/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

Am I the only one who can't stand excessive photo-shopping of effects?

I get cleaning up the skin and stuff, and adding some minor effects, but there comes a point where the sparkle and fake fire start looking insanely tacky and unprofessional.

I want a photo.
Not a painting.

>>10192666
I don't like them either. I love doing practical effects in photography, like traveling to locations and having real smoke-bombs on set etc. Photoshopping effects always felt like cutting corners to me. Why not challenge yourself with doing real life effects? It's frustrating sometimes, but finally getting that good shot is insanely rewarding. I get that con-shoots can't really have practical effects since they're usually inside/in residential areas, but it's not hard to arrange a location-shoot with a photographer outside of a con.

If you want to photoshop your pictures to oblivion and make them look like straight-up Marvel movie posters, just label them as digital art/mixed media pieces rather than photography. It's mostly editing at that point, anyway.

This is kind of vague and simplistic but I think a good cosplay photograph should first and foremost be a flattering photo of the subject, regardless of outfit. I see a lot of cosplay photogs taking photos from weird and unflattering angles just to show off the outfit, but the end result is still cringy. If a photographer first teaches themselves how to handle difficult lighting, make people look good, pose them properly, and take photos that flatter them, then their cosplay photos will turn out just fine. So I guess to answer OP's question, if I'm paying money for a cosplay photoshoot, then what I'm looking for in the finished product is not too different from what a normal person getting a normal photoshoot done would be looking for. Skill and nicely composed shots.

>>10192616
Actually being serious but how do you take good polaroid photos? I couldnt do it in the 90s and i sure as hell still can't do it now.

>>10192828
It’s really easy, maybe you’re just stupid?

>>10192666
I think there's a huge disconnect between cosplayers and photographers when it comes to these effects, and over photoshopping in general. I've seen a lot of complaints about faces being melted in photoshop to make them look plastic. At the same time I think a lot of photographers feel they need to overphotoshop and make cheesy effects to appear more professional, like they know what they're doing, because they think it's what cosplayers are looking for.

>>10192666
I'm with you. I've been cosplaying since 98. The photoshoots I've paid for and liked best were simple nice photos, with good lighting, a sense of framing and storytelling, and possibly some after-editing for blemishes and color correction. That's it.

I'd rather pay a photographer for good photos, then pay an editor later for good special effects if I /really/ really wanted them, but most of the time I think it's just overkill.

>>10192616
From a photographer standpoint, I think the two things that kills 99% of cosplay photos is the posing and the facial expression. Posing isn't just googling a pose a character is doing and trying to copy it. Two cosplayers can try to mimic the exact same pose and one cosplayer could look stiff and forced and the other can look completely natural. It comes down to a little bit of acting skill and being able to really get into character.

Facial expressions kinda tie into this too, a lot of people will try out different poses, but I find that almost no one really practices their facial expressions. A lot of cosplayers have that dead look on their face that ruins an otherwise great photo. I think both of these things tie in together because the reason for them is an inherent feeling of self consciousness. Nobody wants to look like a dork, and emoting your facial expression for a photo is basically letting everyone see into your innermost dorkiness. I think it's just human nature to not want to put yourself out there.

Countering some local cosplay photog drama

No photographer, taking casual floor shots, is "required" to take a photo of anyone, come what may. I don't care how "big" you are, or how much effort you put in, or how much you ask, or how big our floor shots album is, no one is "required" to take your photo.

If you want to secure some photos, pay someone.

Kthx.

It's more a question for photograph.
When I pose for photo in cosplay, for private shoot or during meeting, I can't stand the sun light/direct light, so on almost every picture I look grumpy or worst I try to keep my eyes open but I look dead inside. Do anyone have tips on how to deal with this ? ( how to rest in between shot or focusing on specific stuff ? )

>>10192703
>smoke bombs

>>10193176
your photographer should be smart enough to notice when a position is uncomfortable and that the sun is hurting your eyes. maybe mention it to them before you start the shoot or even days in advance so they can bring a diffuser or otherwise plan accordingly.

>>10192834
Plastic skin bothers me a bit less than fake fire/reflections/excessive sparkles/photo-shopping the entire background in.

Some people legit just want that because people don't look like perfect anime characters. Sometimes it can be overkill, but maybe I'm just more passive about it because all of my clients for anime want their pores nuked and their eyes brightened to be a tad uncanny.

About to start charging after shooting for free for a little over a year.
What am I in for?

>>10193176
Explain the problem to the photographer. You can close your eyes between shots and then maybe the photographer can do a 3,2,1 countdown do your eyes are only open when they have to be. A diffuser could help for some shots, but a lot of cosplay photographers nowadays aren’t real photographers outside of cons so you can’t bank on them owning extra equipment like that. Diffusers aren’t expensive though so you could buy one yourself then bring a friend to your shoot to help you.

>>10192833
Sweetie you must the stupid person here. Show me some polaroids that don't look like garbage because I've never seen anyone take decent photos with one of these without it looking like a wind up camera from the 80s. No photoshop plz~

>>10193176
The photographer should be taking your picture either in the shade or with the sun at your back with a flash filling in your front to balance out the exposure.

>>10193178
>tony kornheiser images

>>10194194
I used to work with a professional photographer who sometimes used polaroid cameras, mainly for small events so people can keep their pictures.
I had my picture taken and it was really nice. The grey backdrop and his extra light gave a nice shadow affect so it looked like i was glowing.
So nice polaroid pics are possible.

>>10196679
NAYRT but what you described just sounds like a plain old snapshit

>>10196825
Wtf are you saying? Snapshit?
You couldn’t sound any less intelligent.

>>10197624
It's like a snapshot
Except it's shit
Just like your opinions on photos

>>10197628
You just sound retarded and like you have zero experience in photography or polaroids

>>10192828
>Actually being serious but how do you take good polaroid photos?
Let's get the autism out of the way first; polaroid is a brand, not a noun. Instax cameras and actual polaroids are worlds apart, they don't have much in common aside the instant film aspect. They're very different to use and even within the brands there's a lot of variation.

Secondly, like all things, practice, practice and more practice. If it's something you're legitimately interested in pursing then that's it. Invest in a camera with an actual auto-focus system and get the hang of the fact the viewfinder is offset. If you want actual polaroid I highly recommend picking up an impulseAF

If you just wanna be able to take nice pics with your friend's instax then think about your pictures before you take them, and look at the general troubleshooting bellow. If you suck at it now you're probably just not a great candid photographer though, and I genuinely am not trying to insult you or start a fight by saying this, but these cameras are designed to be retard proof. They became so ubiquitous because of the ease of use and reliability of results.

General troubleshooting though:
>If they're washed out, you're not setting it correctly or too close to subject, especially if combined with blurriness
>Blurry means you're not in the focusing range, good rule of thumb is 0.6 of a meter away from the camera at least, most focus up to infinity.
>Too dark means you're either not setting it correctly, or you're actually in an environment too dark to take well exposed images
Any error that consistently pops up even in different environments points to a camera fault; for eg. images always being too dark no matter the lighting condition.

Keep the photos dark as they develop, and absolutely do not bend or shake them.

>>10197746
Thank god someone with brain cells who knows about Polaroid pictures replied.

>>10194194
"Sweetie"? Aunt Judy is that you?

>>10197746
the higher end instax cameras have more settings to change so that can definitely help get a better picture rather than the original model only having settings for sunny cloudy and inside
>>10197624
snapshit is a common term on /p/

>>10198935
Unfortunate that no one knows about cameras and cries snapshit as if they worked with cameras for years or spent thousands on camera equipment

Some people like the look and nostalgia factor of polaroids.

Who fucking cares if it's not "professional" looking. Let people like things.

>>10198948
letting people liking things isn't allowed in /cgl/ when its full of salty cunts

All I gotta say is I hate photographers who charge for pics and don't even edit skin. I had a photographer ask my group to take pics at a con, he did 2 whole shoots then after the second shoot told us about his rates. We were like uhhh you didnt tell us this was a paid shoot, we thought it was free since he asked to take pics of us, but we paid anyway due to thinking it was just a miscommunication and feeling pressured in the moment. Then once we get the pictures back, all he did was up the saturation and add a watermark. The saturation made us look ORANGE and you could see our pimples. One of our members complained about the pimples and he edited out her acne while leaving it on the rest of us :) So in some pics she looks smooth and matte while the rest of us look shiny and red/orange.... never again letting a guy scam us like that when we would rather pay people we know are good.

>>10192666

That's your opinion, but if you are getting those types of photos and you didn't want that, you need to talk to your photographer before you shoot.

Time and place for sure and I know some markets are insane, like the Russians. Everything is photoshopped to be soft and porcelain

>>10193239
Can you actually take a photo or are all your friends and family saying the photo is good? Throw them up on Reddit and ask the photographers in the photography and cosplay sections for critiques

>>10199406
Photographers like that are scum. They stop you for what you think is a hallshot and then hit you with a fee afterwards, and now you feel some pressure for wasting time and wanting something to show for it.

There's some photographers by me that do that at cons, but they charge like $1-2 for the regular photo to download, and then $10-$15 for any actual edits. They literally just take the photo, give out a card, and then leave.

