A.R.C. Photography: Hello! I’m Alex Chrysler. Most people known me as ARC. I’m from Malaysia. Nice meeting you! First time being featured, hahaha. Thank you so much!

Cosplay Photographers: Thank YOU! How long have you been doing photography?

A.R.C. Photography: I’ve a big interest of photography and love taking photos around when I was 14 years old due to the inspirations from those beautiful pictures I’ve seen from internet and magazines. It’s been eight years of taking photos since 2005,  including two years of taking Cosplay photography since 2011.

Cosplay Photographers: How did you get into cosplay?

A.R.C. Photography: Well, I’ve been interested in cosplay since I was 15 because I’ve found it interesting when seeing people dressing up a character. I’d seen their photos on the internet. Their photos are taken so beautifully and captivating and made me fall in love with photography even more! But I had no idea of how to take photos like that till I got introduced to what a DSLR camera actually was and knew that those photos are taken with DSLR too. During that time, I had zero knowledge about photography basics. All I did know is composition.

Cosplay Photographers: Speaking of cosplay, the photo to the left is of you cosplaying. I didn’t know you cosplayed too!

A.R.C. Photography: Hehe~ I never cosplayed before so I gave myself a try and it’s really fun!

Cosplay Photographers: Can you tell us a little bit about how you began photography those eight years ago?

A.R.C. Photography: Let’s put cosplay photography aside. My first start of photography was using my phone camera, a Sony Ericsson K750i. I started with taking still life and landscape photos for practicing my compositions. There were many Sony Ericsson phones I’ve had over the years.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you own a smartphone now, and what do you think of all the phone apps for photography now (like Instagram?)

A.R.C. Photography: Yeah, currently I own an iPhone 4, the 4th gen. The apps for taking photos are amazing, especially Instagram. There are many nice preset color gradings and effects. And most of the presets satisfy me. But back then I wasn’t just practicing taking photos with my phone cameras, I was also taking photos with digital cameras too, and a HandyCamcorder. I took 5 years of practicing my photography, still life and landscapes, until I’ve got my first DSLR when I entered my college.

Cosplay Photographers: And what about your entry into cosplay photography?

A.R.C. Photography: When stepping into the cosplay World and start taking cosplay photography, I started taking photos with my DSLR around conventions with my fellow college-mates who were cosplayers too. I started to know a few cosplayers around and took photos for them. Months later, I got requests from cosplayers who wanted me to help them to take photos. Months by months, requests were getting more and more, and I learn even more while doing photoshoots for cosplayers.

Cosplay Photographers: What gear do you usually shoot with now? (besides the iPhone haha)

A.R.C. Photography: Well, for photoshoots, with my DSLR of course hahaha! For outings, sometimes using my DSLR to take photos or my iPad.

Cosplay Photographers: What DSLR system do you use?

A.R.C. Photography: Previously I owned a Canon 7D. And now I’m using Canon 5D Mark III. I am still keeping my 7D just for filming use but for photoshooting, I’ll use my Mark III. During shoots, sometimes I use my friend’s DSLR to take pictures just for trying other DSLRs’ functionalities so I can learn even more. So far I’ve used Nikon and Sony Alpha DSLRs. I love trying new things. XD

Cosplay Photographers: What are your favorite lenses for shooting cosplay?

A.R.C. Photography: Well I’m limited of lenses currently. But my favorite lens, all of them. Because while taking photos for the cosplayers, I have to judge myself of which lens to use for taking pictures on them by depending on the position and location where they’re at. Different lenses brings different depths of field and feel.

Cosplay Photographers: That’s a good point….but I’ll give you a challenge! XD Say you could only bring one lens with you on a photoshoot. Which one would it be?

A.R.C. Photography: 50mm f/1.4. This lens is enough for me.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you do a lot of shoots with people you already know or do you have cosplayers contacting you?

A.R.C. Photography: Well, mostly I do get photoshoot requests from cosplayers. Some I know them, some I don’t. For those cosplayer I’ve never met before, we will get to meet and befriend each other once we’ve done the shoot. I seldom ask cosplayers for shoots unless I’ve plans for shooting a character I like or if my cosplay friends have similar looking face and appearances. For example, Princess Merida, from Pixar’s BRAVE. She’s my friend and I realized that she has similar figures as Princess Merida, especially her face. I suggested her this character for her to cosplay, at first she said she has to watch the movie first before deciding to cosplay the character. At the end, she has watched it and she decided to cosplay!

Cosplay Photographers: How do you usually go about setting up a photoshoot?

A.R.C. Photography: At first, the cosplayers know my works and they wanted me to do shoots for them. They will start to prepare and work on their costumes, props and getting their wigs ordered from TaoBao, its a Chinese website which works like Amazon.com where they buy their wigs from. Then, they’ll discuss with me of where and when to shoot. At first, we have to settle everyone’s free time for planning a date to shoot. Day shoot or night shoot, they’ll decide. Sometimes they’ll decide the photoshooting venues themselves because they’ve been there before or they’ve found those suitable places for a shoot.

Cosplay Photographers: What is the climate and landscape like in Malaysia?

A.R.C. Photography: In Malaysia, it’s summer all year long. The sunlight is harsh and weather is warm and sometimes cool during rainy days. We wished to have soft sunlight and beautiful weather like those four-season countries there. The lighting has got to be awesome. The landscape in Malaysia, there are many nice places to take photos around. But it’s limited due to some places don’t allow us to do shoots unless we propose for permission or pay.

Cosplay Photographers: Sometimes I wish I lived in a place that was summer all year round! It’s been cold here for 6 months.

A.R.C. Photography:  There are many other beautiful places but located very far away from where I live. For example, again my Princess Merida from BRAVE shoot, the shooting location is at Penang Island which is 370 kilometers away from my place, Kuala Lumpur. My helper and I have to travel to there except for the cosplayer, because she lives in the island. XD How I’ve get to know that location is, I’ve seen my cosplay friends do some shoots there before and that place is really beautiful. I found it suitable for Princess Merida when she’s in the woods with her mother whom turned into a bear.

Cosplay Photographers: That Brave cosplayer is amazing. Do you have a link to her fanpage?

