The Martialist: The Magazine For Those Who Fight Unfairly

“Stay ‘unreasonable.’  If you
don’t like the solutions [available to you], come up with your
own.” 
Dan Webre

The Martialist does not
constitute legal advice.  It is for ENTERTAINMENT
PURPOSES ONLY.

Copyright © 2003-2004 Phil Elmore, all rights
reserved.

“What’s with
all the photos?”
by Phil Elmore, Publisher

You
may have noticed this site contains, oh, conservatively estimated, about a
hundred thousand pictures of me.  A lot of people have read a lot of
negative things into this fact.  I must be some sort of egomaniac desperate
to show the world how tough or cool I am, all the while unaware of just how
silly some of these shots might seem.  At least, that’s what you believe if
you’re a humorless git with some ego-related issues of your own.

I’m not a model.  I am, however, the primary
photo model for all my articles – because most of the time, I’m the one person
available when I’m writing an article.  I am a prolific writer and I have
very little patience.  When I’m busy, I like to get things done right away. 
That’s why I don’t go any farther than myself when it’s time to take photos. 
I figured, given this, that there’s no reason not to have some fun with it. 
After all, if I’m going to model for all the articles, I might as well admit
that it does look silly.  I don’t take it seriously and neither should you. 
It’s my way of introducing some humor, some self-parody, and some lightness of
heart in what can otherwise be considered a pretty grim field (self-defense).

Given that, the next time you’re tempted to read
something sinister or self-absorbed into my pictures, don’t.  Laugh at them
along with me and then read the article to see what you can absorb from it. 
Articles with pictures of people in them are always more useful than articles
containing only product shots, because you get a sense of scale and application. 
Plus, I like to have a little fun with every article I write, indulging my
amateur photography hobby while sometimes creating interesting composite
photographs.  Have fun along with me and you’ll see this can be a lot more
entertaining than some of the more serious,
doom-and-gloom-and-preparations-for-the-end-times publications out there.

Say cheese.