>>10199406
Namedrop pls

>>10199493
I dont wanna give too much info here and namedrop but he is in the phoenix community. We did talk to him about how we thought it was a free shoot and how his editing was shit, and he seemed to have taken our advice but just editing one of us after is like wtf. I just hope he changes a bit after us giving our criticism. His pics are free hall shot level not paid shoot level at all

>>10199501
Just fucking do it so your fellow gulls know which asshole to nope the hell away from.

>>10199406
Paying him at all was your first mistake, it's a complete dick move to spring payment on someone who thought you were doing the shoot for free. Him having the audacity to give you such a shitty result after arguably coercing you into paying is the cherry on top of the dickbag cake.

>>10193239
Show your portfolio
>>10199474
Communicating with your photographer before the shoot about what you want the pictures to end up like is super important, otherwise you might be unhappy and the photographer might not have any idea why

>>10198938
>worked with cameras for years or spent thousands on camera equipment
Spending more money does not mean you’ll take better photos. I came across someone who’s photos looked like they were taken with a potato and when I checked the exif it turns out they were using a hasselblad

>>10199406
Any photographer who does that is a dickbag and should be banned from the con. I think it’s also safe to say that anyone who does that sort of thing will always produce shit photos. I mean if their photos were that good then people would have booked them before the con and then they wouldn’t need to go around scamming people. If you don’t mind me asking, how much did he charge you and your friends?

>>10199477
>your family and friends can give opinions on quality
>Reddit can provide good judgement and feedback
kek

>>10199982
>>10199406
I'd actually pay *more* if they didn't edit skin. I want my photos touched up with good lighting, but not J Nig levels of cringey fake

>>10199994
I think he was implying opinions from family and friends are worthless since they'll just say "wow it looks so good u have a great camera!"every time.

>>10200026
ah, true. If you ask family and friends you are bound to get bullshit feedback that means nothing.

>>10199997
Just ask your photographer.
Anybody worth their salt will be able to do both the plastic skin and minor editing. Tbh, I'd like it if I could just do a quick touchup for scars/acne and a light softening and move on. Saves so much time.

>>10199997
This >>10200642
They'll probably be happy about saving a shit ton of time not having to go through the hassle of retouching skin to plastic levels too.

what sucks is when you're friends with your photographers but then when you pay them you're a customer, but hassling them to get photos back / fix things you feel like a real asshole for wanting what you paid for. had this issue numerous times.

>>10199994
Yeah sorry if I was unclear. Friends and family just want to be supportive, and many don't know a good photo other than it's exposed enough. Reddit can be full of wannabes too, but the general consensus is you at least get mostly usable feedback on what to improve and what works.

>>10201566
Lmao I feel like the asshole for taking so long, don't worry about it

>>10202282
who is the middle one?

>>10201566
>Hassling them to get photos back
How long do you want before you start hassling them?

>>10199477
I think so, not the best but I don't think I'm absolute complete garbage.
The people who say my work is good are people who became friends with me after I've shot with them and random, non bot commenters/cosplayers on my pictures. It's moreso cosplayers and not photogs throwing comments my way so I'm kind of iffy on whether or not I should take those compliments seriously.
Randoms who DM me to shoot ask what my rates are before I can say I'm free, or was free in this case, so I assume I'm decent enough to come off as someone you need to pay for to shoot with.

>>10199477
Also yeah I should probably start posting up my stuff for critique. Haven't done that but it's been on my mind.

>>10202675

What are you going to charge and what are they going to get?
I'm a professional photographer who charges for shoots.

>>10204229
For now $40 for 4 - 5 edited shots back with skin retouching & color grading and all that, though I'm not doing special effects or extravagant composites. I'd like to think I have a decent grasp at directing poses and getting people to ease up and feel comfortable during the shoot at this point.

>>10204243

Sounds expensive for someone only shooting for a year. Can you share one of your photos?

I've been shooting for over 10 years professionally and charge about that rate but include nearly every photo I take, all edited.

>>10204893
>Can you share one of your photos
P-pls no, I just don't feel too comfortable outing myself as a gull.

>10 years and charge that rate
Damn really? That seems super cheap in comparison to some of these photogs that charge around or over $100 for 5 or so edited back.

>Include nearly every photo I take, all edited.
Jesus, what does your workflow typically look like, how far do you take each edit and how many returns do you typically give? Are the edits mostly limited to LR slider tweaks or do you go into PS and do the whole frequency separation & full retouch shebang for a gorillion images?

What do you shoot outside of cosplay?

I guess I should backpedal a bit, I did do around 3 shoots somewhat casually late 2017 but I started going heavy and taking this seriously last Katsu. Should have probably said 1.5 - 2 years instead of a little over 1.
Why is time going by so fast.

>>10204908

Nothin' wrong with being a 'gull. We all degenerates here. You are going to need real constructive criticism to improve. But I understand.

I think if you are going to a convention and booking private shoots with cosplayers, you have to understand who you are shooting. For me, cosplay photography is a symbiotic relationship. It gives you creative liberty to try things that would normally cost an IMMENSE amount of money to create by yourself. That as well as being able to play with angles, effects, etc in a more creative spectrum.
I charge a rate drastically lower at a con vs non-con shoot for a wide variety of reasons.

>what does your workflow typically look like
Step one is take a good photo that would be good without editing. Once you do that, then nearly every photo is usable.
Bring into lightroom, adjust accordingly to make the photo look exceptional and then consider the cosplay/character/mood and stylize from there.
I generally only photoshop when there is a incredibly distracting element or effect I want added, or if it is shot that I want to represent the entire shoot.

>What do you shoot outside of cosplay
I shoot a lot of events and portraiture as well as editorial and cosplay.

>Why is time going by so fast.
If you are a photographer, then you are one of the few people who can control time, to a certain degree. :)

>>10193239
If you want to do it in cosplay, don't expect to make a living out of it.

>not a single person posts any photos of what they think is a good cosplay photo
I was kinda hoping to get a visual baseline for what people think are good photos.

>>10192666
I also dislike excessive photoshop. But there ARE times where what would be "excessive" is actually OK. Learning when it's OK is also key for learning when it isn't.
For example, you specifically mentioned on-set effects. I agree that adding smoke etc with effects may be cheap (or may not be, if you do not have access to a smoke machine; let's play Devil's advocate here), but I have an ever bigger gripe: fake aditions of things that aren't actually there. I mean, things like flying spaceships or battle auras or lightning bolts or medieval castles or the like. You know what I mean.
So, WHEN would adding such stuff in Photoshop would be OK? Because by definition, adding them in other cases would be excessive and "not-OK".

My take on it:

- You actually took the effort of setting a studio set (or whatever)specifically for later aditions. I mean, if you are actually taking pics in front of a green screen, that is actually a technique, not a cheat.
- You are adding an element that is literally impossible (or would be dangerous) to add physically and is ACTUALLY relevant for the cosplay. I mean, if you've made a kickass Roberta cosplay and want to make an action shot of her walking away from the explosion of all the grenades she just dropped form her maid skirt (actual scene of the character), you better do it with PS than with C4. The explosion, not the grenades. Those better be props. And that explosion wouldn't be relevant for many random characters.
- You're adding elements to expand a partial set. Things like adding the upper part of the buildings or the city skyline to a shot made in an one-story set. That's a time-honored technique for cinema, and takes actual skill; it's not "cheating".
- You've got the PERFECT action pic by blind chance but the background is horrible (NOT "you were lazy and took action photos in a bad background"; I mean those cases where REALLY you HAD to take the pic). Changing the background there is aceptable.

>>10202541
3 months

I'd like to post some shots I took, but I also don't want to post strangers online without their permission.
I assume if everyone feels the same way as me than we're not going to see too many photos to critique ITT.

I really like photographing people in cons, but I always get such a short time to photograph them before I feel uncomfortable about holding them up.
How should I go about catching someone for a long-ish photography session?
I had one time where a cosplayer asked me if I wanted to do a longer shoot but I felt terrible that day and declined, is it just a matter of me being likeable and the cosplayer being up for it?

>>10225327
Either set up a session in advance before the con or you can casually offer a longer session to someone you meet at the con.

There are usually facebook groups dedicated to cosplayers and photographers setting up shoots for an upcoming con. Most people charge, so if you offer your services for free and show some of your work as proof that you're not clinically retarded, you'll probably be able to find someone who wants to work with you.

You can also offer up a free shoot at a con, just consider who you're offering it to. If you ask a top notch/cosfamous person who has already had dozens of shoots before, they most likely won't be impressed with your offer of a free shoot. If someone's just getting started, they'd probably take you up on that offer, provided it doesn't conflict with their con schedule. Be ready to show them your instagram account so that they'll have an idea of your general skill level and if you're someone they want to work with.

full disclosure, photographer here, reading this because it might be useful even for me as a photog.

Personally, things you SHOULD get from any professional shooting:
- if your wig is good enough, it should look damn perfect. Do not accept a cloud of stray wig hair without a justification (sometimes it's just not feasible to fix)

- the photographer should ask you if you're comfortable with liquify work, or you should ask to keep it to a minimum if you're not comfortable with it. Do not expect zero liquify, a bit really helps to bring out the best out of pictures. I.e. I use it even to make small underwear creases go away, or make curves rounder, small stuff.