A.R.C. Photography: Yeah she is. But she doesn’t have any fanpage. Sorry ! (^-^)

Cosplay Photographers: That’s okay! Does a lot of the Malaysia landscape fit the games or shows that you’re shooting for?

A.R.C. Photography: Some cosplayers have no idea of where to shoot because they are from other states and they’re not familiar with the places around Selangor, the state where I’m staying at right now. Or some of them have no idea about the locations but they do know the environment based on their themes. They’ll tell me of what kind of places they wished to do shoots at because they know I am familiar with many shooting locations. Although some places have been over-used for photoshooting, but there’s still many ways to manipulate the scenes by capturing different compositions.

Cosplay Photographers: You mentioned earlier that cosplayers set up shoots with you first, then make the costume. Is that order more common in Malaysia? Usually here in the US people make costumes, then book shoots.

A.R.C. Photography: Yup, that is really common in Malaysia. Some cosplayers have done their costumes and props and then only book me for shoots. But most cosplayers book me for shootings while they’re making their costumes.

Cosplay Photographers: Are there any favorite costumes or series that you prefer to shoot over others?

A.R.C. Photography: Quite a number of them haha! Mostly those characters from video games and movies. Most cosplayers will show me their references of their characters, scenes from the anime/games, and fanarts, because some of the series they’re cosplaying, I have never watched or played before. All I can do is to research their series and understand of what is it all about before I can do photoshoots for them for matching the series and the themes.

Cosplay Photographers: Can you name one or two specific series that are your absolute favorites to shoot?

A.R.C. Photography: I am aiming at game titles more, like BioShock, TEKKEN series, Soul Calibur series, King of Fighters, Street Fighters, Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XIII, Fatal Frame series and lots of them to be listed here hahaha!

Cosplay Photographers: Fantastic! Tell us about your general post-processing workflow after a shoot.

A.R.C. Photography: About my post processing works, it is all depending on the themes of the cosplayers are doing. The way I post-process photos, I always follow the color moods and gradings based from the anime/games/movie. All my photos are edited in Adobe Lightroom 4. Sometimes using Photoshop for HDR retouching and adding some special effects.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you use HDR a lot? I find that it’s sometimes difficult when using HDR to get skin to look right.

A.R.C. Photography: Not really. I only take HDR shots if the location is beautiful, so as the sky. Mostly shot in wide angle in composition. Taking HDR shots may sometimes difficult, but if you know how to handle the lightings in the surrounding, isn’t a problem. But when retouching, need to carefully retouch the entire shot by layers. But seems my 5D Mark III has HDR feature, sometimes I do take HDR shot manually or automatically.

Cosplay Photographers: Ah that’s right! It’s true the newer cameras have HDR built in.

A.R.C. Photography: 5D Mark III, 6D and 1DX have HDR feature.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you prefer to keep the photo as natural as possible then, or do you do a lot of retouching and special effects?

A.R.C. Photography: Well all of my photos are natural background. I hardly add any additional backgrounds on it. I do on color gradings more than manipulate the background. Some series, don’t need much of color gradings. A simple and minor touch is enough.

Cosplay Photographers: Are there any photographers that you look up to personally, in Malaysia or otherwise?

A.R.C. Photography: Hmm~ most of the photographers I always look up are from overseas. Taiwan, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Cosplay Photographers: Name your top 3 favorite photographers. They can be cosplay photographers or not.

A.R.C. Photography: Revamp, Shiro Ang and Alf Alive. I only met Shiro Ang personally, but for Revamp and Alf Alive still in pending for opportunity to meet each other one day XD

Cosplay Photographers: What do you hope to accomplish with your photography in the next year?

A.R.C. Photography: Well, photography is my passion and hobby and I hope not to give up on it. I am hoping myself to achieve of what I wished for based on my improvements of my photography.

Cosplay Photographers: Any plans to travel outside of Malaysia for photos or anime conventions?

A.R.C. Photography: I’m planning to travel to Taiwan and Singapore’s Anime Conventions on the coming months. I wished to travel and visit Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, China, Thailand, Australia and US for the anime conventions and also doing some photoshoots for some of my friends I’ve met online.

Cosplay Photographers: We at Cosplay Photographers would love to meet you as well!

A.R.C. Photography: Oh! I am honored hahahaha! I would love to meet you guys too.

For more of ARC Photography’s fantastic work, you can visit him on Facebook at facebook.com/the.arc.photography

Cosplay Photographers: Thanks so much for taking the time to be interviewed! So tell us a little bit about your background and where you are from.

Vaxzone: I am currently staying in this beautiful island called Singapore.

Cosplay Photographers: And how did you get into photography in general?

Vaxzone: Since I was young, I liked to look at those awesome pictures taken by reporters and journalist. You don’t need to read the description and you understand what was going on by just looking that those pictures. That inspired me to get me into photography.

Cosplay Photographers: What about cosplay photography?

Vaxzone: Cosplay photography is a little bit different from event, wedding, portrait and landscape photography. It is the combination of all the above plus creativity. Especially in searching/planning to create fantasy feel type of artwork where it does not exist in our normal day-to-day life.

Cosplay Photographers: Have you ever cosplayed, or do you just take the photos?

Vaxzone: Nope, just cosplayed as a photographer… hahaha. I still prefer creating artwork instead.

Cosplay Photographers: What would you say are a few things that define your photography style?

Vaxzone: My goal: every piece of Artwork will tell a story with just a single glance.

Cosplay Photographers: What’s your favorite gear to use on a shoot?

Vaxzone: I got very limited gear: a camera and 3 lenses, all of them are my favorite gears.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you have any gear that is your least favorite?

Vaxzone: Every single gear or lens has its own pro and con. Know the gear you own and use it for the right place and purpose.

Cosplay Photographers: Could you talk a little about the cosplay scene in Singapore?

Vaxzone: AFA and Cosfest are some of the big event in Singapore, where you will see a lot of awesome cosplayers and a lot more photographers.

Cosplay Photographers: Which events do you usually go to?

Vaxzone: I will try to visit most of the big cosplay events in Singapore mainly to catch up with friends and meeting new friends from overseas.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you shoot a lot at events, or do you prefer to do private photoshoots at other locations?

