Hello again!

So many of the most common questions I get relate to taking photos at Conventions (since that’s where I meet most people!). So I figured the first informational blog I do should be around this! I think that’s where most people start out doing cosplay photography too, so it makes sense :3

I’m not going to talk about how you choose who to photograph because that’s totally up to you, different people are drawn to different cosplays/cosplayers for different reasons. I will say one thing that can put me off photographing someone is a bad wig. That doesn’t mean I think their cosplay is bad, but if I’m taking photographs of someone and the wig is bad quality or doesn’t fit properly the photo is never going to look fantastic! Otherwise, most people are fair game for my camera! Though if a cosplayer stands out I’m probably more likely to be drawn to them, that’s human (photographer) nature I’m guessing.

Anywho, things to consider when doing cosplay photography at a convention. (Though these would probably be good regardless of whether you’re at a convention or doing a regular shoot).

Background

Pat attention to what is in the background of the shot. One of my pet peeves is having people in the background, it spoils the illusion of your photograph. ‘Oh look, there’s Elsa, she looks so beautiful! Oh wait…isn’t that Naruto in the background…?’.
Recently at Alcon I took some pictures with people in the background because everyone tended to be in a rush so I couldn’t drag them away :P
But my general rule of thumb is you can probably move someone maybe a foot away from where they are and have no-one in the background, which is much more preferable I think if you want to create the idea with your image that this IS the character.

Next up, try and think about what you DO want in your background. Conventions are so tough for this sometimes. I tend to find one place then drag everyone to it if it works because a lot of cons just have buildings everywhere (which is fine if your character lives in a place like that!). If I can find a place that has woodland/grass/trees that’s usually good for a lot of photos, and then a decent brick wall which has enough but not too much light. Those two places usually cover you nicely, and you probably won’t find much better at a con (in England anyway). 

Try and use a background appropriate for the character you’re shooting where possible. At Kitacon we found a woodland area outside, which looked pretty sorry for itself, but worked well for the San shoot we did. I understand San is usually surrounded by much thicker woodland but sometimes you have to compromise ;) This woodland area was surrounded by buildings, so all you need to do is use angles so as to not get those building in shot and it looks like you could be in a much bigger woodland. It’s all about creating that illusion.

Another option is always a hotel bedroom if you're staying at the con, but again, lighting can be a pain, but I find with hotel bedrooms you can get a lot of natural light from the windows :)

When you're using a brick wall you can make it more interesting by having the cosplayer leaning against the wall in different ways and taking the shot from the side instead of it just looking like you've asked someone to stand in front of a wall.

Really struggling to get a decent background? You can always do a close up that fills the frame so the background becomes irrelevant. I love these kinds of shots anyway :)

Lighting

Lighting problems depend on how you like to shoot I often find. So I don’t like to shoot indoors really without proper lighting, that’s just my preference. I also hate flash. So yeah, outdoors and natural light, or in a studio is where I like to be shooting.
If you are going to be going between indoors and outdoors and you’re using a DSLR, just remember to keep checking your settings to make sure you’ve got the right white balance, ISO etc. I don’t have a normal digital camera, and haven’t for a long time, but I’m assuming they compensate most stuff for you anyway.
If you’re shooting outdoors, avoid doing it around mid-day where the sun is at its height. This is because you’ll get unflattering shadows, or you’ll wash out people’s faces. You could keep adjusting settings and carry a reflector around with you but I prefer to just have my camera and one lens with me when I’m doing shoots.
Shade is usually good, and the light is usually more diffused I find, which gives softer shadows, but still enough to give definition to the face. I like using shadows, angles and depth of field to help make the person look more 3D in a photograph.
I don’t talk about settings much because I’m really just an amateur at all this and I’ve had no training, google can tell you everything you need to know for that, I’m more interested in the artistic/composition side.

So how do you make convention photos stand out?

I plan on making blogs about various aspects of photography including posing and angles in more detail later on. But things such as composition, how you place everything within your frame, will make a difference. Many convention photos are straight on standard photos, which is fine because it gets the whole costume in, but I like working dynamically with poses and angles. So just think about what pose someone is doing and how your photography can best capture the….essence of that pose (couldn’t think of a better word haha). I’ll talk more about that in another blog.
If they’re comfortable, maybe suggest some cool poses too. And there’s always Photoshop. There seems to be a bit of a divide between people who do and don’t use Photoshop. I do use it, but mostly for simple stuff such as lighting, contrast, maybe removing a piece of rubbish I didn’t notice in the background, adding a vignette. I don’t change how a person looks, I don’t make people slimmer and I don’t have the skills to do much more than what I do haha.