- try to find photographers that do not shoot all their pictures crooked and wide angle. It's just bad practice, everything has its place and crooked, wide angle shots, should be 1 in 10 - not 9 out of 10.

- STOP PAYING FOR PHOTOS AT CONVENTIONS. Organize a shoot, get a good location and everything planned, paying for convention snaps is bad practice. And sometimes illegal, depending on where and how.


>>10192666
There's many photographers that hide "being bad" under a thick cloud of shiny effects, and many people just take the bait. I can't stand them desu, if they can't even retouch stray hair why bother with big effects.

>>10192828
I like Instax over Polaroid. Remember the camera is hella dark so shoot in sunlight to compensate, even a brightly lit sunset landscape will show up dark blair witch project style. Try to keep your background and your subject closeish unless you're in broad daylight (again because otherwise it will be really dark)

>>10234654
oh yeah and I forgot... photographers, shoot for free if appropriate, don't make a work of out it if you're
a) not being actually asked to work
b) not willing to make it a job, even part time

Most photography is TF for a reason - your time is as valuable as that of the model, sharing a good day together and the results of your and his/her work is great fun. I've been an assistant for well established professional photographers that were working for free out of passion, it's how it is. It's not always paid, don't expect it or force it to be, it will stump you as a photographer.

and btw I shot for 3 years before starting to consider getting paid for it, and I think I've been approaching a respectable level only recently (been into photography for 8 about 8 years now)

>>10234654
As a cosplayer, I actually like some stray hairs as long as the wig doesn’t look super disheveled. 0 stray hairs looks unnatural in a lot of “less anime” editing styles imo, especially if the photog isn’t extremely skilled at retouching. Example, in your pic related there’s some small visible airbrushed edge thats visible on the left side of the wig— it wouldn’t be visible at insta res so it’s nbd, but on a portrait it would look pretty weird. Wig edges are difficult to get at the right sharpness while maintaining believability, so I’d rather my photogs just get the most bothersome pieces than smooth out the entire wig.

>>10234654
What lens was that taken with?

>>10234654
Great advice but pleasee chill with the vignette. A little helps draw the eye, but that pic is way heavy handed

>>10234931
kek it's one of my sins.

>>10234697
You made me notice a small area where I did go over, fml. Never seen it before. Oh well.

>>10234824
Sigma 135mm f/1.8

>>10234662
If you aren't skilled and want to work for free, then go for it.

Portrait photography isn't that hard, you can get 80% of the way by being formulaic.

Lighting, bokeh, focus on the eyes, pick a stock pose, frame it half decently. Take 1000 shots and only show the top 20. That will make you seem like a great photographer.

Lighting and focus are pure mechanics. Bokeh is a combination of mechanics and your equipment. Framing and posing are where the skill comes in, but realistically a handful of compositions and a dozen poses make up 95% of all cos shots.

Lightroom auto color/contrast (or crush the blacks yourself) and a little vignette will get you most of the way editing. Fattychans will be fattychans when you photograph them, don't promise to remove 20lb.

It ain't hard, but you should be doing all this work for free unless you really want to. You definitely shouldn't feel like your time is worthless just because some anon took 8 years to learn to use a camera.

>>10234935
>You definitely shouldn't feel like your time is worthless
On the contrary, it's far from worthless, it's worth as much as that of the model, and the world is full of little shits with zero talent that ask money for their pictures, exploiting cosplayers that often have a hard time finding other photographers or occasions to shoot. Don't be that little shit, be the guy with a passion, if you don't have passion for what you do - go flip burgers.

Get paid for real "jobs" - big sets that you get asked to do, where you sell your talent to someone looking for your expertise.

For many other cases, TF is the way to go. Still learning? TF. Project with a cosplayer where both pool in the same effort? TF. etc.

Of course I'm going to ask money if you're asking me for photos of something I don't really want nor need to photograph. What I'm saying is, separate passion from work. Get paid for your work, don't turn photography into a mindless crunch for money.

That's how good photographers work, if you keep it up, keep the love for what you do up, you'll also be able to charge multiple times what the mindless drones ask - when you do ask for money, get your money worth out of it. Don't charge $15 for 3 shots and garbage like that. Charge for the shooting day and postproduction work, as much as you feel comfortable asking at your level. And be god damn professional about it, tell people they will get their pictures in X weeks, etc.

And honestly what you said is like "being an F1 driver isn't that hard, just drive well, pick the correct racing line" etc. It's over simplification.

>>10234995
>Don't charge $15 for 3 shots and garbage like that.

Except no one is going to pay for more than that

>>10234995
Dude, cosplayers can EASILY find photographers by asking around and checking their IG. It's easier than ever to find good photographers.

Everyone is always learning, that that doesn't mean they have to do it for free until they are the world's best.

Just because it's your passion doesn't mean you have to do it for free to prove how passionate you are. On the flip side, you can just do something for money, almost everyone does.

Photographers time, skill, and equipment is valuable. Don't sell yourself short.

Absolutely be up front about expectations and pricing structure.

Photography isn't hard, post processing isn't hard. It is NOT like being an F1 driver. More like driving a regular car. You won't be the best driver in the world straight away, but you can be a good driver if you just learn a little theory and follow some simple rules. Everyone can drive.

>>10235020
If you can't charge enough to cover your gear usage, why charge at all - get a job or only take photos of things you like. As I said, charge by shooting day, not by number of shots. Photography is not like making pizzas, you're not going to work by number of pizzas delivered.

>>10235025
Dude you're so uninformed it's not funny. I'll leave you to your opinion photography, which is honestly absurd. It's like saying cooking, painting and drawing are not hard "just apply the formulas". If it was true I wouldn't have such a hard time finding people on my level in my country.

I'll just add that no, not all cosplayers have a easy time finding a photographer, and often shitters take advantage of shy, insecure cosplayers.

>>10235020
Some photographers charge $200-$300 for ten shots and get booked so yes you can find people who will pay for it, if your work is good

Gear suggestions? I have an APS-C camera and $1000 to spend. What lens should I get?

>>10235152
Canon camera I should add

>>10235026
If you pulled your head out of your ass you would probably find a ton of people "at your level". But I suspect what you mean to say is it's hard to find people who have been shooting "as long as you have".

It's especially ironic when you post a generic cosplay shot that is 100% formulaic then claim that there are no formulas. Sounds more like you are trying to protect your ego than be helpful.

No professional photographer is going to chase insecure bad cosplayers trying to get their business mate.

>>10235152
1000 USD?

Sigma 18-35mm f1.8. Get it for about 450 USD.


If you feel like doing some flash get the following

Godox TT685C Thinklite TTL Flash with X1T-C Trigger Kit for Canon Cameras 156 USD

Magmod magshoe 60 USD

Manfrotto 5001B Nano Black Light Stand 57 USD

Any flash umbrella 10-20 USD

use a bag to weight the stand(or anything you have).

Practice will make you better. Gear just helps you out.

>>10235152
Depends on the kind of shots you're doing, but on a crop camera a 50 1.8 should do you just fine the first year. And get yourself a nice comfy neckstrap like a peak design slide.
A colormunki display to calibrate your monitor so you know your colors aren't whack. Anything else is in the category "If you have to ask, you don't need it"

>>10235306
You think wide angle is better than larger "portrait" lenses?

Also is there a somewhat decent guide to editing for coplay shots out there? Feels like a lot of usual lightroom tutorials don't apply, because you're deliberately trying to go for an unrealistic anime look.

>>10235497
I wouldn't go below 50mm on a crop for portraits, but ideally 75 or more. You will get a lot of distortion if you go for less.

>>10235497
18mm on Canon APS-C is 29mm(28.8). So its not that wide.
On my fuji X-t30 I use the 18-55mm f2.8-F4 and team it up with the 35mm f2 if I really need some blur effect.

Many images that dreamlifestylephotography took a few years ago was with the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 on a nikon crop body. So you will be fine.

If you want that bokeh background blur grab the Canon 50mm f1.8 or the Yongnuo(its a clone and is cheaper.)

Much of what you can do in lightroom will yield you good results. Its only when you want SFX that you will want to pull in photoshop. Is there something you are looking to do?

>>10235497
If you're only looking to do standard portraits on an APS-C Canon just get a 50mm 1.4 (around 80mm FG equiv) or even 1.8. If you need to shoot in tight areas like at con hallways I'd agree with the above Anon in getting that 18-35 zoom. Just get both used so you have additional $$$ for speedlights and softboxes if you wanna dabble in external lighting.

Alternatively upgrade to FF lmao, you can find an A7II for $650 - $750 if you're patient and you can get a 50 or 85mm with the remaining $$$.

>>10235255
No you're just really uneducated about what you're talking about and it's not worth wasting my time to educate you, seriously, you're borderline insulting. Again, go tell that to a painter or a cook, please. You just have no idea. Hell, go tell that to a cosplayer: "just sew and glue, apply the formulas". Yeah.

And no, I meant what I said, but just in the cosplay area. Outside of that there's plenty of talent, much better than my average ass. And plenty worse. Because turns out, photography is not easy - the technical bits are easy, the artistic bits aren't.

>>10235497
Wide portraits are hard. Composition gets easier if you can squish less background around the subject AND you have to get a damn pretty subject to use a wide angle effectively (wider angles distort people due to perspective, it's an easy google to figure out why and how).