Vaxzone: I hardly shoot in cosplay events. I do prefer to do private photoshoots at other location which is more suitable to the character.

Cosplay Photographers: Could you describe a typical shoot? How long does the session last?

Vaxzone: In most of my shoot, it took around 2-3 hours.

Cosplay Photographers: And how much planning do you do in advance?

Vaxzone: Normally I will discuss the shoot detail with cosplayers 1 – 2 weeks in advance.

Cosplay Photographers: How many final images do you usually end up with after a shoot?

Vaxzone: Most of the shoots done, I might have 1 – 2 photos which I like and will keep reviewing them, mainly to critique myself where to improve.

Cosplay Photographers: Describe your post-processing workflow…do you do a lot of retouching?

Vaxzone: It depends on the anime or game and character, mainly I will just adjust the color tone, curve etc.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you do any photography besides cosplay photography?

Vaxzone: Yeah, I do wedding, events, travel photography etc.

Cosplay Photographers: How do you think the cosplay photography community has changed since you started?

Vaxzone: In this short 3 year period, photographers are getting more experience and more awesome works; cosplayers are getting better in makeup and crazy props making skills, sewing skills etc.

Cosplay Photographers: Who are some of your favorite photographers?

Vaxzone: Anyone who produce artwork that tell a story. I like to browse through newspapers, magazine, internet for awesome work from different individual. Sometimes I will just look at one picture/drawing for a long time.

Cosplay Photographers: And what are your future plans for your own photography?

Vaxzone: I would like to do more people and scenery related photography.

Cosplay Photographers: Thank you so much! For those of you who would like to see more of Vaxzone’s work, you can visit his deviantart at vaxzone.deviantart.com.

In the meantime, we present this month’s Featured Photographer from China, 35Ryo.

Check out his amazing photos:

If you like his amazing work as much as we do, you can see more on his deviantART.

Hi Bunny, thanks for joining us today! So where are you located?

Bunny Tuan: Hi ^^. I am in San Francisco now.

Cosplay Photographers: Beautiful city, I hear! Must be endless opportunities for amazing photoshoot locations. So is Bunny Tuan your real name, nickname, or something else?

Bunny Tuan: I love San Francisco, a lovely city. Many amazing photoshoot locations come to my mind. Bunny Tuan is my nickname. In my hometown, friends always call me Tuan. ^^

Cosplay Photographers: Very cute. So how did you get involved with cosplay photography?

Bunny Tuan: I started to get involved with photography 5 years ago. My mother is really good at photography. We planned to have an art-photo studio together. She takes photos of normal portraits and I shoot cosplay photos. My mother taught me a lot regarding photography. When I went to a university, I met my friends who like cosplaying, like me. Since we didn’t have a professional photographer to take photos of us at that time, I became a cosplay photographer.

Cosplay Photographers: Oh nice! Does your mom have a website where we can see her work? What are things that she taught you in terms of photography?

Bunny Tuan: ^^; My mother has no photography website, but she is good at photography and it’s not even her job. She likes taking photos of people when they are talking and thinking about something, like a big movement pose, or a tiny change on the face. When I was younger, I always laughed at my mother and asked why she likes taking photos of such strange facial expressions. She affects me a lot. I love catching the moment in cosplay photography now. Really like it! Also, my mother taught me a lot about photography, like how to use camera and the basic skills.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you instruct your cosplayers on how you want them to pose, or are you just waiting for that right moment and “snap?”

Bunny Tuan: I tell them what they need to do. “Please keeping running, please keep chatting with each other,” stuff like that. And then I start to look for and capture the right moment. Sometimes they need to do it twice or more. Then I can try different angles to get a different look.

Cosplay Photographers: Your approach seems to be much more photojournalist/candid. Do you ever find that some cosplayers need more direction than others? How do you handle that?

Bunny Tuan: Maybe? I like to try different types of cosplay photography. I typically ask cosplayers what types of feeling they want for the photo or “please tell me story of this character.” Then I think, is it an awesome lighting photo, storytelling, a sports movement, or some other way they saw. Sometimes, they will show some pictures of what they like and I will try to get the feel of what they want.

Cosplay Photographers: So how long have you been doing cosplay photography for now?

Bunny Tuan: About 4 years? Or 3 – 4 years.

Cosplay Photographers: What are some lessons you have learned in those 3 – 4 years?

Bunny Tuan: I learned from many awesome photographers. They all have their own unique styles. Sometimes it can also affect me on drawing pictures. Colors, combination, and angles.

Cosplay Photographers: Any tips for new cosplay photographers?

Bunny Tuan: I like cosplay photographers having their own opinion or ideas on their shooting every time, telling a story from a set of photos without words.

Cosplay Photographers: So tell us about your cosplaying. What kind of characters do you cosplay?

Bunny Tuan: Any characters I like, or animation I like. It’s hard to say. There are so many characters and animation that I love.

Cosplay Photographers: So when you’re photographing, how often do you know the characters you’re photographing?

Bunny Tuan: 80% characters I know. If I have time, I will go to see the animation. Otherwise, I will search for references about the characters and their stories.

Cosplay Photographers: In your opinion, is it important to research and know the character in order to effectively photograph?

Bunny Tuan: Of course! Any kind of researching will be a good point that can be used in my shooting. The better I know the character, the better I can have the right feeling to take the photo.

Cosplay Photographers: How much time would you spend researching a character or series if you didn’t know much about it? Do you just read what’s online or do you try to watch the series a bit?

Bunny Tuan: I will have the shooting scheduled one or two weeks before the shoot. And I watch the series as well. On the day before shooting, I will search for some cosplay photos as well.

Cosplay Photographers: What has been you’re most exciting shoot to date? And why?

Bunny Tuan: Hmmmmm, let me see… the first time I got flash, I brought them to do a night shooting for Tiger and Bunny at the end of 2012. It was a big change in my cosplay photography. I started to take photos with different lighting such as flash and LED light. It’s a new beginning in my cosplay photography.

Cosplay Photographers: So you’re using more flash and artificial lighting now? What’s the biggest thing about using flash?

