Hows everyone doing? Hopefully great since it’s

the weekend. Well im back today to talk about

another important topic but more so a tale of

what to do and what not to do. I have been a

cosplay photographer for a while now and

didn’t really notice until I scrolled back through

my IG how far I have progressed.

These tips are ones that I believe most can relate

to. Feel free to try them out at your next

convention as im sure you will see a difference.

With that being said lets check out some early

cosplay photographer work and how

implementing these small tricks makes a huge

difference.   

Location 

As I said earlier, I have been a cosplay

photographer for a while and feel I have come a

long way from my previous cosplay

photography work. Above is a side by side

comparison if my earliest work and my current

work. One of the main differences between

these two images (Aside from lighting, contrast

and vibrance) is the selection of location.

I cant stress enough how important it is to select

a great location to take some amazing pics.

I understand that not everyone is willing to go

outside or relocate for better pics but, when the

opportunity does present its self you should

certainly capitalize on it. Windows create

reflections and bounces light in strange ways

sometimes. You definitely do not want this

happening. 

Con-Badges 

A very simple method to improve cosplay

images is none other than removing your

taking pictures I constantly forget this. I was so

focused on trying to get the camera settings

right or looking for people in the background

that I forgot to tell cosplayers to remove their

badge from the shot.

As we all know badges are

usually brightly colored and draw attention

away from the cosplayer. Its extremely

distracting and takes away from the “cosplay

look”.  

Distractions 

This brings me to my next point, DISTRACTIONS.

I absolutely loved this AHRI cosplay but it was

greatly diminished by all the clutter in the

background. This was one of my earlier pictures

and I should have asked the cosplayer to move

to a less distracting area. Preferably a darker

area to contrast with the bright red clothing and

white tail.  

Shadows 

This is a very hard skill to master but once

understood can level up your photography

game immensely. Commonly, images taken

outside use directly sunlight for lighting.

Sunlight adds a vey warm look to photos which

is great but the problem arises when you have

clouds and trees. Specifically, clouds and trees

cause only patches of sun to hit the cosplayer.

This is an absolute nightmare for

photographers, especially when editing.  One

part will appear brighter than others while

other areas will look dark. Simple make sure the

cosplayer is either in the shadows or in the

sunlight, not in between. 

These are some very light tips to help you when

snapping that next picture of your favorite

cosplayer at your next convention. Some of

these may seem like common sense but

I cant tell you how many times in my early

photography days I made these simple mistakes.

Hopefully the advice I offer can help make your

next cons images more memorable and iconic.

Well that’s it for today, until next time STAY

BOUNDLESS!!!