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[Entrekin]

I am a photographer and answering these from my own viewpoint and experience.

Originally Posted by firecloak

Should a photographer know how to pose you?

I have realized majority of cosplayers don't know how to pose or at least have more than one or two poses. So don't think you are allow when it comes to posing. Most photographers I know can at least come up with or have a few generic poses in mind. More of the "newer" or inexperienced photographers might have trouble doing so. It is always good to find 1-3 poses your character would do.

Originally Posted by Meekee

Another question!
...How do you people usually deal with it(flash)? Ask the photographer to turn the flash off or is there a trick for it to keep your eyes open?

Some cameras (usually compacts but some dslr models) will due a preflash, which in some cases, is like have a strobe light go off several times quickly before a final big flash. This is most likely due to the person using an Automatic mode. You wouldn't have much control of that. If you meant just a regular one time flash, it is something you would have to get use to. Some photographers prefer flashes just for extra light or use a set up (stands, umbrellas, etc) to get enough light for a look they want. So it would all depend on if you were talking about a hallway shot or actual shoot.

Originally Posted by Ashurachan

...So, how long after the shoot do you expect to have your photos ? If the photographer releases a preview shot or two within a week after the shoot, is a months-long wait more tolerable ?

(How I do it)
Most hallway shots get processed on the Monday/Tuesday after the con.
Most shoots (Scheduled time, paid, free, anything that actually consist of a set of photos) take from 1-8 weeks. Sometimes it can up to 6 months. Paid shoots get processed and posted first so most likely in the first week. Free shoots are at the mercy of my free time which depend on work, school, and other cons. I usually, like I said before, get them up within in a month or two. Most photographers take between 1-6 months. Some take longer but I know many people aren't too happy with those.

[sukotsuto]

Originally Posted by Entrekin

Some cameras (usually compacts but some dslr models) will due a preflash, which in some cases, is like have a strobe light go off several times quickly before a final big flash. This is most likely due to the person using an Automatic mode. You wouldn't have much control of that. If you meant just a regular one time flash, it is something you would have to get use to. Some photographers prefer flashes just for extra light or use a set up (stands, umbrellas, etc) to get enough light for a look they want. So it would all depend on if you were talking about a hallway shot or actual shoot.

I think what you are talking about is a feature to reduce or eliminate red-eye. That is a real pita for cosplayers because pretty much everyone will assume the photo is taken after the first flash goes off (though the ones that do more of a strobe are a little better). I remember having that issue with my first DSLR. I was trying to take a photo of my host family for a holiday (in auto mode) and the SLR in question just did two flash instead of a strobe. 9 times out of 10 the kid in the group would stop posing and either do something goofy or just look away.

Preflash is an un-discernible first flash of light that happens in i-TTL/p-TTL/etc so the camera can gauge exposure.

[FantasiesGhost]

I stumbled across this thread and I thought this may be the place to ask a few questions I've been dying to ask someone for ages...

I am a Videographer and Photographer by hobby, and I am hoping to start a buisness. One thing I've been interested in doing for YEARS is Cosplay work. The only problem is - I'm not 100% sure on the 'ettiquette' of it. For example;
- Private Shoots - would a cosplayer contact me, or would have have to find someone to shoot with? What does a Cosplayer look for in a Photographer? What do you generally expect?
- I've heard some Photographers can get Photo Booths set up at Cons - does anyone know how? Do you need to book a place, or do you just 'turn up and set up'? (I've not yet been to a con due to lack of money, so I don't know. D'
- Anything else a new Cosplay Photographer wannabe should know?

I'm sorry I'm so newbie to all this, but I would love any advice that I can get.
Thank You!! :3

[Access]

Originally Posted by Entrekin

Some cameras (usually compacts but some dslr models) will due a preflash, which in some cases, is like have a strobe light go off several times quickly before a final big flash. This is most likely due to the person using an Automatic mode. You wouldn't have much control of that. If you meant just a regular one time flash, it is something you would have to get use

You can change the mode of the flash. From the common automatic mode (TTL or E-TTL) that uses a preflash to judge the final flash strength to manual mode where the flash just fires at a certain strength.

It's generally a bit harder to work in manual mode, especially if you are not used to it. It can take several tries of a shot to 'get it right'.

FantasiesGhost - There's really no one rule for the photo booths at conventions. Generally for somewhere between $250. to $750. you can get a (small) booth in the dealer's hall. Or it might be something run by a photographer who is part of the convention staff. Or it could be something provided through the venue or hotel.