Bunny Tuan: I use a reflector at day-time, outdoor photoshoot and flash+LED light for in-door or at night-time photoshoots. I didn’t even know how to use flash before I got it! I’m trying to level up my flash abilities! I also ask some of my cosplay photographers to give me some advice on how to use flash. I think the biggest problem that I’ve had is that I didn’t know how to use flash before I got it. ^^

Cosplay Photographers: So do you find that you are doing more photography than cosplaying now? Which interests you more?

Bunny Tuan: Yes, I felt that. Maybe I feel I cannot have too much time on just cosplaying. Maybe then I will change my hobby to my job in the future. Honestly, it’s hard to say which I love better. For cosplay, I like to cosplay together with my friends, usually 2 or 3 people together. I don’t know if I will still keep cosplaying by myself, but for cosplay photography, I never think about when I will stop it.

Cosplay Photographers: Are there any cosplay photographers that inspire you in your art?

Bunny Tuan: Hybridre, I think many people know her. Also some Japanese cosplay photographers who are also cosplayers. There’s also 35RYO, another Chinese cosplay photographer.

Cosplay Photographers: Oh yes, we are very familiar with them. Are there “regular” photographers that you find inspiration from as well?

Bunny Tuan: Hmmmm….because I’m always browsing photos or drawings from CURE and Pixiv, it’s hard to see any “regular” photographers there I think. One of my friends who does photography for bands, his name is RYAN Kort, and I like many of his works and opinions. Some wedding photographers’ work that I like to see is TANGVISION, but I don’t know if many people know him. And also Ninagawa Mika! She’s kind of a regular photographer, but her works give me many ideas.

Cosplay Photographers: So what software do you use to process your photos?

Bunny Tuan: Photoshop CS5.

Cosplay Photographers: Just Photoshop? You don’t use Lightroom or anything else?

Bunny Tuan: No. I use Canon software to select and delete photos and then Photoshop to edit them.

Cosplay Photographers: So on a shoot, how many photos do you end up taking?

Bunny Tuan: Around 200.

Cosplay Photographers: How many of the 200 make the final cut?

Bunny Tuan: I will delete until I have about 50 left. Then I’ll edit around 30 of them. Finally, I’ll post around 20 photos.

Cosplay Photographers: Do the cosplayers get to choose or do you select?

Bunny Tuan: I choose what I like. ^^ And then I send the 50 I selected to the cosplayers.

Cosplay Photographers: What are you looking for when you’re deciding which ones to edit?

Bunny Tuan: Many of them are of the same poses, but I’m looking for the best facial expression, composition, and movement. It must a interesting photo, not just a normal photo.

Cosplay Photographers: When you’re editing a photo, what are you typically doing? Is it just minor exposure adjustments?

Bunny Tuan: Listening to music. It’s really important to me, OK! I do overall color adjustments in RAW, then liquefy in Photoshop, if needed. I’ll also change the light and shade of color a little bit. Finally, sharpening and blurring.

Cosplay Photographers: LOL, nice! Great way to get into the mood! Do you find the type of music you listen to affects how you’re editing a photo?

Bunny Tuan: Depends on which animation I’m processing from, I’ll choose the music from that series to listen to.

Cosplay Photographers: So how long does it take you to complete the editing of a shoot?

Bunny Tuan: If I can put aside a whole day without anything else to do, maybe 3~4 hours to edit. Then 1 hour to post online. Sometimes I feel I spend too much time on posting photos to my blog or other websites.

Cosplay Photographers: Which is your favorite photo that you have taken and why?

Bunny Tuan: It’s hard to say… Maybe the APH-Russian & China shot I took in Summer 2012 when I was back in China or the one I edited with snow flying around. I love that photo very much. It has good lighting, shadow, color, facial expression and has a strong feeling in my mind.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you attend a lot of Anime conventions?

Bunny Tuan: Hmmm, in China, YES. In U.S., not so much. The big conventions that I generally go to are just Fanime and Anime-Expo. Others are small local Anime conventions. I’d like to go to more conventions more often, but it’s too far for me to go without a car…

Cosplay Photographers: Which has been your favorite convention(s) so far?

Bunny Tuan: Fanime and CP (Shanghai, China).

Cosplay Photographers: So how do cosplayers typically get a photoshoot with you? Do they ask you or do you ask them? A combination of both?

Bunny Tuan: If the cosplayers are not too close to me, meaning that they are not my close friends, I’ll ask them by email. During conventions, I will give cosplayers my business card with my email and other info and they can ask me for a photoshoot anytime.

Cosplay Photographers: So why are Fanime and CP your favorite conventions?

Bunny Tuan: So many awesome cosplayers! The best cosplayers I saw go to Fanime. This is the first time I can discover how much hard work they do by themselves for their costumes and weapons. Really nice. Many conventions are different from Fanime than in China. I think CP is the biggest one. I can buy so many interesting fan books and handmade stuff there.

Cosplay Photographers: So if we look inside your camera bag, what kind of camera, lenses, and etc. would we find in there?

Bunny Tuan: Camera is a Canon EOS 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L lens. Sometimes, I use my Helios-44-2 58mm/F2 lens. I use Yongnuo flash and 1 led light.

Cosplay Photographers: How do you like the Canon EOS 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L lens?

Bunny Tuan: Oh~ I usually shoot inside a studio, so it’s a little bit wide-angle, which is enough for me. I am considering having a Canon fixed focal lens with a little bit more wide-angle. I like Canon’s color more than Nikon ^^.

Cosplay Photographers: So what are your cosplay photography plans in the next few years? Anything new or interesting that you want to try?

Bunny Tuan: Not any big plans at the moment, but I do want to shoot more cosplay of Hetalia. Also more elements, like raining and snow. Also I want to shoot some old animations and to try to shoot like a movie series. ^^ I am still trying a different kind of movie feeling, basically shoot photos with a movie feel. It is still different with real pictures from movie. And I think a different topic, but animation or manga need to be shot with different types of movie style. It’s hard, I know.

Cosplay Photographers: What goes through your mind when you’re trying to shoot one of those series?

Bunny Tuan: I don’t know. Perhaps color? Shooting angle? Story telling order? I am still trying to do my best. I want to tell people a story in my mind or show how the character is feeling with my camera.

