from my friend Ken will be added soon, so watch this blog post! 

Click on all pictures for a larger view. All photographs copyright Magnum Arts.

My newest costume is complete, just in time for Dragoncon 2012. Introducing the City 17 Civil Protection costume, from the video game Half-Life 2 (see this post for information about this amazing video game). I used a speaker box which continuously played radio chatter from the game.

Below left: A fantastic RJ Macready costume from the John Carpenter movie The Thing. Macready, like Snake Plissken, was played by Kurt Russell, so of course we had to get our picture taken together.

Below left: there were three Snake Plisskens this year; this is one of them, a very friendly guy. We swapped costuming tips. Below right: the video game character Snake from Metal Gear Solid. I was outside having a cigar when he came by

Relaxing in the hotel room before plunging back into the madness

Dr. Who was very popular this year. There were lots of Dr. Who costumes, tee-shirts, and of course, robots

This Navii character from Avatar was hanging out on an outdoor sculpture in front of the Marriott Marquis all afternoon, attracting a fair amount of attention.

The steps are a popular place for people to congregate during Dragoncon, watching the costumes walk by 

The stairways and escalators of the Marriott Marquis are always busy, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, when there is a line to take the escalator from one level of the atrium to another

My fellow 501st Legion, Florida Garrison member Brad, otherwise known as Redcoat, covering the Legion table

Crowds are part of Dragoncon. If you've never felt claustrophobic, you will at this con

These attractive girls are wearing Josie and the Pussycats costumes. Josie and the Pussycats was a Saturday morning cartoon show that aired between 1971 to 1973 and was about an all-girl pop band that toured the world and got into all sorts of adventures. Josie was the level headed red head, the blonde was Melody and was the air-headed drummer, and the tambourine player was Valerie.

UPDATE: There was a Valerie there; I just didn't see her. TheDreamerWord's Flickr photostream has a lot of great pics of this lovely trio in their Josie and the Pussycats costumes, check it out HERE.

I grew up watching Josie and the Pussycats; I doubt the younger generation even knows what their costumes are supposed to be. Below, they are hanging out with the Dude and the Viking bowling chick from The Big Lebowski's dream sequence.

Below left: A sight you don't want to see, trapped in an elevator with an Alien
Below right: Two costumes that reference the top-rated video game Portal

There were two pairs of Spy vs. Spy costumes this year; here's one pair. Very cool, clever costumes!

How does she get on that bike??

Zombies were also very popular this year; there were a lot of them.

This alcove was showcasing an iPad-based video game app

Below: The Sheraton had a pool party featuring mermaids. Women wearing mermaid tails frolicked in the pool, after which there was a burlesque show

I was in my Snake Plissken costume till 1:30 am the night before, and was up at 6:30 the next morning to photograph the Dragoncon parade staging area, the best place to shoot the most costumes and vehicles in one place.

The early morning sun makes my shadow very long on this empty, Atlanta street.

Woodruff Park is quiet at 8:30 in the morning, as parade participants mill around, chatting, sipping coffee and posing for pictures

The Blues Mobile from The Blues Brothers movie, a great recreation of the 1974 Dodge Monaco cop car that was used in the film. In the background is the Ghostbusters ambulance from the North Carolina Ghostbusters 

Tired costumers. Sleep deprivation is part of the Dragoncon experience. Every hour at Dragoncon is precious.

A wonderful example of Steampunk technology. Steampunk refers to an alternate history where machines are powered by steam, as they were in the Victorian age, and is typified by fancy, Victorian clothing styles, elaborate hats, and brass-trimmed gadgets and equipment.

The Back To The Future time-travelling DeLorean, with the Dude's beat up 1974 Ford Gran Torino sedan from The Big Lebowski in the background

Below: The crew of Creep FM, whom I interviewed for the 2nd Magnum Arts Dragoncon podcast. You can visit Creep FM's site HERE

The park is becoming more crowded now, as more parade participants arrive, followed by fascinated onlookers with cameras. This is one of the best parts of Dragoncon

The fabulous USO girls were back this year as well. I feel safer knowing they're on the job!

Below: costumes from my favorite video game Bioshock: a Big Daddy (at left), a Big Sister (right) surrounded by the Little Sisters

The Mach 5 and Speed Racer hamming it up for the crowds. The motor on that car sounds incredible! 

Imperial Stormtroopers on patrol 

This bus was part of a protest against DISH network for dropping the AMC channel, which carries the zombie-themed drama The Walking Dead, as well as Breaking Bad. 

The Speed Racer Mach 5 in the parking garage of the Hilton Monday morning, hooked up to the SUV that will tow it back to Michigan now that another Dragoncon is over

Dragoncon...it always ends too soon.

Now comes the never-seems-to-end six hour drive back home.

Goodbye Atlanta...see you next year.