*Mod - As cropped from the Gunman forum for tidiness and further discussion*
Personally I feel that whenever shots are in an 'airsoft' context then we *should* try and wear eye protection.
(i.e. on airsoft sites, promo materiel, AI or Airsoft Soldier magazine)
Its the responsible thing to do.
Save goggles off 'looking like the 40s' pics for re-enactment sites or the non airsoft events section I reckon*.
Although *most* of us have our heads screwed on remember there is a massive 'aspirational' market of 12 - 18 year old who could possibly put two and two together to make five and believe its ok to skirmish 'au natrale' and lose an eye in someones private wood...
Wherever possible I try and use goggles on shots for the mag, there have been a few notable exceptions, usually if i have two or three models for a shoot and stupidly only packed two pairs of glasses, looks better for non or all for modelling purposes.
* several times after a few pics at the lunch break i've stupidly wandered five or six meters out of the safe zone for the afternoon game and only then remembered i've taken my goggles off earlier for posing!
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
I was ten minutes into a game once before I realised I only had my normal glasses on..... 
I've walked right out to the start point of a game without glasses on in the past... Mind you I've also done similar and forgotten my gun...
Yep, forgot to put in a battery and gas my pistol before now...... 
Easy done aint it...
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
When doing photography during airsoft, I agree there is a need for goggles, but when taking team photos it is a much better picture with goggles off.
@Gadge: when we did the Hurtgen game you grabbed us Airborne guys for a photo shoot when we broke for lunch and that was goggles off.
I think it depends what you want to make of the picture, in my case I find a really old frame, age the picture and bung it on the wall. It looks brilliant. I just think that goggles would spoil how it looks.
Save goggles off 'looking like the 40s' pics for re-enactment sites or the non airsoft events section I reckon*.
Its worth remembering that not everyone has the luxury of attending reenactment events, where no goggles are required.
Show me a man who will jump out of an airplane, and I'll show you a man who will fight!
General James M. Gavin
CRY HAVOC AND LET LOOSE THE DOGS OF WAR
When doing photography during airsoft, I agree there is a need for goggles, but when taking team photos it is a much better picture with goggles off.
@Gadge: when we did the Hurtgen game you grabbed us Airborne guys for a photo shoot when we broke for lunch and that was goggles off.
I think it depends what you want to make of the picture, in my case I find a really old frame, age the picture and bung it on the wall. It looks brilliant. I just think that goggles would spoil how it looks.Its worth remembering that not everyone has the luxury of attending reenactment events, where no goggles are required.
From a professional point of view the decision at Hurtgen was really poor of me to have goggles off for that shot - it will never happen again for a pic for the magazine trust me - it sends out totally the wrong message.. You'll recall at Huskey for the pics round the jeep I insisted we got a shot with everyone wearing eye protection.
Luxury of re-enacting? what do you mean... there are shows across the country every weekend that you can turn up to in kit and 'promenade' (as its known) at and usually free of charge or at most a fiver entry.
I got *into* WWII doing that years before i started gaming in the kit.
Airsofting is the luxury not re-enacting.
End of the day we have to promote safe gaming, *especially* when its pics for public consumption.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
Maybe luxury wasn't the right word. I'm not trying to have an argument about it, but when photographs are not for the purpose of a magazine where wearing the right safety gear and being responsible has to be evident in the pictures; then I feel that if it is safe to do so that goggleless is ok. Like you said, depends what the photographs are for, personally if it's a picture for me...its prefereably without goggles.
Show me a man who will jump out of an airplane, and I'll show you a man who will fight!
General James M. Gavin
CRY HAVOC AND LET LOOSE THE DOGS OF WAR
No argument with that for personal use, I tend to take mine on location with goggles off for other forums but on a game site it should look like safe play.
My point is about pics on forums where folk see players involved in a game on a commercial site - which should portray safe play.
Mags in an goggles off doesn't look good, the viewer may not realise the mags are empty or batterys disconnected.
Mags out and goggles, off however, not so bad if its a safe zone pic.
Dotn get me wrong I'm with yo that it looks loads better without goggles I'm just incredibly aware of the public image of airsoft since I've started working on the mag (and largely before that with this forum), I meanif you look at early Arnhem photo press releases we did with CiA there was no eye prot there either...