Cosplay Photographers: So thank you so much for joining us today Bunny, and sharing your amazing work with us. Did you have anything you wanted to add before we finish up the interview?

Bunny Tuan: ^^ I think it’s ok. Thank you for the interview. I hope I can do better in 2013.

Jay, thank you for taking time out to do this interview with us. Can you tell us where you’re from and how you got started in photography?

Jay Tablante: I’m from Quezon City, Philippines.

Photography was never really part of the original picture. I actually wanted to be a game developer/designer back in college. Back then my cousin was into photography and decided to put up a dark room in the house. I fell in love with the entire film developing process and that was the start I guess. From that nudge, I apprenticed under a professional photographer for 2 years before striking it out on my own, mainly doing product shots and interior work under him. Since then, I’ve been shooting professionally for nine years mostly for fashion magazines, commercial and advertising. I starting experimenting with cosplay photography back in 2007.

Cosplay Photographers: When you struck out on your own, did you struggle to find work or did success come pretty early on? What kind of support did you have from your friends and family?

Jay Tablante: Like any start-up business, it was difficult. I took out a “parental” loan to purchase my first set of lights and professional camera equipment. First few months didn’t crop up much work, and was sitting on my butt most of the time. With a lack of a choice, I took on a part-time job working as an art director for a publishing company. I was assigned to their showbiz magazine (something like a local version of People). Because of my photography background, they had me double shooting local celebrities and doing layout at the same time.

School mates and friends who ended up working for advertising agencies were my first contacts. They gave me my first breaks in the industry. The small print-ads, and gigs here and there started consuming more time in my “day job” until I took the gamble of resigning. I concentrated on doing photography full time since then.

Cosplay Photographers: That’s awesome! So it seems you primarily do commercial photography. Do you dabble in weddings, events, fashion, or anything else?

Jay Tablante: Starting out meant having to do all sorts of odd gigs here and there, so I basically did everything. But eventually, most of the work started revolving itself around fashion, glamour (FHM and Maxim) and advertising.

Weddings is a totally different sub-industry, which I only dabble in whenever a relative or a friend would insist (and that’s a whole lot of insisting) on getting me.

My commercial portfolio could be partially found here.

Cosplay Photographers:  So how did you get into cosplay photography? Was there someone who introduced you or did you randomly stumble upon it?

Jay Tablante: Getting into cosplay photography came from two fronts.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always liked comics. The very first comic book I bought was Uncanny X-MEN #1, with the multiple gatefold covers when I was ten years old. Ever since I’ve been a fan of the X-MEN, and my love for pop-culture grew from there. I started watching anime when I was in high school after my parents brought me to Tokyo for a summer vacation. So you could say my base geekdom is comics, and anime a close second. I never outgrew them for some reason, and even until now you’d have me watching anime or read comics on a regular basis.

There are lots of professional photographers in Manila, and a good number of us dwelling in fashion/advertising. This made the marketing competitive over the years, and I sought out a means to separate my images from the rest. I’ve had my fair share bending on the bandwagon themes of “fashion” and “glamour” –  I was itching to do something new, and uniquely mine. I started dabbling into surreal / fantasy themes when I started holding one-man exhibits back in 2005, and eventually into more pop-culture theme work in 2008. It was then when I touched on doing a comic book panel as part of that overall homage. That image perhaps was the first “cosplay” image we came up with.

Cosplay photography eventually became the avenue for me to express my love for comics/anime combined with what I did for a living.

Cosplay Photographers: So this is the inspiration where the famous Jean Grey/Phoenix shot of Alodia came from? Walk us through the workflow and concept for one of these shots. Like how do you decide what character or theme and how do you make it all happen from finding the cosplayer, location, and etc.

Jay Tablante: I could explain Phoenix best against an earlier piece we did back in 2010.

The Tea After Party image taught us the value of production design, and preparation prior to shooting. “Alice” as it was more popularly nicknamed (because of its obvious subject), was the result of an entire month of pre-production, an afternoon of setup and 30 minutes of actual shooting. The post-production took about 2-3 days give or take.  Subsequent images that came after concentrated on getting everything on the set. My philosophy here was all about saving time and effort in post-production. We relied on practical effects to achieve what we wanted, and for two years, our cosplay images were made in the same manner. We reveled with the idea of having a working template to get our work out there faster. Phoenix has always been a character in our list, not only for the popularity, but simply because she was a character worth doing. I found our first attempt at Phoenix rather botched with afterthoughts of doubt —at least that’s how I felt. Something wasn’t right during our shoot. I wasn’t fully able to pin-point it properly, and just shrugged it aside. When it finally came into post-production, a lot of things were left lacking. The end result was something half-baked and completely below our standards.

Eventually, it wouldn’t only happen with Phoenix, but on a good number of ideas we had. There are some cosplay shoots that never made the light of day. Some important learning:

• I was trying to apply practical effects over a character which needed something more “fantastic.”
• I failed in translating my imagination into real-world execution.

What I learned with Alice had to be unlearned when we shot Phoenix the second time. I was too concerned with capturing the image as a whole at one go, whereas Phoenix required a treatment to take the image apart and visualize the end result in a purely imaginative realm. It contradicted my initial notion of making it easier for the post-production team by having everything in-frame. This new “material” setup emancipated them from the boundaries of what my camera originally captured. We could then compose images as we saw fit. The challenge in photography now is shooting individual elements, yet making the overall lighting coherent so when things are finally put into place, it resembles one image.

Each and every cosplay shoot presents a different workflow, so it’s hard to pin-point a particular method. But in broad strokes, we usually cover the following bases.

• Character (based on iconic status — we look for established characters, but aren’t over-exposed)
• Concept / Art Direction
• Costume / Styling
• Cosplayer / Model
• Make-up
• Production Design
• Post-production

The important ingredient to make all of this work is the coherence of the big idea. Without it, the visual elements would stick out of place.