[nathancarter]

Originally Posted by FantasiesGhost

I am a Videographer and Photographer by hobby, and I am hoping to start a buisness. One thing I've been interested in doing for YEARS is Cosplay work. The only problem is - I'm not 100% sure on the 'ettiquette' of it. For example;

- Private Shoots - would a cosplayer contact me, or would have have to find someone to shoot with? What does a Cosplayer look for in a Photographer? What do you generally expect?

- I've heard some Photographers can get Photo Booths set up at Cons - does anyone know how? Do you need to book a place, or do you just 'turn up and set up'? (I've not yet been to a con due to lack of money, so I don't know. D':

- Anything else a new Cosplay Photographer wannabe should know?

You'd do well to check out the "Business of Photography" section on www.photography-on-the.net, to gauge whether you're ready to start a business. Being a good photographer is about 5% of what you need to run a successful photography business. If you're a great photographer and a bad business person, your photography business will fail. If you're a great business person and a mediocre photographer, your photography business will thrive.


On finding cosplayers for private shoots:
Both. It's not really any different than shooting any other type of model.
If your portfolio is small and not diverse, you'll need to seek out cosplayers or other models, doing TFCD (read: free) shoots to build your skills, portfolio, and network. Once your portfolio is strong and you've networked a bit within the cosplay community, you'll start to have people seek you out for shoots.

A quick way to expand your network is to shoot a bunch of candid photos at cons, put your stuff up on Facebook, get the people in those photos tagged, and become facebook friends with a bunch of cosplayers. You'll see people saying "I just finished this costume" or "I need some updated photos of my cosplay" and that's your cue to offer your services.

You can also advertise your services in the "Photography scheduling" section here on cosplay.com.


On photo booths:
Contact the con organizer; you'll probably buy vendor space, just like any other vendor.
Before doing this, make sure your quality of work is top-notch, and make sure your workflow (from initial greeting to handing over the final print) is reliable, fast, and foolproof.

I haven't done this yet but it's on my list for 2013.


On other advice and tips:

- Be nice.

- Quality over quantity. Delivering six fantastic and varied shots is SO MUCH BETTER than delivering a hundred mediocre shots. The client should never see the missed focus, the unflattering poses, the almost-duplicates. Make sure you tell them in advance what to expect. (I personally aim for six to twelve per hour, depending on how well I click with the model)

- Know some basic pose theory. Experienced models and cosplayers will know how to pose; inexperienced models and cosplayers will not. Have some "canned" poses ready to go in case the model doesn't know what they're doing; but be able to change them up as necessary, since not all poses work with all body types. When doing a scheduled shoot with a cosplayer, it's a great idea to do a little research on the character and maybe bring some reference material to help you with posing, lighting, and composition that fit the character.

- As a general rule, you can't charge for cosplay photography the same way you can for family, senior, wedding, or corporate work. The community just isn't at the stage to support that yet. If your skill and portfolio warrant it, you can ask for a little donation or gratuity, but you're not going to get away with $200/hr the way you might when you're an established pro doing commercial work.

[FantasiesGhost]

Thank you for the tips, nathancarter!
The buisness side of things - I'm actually a Videographer first, Photographer second. I've always wanted to do Cosplay related works more as a recreational hobby more than anything else, as I really enjoy Cosplay. I'd also like to even give it a shot myself some day.

Cosplayers: I thought that would be the case. It's good to hear it confirmed though. I think I have a few ideas on where to start. I have a few friends who Cosplay, and I'm sure they'd help me to start building up a Cosplay portfolio. As for Facebook - it's always been my friend when it comes to networking, so thank you for the advice.

Thanks for all the help, you're a star. :3

[Access]

Originally Posted by FantasiesGhost

Cosplayers: I thought that would be the case. It's good to hear it confirmed though. I think I have a few ideas on where to start. I have a few friends who Cosplay, and I'm sure they'd help me to start building up a Cosplay portfolio. As for Facebook - it's always been my friend when it comes to networking, so thank you for the advice.

I honestly don't think portfolio matters too much today, it's more just who you know, word of mouth, and reputation. There's some general skepticism behind portfolios (like resumes) anywhere because, it's just too easy to fake. If you have friends that cosplay that is where to start, and then moving on from there (friends of friends, groups that include one or two friends, and so on).

What people really want in a good photographer is not someone who can show off an occasional pic from the past but one that can produce good pictures from a session, consistently. If some of those pictures can be spectacular, or stand out, all the betteer. Most of the good photographers I know today, people don't come to them because of their portfolio or anything like that. People come to them because their reputation precedes them, word of mouth and things like that.

