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So I'm a Cosplay Photographer now

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(@craig-bayfield)
Posts: 4885
Illustrious Member
Topic starter
 

[html]Check out my shots, I'd like as honest a feedback as possible, it's the only way to help me grow.<div><br></div><div><img src="" "><br></div><div><br></div><div><img" src="" "><br></div><div><br></div><div><img" src="" "><br></div><div><br></div><div><img" src="" "><br></div><div><br></div><div><img" src="" "><br></div><div><br></div><div><img" src="" "><br></div><div><br></div><div><img" src="" "><br></div><div><br></div><div><img" src="" "><br></div><div><br></div><div>Which" would be the best and worst of the selection? I'm curious to know peoples opinions. Pre-emptive thanks to all who respond.</div>[/html]

 
(@crimson-darkwolfe)
Posts: 2232
Noble Member
 

The Cloud one and the Fighting one are both excellent, and give a good sense of action, as well as showcasing the cosplay. The Lass with the brolly is also pretty good, nice and simple, but effective.
The one hiding behind the tree is a cute idea, but hides the actual cosplay from view. As it's a cosplay shoot I'd have thought showing off the costume would be a good focus.
The headshots strike me as being tilted without reason or purpose, whearas in the first to action shots, it adds to the pose, I think in these ones, it more distracts. They may be a tad too close as well.

It's all better than I can do though, not a single thumb, knee or pavement in sight!

 
(@sonicsfan1991)
Posts: 1656
Noble Member
 
<hugs> okay pure honesty i can do but dont listen to me 100%  i dont know how to take pics so you're getting an amature view.. but first off they look great XD secondly i'm going to judge their poses too, even if they arent pros its your responsibility to tell them how to pose since you got the magic skill to know what looks good.
also i shrunk the pics so i can see them better.
 i didnt like this one, his stance is great but his hand was posed wrong and i got dizzy from background and character both being slanted, but the picture in whole had nice texture and his expression was great.
 the guy looks okay in his pose but the girl would've been better if the side of her face showed. i dont know it looks like she's looking at the background and not the guy.  i love the effect though.
perfect though makes me wish i saw more of his outfit. in my openion if you let his hat show fully it would make it a better pic.
 perfect.
 just the way she held the umberalla is wrong, she looks very gorgeous you took a great pic of her, though i'm annoyed at her necklace not accurately at the middle of her chest.
 XD i liked this one the most. not just cause she's cute but the background worked too.
 this was really nice XD
 the pose is wonderful but her expression is lost, you should've told her to smile or frown or something i cant tell what she wanted to express here.
conclusion, fix their poses... more far away shots would do great... and less tilted shots. 
you're really good craig i envy your photography skills >___<   no one in my family can take good pics. i loved the one you took of supergirl in her school girl uniform by the tree. waaaaaaaa she was so cute. btw your camera is amazing the shots are so clean and top quality.
good work.  ClapJump
 
(@trudi-speed)
Posts: 841
Prominent Member
 

I read a pretty good guide on cosplay photography the other day out of boredom, I'll try and dig it out.

The main things what strikes me that you could use is

a) Only use slanted shots occasionally. It becomes extremely quickly overused and just seems to be something you're doing to jazz the shot up a bit. Try more interesting backgrounds or different angles (I feel a slight worms eye view would have improved the Dr Who one tremendously)

b) Lighting, which struck me in particular with the one with the umbrella. Her face is really in shadow there, it just looks odd to me.

c) More photos of the complete outfits. You're being a cosplay photographer here, not a facebook profile photographer. That sounds harsh in hindsight but I mean the type of shots you're getting.

Also what Mada said, you need to take more command over the poses.

Wow this reply is really negative sorry 🙁 The pictures you take are excellent quality, you just need to work on the compositions and stuff I dunno.

Oh and finally, my fav out of the lot is the 6th because the lighting and background are excellent. Draws attention to the eyes too.

[EDIT] Here's the tutorial. Part 1 and Part 2.