Basically, just try and take photos differently from what you’ve seen done before, and take a photo that not just you, but the cosplayer will like too (i.e. flattering and tasteful).

I don’t know if that was much help but if you have any questions pop them in the comments!

Hello all!

It’s Kimberley from A Shot in the Dark here J
As most of you know I’m fresh back from Alcon, which was loads of fun, mostly for the people we met. I love going to conventions to meet new cosplayers and work with new people, sometimes leading to full shoots with people outside conventions.

Leading up to the con I knew I would be doing a panel along with the ever elegant Lady Fancy Pants, as well as having a hallway table with her. Which mostly proved hilarious.

Shortly before the convention I noticed that our panel had been put down as half an hour instead of the hour we had written the panel for. I sent an email asking if this was a typo or mistake and was told that was all they could allocate to us. At this point it was too late for us to go through the whole presentation and cut it down to half an hour after we’d already written so we figured we’d see how it went on the day!
A couple of days before the convention the final timetable came out and they had renamed our panel from ‘Cosplay Photography and Modelling’ to ‘Cosplay Posing 101’. We were understandably quite upset about this because that was not at all what the panel was about, and the name now sounded very…childish. I can only assume it was renamed because there was not space on the timetable, but if asked I could have provided a more suitable name.

Well, moaning aside, we arrived to our hotel late Thursday night so missed the first day. On the Friday we wandered around, looking at the cosplays and getting to know where things were. I took some photos but many cosplayers were indoors and I don’t enjoy taking photos with so many people in the background! So I must admit this convention I didn’t take many. We did notice some dealers had set up their stalls on the Friday, we weren’t aware you could do this and may have done so ourselves if we’d known, but I don’t think it impacted that much.
On the Saturday we came in early to set up our table. I had bought plenty of things to sell as well as chat about photography, as had The Lady.

We had our panel at 4pm and had many more people than we expected for such a niche panel! After getting through 3 slides we were given our five minute warning from our friend, much to our horror! So we sped through the rest and managed to squeeze all the slides in and only went slightly over our time.  After the panel, and through the rest of the con, we had so many people come to our table and give us lovely feedback, a lot of it was that they wished it had been longer, but everyone said they had learnt a lot! That made me both happy and sad because I wished I could have said all the things I wanted to say and elaborate on. But I’m so happy it was well received and so many people came and asked me and LFP more questions! Special mention to the guy who listened to me talk about DSLR’s for a ridiculous amount of time, and still asked questions! <3

We got talking to so many amazing people who came by to our table and that was probably my highlight of the convention. I’d really love to hear from people who spoke to us at the convention and whether there are any more questions we can answer!

In terms of photography, I didn’t really do much over the weekend as our table proved more popular than I thought, and I wanted to be available for any questions. The sun was very bright through the weekend too, which made things harder! There weren’t any locations which appealed to me too and that can make me not want to take photographs as I probably wouldn’t have been very happy with them. It’s helped me realise I’ve become a very picky photographer haha! It’s also helped me realise conventions don’t much suit my photography style.

All in all it won’t stop me taking photos at conventions, I just much prefer full shoots with people! It helps me get to know the person a little better and feel more comfortable asking for more poses, which often results in better photos.

So here's a few photos I took at Alcon :) 

 These first two were taken of the same cosplayer who I have currently misplaced the business card of, which is rubbish of me, but I WILL find it!
As soon as I saw her I HAD to have a picture of her, loving Watchmen as I do. She turned out to be incredibly photogenic, which I didn't doubt anyway haha. I have a few more of her but this one in particular I took in quite a dark area and had to lighten in photoshop but it was worth it!
She mentioned that the next day she would be doing a Steampunk white rabbit, and having wanted to get a tattoo of the white rabbit myself I said if she was interested in a shoot the next day she could pop by my table, which she did!
I really wanted to try and get more full length shots as well as close ups (which is kinda my thing) so this is one of the ones I took. I liked this area because the colours matched her outfit quite well and the stairs allowed for a dynamic stance.