As a general rule, 35mm is good for full body and SOME 2/3 shots but you gotta figure it out right - 35mm is the go-to for many fashion photogs, you have to get absolute control on your background elements because it's all part of the photo with such a wide focal lenght.
Anything wider is niche as f.

50mm is a good all rounder but you don't want to go closer than waist height. 85mm is a perfect all rounder, good for full figure to headshots. 135mm is my favourite focal lenght but it is very uncomfortable indoors. Apply the proper crop factor for your real focal lenght! (1.6x on Canon)

>is there a somewhat decent guide [...]
Keep it easy. Look at artists you like. Look at portraiture in general, not just look cosplay photographers. Start with the basics: composition and framing are key, then learn how to do light skin retouch, curves, and color editing. Use the "Adobe Neutral" profile to edit your raws, not Adobe Standard, btw. And move to Photoshop when you feel comfortable!

>>10235020
>>10235025

Yikes.

>>10235746

This dude is helpful, spot-on, and informative.

I disagree on the paying for photos at conventions though. Sometimes cosplayers are only able to go big, group up, and afford travel to certain states at conventions.
Often times you can find locations near or at conventions that are not inhabited by people and relevant to the shoot.

>>10235049
It's not hard to find photographers that are willing to charge, but finding cosplayers that are willing to pay, do you know anyone personally paying $300? I doubt it

>>10238981
As I said, people are booking them and paying their prices, so people willing to pay do exist

>>10239014
Professionals, maybe.

When you cater to the con crowd, you also cater to the teenage weebs.
I make more money with the handful of quick shoots I do through the month with fast edits than I have working with "insta famous" people dropping larger sums. Do I get more artistic pieces that I'm proud to share? Yes. Does it pay for my luxury expenses more steadily? No.

There's different niches.
The people paying for $30 shoots ain't ever going to pay $300+ for a shoot, and I'll gladly continue to service them and fund my travels.

>>10239611
this.

low price grants a collection of clients to over the cost of pass and food at a con.
Those paying the 100 or more have high expectations. Demanding more post work or have a look in mind.

When working with the lower paying clients they often tell me that they just want nice photos of their cosplay and nothing fancy. I had people donate money to me for nice hallway photo.


Cosplayer doing TFP(time for print) are scammers in my experience. More demanding and often lie they sold the print(s).

>>10239611
>The people paying for $30 shoots ain't ever going to pay $300+ for a shoot
Because of idiots like you that keep undercutting actual photographers. In the end, you get what you pay for. So if people want to pay you $30 for your half assed photos, then go for it I guess.

Just remember for all the cosplayers here, if you're wondering why there's so many garbage photographers in the cosplay scene, it's because you keep throwing money at them for their half assed photos.

>>10240117
>hiring people without looking at their portfolios

Keep crying that you're getting undercut.
That's a part of doing business.
If you're not getting hired, your work isn't worth $300. If you are, why are you having a meltdown people with less skill can still get work?

>>10240153
Because cosplayers who regularly pay $30 for cosplay photoshoots are under the impression that $30 is ‘a fair price’ for that type of photography work. They’re the same idiots who go on to think that $1000 is too much to pay for a professional wedding photographer, hire some random idiot from craigslist and throw a shitfit when they get back a bunch of out of focus snapshits.

>>10192666

Really? And when I did little to no change to cosplay photos (expect maybe making colors a bit more bright or adding a little more light to face), other photographer said that lack of edit make them look bad. At the same time I see tutorials showing people turning models into porcelain dolls and I don't like that.

So most cosplayers don't want too heavy edits either?

>>10241736
Do what you think looks good, people will come either way.

>slept with someone I shot with
Is this where it all starts to go downhill?

Is it considered bad practise/ethics to retouch the skin (or even slim the face) of random people you snap?

>>10242081
Without asking them, yes, absolutely rude and you shouldn't do it.

>>10242295
The vast majority of cosplay photographers don't ask their subject if they can retouch their photos, they just do it, I don't know what you're talking about.

>>10242081
>Retouch skin
This is definitely to be expected out of any decent photog

>Slim face
Not so much this, I'd ask permission before you start liquifying them


>>10242295
Do you enjoy getting photos back with patchy, sweaty looking skin? Maybe all your pimples being completely visible? Contacts not vibrant and visible? Unflattering wrinkles maybe?
Sucks if you had a breakout that morning.

>>10242032

one day she will #metoo your ass

>>10242081
Skin smoothing/blurring is fine. Making a double chin or awkward angle look better is fine too, but don't make someone with a round or square face look like a gangnam unnie

Cosplayers tend to not have a lot of money

So utilize them to build your portfolio for visually interesting shots, but don't sperg out your entire portfolio with them


Just show normies that you can shoot losers in shitty hommqde Halloween costumes and make them look unautistic so you can shoot a 4/10 thicc chik in a wedding dress and make it look good

>>10242716
Photography is an okay avenue to raise quick capital with low effort so you can stock up on guns, armor and ammo for the upcoming civil war

>>10242398
>>10242409
I meant the type of retouching where you airbrush away the skin texture and change the face features, not basic cleanup. Rule of thumb is if it would be gone in two weeks it's fine to edit. I probably wouldn't notice if a photographer edited out a pimple, but if they airbrushed me, removed my beauty marks or changed my face shape I would be pissed

>>10242639
pls no

>>10242409
>>10242295
>>10242868

I just liquify away without asking and have never had a complete

Most gangly faced pudgy white American cosplayers simply don't realize they cannot look like all the cosplay models they see online without facial reconstruction and liposuction.

I'd rather get my money rather than shatter their illusiin

>>10242974
Never had a complaint*

Does anyone have any photoshop techniques to recommend, I've never edited pictures of people before

>>10246635
Frequency separation
Honestly just look up a bunch of retouching videos if you're going to be doing standard portraits.

>>10246635
youtube: phlearn, Pixperfect.

>>10240169
They weren't going to hire you anyways because they don't have that budget in the first place, or your work isn't worth that much.

Get into high fashion if you want to make money. But you need talent.

How do I get girls to show me their feets?

>>10248454
Pay them.

>>10248454
LARP as a professional feet erotica photographer, you need to play it as you publishing in several specialized magazines, having had fotographed hundreds if not thousands of girls for feet erotica, play it as once in a life time chance for them, yeah most females work that way, they have to be psyopsed into shit

>>10248456
so... have a fictional portfolio with your name or alias on it ready to show, make sure those pics make them wish it was them, etc, and train your skills as a photographer

switching from a prime to a 24-70 2.8 was the best decision ever, goddamn

>>10248538
How do you afford that shooting cosplay, I keep eyeing the tamron but I dont think it would let me do enough that my 50mm wont to justify the cost.

>>10248458
The EMCP/Eugene Manning Method

>>10248456
no pay/ pay how much?

>>10248538
why? speed of of shots?

>>10248538
Kinda stupid for cosplay since you're doing portraits, which is one of the few occasions where you can go out with one prime and do it all.

Hell, two primes are really all you need, a 24-70 2.8 is slow, covers at the same time a large part of the focals you don't need (24-30 are really some niche shit) and none of the focals you actually need (85-135) - and a zoom has shitty bokeh, too, which is one of the bigger selling factor for work (people love creamy bokeh).

You could go out with a 35 and 85 and do it all much better. A 24-70 is for run and gunning a wedding or stuff like that.

>>10248612
Work for money, shoot cosplay for passion, charge for cosplay once you have the funds.
I started with a 450d and a nifty fifty, I moved on in time (7d and 18-35 1.8, 100mm 2.8 macro, 5d II and 24-35 f/2, 135mm f/1.8... then 5d IV.) but it took years, it's normal, and I've earned all my photography money from other stuff (clubs, events, etc.) - cosplay is pretty dry money wise, and I'm not moving my ass for a shoot for less than 120€ which is already not that much at all.

I am looking for a wide angle lens to use with my crop sensor camera and torn between Sigma 10-20mm and Tamron 10-24mm

Sigma:
>has constant aperture

Tamron:
>has image stabilization
>can zoom in more
>slightly cheaper

What do y'all think?

>>10259055
I had a Sigma 10-20, the model without constant aperture though, and I didn't like it. In any case, the Sigma lenses are old as hell and from a time where Sigma wasn't very good.

The Tamron lens should be okay. I would also consider the Sigma 8-16 lens, which is a very interesting one.

If you want to do portraits with it, you will be hard pressed to find use for anything wider than 18mm - and honestly wide angle portraits should be taken sparingly, they're not that good usually - so I would suggest the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 if your intention is to do cosplay photography with it.

>>10259239
Thanks! I'm actually planning to do bunch of stuff with it. Using 10mm for travel-landscape-architecture, 15mm for cosplay action shots and 20mm for packed space portraits where my 50mm doesn't cut it. It'll be more like 16-32mm on my crop sensor camera so I'm not that worried.

Anyone manage to make a living doing cosplay photography? Doesn't seem to pay very well if its $30 per shoot.

>>10261223
per picture

>>10261223
I think you could make a living doing it. Not at that rate. You'd definitely have to travel.