 
(@craig-bayfield)
Posts: 4885
Illustrious Member
Topic starter
 

To be fair, about the complaint about not getting the outfits, I did take 330 pictures of the shoot. I'm showcasing my photography skills, not their outfits. I promise of the other 320 pictures, most of the others are at least an attempt to either show them in character or show their craftsmanship.

But I have been seeking a lot of stuff everywhere and the general consensus does seem to be that my dutch angles suck and are overused and that I should be using a bounce board when I'm playing against the sun. Those being very down to Earth and easy to swallow critiques, I shall take them to heart right away. But seriously. 40% of the shots I took were costume focused. 35% were character focused and the rest were either self-indulgence or just "Hey, it's Cosplay Club and we're being zany!"

Of the ones I posted today I would consider:

1. Character/Outfit focused. I was fresh off of taking a long range shot of Tricia's outfit when the guys yelled for me to grab some pictures of an impromptu battle between our Organisation XIII cosplayer and the Cloud one. Afterwards he settled on this pose and I got a pic. I did not really direct it, and never did a private shoot with the Cloud, which I actually regret, given how good his outfit was.

2. 100% pure self-indulgence, we all wanted an awesome picture, not for the sake of showcasing Makato or Akihiko (did you even know it was them?), but for taking a cool photo.

3. Self-indulgent character photo. I'd say 60% for my benefit, 40% for the outfit. He was having me direct him as Tom Baker and I don't know Doctor Who, so I just took a profile picture of him. I like how it came out.

4. Candid shot. I was only testing the calibration of my camera with the new lens after switching. I fell in love with the shot after fixing the aperture/zoom/manual focus settings and did not delete it.

5. Character shot. 100%. Due to feedback, I'd say it was a failure, I actually feel bad for being proud of it.

6. Self-indulgent character shot. Like The Doctor above, I didn't know what to do with a Manuela cosplayer (RE: Darkside Chronicles) and so just took a pretty picture of the cosplayer. It was part of a private shoot, so I'm proud of it as a photo more than as a cosplay pic. Actually, as a cosplay picture I am disappointed with the entire 12-16 pic set of Manuela because I couldn't do anything more than find an area which looked like the dam in the game.

7. This is actually just us guys dicking around. Anthony is a good friend of mine and spent the majority of the shoot following me and doing silly things for me to get photographs of. He's so damned photogenic though that one of them was bound to sneak into my "favorite shots of the day" pile. I think he's being David Tennant Doctor Who in this shot, but as I mentioned, I don't watch Doctor Who.

8. 100% character focused. I don't think I actually got one of her outfit during the day which made me feel sad, as she put a lot of effort into it, but I really like the character (Mizore from Rosario+Vampire) and her stalker like tendencies, so got a whole bunch of pics of her hiding behind things and stalking people. This one just makes her look pretty and I was proud of it.

---

Come to think of it. All the feedback I've heard so far is from people unrelated to the shoot, and Tricia. I'd like to know what they themselves thought. ---I think I have to track some people down.

 
(@sonicsfan1991)
Posts: 1656
Noble Member
 

waaaaaaaaa

i'm glad that guy is your friend he looks like a fun and wonderful person XD wish you can share some of the pics you took of him being silly.

though there's that matter you didnt talk about, you take a lot of great pics craiglon your just too nice you dont boss people around to make them give you the perfect pose. i really think they effect your picture (except the naturally talented at posing ones) cause i know most of you photographers yell and boss people into the perfect pose and if they dont listen you dont take their picture. i'm a bit slow with commands and freeze when people yell so i had lots of photographers not take my pic : (

and accepting other people's critisizim so well means you're a tough cookie and can chew people's heads if you want to >: ) release that inner anger!
you're totally in the perfect profession for you.
thank you for listening to our pointers it means a lot XD waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa i was just guessing stuff but if you think i was right i'm happy i can help. oh and post a new pic of supergirl > : ( why are you hiding her from us, i want super girl pics! *whispers faintly "and yours"*

 
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