Cosplay Photographers: Wow, quite amazing all the parts that go into crafting a masterpiece. This goes back to one of our theories that as the photographer, you’re more than the just the person taking a photo. To truly create a piece of art, you have to be the director and offer guidance to all the other “departments” like make-up, lighting, and etc. and at the same time be a technician in that you need to know enough about make-up, posing, lighting, camera settings, post processing, and etc. to understand and provide the guidance. But what a difference approaching an image not as capturing the image in one go, but rather in the sum of each parts to create the final image! Do you approach your commercial stuff such as advertising and fashion the same way?

Jay Tablante: The cosplay and advertising work actually have this symbiotic relationship for us. What I learn from one, I applied in the other. The people who I work with in the industry are the same ones in our cosplay photography endeavors. I see advertising as creativity with parameters of working within a brand. The art directors who pitch in the concept creation come from ad agencies who just want to do fun stuff on the side. They bring in the science of storyboarding, pegs, scripts, and process.

We also get to employ the help of Filipino Marvel/DC artists (Carlo Pagulayan, Leinil Yu, and Harvey Tolibao) into the picture. They provide the illustrations and human anatomy poses most of us can’t imagine. Sometimes, they would even complete the artwork, sign and give it to the model / cosplayer.

It’s that kind of discipline and attention to detail we get to bring into the cosplay photography realm. Vice-versa, cosplay photography frees us to think out of the box in approaching images.

Cosplay Photographers: We were going to ask if you had a team that you regularly work with and it sounds like it. So let’s talk education for a bit. How did you learn about photography? Was it mostly self-taught, workshops, school, or etc.?

Jay Tablante: It’s not really a solid team per se, and members have changed over time. Give or take, there are consistent members who have been working with us for as long as 8 years.

Photography was more of an accidental love back in high school and college. I was pretty much into graphic design and layout for much of high school, and I thought of getting myself in photography as a natural course. It didn’t last pretty much and laid dormant until latter part of college. My cousin who stayed with us for her college, got into photography because of her dad. She took up summer courses in film in a neighboring university, and often went home with rolls of film and manuals. We put up a makeshift darkroom in the house thanks to my dad. I would often accompany her in that cramped box for all-nighters just developing film and prints.

A good portion of my basic knowledge came from books and self-study. But I’ve always reminded myself that breaking into the business meant having to learn the ropes from an actual professional. So I became an apprentice during the weekends and after school during college. I did all sorts of stuff from carrying gear, setting up lights to cleaning up the studio after shoots. In exchange I was taught the basics of lighting, and all the gear that went with it.

Cosplay Photographers: What method did you find to be the most efficient and effective in regards to learning photography?

Jay Tablante: The longer I’ve been shooting, more the I realized that necessity is the best teacher. It’s better to know a few techniques that you get to use over and over, than overloading yourself with so much stuff from workshops you’d hardly be using. Let the concept dictate the technique you would need to learn. Understanding through forced practice ingrains the knowledge better than blunt memorization from spoon-fed sources. It actually took awhile before I learned how to shoot with natural light; it wasn’t until several projects that came along requiring it.. then I had to evolve and learn.

Cosplay Photographers: Great advice Jay! So let’s talk gear for a bit. I understand you’re a Canon Brand Ambassador (or Explorer of Light?) so I’m guessing you use Canon? Share with us the tools you have in the bag.

Jay Tablante: Yep! Though the Asian counterpart program is called, Crusaders of Light… same banana though. I think they want a more superhero-ish flare to it? Hahaha.

I currently have a 5D-Mark 3 and a 1DX for my camera bodies. Lenses, there’s always three (3) that I use almost everyday: 17-40mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm. I also keep some macros with me for food and product work, but that’s about it. I never really keep alot of lenses, since maintaining them could get cumbersome. The rest of my gear is actually lights, and that’s what I really invested in over the years.

Cosplay Photographers: Well, that’s certainly one of the best advantages of being a Crusader/Explorer of Light, you get to use the latest and best Canon gear! So, in regards to the age old argument over equipment vs. photographer, does shooting with the latest and greatest of Canon help you, hurt you, does nothing for you? What do you like best about each camera?

Jay Tablante: I always saw whatever technological advantage high-end Canon camera provided as more of a justified necessity for our line of job. We use them simply because we earn money from it.

The supposed rhetorical argument of equipment vs. photographer is something incomparable, like apples to oranges in my honest opinion. A bad idea with the good equipment, and a good idea with bad equipment would have the same result: a lousy photo. The photographer thinks about the “what” and the equipment takes care of the “how.” The way those two factors are balanced determines end the result of your work. If your equipment can’t handle the concept then adjust your idea, and if you have too much gear for your idea, perhaps you’re not pushing it hard enough.

A bit on the technical side, I like how Canon has developed the AF systems for 5D Mark 3 and 1DX. It actually allowed me to experiment more with natural light and more raw feel images. The grain profile on both is also amazing. You don’t see the grains until you’ve past 2400 ISO, etc… and even that point, it’s quite minimal.

Cosplay Photographers: Was there any specific reason you chose to use Canon?

Jay Tablante: Canon has amazing technical support here, especially for us professionals. Other camera brands, can’t boast that level of service and manpower. Plus it’s a system I’ve grown to use as 2nd nature of the years.

Cosplay Photographers: So what kind of lighting stuff do you use, including modifier, and what type of light setup do you typically favor and why?

Jay Tablante: I invested heavily with lights, since that’s what makes or breaks the shot over and above the camera gear if you’re forced to prioritize. I have an Einstein/Alien Bees/White Lighting setup, as well as a complement of Phottix, Hensel, Aurora Genesis lights. Most cosplay shoots average about 8-10 lights on the setup. The Tea After Party took 15 lights, and White Phoenix about 10. We have about about 26 lights total in the studio.

There’s no particular setup really, and that’s something I’ve been trying to avoid: getting locked down to a particular formation. Each and every cosplay shoot presents a new challenge, so no 1 setup would work. I let the concept dictate the lighting formation as needed. But common elements you would see in most of our cosplay shoots are strong highlights and shadows to make the image 3D-ish in appearance especially when post production has gone through with it.

Cosplay Photographers: Wow, you’re kinda like Joe McNally in the number of lights you have there! But at the end of the day, lighting is one of the most important aspects of photography and the more control over light you have, the better the shots can be right?