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
I agree, I think final usage is the issue.
However I still don't agree with full face masks (again not looking for an argument and I am aware some people think they are necessary but for me they look ridiculous and completely detract from the overall look.)
As an example of detracting from the experience, as the US retreated up the hill day 2 of Husky away from the hedge row, it was replaced by 5 guys in Italian uniform AND a young man with his splinter camo jacket unzipped to reveal...a led zepplin tshirt. Detracting from my experience.
Show me a man who will jump out of an airplane, and I'll show you a man who will fight!
General James M. Gavin
CRY HAVOC AND LET LOOSE THE DOGS OF WAR
As an example of detracting from the experience, as the US retreated up the hill day 2 of Husky away from the hedge row, it was replaced by 5 guys in Italian uniform AND a young man with his splinter camo jacket unzipped to reveal...a led zepplin tshirt. Detracting from my experience.
Much in the same way as when someone on my team had a camelback on at Churchill's revenge... 
The two issues are both valid. Goggles, where as I very much agree with Gadge on the safety issues and especially with shots bing used in mags, I do thing Speirs has mad a very good ponit about the full face mask. I saw that picture and really did thing "that's awful" BUT and I stress the but, people who want to wear them for a game is fine, who am I to say don't. For me its a personal thing I wear clear shooting glasses, they are low profile and don't really take away from the whole WW2 experence.
The second issue is the zepplin tshirt. Again a personal issue but I'm not bothered what you wear under your kit at a game but during the game I do like to see period kit. Again I haven't turned into a kit nazi but the reason we all come together is for the experence and Speirs is right when he says it does detract from the experence. Don't get me wrong I have no problem with look alike kit and we all started out with a basic kit and built from there. In a nut shell let's try to keep it period, cos reality sucks.
Yup... I have no problem with what you wear under your kit as long as it stays under your kit!
If you think you're going to have strip a layer off then at least make some effort with your under-layers... 
I mean even a plain T-Shirt is better than one with a logo...
Thing is things have moved on a long way from when Yith, myself and the CiA chaps came up with that list (i can stil remember drawing up the lists...).
Although its still an option for those who *have* the lookalike kit anyway to get invovled its now no longer any more expensive to buy WWII than to buy modern stuff.
For the price most modern airsofters spend on a a surefire taclight you could get a basic US or german loadout
(statement made on buying a surefire 6p seven years or more ago for £60 and the fact that a peadot or m42 suit costs you about £50 now and a tenner for a hat )
As for face protection/masks, those 'face shaped' ones would probably do painted flesh and smeared with a bit of dirt....
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
My pers view ....hate goggles on in posed shots ...looks totally crap . In- game shots ...then protection should be worn, but for posed shots out of game then no glasses for 'em .
Don't care about what message it sends out , every site, everywhere, gives a large safety brief where wearing eye protection is mandatory ...so you'd have to be a complete ass not to .
My pers view ....hate goggles on in posed shots ...looks totally crap . In- game shots ...then protection should be worn, but for posed shots out of game then no glasses for 'em .
Don't care about what message it sends out , every site, everywhere, gives a large safety brief where wearing eye protection is mandatory ...so you'd have to be a complete ass not to .
Never underestimate the lowest common denominator - common sense isnt that common.
Only the other day I saw a thread on this very site where someone inquired about young people being allowed to play at a US game when they blatantly had no eye protection on but someone *still* thought they were involved in the game per se.
edit: apologies Guy, i accidentally snipped your post when i clicked 'edit' instead of 'quote'.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
I like the idea of painting the full face masks. Having had teeth smashed by swords and shields there is no way I can afford dentists bills at the moment As for photos, if for 'press' porposes then I feel goggles on is the best approach. Persnal photos is up to the photographer in my opinion. But with my experiance in reenactment, never underestermate the stupidity of the human race 
Cheers.
At least it was a Led Zeppelin t-shirt. I mean, Zeppelins are WWII, right?
Not really the point haha Looked more like some kind of terrorist.
Show me a man who will jump out of an airplane, and I'll show you a man who will fight!
General James M. Gavin
CRY HAVOC AND LET LOOSE THE DOGS OF WAR