>>10261223
There are people who use it as a side line business. Often locals that see the large con as a way to make money during their off season of weddings and events.

>>10261924
The ones that makes it a large part of their income depend on deposits and minimum number of shoots. They often travel to the events well in advance to book extra shoots outside the main event. I see this for dragon con as well as katsucon. The rate I see many of them shoot at is 100 and up.

>>10261223
You can't start with it for sure. It has to be a side business developed with years of work. Can't imagine anyone making it their main income.

It crosses into portrait photography anyways. You'll be doing both, which also means you'll probably cover events and stuff, it all adds up. But cosplay photography is a horrible source of revenue: too many kids asking little money, too many cosplayers that don't want to pay and for actually good reasons.

Most cosplay photography is TF because both the photographer and the model do it out of passion. The best way to get money out of cosplay photography is, sadly, aiming for bad or ugly cosplayers that would never get a good photo otherwise. Those are the people paying for "convention pictures" where they pay like $30 for 3 photos or something along those lines. You rack up a few of those at every convention and it turns into reliable income, but at the cost of any artistic integrity - good pictures without a good subject aren't fun.

>don't want to charge anymore
>also don't want to post about doing free photoshoots because I know I'll get a gorillion replies and I'm too much of a pussy lil bitch to say no to people I don't want to shoot.
Help, I just wanna shoot things/people that I actually want to shoot.

>>10265494
I know the feel.
Learn to say "no". Your time is valuable.
Contact only people you want to shoot with.

>>10265494
Pretty much what the other anon said with just reaching out to the ones that you would actually care to do a free shoot with.

>>10265195
Yeah any cosplay photographers claiming they are making a living off cosplay photography is flat out lying or living at home with their parents and not paying any rent.

i want to SCREAM i took photos for my friends at a con and i've only just got around to checking them now and they're all blurry!! the camera totally focused on the backgrounds and so my friends are blurry and out of focus. i'm so embarrassed because i finally thought i figured my camera out and was excited to show my friends but now i don't want to. any clue why this is happening? i'm a total newbie. the camera is a canon EOS 1000D

>>10268085
Start shooting at a higher shutter speed
Also start learning how to shoot in manual

>>10268085
There could be a lot of things, but like >>10268126 said, learn to shoot on manual.

Also, read your camera instructions thoroughly to understand the different focus settings.

this stupid thread needs to die.

>>10268784
But why anon.

>>10268835

because it's just lingering on since June.

>>10268085
If the background is in sharp focus then that means you probably let the camera pick the autofocus point, and it decided the background was what it needed to focus on. You need to make sure to pick your points manually or just leave it on the center point. You can also look up setting up back button autofocus on your camera too.

>>10269055
It's now my life mission to extend it as long as possible. Maybe even give it a part 2, all just to fuck with (You).

>>10268085
1000D has HORRIBLE af. If you had any reasonably fast lens on it (f/1.8 even) you're out of luck. You need to shoot f/2.8 and above to have a good chance of nailing it, and even then you need to use the center point+recompose (center point is more accurate) and still check the screen always.

>>10268126
>>10268187
shooting manual has nothing to do with it, he should have checked the screen for focus since the 1000D is very inaccurate. (and no, can't manual focus with it, it's a terrible idea - you need a big and bright viewfinder with a split focusing screen, you can't manual focus reliably even with the huge ass viewfinder of a 1dx2, you can do it through live view but it's a terrible idea.

>>10268784
you played yourself anon
this thread is here to stay

>>10269671

Manual mode, not manual focus.

How the actual fuck do I retouch a Junko wig or something equally as messy
Someone pls kms me

>>10269704
manual mode won't help you focus better or solve motion blur issues if you lack the fundamentals, it's actually possible to focus too much on numbers and not on the photo... Aperture priority is fine.

>>10270186
post pic, even just a censored crop of the wig.

Proof that people think anyone can be photographers
Blur background doesn’t equal HQ. The “photographer” places their logo in a shitty spot too.

>>10270378

Who is she cosplaying as?

>>10270378
fucking disgusting sight, lmfao

>>10270378
If I make my pricing high enough will whales like this avoid booking me?

>>10272384
No one. Shes a “maid” at some french maid page on Facebook

>>10270377
wow thats so shitty they didnt bother blurring it completely
Its so visible in the railing part

>>10272498
>Blurring it completely
Are you talking about the in focus railing close the girl?
That's literally just how dof works, anon.

>>10272521
Im a professional photographer and i agree it’s poorly blurred.

>>10272395
$20 is $20, my friend. Sometimes you gotta get your hands dirty and do some whale photography.

>>10272723
Shes on the chateau cat girl manor which is a bunch of whales half naked

>>10272723
I'd rather go broke

Hobby photographer here, so far I've only done portraiture of friends but got pretty good reception from my pictures from Colossalcon East. Stuff like people after reaching out for booking a shoot, everyone asking for a business card, and then my pics getting reposted to some big aggregator/reposting accounts. So I want to dip into cosplay photography more.

How do you guys recommend finding cosplayers to shoot? If it helps, I'm in NY metro area and looking do to free shoots to build up portfolio.

>>10270378
she has no shape...
shes just rolls

>>10273065
>NY
ANYC is right around the corner so this is a pretty good time to dip your foot in.
Post over in the Facebook ANYC/ANYC photography groups (or whatever con you're heading to) about wanting to do shoots, you'll probably get a couple of people to want to shoot with you, especially if you're free. Just make sure you also include samples of your shots in the post.

How do you guys get cosplayers their pics/tag them when posting?

Considering getting business cards with some whitespace for cosplayers to write their ig. They would write it, I would shoot it and they can keep the card. Not sure if that's too cumbersome tho

Do any of you shoot lewds? Does it pay well?

>>10274347
Depends on who you shoot for like anything, but you can easily get $700 a set if you find the right buyers for publication assuming you meet their standard (usually 75 hi-res photos), and if you can edit, you could get an extra $200. If you're doing the Patreon route, you'll probably get less, but you could speak to the cosplayer about residuals based off a percentage vs a flat-fee

>>10277474

stfu. nobody is spending 700 on some cosplay "lewds"

>>10274347
lol every patreon thot i know either does her own pics or gets all their shoots done for free

>>10277961
Not your lewds, but tons of company out there paying for them if you're attractive enough. Guess you don't qualify, but don't worry, hit the right niche, and you'll have tons of incels supporting you on KoFi for your monthly cellphone snaps of your feet or belly rolls.

>>10196825
Light.ing. the camera has little control. Don't be stupid move the light

>>10268085
1000D was my first “real” camera and I used it for years. The center point for autofocus is going to be the most accurate so make sure you use that one. If you don’t want your subject in the center, then press the shutter button halfway down to focus on your subject, recompose your shot, and then finally press the shutter button the rest of the way.

>>10274347
Pretty much 90% of girls that do this shoot the pictures themselves. Shooting cosplay lewds doesn't make money for photographers, the target is a bunch of pussy starved fucks that won't notice any quality.

>>10278561
>>10277474
never ever even heard of this, is it a thing in Asia? It surely isn't in the US and EU, there's no "company" for that. Unless you mean going to do cosplay porn on pornhub.

Even then it's always a fixed camera, you don't need a photographer.

>>10279641
pretty sure they’re trying to autistically flex that they shoot professional boudoir for publications, which the original anon clearly wasn’t talking about

>Genuinely enjoy cos photography
>Also enjoyed the people I've been meeting along the way
>thought I was making a fair amount of friends over the last couple of years
>Fairly sure I'm just being used for photos now that I've been thinking about it a bit harder

I want to smash my camera and kms or maybe get myself tested for autism
I don't know lads

>>10279769

If you enjoy photography, stick with it. It is a great way to meet new people, especially new people that you could have never encountered without photography. But just as anything, you can't force people to be a genuine friend, that just happens if it clicks; pun intended.

The people you think are using you for photos are more than likely going to you because they think you enjoy photography and may be interested in working with them.

I don't really understand what you are complaining about though. Take dope photos, meet cool people, say "no" if you don't want to photograph them.

Who are some good non perv photogs you have worked with?

>>10287313
Where are you located?

I 'm never been interested in photography but I have recently started getting interested in modeling .So if you want I could model for you DM me on Instagram , my account name is Angelofdeath311

>not doing research on character
>posing "sexy" for a character that will never act that way

>>10287431
Assuming this isn't a troll post, actually post pictures of yourself on your insta if you want to start modeling.

Selfies are fine, but photographers need to know you're not ugly as fuck

>>10287398

Uk

What's a good tripod to get if I'm just taking pictures of myself with my phone? I'm getting limited in the different types of pictures I can take with just selfies.

>>10288330
Get a gorillapod or one of the knock offs. They're tiny and can attach tons of places

>>10192616
Lots and lots of bokeh to blur out the fat weebs in the background

On another note, thinking of getting a 24mm f/1.4 lens for floor shooting. Y/n?

I feel kinda embarrassed asking for pics with my phone. Is there a cheap but legit-looking camera I can use during cons.

>>10294482
Get a beefier Coolpix.

>>10291242
>On another note, thinking of getting a 24mm f/1.4 lens for floor shooting. Y/n?
I personally own the Sony 24mm f1.4 GM. I enjoyed it at Anime North this year. I found it to be great when I got large groups and I swapped it with the 55mm f1.8 when I wanted tighter torso/ upper body. I plan to swap the 55mm with the sigma 50mm f1.2 when it comes out(patent was already released).