[SolarTempest]

Cosplayers - What social media do you like interacting with photographers best?

Lately, I've really become a lot more involved on Facebook/Flickr/DeviantArt. Livejournal pretty much died, so I haven't found much use on there anymore.

[ichigo_m.]

@SolarTempest I personally like to interact with Photographers on Facebook or DA. But one thing about this is that on Facebook it shows when someone has read your message so I'd be careful not to read a message until you are ready to reply only because the cosplayers can get antsy.
I love messaging on DA because I can look at your work then message you.

[Scorpion89]

@FantasiesGhost,

As someone who both Cosplays and is a long time cosplay tog one of the advice I can give you is to shoot some of the smaller group gathers at Cons while your not going to make any money off of these it will get your name out their plus you can cut your chops on the group stuff and I have found over the past 20+ years of doing this I have setup many private shoots before and after cons.

Also see if there is any local Anime Groups or Cosplay Groups in your location

[FlashBlitzen]

Cosplayers~
Would you rather get prints made at a con while you wait or prefer to just download them from a website later?

Side note -
Has anyone ever asked you to participate in a lip-dub music video at a con?
Does that seem like something that would be fun?

[StarsCASSiOPEiA]

Originally Posted by FlashBlitzen

Cosplayers~
Would you rather get prints made at a con while you wait or prefer to just download them from a website later?

Side note -
Has anyone ever asked you to participate in a lip-dub music video at a con?
Does that seem like something that would be fun?

Prints: I personally prefer to download them later, because I'm always terrified I'm going to bend the photos while at con or that they'll get banged around while in my luggage on the trip home. I know plenty of people who love to buy prints from artists in the Alley though, so they probably would prefer getting photo prints while at con as well.

Lip-Dub: I haven't been asked to shoot on-the-fly for a lip dub, but I've helped coordinate videos like that before! It was a blast, and I know I can't wait until Otakon because I'll be shooting at least two more. If you're considering organizing one, do it-- I got a huge response to the thread I originally posted for the one we shot at Katsucon, and everyone seemed to have a great time with it.

[TheFontBandit]

Originally Posted by SolarTempest

Cosplayers - What social media do you like interacting with photographers best?

Lately, I've really become a lot more involved on Facebook/Flickr/DeviantArt. Livejournal pretty much died, so I haven't found much use on there anymore.

Personally, I like using Facebook and sometimes Tumblr for interaction with photographers. Facebook is good for general networking, messaging, and quick gallery/portfolio views. My Facebook news feed is kind of a horrible cluttered mess though, what with all the random "Suggested Pages" and "Promoted Posts", so it's harder for me to actually follow someone's personal updates and such there, though. If you post a news update on Facebook about looking for sessions or which con you'll be at soon, I probably won't ever see it.

I follow a few photographers on Tumblr who post their photography and news updates regularly, and that's usually a better way for me to keep up-to-date on their upcoming cons and such.

Flickr is good for reviewing photos, but I don't use it for networking. Same with DeviantArt.

Originally Posted by FlashBlitzen

Cosplayers~
Would you rather get prints made at a con while you wait or prefer to just download them from a website later?

Side note -
Has anyone ever asked you to participate in a lip-dub music video at a con?
Does that seem like something that would be fun?

I would always rather download them later. I don't really have any way (or reason) to display prints, honestly. I don't keep a printed portfolio, since I don't do cosplay commissions. I prefer digital copies later, with permission for non-profit usage so I can post them on my Facebook, my cosplay Tumblr, and my profile here on Coscom. I always give credit, of course, so it's advertising for the photographer also. But all in all, digital files are much more useful to me than hard copy prints.

Also, like StarsCASSiOPEiA said, I always worry about bringing fragile things back with me from cons. I'd be worried about getting the photo damaged while carrying it around at the con and when I pack everything for the trip home.

As for the dub video, I haven't been asked to participate in any of them but I think it would be fun.

[FlashBlitzen]

@ Cosplayers in general,

I like sharing stories about interesting shoots and I always protect identities by not using names,etc.. For example, one of my favorites was when I was attacked by a goat during a shoot. Wish someone had a camera on me. ; ) Bloopers are awesome.

I was wondering what your most memorable cosplay photoshoot was like.
Was it horrible, funny or just plain wonderful (hopefully)?

[xXFailPhotosXx]

I saw on an earlier post about how photogs shouldn't sneak into a crowd of photogs to nab a picture. I do this sometimes, but its only because I am not only photographing cosplayers but also the con itself. So a quick snapshot does the trick. But is this still not acceptable? Could I get some clarification on this?