So how do you come up with a concept for the shoot? Is it mainly you and then you find the people to achieve that or do you get people together and decide on a concept?

Jay Tablante: Concepts are always a team effort, and ideas could just come from any of the members. At the end of the day, an idea is always presented on the table and the team at large deliberates over the feasibility. We always consider the world the character revolves in, and situation he/she might be doing. It’s a delicate balancing act between running wild with your imagination and reality (a.k.a. financial and logistical constraints).

The characters we choose more or less belong within a common knowledge between the team, so everybody has something to bring to the creative table.

Cosplay Photographers: So how does a cosplayer work with you? Do they contact you, do you contact them, combination of both, random lottery, or etc.?

Jay Tablante: I would love to work with Vampy. Too bad we just couldn’t find a common time during NYCC ’11, but we’re hoping to do something next year for SDCC ’13 perhaps. There’s actually this Hungarian cosplayer, Enji (http://enjinight.deviantart.com/) who I really want to work with. She has the best Supergirl cosplay I could find.

Cosplay Photographers: Are there any photographers (dead or alive) that you would love to meet? What inspires you about each one?

Jay Tablante: If I had my wishlist, I would love to have a drink with the following (not in any particular order):

• Annie Liebovitz
• Herb Ritz
• Mark Seliger
• Antoine Verglas
• David La Chapelle
• Dave Hill
• Jim Fiscus

The common denominator among these photographers is pushing what can be imagined, and they just make it real for us to experience. Particularly Annie’s work the re-imagination of Disney characters was just amazing. Dave Hill and Jim Fiscus have mastered hyper-reality that makes you think if it was still a photograph.

Cosplay Photographers: Sweet! Are there any cosplay photographers that particularly catch you eye?

Jay Tablante: To be candid with you, I never really bothered looking into other cosplay photographers’ work. There are images that catch my attention, but most are a fleeting feeling. Strange as it may seem for a good number of people who might be reading this, but I find alot more inspiration looking at anything but photography. I hang out more with comic book artists, writers, sculptors, etc.. rather than my own kind. Cosplay photography maybe my outlet of expressing imagination, but at a base knowledge, I’m a fashion and advertising photographer. I’ve always looked back the masters of these genres for wisdom.

Cosplay Photographers: Very interesting; a refreshing looking. So what conventions have you attended? Any particular ones that are your favorite?

Jay Tablante: I’ve been attending STGCC (Singapore Toys, Games and Comics Con) for the past years, and went to NYCC ’11. I guested in MGCC (Malaysian Games and Comics Con) with Alodia and ICDS (International Cosplay Day Singapore) with Yaya Han this year. Work doesn’t really permit me to travel around and attend international conventions that much. There are lots of local ones like Komikon, HERO, etc…

Of all cons I’ve gone to, NYCC would’ve taken the cake easily out of sheer size. I also got to meet some idolized writers and artists in their artist’s alley as well.

Cosplay Photographers: So what is in-store for Jay Tablante in 2013?

Jay Tablante: Could be summed up on one event: San Diego Comic Con!

Cosplay Photographers: That’s awesome! We gotta get a bunch of people together to give you a proper greeting! Any big projects we should be on the lookout for? Don’t worry if it’s a secret, you can tell us, we won’t tell anyone!

Jay Tablante: Well, there are stuff to watch out before this year ends.

I’m tapping back into old anime and video games in my youth. So you might just see a Macross cosplay shoot, complete with an SDF-1 in the background. But that’s still in the pipeline.

Cosplay Photographers: If a new cosplay photographer came to you asking for advice on how to get better, what are the top three things you would tell him or her?

Jay Tablante:

1. Choose a shoot a character out of your own childhood experiences. There is no better connection than something you grew up with. You would have a personal stake and contribution to the image.
2. Get out of your comfort zone, and learn the craft on the other side of the camera asides from being behind it. A working knowledge in make-up, styling, and production design could go a long way in setting the direction for your work.
3. Get inspired outside of photography so you could bring in something new every time.

Cosplay Photographers: Great tips! So if you didn’t become a photographer, what would you have been?

Jay Tablante: I originally wanted to be a game developer.

Cosplay Photographers: Well, we’re glad you became a photographer so we can enjoy your amazing works! Is there any big regret that you wish you could change?

Jay Tablante: For sure there are lots, but without those mistakes, I wouldn’t be learning what I am learning now.

Cosplay Photographers: Jay, thank you so much for sitting down with us today. We can’t wait to see what else you have in store. Do you have any parting words for our readers?

Jay Tablante: Never lose the child in us.

Thank you so much Mary and Duy for joining us today. We’ve been huge fans of tank9 for awhile now and it’s a privilege to interview the both of you. Can you tell us how Tank9 got started?

Duy Luu: Thank you! We are both happy to be featured Cosplayer Photographers of the month. This is how tank9 all started. Beginning in 1998, I served for the U.S. Army for three years as an M1A1/A2 tank crew member. My love for driving a tank put me on tracks to videography… Yes, the military gave me an opportunity to try photography with a Canon EOS SLR. However, I was more interested in filming with my Handycam, and editing video with software. I used free software such as Movie Maker and later iMovie to edit until it was too slow for my workflow. When I was honorably discharged from the military, I came to identify myself as “tank.” When I decided to create a YouTube account in 2006, “9” was added to my name for it’s multiplication simplicity.

Cosplay Photographers: Wow, thank you for serving, you have our undying appreciation and respect. So how long ago was this when you got into video?

Duy Luu: I was recording my own voice to cassette tape when I was 5 with a tape recorder. When I was about 12 I saw a man filming me with his rather heavy camcorder on his shoulder, which recorded onto VHS. Later I had my chances of playing with different video cameras that recorded onto smaller tapes called VHS-C and HI8. By 14 I learned how to record TV to VHS and how to add shows to the video tapes without copying over old shows. By 15 I was editing tapes with two VHS players. As long as I could remember I was doing something with a video camera, from filming claymations, animating drawings, to creating stop motion, and adding special effects such as making my brother disappear in thin air. All of this was done by editing on VHS to VHS tape, VHS player to camcorder, and for animations, recorded by pressing the record button, and stopping it quickly.

