Archive for the 'Photography' Category

People tend to forget that there’s a large chunk of work for a photographer between taking the photos and returning them. I hear a lot of complaints, like “why am I paying so much for only __ hours?” Or, “why is it taking so long to get my photos back?”

The answer is: post processing! Post processing takes up way more of my time than the shoot itself. My process differs depending on the type of photography I’m doing. When it comes to photoshoots, especially cosplay photoshoots, I tend to do more in the post processing phase. This is because:

1. People book me for my photography style. This includes how I post process.
2. Photoshoots are not meant to document the scene. They purposely have more creative freedom and even more so with cosplay.
3. People are expecting the best photos I can give them of their cosplays. I’m going to do my best to make sure it meets both mine and their expectations.

Here is a peek at my process!

1. Import into Lightroom

Lightroom is my choice for most of my photo editing. While the editing features (for RAWs) between Lightroom and Photoshop are almost the same, I prefer Lightroom for its workflow, which you’ll see in this entry.

The first thing I do is import everything into Lightroom. I have parent folders for certain types of photography, and then from there, I let Lightroom organize my photos by date.

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As much as I love my DSLR, I know that DSLRs are not for everyone. They’re expensive, have a steep learning curve, and can be a burden to carry around. I’m sure other DSLR owners out there can sympathize with me when I say that I don’t always want to carry it with me. Sometimes I just want to use my compact camera or phone!

Not to mention, people often worry too much about gear, and they forget that there’s more to photography. Yes, DSLRs can take high quality photos, but they don’t guarantee a good photo. A lot of it still comes down to the skill of the photographer, and you can definitely take good photos without them. This is why I dedicate this entry to tips on getting good photos with a compact camera!

(All photos in this entry were taken with a compact camera!)

Lighting

I actually love flash photography on my DSLR, but that’s because the flash is separate and flexible. I can place it away from the camera and use different techniques to diffuse it. This isn’t the case with most compact cameras. The flash is stuck in one place without many options to diffuse the light. You end up with a harsh light pointed directly at your subject. Of course, you should use your flash if you can’t get a clean shot without it, but if you have a choice, I’d avoid it.

Taken indoors with lighting from the window

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When thinking about a photography topic to talk about, I remembered how Liz recently asked me whether I figure out the photoshoot locations or if the cosplayers do. I haven’t really touched on this part of photography, but I thought it’d be an interesting thing to go over!

At Conventions

Most of my photoshoots happen at Anime conventions, which makes sense since it’s where cosplayers typically wear their cosplays. The “pro” is that I can meet cosplayers from other cities, and I can book several in one weekend. The “con” is that I’m pretty much stuck to locations at or within a short walking distance of the convention.

If the cosplayer has a location preference, we’ll use that. For example, when we did a Scooby Doo photoshoot, we used an abandoned building that the cosplayers found as the background.

A couple times, I’ve been requested to do a hotel room shoot, and we’ll use the one they’re staying in for the convention.

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