Greetings Everyone,
I have been a Cosplay Photographer since 2009 and have been to 11 Anime / Cosplay cons so far. I have been a photographer in general since I was a kid. I didn't take a lot of photos of people until I started going to conventions.
General tips:
1. Most cons have rules about photography and cosplay. At Youmacon in Downtown Detroit one of the rules is: If you are wearing a Cosplay outfit expect your photo to be taken. Not all cons are like this so keep that in mind.
2. Don't be shy and be Courteous. If the Cosplayer is busy with something important watch to see if they are available later on. Also, always ask a cosplayer if you can take a photo of them. Many are turned off by someone taking photos of them without permission. Try not to take up a lot of the Cosplayers time. They may have set plans just like you do. If they appear open to it feel free to talk to them and ask questions about their outfit, etc.
3. Plan ahead of what type of Cosplay characters you want photos of. Like look around for Cosplayers from a certain series or video game. Most conventions have official photoshoots. Check out the con's guide for locations. I always look for Sailor Moon series and Final Fantasy cosplayers.
4. Do your best not to take photos of a cosplayer in a heavy traffic area and beware of the lighting in the area. If you need to ask the cosplayer to step aside out of the traffic flow for a photo. Con staff frown on photographers blocking traffic.
5. Be patient. If you rush a photo their is a good chance that it won't turn out the way you like. Also I usually take 2 photos each time. That way you have a better chance to get a good photo.
6. If you are able to wear a cosplay outfit yourself. I have found out that it's easier to approach a cosplayer to take a photo of if you are also wearing an outfit.
Specific Tips:
1. Cell phones no matter how well they might seem to take good shots, often they don't. I recommend buying or using a regular digital camera that uses photo cards. I have a 4G card for my digital camera. That way I can take plenty of photos and not worry about using up all of the memory. Also photo cards are easy to download the photos in them to computers and photo kiosks in stores.
2. Most important. Make sure you have a second set of batteries for a digital camera. Camera's like to eat batteries. This is another reason to not use cell phones for photos. If you use up all of your battery power in a cell phone you won't be able to do anything else with it until you get it recharged.
3. Photo Editing. Get familiar with and use photo editing computer programs. Store kiosks often come with photo editing programs as well.
Posing:
1. Many Cosplayers have a pose or two that they have all set to go. If you want a specific pose appropriate for the character just ask. Sometimes you need to give a good description of what you want.
2. Some Cosplayers have never posed or are shy. This is why asking a Cosplayer if you can take a photo of them is important. What helps is being friendly and or casual. Once again you may have to help out with a pose that you would like the Cosplayer to do. One thing that makes this easier is to take photos of characters that you are familiar with. That way you can come up with a character pose easier.
3. Spontaneous posing. This can be fun. Just ask the random Cosplayer to do a pose. Then smile and ask for another pose. Sometimes the results can be interesting.
4. Mini photoshoots - If the Cosplayer has some time you can experiment or try doing 4 to 6 different poses. Some of the poses can be funny, glamorous, casual like sitting on a bench or leaning on a railing, and certainly trying out a few character poses.
5. Regular photoshoots - Similar to a mini photoshoot. A regular one is usually prearranged. Also either the photographer and or the Cosplayer is very familiar with the character that's being Cosplayed. Pick out a special area away from the crowds where you are not going to be interrupted. If that's not possible pick an area that off to the side, near to but not in the flow of traffic. Pick places appropriate to the Cosplayers character. I did a photoshoot of a Fairy Cosplayer earlier this year and picked a forest to do some of the shots. Usually a regular photoshoot lasts between 30 minutes to an hour and anywhere from 40 to 60 shots is usually taken. Every now and then show some of the photos to the Cosplayer for approval. Change the setting, background and or poses as necessary.
Overall have fun!! If you have any questions feel free to ask me and I will do my best to help you out.
Note: Feel free to comment and add tips to this thread as some of our members have already done.
Anime Conventions: The Global Connection
A guild dedicated to sharing/discussing conventions, cosplay, anime, and manga from across the world
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