>>10294482
Fuji X-t20 with the Fuji 18-55mm f2.8-4 kit lens or 35 f1.4. It's about 900 CAD. Later own you can get the 50mm f2 if you want nice tight headshots. Buy those used.

>tfw already getting a decent amount of DMs about Katsu
How many shoots are you lads planning on taking on this year?

>>10295801
Same as I do every year: None.

>>10294482
Any older DSLR will do. I'd recommend Pentax because they've been using the exact same mount for almost 50 years so you have oodles of (relatively) cheap vintage lenses to choose from but a Canon or Nikon will be just as good. Even if you just use the kit lens and leave it on Auto, most people won't know that you have no idea what you're doing.
No matter what route you decide to go, Keh is the place to look.

Recently went to a local to test out my roll of Portra 400 film
Am I allowed to post my own photographs here,sorry I'm from /p/.

>>10297261
>Actually shot film at a con
Glad to know I'm not the only sperg who does this

>>10270378
>everyone making fun of the model
>in a photog thread
>ugly watermark with no shadowing
>photog clearly racked focus on butt cheecks because the face is out of focus
>This is probably the 1/1000 photos they picked because the pool is acidentally doing a fill light

>>10297261
Yeah that's cute, nice bokeh, that DOF must be hard to manage on a film camera. I don't usually like indoor film photos for the tint but her dull toned wig helps.

I'd post my trashy photos but most cosplayers consider posting them on /cgl/ an insult, I've even asked a few and they asked me not to

>>10297264
Good to see a fellow brother
I would prob test a roll of Venus 800 on my next con
>>10297296
The lights inside AEON Mall was really bad so I had to tried different approachs
Some of them turned out pretty ok

>>10297261
>>10297306
Have another one since I'm really digging her photos

>See entitled fatfucks and uggos complaining about photogs being picky with who they shoot with in their story
>See people mentioning in their stories about how they should go out of their way to shoot plus sized cosplayers & PoCs

Minus the paid part since it doesn't seem like paid cos photos are a thing in Europe, is it only like this in America?

>>10299779
Paid cos phptos not a thing in europe lmaooo i guess pugoffla , eosabdy and all the amazing european photographers dont exist

>>10299860
It sounded like the norm over there was shooting for free, ofc gbefe would be exceptions.

>>10297264
>>10297296

I've seen someone running around with a no-shit large-format bellows rig at a couple Seattle area cons. They seem friendly, but my luck is bad and I can't seem to catch them to ask about it except for a few sentences here and there.

Not a photog, but I want to buy a friend a cosplay photoshoot as a bday gift.

Anyone have recommendations for photogs that are semi-pro at least for SAC or at least in the SF bay area/Napa/Oakland?

>>10299779
on the flip side you have (decent) photogs who absolutely spam the hell out of the brown (but conveniently asian isnt brown enough) and plus size whiteys and charge 100+ a shoot... sure they look better than they would look with a shit photog but at the same time, if you selectively promote your clients its real shitty

>>10300574
>Don't post plus sized or brownie cosplayers
>Where's your diversity? Only wanna shoot with conventionally attractive skinny whites or asians? Absolutely problematic.
>Post bigs and browns
>Using large dark skinned fellows to show you're willing to work with any skin color and body type just to make money? Real shitty of you
What do you want from us you fucking cumwringer.

>>10297261
I love when photographers take pictures like this

>>10300692

like what?

>>10300720
At cons with the backgrounds blurred

>>10301534

>>10300373
I've seen that guy(?) posted up on street corners a couple times but never at Sakuracon or ECCC. Cool dude.

Opinions on people who are not first come first serve when posting their booking forms?

>>10300373
That’s amazing. If I ever get sick of cosplay someday I’d like to try bringing my large format camera to a con

>>10300615
Literally post both

>>10304229

You mean photogs? My friend gets hit with bookings a lot and he's pretty honest with his shoots. He goes by first emails and first paid. Plenty of people want to book with him, but can't afford to pay and start tossing out sob stories hoping to get a discount. Other times it's people suddenly rescheduleing to the commitments with other groups, so they change something and now suddenly he's reworking the schedule to fit them in otherwise he cancels and refunds them, and a slot is reopened. If it's stuff like that, that's just the way it goes.

If its someone only accepting first bookings from sexy cosplayers or people they can use to climb the social ladder, look elsewhere.

Saw these posted on FB from a photographer I was thinking about booking with for AWA. Kinda glad I didn't now. Over saturating / sharpening your picture is shit photogs did in the early 2000s. Namely Risingsun.net.

>>10304499

Here is another. What's with the angles? Thoughts on these /cgl/? Did I dodge a bullet? It was $65 / hour for 15 edited pictures.

>>10304500
>$65/15
I mean you get what you pay for, that's extremely cheap.

>>10304615

Idk, The colours just seem extremely blown out. Maybe it's just me. I saw other photographer charging 80+ for less than 10 pictures - Granted you had the option to get 1-3 of them composites.

>>10304669
>80+ for less than 10
That seems to be the minimum going rate for any decent photog, at least on the east coast. Higher than 8-10 returns at a cheaper price is probably going to mean you'll be getting garbage shots back.

>>10304672

Fair. I am wondering if the newer photogs charge less and offer more to try to get more of a client base? If it weren't for the colours, This persons pictures wouldn't be too bad.

>>10304675
I'm guessing a combination of growing a client base, trying to find out their worth with playing around with different prices and straight up wanting more opportunities to practice more. Looking at that photog's insta it still seems like they're still fairly new with their first photos popping up at the beginning of April of this year so he has a lot of room to grow. His AWA ad also shows $40/10 shots, good for him if people end up wanting to book him I guess.

>>10301726

I've definitely seen them at ECCC a few times, and they did a picture for one of my friends at Sakuracon this year. I want to use 'him' too, but I saw them doing their thing at Pride though and they have that kind of skinny-long-haired-ambiguous thing so I didn't want to assume. Times we live in and all that.

Good to hear they're cool, though. I'll have to make time to catch them and chat next time I see them. Guy(?) really covers a lot of ground for being a tiny thing carrying a crapton of hardware.

>>10300692
It's so cool. It's rigged for Polaroids so cosplayers can go home with souvenirs.

>>10304679
>Rigged for Polaroids
Whoa what, how? Is it like a medium format cam with a Polaroid back? That's really fucking cool.

>>10304680

Don't know the details, just my friend came home from Sakuracon gushing about it and showing it off. :/ I'm guessing it's a converter back to shoot FP-100C or FP-3000B.

>>10304679
Oh, we're talking about different people, then. The (?) was accounting for the possibility that there's more than one person in Seattle with a large-format camera doing public shoots. The guy I'm referring to is 110% male and like 6'2" or so. His rig didn't have any fancy Polaroid capabilities, either. Just a regular old giant-ass camera.

>>10304229
If a photographer is in high demand then they have the luxury of choosing their clientele

>>10304804
>there's more than one person in Seattle with a large-format camera doing public shoots.

This blows my mind a little bit. I love this weird city sometimes.

What makes a good photo for you?
Looking out for what I should aim for when I get into editing.

/p/ here, I kind of need some training and would do some pics for free and only take a little money if the model decided to use the pics to upload to social media or something like that.
Where can I find models/cossplayers that would like to do such a thing.
>>10192666
I usualy don't do much more than exposure and colour corrections, maybe removing some minor imperfections and noise reduction if shot at high ISO.

>>10305363
you'll want to do tfd (time for digital) so you and the cosplayer can both keep the rights to the photos. that way you can use them yourself for portfolio in future. otherwise if they pay, they hold the rights to the photos. many cosplayers just starting out will gladly accept tfd. you should try posting on your local con's facebook page or a local anime/cosplay club's page.

>>10305382
Sorry to burst your bubble. Photographers under most cases hold the rights. What you want is TFP, Time For Print, although your TFD also works in this era. Thiis is just a free collaboration resulting in both the cosplayer and photographer shooting photos for their portfolios and use.

Free or paid, the copyright still belongs to the photographer in most cases, but under TFP, it's usually assumed the subject/cosplayer can post the photos in any non-commercial manner, primarily through their own social media and web site. If you were to sell prints without a photographer's permission, then they could legally come after you in court. Same with submitting photos without the photographer's permission to a magazine or contest.

>>10305363

I've worked in professional modeling (not cosplay modeling, but other styles) on the side for 6+ years. The above anon is correct about shooting TFP. The safest course of action is to always send the model a model release form before the shoot, defining the rights they will have to the photos. Then when you meet up, make sure they sign it before you start shooting, either a paper copy or have it on an ipad or something. Print two so the model also has one or email it to them as soon as it's signed.

Asking the model to pay whenever they post a photo isn't done in the business, and imo not reasonable. Instead, my personal preference is to have the photographer clarify a range of photos you expect to give them (lowball this in case the shoot goes bad and you struggle to get any that look nice), and that the photographer retains copyright to the photos but that either of you can post/share the photos for free. Basically they can share your work on social media, but not make prints to sell without your permission. Look up model release form examples online.

