Somewhat recently, I saw a cosplayer post about how people frequently say they wish they were as talented as her, and her response was… she’s been doing this for 14 years! It’s not like she was magically good from the start. It’s something she’s been working hard at for over a decade.
This is something I’ve noticed as well. Sometimes people say they wish they took photos as well as I do, but I’m not sure if they realize that I take thousands of photos every year. Photography is something I continually work on. Sure, you can say that some people have a better eye for photography than others, but it still comes down to practicing over and over.
When it comes to cosplay, I’ve been doing it for years, but I’m still not where I’d like to be. However, I fully realize that this is on me. While some cosplayers make 10 costumes a year, I make at most three a year (sometimes just one). While some cosplayers constantly challenge themselves with harder techniques, there’s still many complicated things I haven’t even attempted. My slow progress is the result of me not working on it more often, and I know this.
So when I hear things like, “I would cosplay, but I’d be terrible at it”, it’s kind of frustrating to me. We’re all terrible in the beginning! For those who are frustrated with their progress, I will say that it gets easier the more you work on. I know it sounds cliche, but it’s true.
When it comes to photography…
In the beginning: I struggled with manual settings, and it took me multiple tries to get where I’d want it to be.
Now: I can get the settings right on my first or second try. It’s to the point where I immediately have an ISO, aperture, and shutter speed in mind before I take a photo. So if you are intimidated by switching to manual settings on your camera, it really will get easier the more you do it. (But you need to keep doing it!)
Same location, improved photo technique