These two were of two cosplayers from the Arkham Asylum group which I took photos with and were happy to do a couple more after. For Poison Ivy I figured grass would be a good place, there weren't any decent places with flowers or woodland other than this grass area so I figure, work with what you've got and location is important to me! For Penguin, it's such a creepy character already and the make-up was done really well I wanted to have a close up shot and have it fill the frame so you aren't distracted by anything other than the look. 

 With Lady Fancy pants I did a quick shoot because a) I didn't have many location shots with her, b) I wanted to try out some more full length stuff and c) because she's super photogenic tbh. It was a lovely casual Ariel theme and the colours were always going to photograph well. It was good for me to work with someone I knew to try more full length stuff. Here's a case of getting to know someone well enough to then ask them to 'GET ON THE FLOOR! DO IT NOW!' or something. It had also been a while since we'd done pictures. I also got a shot of her smiling, which she hates, so I hope she likes it haha.

This lady I met the day before in cosplay and didn't even recognise it was the same person I'd done a shoot with! :O So that was pretty cool. I also love Phoenix like crazy, so wanted to get a cool shot with plenty of depth and a trademark pose. She looked so amazing, I'd have loved to work with her more. 

 Me and LFP called this cosplayer over because omg her wig and cosplay and bodypaint were all amazing! We ended up chatting with her for about an hour surely and she was SO NICE! LOOK AT THE WIG, it was truly stunning, so much so I will be bugging her about doing a commission. The background here is rubbish, ignore it, I failed, but she looks amazing! 

Hello Hello!!

So I promised you another blog, and here it is!

Those of you that follow me on Facebook know I have worked a few times with certain cosplayers. Well there's one cosplayer I've worked with the most, who also happens to be my r/l best friend! We've worked together from pretty much since I got my camera, so she's seen me progress as a photographer the last few years. It's been great to see her progress as a cosplayer and make-up artist too and I have tons of respect (and wonder!) for what she can do with make-up! 

You may have guessed already, but it's the famous Lady Fancy Pants!

She's not long started a page for all her shenanigans and I like to keep pretty up to date with it. 

One thing that makes her stand out is her make-up skills as well as her cosplay, she often posts tips and tricks and reviews related to these. For me, who is terrible at make-up, it's really handy!

So I thought I'd pick her brain on a few topics....

So how long have you been cosplaying?

I went to my first convention in 2009 but I only really started looking into cosplay a year or so later. I’ve had a few years where I’ve concentrated on other hobbies I have so overall sort of 4 years on and off! (Gosh has it really been that long?!)

What was your first cosplay?

My first cosplay was Harley Quinn from Arkham Asylum. Honestly? It was just awful! I’d only just started learning to sew and I had no idea how to work the machine, apply face paint, use a corset, etc! None of that mattered at the time though - it was the start of an obsession! I had so much fun waltzing about as one of my favourite characters I didn’t care that it didn’t look very good; I was proud of what I’d achieved. 

What is your favourite cosplay?

Still to this day it has to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast. It was the first thing I’d made from scratch from just fabric and a pattern. It was a long, arduous task but once I’d finished it I was so very happy! I was pretty impressed with what I’d managed to achieve. 

OOOH now settle in because I never get to tell this story any more!… I wore this cosplay to Kitacon in 2011 which takes place in Birmingham’s Hilton hotel. I got stopped by so many men there on business who wanted a photo with me to show their children that they met a real princess; it was so nice to see that my cosplay could make people happy who weren’t even there! One man was telling me how he always told his little girl that she could be a princess too and that now he could show her he was right as I was living proof; it was just nice to be able to make people smile. 

What is your favourite part of cosplaying?

People have asked me this before and I always get stuck! I’m always torn between either the amazing sense of achievement that cosplay gives you and the cosplay community itself. 

Cosplay showed me that if you push yourself you can achieve amazing things. You’re constantly on this amazing journey of learning whether it be new techniques, working with new materials or even just improving the things you can do by doing them a different way. It gives you a real sense of pride when you’ve managed to finally do something you’ve been working on - sometimes I genuinely can’t believe I’ve done it!