If I as a model pay a photographer, my expectations for a photoshoot & results are very different than if I do a trade shoot, in terms of end product/time for delivery/my rights to the photos. So, depends on the direction you want to go. If you're hoping for $$$ from shoots, I suggest instead shooting for trade and giving a 10-15 photo estimate for edited output, and upload the rest of your selected pictures (with a watermark) to an online album. Then give the model the option to select additional photos for you to edit/send to them in full resolution for a fee. Just be upfront about how many you have time to do as trade and stick to that.

There's other complicating factors (studio fees, if you hire a hair & makeup artist, etc) but this helps with the basics.

Photography is and should be a collaborative process. As such, share your rights or find another divide that satisfies all involved parties.

>>10300389
seconding this question. i've been asking around for weeks and it seems like everyone is ditching sacanime in favor of ALA

do people still do giveaways for photoshoots at cons?

>>10192616
Is this a good place to ask about photo locations? Does anyone know any places in the US that look like a Japanese city, like pic related. I really want to get some photos that look like they’re in Japan without having to go there.

>>10307677
The closest you’ll probably get here in America is by going to a major city with a Chinatown district

>>10307740
There are a lot of Japantowns around too

>>10307747
Oh dang you’re right. I just googled it and apparently there are some but they’re all on the west coast. I’ve never been out there so I never even knew

>>10307670
Giveaways how?

>>10307670
Yes, I think there's a couple for Katsu photogs right now.

>>10307934
photographers that give out free shoots, usually asking for people to follow their account to enter for a free shoot

Popular photographers how do you turn away fat and ugly cosplayers that you don't want to shoot?

>>10310937
Charge them (more)

Do photogs really go through the trouble of picking winners for giveaways randomly (esp with all the convoluted entry systems) or pick people "randomly" who will look good in photos

>>10310952
Depends on the person, but it does seem more often than not, the person who wins these kinds of things is someone who’s either hot or has a medium amount of followers (less than 20k so they don’t look like a clout chaser, but more than 1k so they can still be promoted to a decent audience)

>>10310952

I've seen a handful post a randomized whatever to draw the winner, but others just announce the winners and those are usually a little sketchy because it's pretty white girls or someone with a nice amount of followers like many cosplayer giveaways

>another US photog getting cancelled
>Literally 0 proof posted

>omg I'm sorry this has to happen to you what a creep :( from a gorillion women

>>10312854
which loser is being cancelled?

>>10310937
Break your camera

>>10312854
It may not be the "proof" your looking for but dozens of people's personal accounts and clear biases and issues visible on his account itself are some pretty damn strong evidence.

>>10313113
This, if you camera isn't working, you can't take their picture.

>>10310937
Just be honest, say they don't fit your standards of beauty and that they would be better served with another photographer.

Lying and making up shit won't help anyone. Every lie gets found out eventually.

>>10312854

Explain, Anon. Who is being cancelled?

>>10313107
>>10313811
It’s probably about paoimages

>>10313594
Plus it has the bonus of forcing you to buy new expensive replacement equipment as penance for being an unprofessional and shallow asshole

>>10314101
What's the deal with paoimages?

>>10314339
He's a notorious cloutchaser in the Atlanta community, recently also came out that he was being very pushy about romantic/sexual feelings for cosplayers and would guilt for people's affection with free shoots/accuse them of "using him" if they didn't return his favors. Most people could hear warning bells from one look at his account.

>>10312854
is it Jason Laboy? Heard he's been telling cosplayer girls he can keep them featured for months a Vero cosplayers if they play their cards right. There's a few cosplayers featured on that shit app for nearly a year already

Hello /cgl/ degenerates, this is my first post on your board. I am an aspiring photographer and fellow weeb. I've decided that I'm finally going to take my photography seriously this year and get to the level where I can maybe, just maybe, get paid to do what I love some day. That being said I'm still a rough amateur. I just bought my second camera, a big upgrade from the Canon I've been using irregularly for almost 5 years now, and a good 35mm lens. My next step is to get as much practice with it as I can and to build up that portfolio. As far as model and cosplay photography go, I figured it would give me some good opportunities if I just set up shop at a con, every con I can in fact, and whore myself out as a free /photog/ to every cosplayer that passes by. How feasible is this plan? I know you guys love getting your pictures taken. The idea is to just fucking drown myself in photos, force myself to git gud, and god willing, get blown in a bathroom by a qt thankful Astolfo cosplayer or something. Please reply with any tips, tricks, or comments for taking pictures at anime conventions.

Bump

I just started shooting as a hobby. Thinking about hitting up a con in the summer to take some shots. For free, of course.

I can post a couple shots that I have taken. They are not that good, but I guess I should put myself out there.

>>10307747
>>10307758
I've spent quite a bit of time in both the LA and SF Japantowns and neither really looks anything like Japan. Doing photoshoots there is pretty cringe too, aside from during events.

Hotel Kabuki in SF J-Town is pretty cool though, not that modern Japanese city aesthetic but they have a pretty authentic-looking tatami suite available and a nice Japanese garden downstairs as well. (Or at least to have them, it's been years.) I've done shoots in both.

>tfw impostor syndrome
>tfw getting compliments
Make this go away help please

>>10316399
>Set up shop and ask cosplayers for shots as they pass by
Do this for 1 con to at least get some shots to show others that you actually are a photographer, as I've seen people advertising shoots without even having hallshots. At the following cons try to set up private shoots with people using a cons respective Facebook photog group. The private shoot experience is very different from simply asking people for basic shots in the halls and should help you improve much faster.
Read/study as much as you can about photography.

Don't burn yourself out by drowning in 15 shoots per con btw.

how would you anons react if you found out a photographer you've been working with has slept with their other clients

>>10320135

I wouldnt work with him anymore. Simple as.

>>10320135
There are so many photographers. I've never worked with the same one more than once.

>>10320135
Depends on the circumstances. How many of their other clients? I know one photographer who got into shooting cosplay seriously when he started dating a cosplayer, and just kept at it when they broke up. He's dated a couple other cosplayers since, but he's also dated not-cosplayers so I don't think it's a habit.

As a repeat pattern of behavior, though? I'd look side-eyed at them to start, and probably >>10320136

>>10320702
This is basically me. I was a pro photog outside the con world and a cosplayer but it was an ex who made me merge the two. I ONLY date within the community though, for several reasons. One is that I just feel like I'm too deep into this shit to relate well to normies. Another is that being known as the BF of a cosplayer makes other cosplayers much more comfortable with working with me. Finally, dating a cosplayer keeps me sane and helps me not be pervy or creepy when working with so many other attractive women.

I've never intentionally used photography as a means of hooking up or anything, though, aside from naturally getting to know girls through it. I'm into photography because I enjoy the process and the artistry and especially because I enjoy making people happy by delivering good material, not because I want to get my dick wet. I've also never casually had sex with a "client,"only actual relationships.

>>10320135
Depends on who those other clients are.

>>10320719
I thought you retired?

>>10320540
There hasn't been a photographer whose work you liked to the point where you'd wanna work with them again?

As a photographer, it would be nice to be able to post cosplay photos here and have other people do the same. By that, I mean our own photographs.

But it feels like drama comes out of nowhere and people make a such a big deal about nothing. It would be nice to have a thread where people give crit and show off what they have learned.

>>10322654
Go to >>>/p/ for that

>>10322436
Go to Reddit, just be warned a lot of the critiques are by armchair photographers who ready a book or watched a video on Youtube and suddenly think they know what they are talking about

>>10322758

It's not a cosplay board. We're talking about cosplay photography here

>>10323096
>I can’t post photography on the photography board

That’s how dumb you sound

>>10323232

> I don't understand the "cosplay photography" thread

That’s how dumb you sound.

>>10323236
This is a cosplay board, not a photography board. You aren’t gonna get the critique you’re looking for here. /p/ is for photography so when you post a photo there, people critique the actual photo and editing. /cgl/ is for cosplay and j-fashion so when you post a photo here people are more likely to critique the person in the photo rather than the photo itself.

You talked about people bringing drama out of nowhere, but this is exactly how it happens. People post cosplayers and lolitas on here as vendetta all the time and even if it’s not vendetta, the board is associated with drama, so a lot of people don’t want their photos on here no matter the context. Meanwhile if it’s posted specifically on /p/, your intentions look a lot more clear and innocent.

This just isn’t the place for that and no matter how hard you try there will always be some kind of drama because when it comes down to it, people just don’t want to be posted on /cgl/. Meanwhile on /p/, every cosplay photography thread I’ve seen has been received positively and had great feedback. Beethy even came out of the shadows and joined the last one that I saw

>>10192616
This guy hates all women, calls them roastie's and doesn't care if women die, later half of video https://youtu.be/2IvcpjX5NL4

>>10325121
stop advertising your shitty channel

anyone got the deets on headphone studios? A few people i followed got scammed. Avoid her if you are going to katsucon

>>10325795
She just posted an update on her pages, she’s been having severe health issues recently and isn’t booking until she finishes backlog

How do I stop thinking about the possibility of how people only hang out with me because they want to shoot with me?

>>10327095
Get fat

>>10327107
I'm the photographer.

