Category Archives: Portraits

Events, Portraits

Saboten Con 2013

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This Labor Day weekend, I took a trip down to Arizona to check out Saboten Con 2013. One thing I did not expect was just how hot it was going to be, I couldn’t step outside without feeling I was about to melt instantly! It definitely made me even more impressed with all the cosplayers who were able to walk around in costume in that kind of heat though.

The Con itself was a lot of fun, smaller in scale than AX, but still with a ton of people dressed up. A nice variety too, from movies and games to anime and lolita fashion. The hotel venue was pretty nice too, many locations had plenty of windows to let the sunlight in, so lighting wasn’t too much of an issue for hallway shots. I did end up using my 580EX II at first, but eventually decided to work with higher ISO settings instead. I think I may eventually have to get a flash bracket so I can direct the light better when I need to.

I also got to meet voice actors Laura Bailey (Saint’s Row games and Jaina from WoW) and Travis Willingham!

A few of the cosplayers I came across:

Lots more hallway shots in my Flickr set.

Camera: Canon 6D with 24-105mm f/4L IS

Events, Portraits

Anime Expo 2013, Day 3 and 4

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After the crowds of the first two days, I expected there to be slightly fewer people on Saturday, but that wasn’t the case at all. It was just as packed as before! Sunday was a lot more laid-back though, so there was more room to move and take pictures. I had the chance to take pictures of cosplayers I’d missed the previous days, and better photos of those I’d already seen, as well as their different costumes.

As before, my Flickr collection has the rest of the photos.

Camera: Canon 6D with 24-105mm f/4L IS

Events, Portraits

Anime Expo 2013, Day 1 and 2

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Another first last week, this time at the Anime Expo. Although I’d just been here for E3, the amount of people who were here was still pretty surprising! On one hand, that meant plenty of cosplayers to take pictures of, but on the other that also meant there sometimes wasn’t a lot of room to get the shots I wanted. There were a few amazing costumes I couldn’t get a decent photo of because of the crowds, and I didn’t want to get too much in the way of other photographers or people just trying to walk by.

I still took several hundred shots, so I’ll need to break this update into a few parts. Today I’ll post pictures from Day 1 and 2, and later from Day 3 and 4.

There were still some tricky lighting conditions to deal with as I moved from one part of the convention to another, and I saw a lot of photographers with different kinds of diffusers for their flash. Some had even brought umbrellas and light stands! Although that would’ve been nice to have, I’m not sure I could have managed to carry around all that gear with all the walking back and forth between the two halls I did. Definitely would not have had room to use them at the cosplay gatherings.

While the South Hall was full of exhibits, it was much too crowded for me to feel comfortable asking to take someone’s pictures. The lobby had more room though, and since it was open to sunlight it was pretty much the go-to place for both cosplayers and photographers. The West Hall on the other hand had even more space, and they even had a cosplay photography area with different backdrops and sets for people to use. Unfortunately the lightning there was pretty dim.

I also got the chance to take a few photos of these amazing cosplayers:

And since I took so many pictures, the rest can be found in my Flickr collection.

Camera: Canon 6D with 24-105mm f/4L IS