On the other side though you have the community. As with any hobby it’s full of people who have the same interests as you but I think because a lot of the people who are part of it have struggled to maybe ‘fit in’ with other groups or have had negative experiences trying to do so, they are some of the most accepting, kind and supportive people I personally have ever met. Most people just want everyone to have a great time; to have their cosplays admired and do the same for others. Without the support of the cosplay community I would never have started half the projects I have done so far and I certainly wouldn’t have finished them! I always try to add hints/tips/etc to my Facebook page so that people can learn with me and hopefully it will help people!

I have a lot to thank cosplay for; it genuinely changed my life (for the better!). 

What has been your biggest cosplay challenge?

I am currently working on Lady Sif from Thor. This has been my biggest challenge so far as it’s really put my skills to the test and has forced me to learn a lot of new ones! I’m building almost the entire thing from Worbla which is a thermoplastic - it is worth mentioning at this point that I have never worked with this before… It’s been a challenge from start to finish; even just learning things like what to cut it with and how to shape it right down to priming and painting. I’m still building and still learning!

Again though this is where the cosplay community has come to save me! I learnt a lot through seeing various panels throughout my convention history but also I’ve asked so many questions using different forums etc and each time I’ve managed to get the help I needed! 

I always find though no matter how challenging I’m finding a cosplay I will always get so many words of encouragement that it keeps me going and keeps me focused - I think I need that sometimes! 

What do you think is the hardest part of building a costume?

For me it’s definitely consistency. My approach to building a cosplay is that I go from extreme obsession about an idea to nonchalant almost overnight. I can spend days building and perfecting something to waking up the next day and feeling like I want to throw it out of the window or just leave it in the corner for weeks on end. This is when my friends and fellow cosplayers help me out by giving me encouragement! I have learnt this over the years though so I know that if I have an obsessive idea, I need to leave it a good week or so before I start buying things for it. There are boxes of wigs for cosplays I have never finished (or even started!) under my bed which will vouch for that..

What do you think is the most important thing to make a good cosplay photograph?

The photographer. This sounds quite obvious but it is true. I’d say most importantly it’s about the way that photographer and you interact. If they’ve asked politely and took the time and effort to get a good background/make sure your whole cosplay is in (within reason!)/ensure the best light then you automatically know there is respect between the two of you. If they have not really asked or been rude about it then your photo is going to reflect the bad mood they’ve just put you in! On the flip side of that though is the fact you need to respect them - if you don’t have the time to be able to set up the photo etc then say! Sometimes they need a minute to get the settings right etc so no sighing, just stand and make sure you are looking your best! You are there to have a great photo taken of your cosplay but they are there to take that; respect them as a photographer and expect the same.

Can you give us any tips on cosplay modelling?

Goodness gracious - have fun! I’ve seen so many photos of really great cosplays where the cosplayer looks crazy uncomfortable in the photo. This is where the above point about you and the photographer having a good rapport. If it’s something you’re new to then of course you’re going to probably feel a bit awkward, maybe not sure what to do, can’t remember to do all the things you’re thinking about at once. This is all natural though! Just try to think of the bits of your cosplay which are the parts you want on display and focus on that. If your photographer is a decent human being, they will help with the rest by asking you to tilt your head to a different angle etc to make it look more natural. It’s taken me a long time to get to the sort of level where I can pose more naturally but it’s just practice! 

My tip for cosplay modelling is tell your photographer what you are paranoid about! My example is that I get insane double chins. It’s true - I can’t escape them! So before I start a shoot I tell my photographer to watch for this! That way they know that they can say something (politely!) without offending me and I know that I won’t have to hate the photos because I accidentally looked too far down.

You do a lot of make-up experimentation and looks, which is your favourite?

I adore darker, gothic style make up but on the other side I also adore bright, colourful make up! I think I just love extreme looks? I practice so many different styles because I think every style has an appeal for some reason or another. I follow so many drag queens because I love their make up! There is so much to be said about really bold colour - I think it is often underrated! Also, they have the most incredible skills when it comes to contouring and such - I’m extremely jealous! Again though make up is just practice and learning - anyone can do it if they just apply themselves! (Get my pun?) That can be my advice for everyone. APPLY YOURSELVES TO YOUR FACES. How I’m not a motivational speaker I’ll never know. 

How important do you think make-up is in cosplay photography?

Make up isn’t necessary - I’d never tell anyone they NEEDED make up for a cosplay. However I think a lot of the time it’s maybe not considered as important as other things and that can be a real shame. After spending days, weeks or even months on a cosplay I think it’s only fair on you you consider what make up could do to improve your cosplay. 