>>10327095
Pick a con and announce that you won’t be shooting at that con because you’re stressed out and just want to relax/hangout with friends. If people still hangout with you even if you don’t do a photoshoot for them, then they’re real friends. If they don’t, then they’re trashy jerks who are using you and you’ll be better off without them

>>10327095
post a photo so I can see if your photos are good enough to use you.

>>10327982
No
Pay me and you can use me all you want

Why is Felix Wong still around, guys toxic constantly trashing other photogs

>>10327995
>Constantly trashing other photogs
Does he really? He seems like he knows he isn't the best photog and only really takes hall shots. Can't imagine someone like that actually shit talking photogs.

>>10328005
Is that the one trick Jessica nigiri photographer?

>>10329152
No I think you're thinking of Dave Yang or Martin Wong or some other dude.

>>10329172
Dave Yang is now pushing his clothing line for weebos. I think it's called Sleepy Boy?

>>10329172
I think it was Martin Wong I was thinking of. "The dude who does her photos" - that guy

>>10323260
It's valid to look for cosplay photography input here because cosplay photography is a very niche genre of photography that most of the photographers from /p/ have little to no experience in.

For example I mostly take headshots because it's the type of photography that appeals to me the most. I've posted some of my photos on /cgl/ before and I always get comments like wtf, why are these all headshots, why bother taking photos of cosplayers if you're barely taking photos of their costumes? I've posted those same photos on /p/ and most people don't bat an eye. Their only complaint is if I miss focus, or if my editing is too underexposed/overexposed for their taste. /p/ might have a better understanding about what makes a good photo, but /cgl/ is more likely to have an understanding about what makes a good cosplay photo.

If you want another example here's a few photos taken by a professional photographer and published on Vice. Everyone on /cgl/ will tell you not to post these types of photos because they make the cosplayers look like shit, they're unflattering and most likely they the photographer never asked the cosplayers for their permission to take the photos. The Vice photographer probably thought it was fine, because they didn't understand cosplay/convention etiquette or because they were shooting it from a journalistic stand point. This is what /p/ and other general photography communities can't necessarily offer you, an understanding of cosplayers and what they want and don't want in a photo.

>>10331120
Lmao there’s no way in hell /p/ would say those are good or acceptable photos either
Photos getting published on vice doesn’t mean shit

>>10332831

Agree'd. Cosplayers would hate those photos, as well as photographers.
Those are photos that someone who has never been to a con, and shows up randomly, would take.

>>10327112
Get fat

>>10199529
this sounds like jpool, dude's saturation and flash is stupid blown out

>>10332831
At least Vice is more credible than Kotaku not that that's saying much

>>10331120
I have never done any cosplay photography because I know cosplayers would hate it. I love headshots as well. For myself I would want to photograph the character, edit the colours around the mood of that character and the location, I wouldn't really give a crap about the costume besides the parts that symbolise a character.

I'd never though go around taking photos of cosplayers eating and looking like crap, that just isn't for me and would get heat for something that isn't worth getting it for.

>>10335961

I think that it's interesting and can be fun if done right, but the shots posted above are more like an awkward street photography angle from someone who'd never been to a con or seen cosplay.

Who knows though, maybe these are some peoples absolute favorite photos? Perhaps it is what gets them into cosplay or photography?

After over a decade of professional photography, I've learned that I can never predict someones favorite photos.

>>10331120
That's some deep ass symbolism, reminds me of that one cosplay photographer guy who intentionally poses people who cosplays as characters he hates in front of trash cans.

>>10337544
What if they aren't in front of a trash can, does he ask for the cosplayer to walk with him until he spots a trash can?

The simple truth is that most cosplay photographers are not good. They're not good:
1) because they're just starting, and even though photography isn't rocket science, you need time to develop a skill.

2) because they really don't care about photography. Not like photographers in fashion, or journalism, portraits, or even headshot guys. There's no top tier of photographers, so there's no one to look to for inspiration. There's no Stevel Meisel, Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchelier in cosplay, so everyone is just doing their own thing, and their own thing sucks.

3) there's no money in it. If there WAS money in it, that would bring in professionals like makeup artists, hair stylists, wardrobe / costume designers, art directors, and photo editors (Not bullshit cosplayer wannabes, the real things). People would start going to destinations to take serious cosplay photos, not dingy convention hall snapshits. That would DRASTICALLY improve cosplay photography as a whole.

4) the toxicity of the scene, and it's antagonism towards photographers. Photographers get #metoo'd for dumb shit all the time in cosplay, so the talented ones and the ones who don't want to deal with that bullshit don't stay. Women in cosplay need to understand that guys are gonna try you whether you are a cosplayer, a model, or just some thot walking down the street. Everything is not a targeted attempt on you personally. Cool the fuck out with the accusations, and you might get a few good pictures of yourself.

But... these points will NEVER change, so cosplay photography will always be a revolving door of technically terrible newbies, scene whoring veterans who have no chance to be great, cheap concepts, ideas, and executions, and sexual harassment burnouts of the scene.

There's ABSOLUTELY more reasons why cosplay photography sucks, but I figure I'll hit the big things first.

>>10338096
>Women in cosplay need to understand that guys are gonna try you whether you are a cosplayer, a model, or just some thot walking down the street
That's a pretty disgusting mindset and is the reason why #metoo is happening to begin with.

>>10338096
>Women in cosplay need to understand that guys are gonna try you whether you are a cosplayer, a model, or just some thot walking down the street
That's a pretty disgusting mindset and is the reason why #metoo is happening to begin with. Don't forget that #metoo is a reaction to horrible actions men done, not that a bunch of man-hating women decided to start a movement to destroy men.

If "cosplay photographers" didn't have such a scummy mindset of trying to get into a girl's pants, then maybe female cosplayers wouldn't be so defensive around men?

>>10335961
See, this is why cosplay photography sucks. "I wouldn't really give a crap about the costume besides the parts that symbolise a character."

>>10338141
Guys in general want to get in women's pants. Not just cosplay photographers. It's part of life.

For people who claim to be sex-positive, and tolerant, and this and that, you're really prudish and shrill. A photographer thinking you're attractive and asking you to hang out is not rape, or a fucking attack on your person. Give it a rest. Now, if the dude is talking to an underage girl, or puts his hands on someone, that's totally different.

If you think trying to create an opportunity to get to know someone with similar interests romantically is "scummy", then shit, I don't know what to tell you.

>>10338148
When a cosplayer hires a photographer, they expect that person to act like a professional just like any other services they would pay for. Hitting on/trying to romance a client is not appropriate behavior

>>10338352
Exactly, Imagine a wedding photographer hitting on the bridesmaids during the wedding or a graduation photographer hitting on the girls he is shooting.

Their careers as professional photographers wont last that long.

>>10338358
Exactly, they become the ones to shoot their sex tapes and become amateur pornographers after they recite their vows and say their I dos for the suckers that paid to show up.

>>10338096
>there's no money in it.
If there was real money in it, the mouse would find a way to criminalize cosplay as intellectual property theft. And if you don’t think they have that type of power or that they’re not that petty then you don’t know them very well.

>>10329152
lel jessica nigri would never waste time on GWC like Felix Wong.

>>10338352
>>10338358
Oh, you want professionalism, huh? Well, pay a professional rate! Headshot photographers in New York City get paid thousands to take a picture of people's fucking faces, with the same light setup. Fashion, commercial and wedding photographers make thousands as well doing what they do. Pay me a professional rate, and I'll be the most professional motherfucker you ever met. But as long as you're paying literal lunch money, you will continue to get the bottom of the barrel trashbag photographers. So don't complain.

>>10338730
You say that as though there aren't BILLIONS of consumer products out there with Disney / Marvel / Star Wars characters slapped all over them. Licensing exists. Shut your mouth if you don't understand things.

>>10339210
No matter what the price is, a photographer should be acting in a professional manner. And if your stipulation is: pay $1000 for photos and no sexual harassment vs. pay $50 for photos and get sexually harassed, then why not advertise that as part of your business plan that you seem so proud of

>>10339210
Shut up Laboy

>>10339210
Kek, I bet your ads reek of desperation too

>>10339210
>he thinks I'm only talking about criminalizing the purchase of unlicensed costumes and not the entire act of cosplaying itself
What's that, you're 20 years old, overweight and have bad acne? Better take your princess Jasmine cosplay photos off of facebook. Wouldn't want the general public and small impressionable children to associate our intellectual property with a disgusting looking human being like you.

>>10339781
> the purchase of unlicensed costumes
> not the entire act of cosplaying itself

The run of the mill cosplayer wouldn't be affected, 1, because the run of the mill cosplayer is protected under Fair Use laws, much like they are now. Cosplayers could ALSO just change or omit one detail, and it would be a parody, or generalization that couldn't be sued (think porn parodies).

The big budget cosplays and cosplayers would have a relationship much like the big fashion houses and the glossy magazines, where they provide things for cosplayers, or at least endorse what they do directly or indirectly.

>>10338957

who does Nigri work with?

>>10329237
It's sleepy boi. over priced pins and stickers with some shirts. Was selling at a booth at katsucon.

>>10327995
Seems like the kind of guy jelly over the success of others. So trash talks them just to make himself feel better.

>>10337544
that amazing! I need to follow this guy that makes every waifu trash!