This becomes more enhanced when you think about cosplay photography. Those photos are going to be high resolution. They are going to show everything your skin has to offer. I know for example when I cosplay I often have to cover my face of freckles! So try taking all of that into account before you decide whether to wear make up or not! 

Can you give three top tips on doing make-up for photoshoots?

1. Plan and practice. Study your character and what you need to do, then practice it! It took me a long time to get the hang of contouring for example but it was needed for my cosplays so I did it! 

2. If this is something you want to do a lot or often, consider higher end make up for those occasions. For example I have quite the collection of Illamasqua make up but I use it almost exclusively for photoshoots. Don’t get me wrong though - brand make up is not the be-all and end all. High street make up can be just as good at half the price - I’ve dedicated part of my Facebook page to reviewing high street make up to prove just this! 

3. This is my most important tip so Hey! Listen! - Photographs will wash out a lot of your make up so apply much more than you usually would! If you put on the amount of make up that you usually would walking around shopping it’s going to look as though you haven’t really bothered at all. Brighten up those bright colours, make those lines darker and more defined and always remember that practice makes perfect!

And how about your three favourite brands of make-up?

1. Illamasqua - They have the most insanely nice colours but their bases sell it to me! If you are pale like I am, they have the shades for you! It is the only place I can get foundation to match my skin. Also, their lipstick and lip colours are insane! Again I’ve reviewed some of these products on my Facebook page so if you’re curious, go take a nosey! 

2. Sugarpill - Cruelty-free make up of the most colourful, beautiful eyeshadows you’ve ever seen! The creator is called Shrinkle - if you like bright make up she will be such an inspiration! 

3. ARTDECO - Dita Von Teese’s very own make up brand! She has some of the most wonderful mascaras and lip colours! It’s a bit hard to find but I’m very lucky in that it’s in my local Debenhams store! 

Which three parts of your make-up kit can you not live without?

1. Eyebrow pencil - Those who know me know that my eyebrows are ALWAYS coloured in one way or another! I don’t dye them black to match my hair so that I can wear blonde wigs etc but they are naturally very light. 

2. Mascara - I’m extremely jealous of people with long lashes! My lashes are pretty short (probably the years of abuse!) and so mascara helps me feel good! 

3. Illamasqua Sealing Gel - This is an insane product! It’s a gel which you mix with loose powders to make eye liners, liquid eyeshadows, etc. It makes your possibilities endless!

Finally, the use of photoshop on cosplay photographs is discussed a lot. What are your thoughts on the use of photoshop in cosplay photography and how do you prefer it used on your own images?

I find this subject rather difficult. I think Photoshop in terms of composites can look incredible. There are some really good examples out there where backgrounds etc have been added and I think it can really add to photos! I think it’s a modern way of developing a cosplay photo further and I like to see it - I follow a fair few of these artists online. 

The other side however is using photoshop to remove ‘imperfections’. I think this is the dangerous grey area. If I have a photoshoot with A Shot in the Dark for example I know that if I have a bruise or something she will edit it out for me. However I can count on her not to make me thinner, change my skin tone or change my look in general! There are some people out there however who will but I don’t agree with extreme photoshop. I think you need to accept the person you are (I know that is easier said than done) but at the end of the day, you know what you look like and you know that that heavily photoshopped photo isn’t really you. I respect everyone’s decisions however and I accept that it is what some people enjoy. 

Hello all!

<---- (Jessienoochies Cosplay)

This is my first blog post so let me introduce myself properly.

My name is Kimberley and I live in the city of awesome, also known as Leeds.

I've been doing photography for a few years now but I've only really started growing as a photographer in the last year or so I'd say. Cosplay photography has always been my main love but I do other styles too, when the mood takes me!

I'm always learning new things and I think that's a continuing process, and should be, for all photographers and any type of artist! I don't think anyone should become complacent or get to a point where they don't think they have anything new to learn.

So my plan with this blog is to share what I do more in-depth than on Facebook, discuss some photos or sets I've done and how I did them and share how I use different things in my photography, such as lighting, and some tips for people starting out.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         (Dani Marshall)                                                                                                   

I also want to include some interviews with cosplayers I work with and I'll be starting with Lady Fancy Pants! (Left)

So I'll see you all soon I hope! In the meantime feel free to drop me a post or message on the old Facebook page!

Kimberley