Cosplay Photographers: Incredible! And here we had always figured Ackson was the “first”, but we think it’s safe to say tank9 is the first cosplay videographer! So at what point or what convention did you first start your experiment of getting cosplayers to dance?

Duy Luu: While I feel that it’s advantageous to be the “first” to do things in a new combination, Ackson and I do things differently as videographers. He is competitive in his own way, and I respect that.

During Anime Expo 97, I recorded some Ranma 1/2 cosplayers, Record of Lodoss Wars Deedlit, DBZ, and some others on a VHS-C tape. That tape has never been uploaded to the Internet. That tape paved the way for filming cosplayers dancing at conventions. I still have my single day badge for AX 97.

It was Anime Expo 2009 that I returned with a borrowed Sony DCR-TRV280, and a catch 22 situation: a very tight budget and no AX attendee pass. It may have been criminal back then, if I didn’t sneak into every place I could for free, and didn’t film a dance video with cosplayers. It was essentially my next industrial dance video, but at Anime Expo. What I’ve done is do with what I had; it was a very low cost production. Cosplayers were surprised that I asked them to suddenly dance with them. On top of that, there were no music for them to hear. I’m glad that cosplayers put in the effort to dance with me, it was really fun, so I’ve been back doing dance videos ever since. I hope I have become a welcomed addition to Anime Expo all these years since 2009.

Cosplay Photographers: So we noticed tank9 has this beautiful girl dancing in the videos as well. Who is she and how did she get started with tank9?

Mary Elizabeth Notz: In September 2010, Tank and I were introduced by a mutual friend at Perversion, a Gothic/Industrial dance club located on Hollywood Blvd at the time. Later that evening at the dance venue we began talking in between breaks from dancing. I was aware of his “Angry Industrial Dancer in Little Saigon” video, and I knew who he was on youtube, but he seemed really nice so I was interested in talking to him and seeing who he was as a person.

A few days after being introduced and casually spending time together Tank sent me a message on myspace asking if I would like to be a guest dancer in one of his upcoming videos. I used to be super shy, but I loved dancing at clubs! To me being out on the dance floor surrounded by the music I loved was the best feeling in the world. I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone and go for it! A week later we met up and drove to Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles to film our “Centhron-Dreckstuck” Video.

After the Centhron video was released, there was a demand to see more of me by Tank’s viewers. I began making practice dance videos in my room to feed the demand. A few months after we decided to make our “Downtown Invasion” video featuring us both. From there both of our individual and combined fan bases kept growing.

I joined in on Tank’s third Anime Expo video: “Anime Expo Dance to Space Electro“. Over the months we have created solo dance videos and combined dance videos, spontaneously on the streets or at planned events such as cons. Tank and I are a team, we work together on all of our projects. We both film and dance, collaborate with others, make decisions on the editing. It’s a lot of work, but I feel that we are a strong team and that is what keeps us moving forward. His strengths are my weaknesses in a lot of aspects and vice versa, yet we both envision things and think on the same level, we communicate and that’s what keeps things progressing.

Cosplay Photographers: Wow, that’s awesome! What a great story to tell the grandchildren one day huh? So you guys also do documentary videos. What’s that all about?

Duy Luu: Haha. I can’t imagine what our grandchildren will think of us. I wonder now, haha.

The anime convention documentary videos is our efforts to branch out to try something new other than our original dance videos.

We have been tinkering with short documentary-like films for a short period of time on the OtakuEverything YouTube channel, and now, we feel that it’s time to put practice to its real purpose on our new tankNmary YouTube channel. We feel that there is a strong need to cover anime conventions in all its offerings. There’s so much to touch upon at anime conventions that we want to share with everyone.

At tankNmary (tank9 and Mary Nine), It’s hard work to create awesome anime convention documentaries. In our minds, we have to always consider and remind ourselves to create videos that will appeal to most of our audiences, while still remaining genuine to ourselves. That’s part of the hard work. However, our documentary work is also play time too. We enjoy meeting new people and fans, collaborating with designers and artists through sharing their art pieces, traveling to new places, trying new exciting activities such as anime/Kpop/Jpop/Jrock related Karaoke, and seeing amazing events, such as Battle of the Bands. And, we couldn’t have experienced most of these new experiences without our supportive fans. Much appreciation goes out to them for being a part of our lives.

There’s much more I’d like to touch upon about what we have learned and done for the anime community. However I’ll stay on topic and say this. Mary and I are both new to creating documentaries at conventions. If you join us and stick around to see our newer video projects, you’ll get to see our improvements in documentaries and more. Mary is improving on her techniques with technical video stuff, while I’m improving on hosting in front of the camera. Neither of us are better at all skills, so we teach, observe, and make suggestions to each other to improve in areas we aren’t good at. For example, I’ll teach her how to use the Glidecam camera stabilizer, and she’ll teach me how to deliver my messages effectively. We have helped each other out to create documentaries at conventions as best as we could and will continue to do so as we learn, so please stay tuned!

Cosplay Photographers: You guys are certainly doing some amazing work already from what we’ve seen. Are the documentaries going to be joined in the same tank9 videos or will they be separate videos?

Duy Luu: Thank you. We wanted to branch off from the YouTube channel tank9 to create other works on our YouTube channels, tankNmary and OtakuEverything, while still keeping the tank9 industrial dance channel moving forward. It’s not easy, but the documentaries we worked on are collaborations with many Etsy shop designers, such as hand-made, Avant-garde hair and jewelry accessories designer, Angelica Brigade, and graduate of design school, Lolita clothing and accessories designer, Pop Princess. We also communicate directly with musicians who have made a name for themselves and love what they do for music’s sake. These musicians provide us with License Agreements to their music in exchange for our services of producing a dance or documentary video using their music. In one case we worked with the amazing band Krystal System. They love our dance videos, and have featured us in their own music video called, “Nuclear Winter.” We also had the pleasure to work with Glidecam Industries Inc., which provided us with a free HD-1000 Glidecam to create smooth moving dance and documentary videos. The effort to move forward professionally has lead us to create separate YouTube channels other than tank9 and maryquitecontraryy.

Cosplay Photographers: You guys are certainly establishing a tank9 Network. Maybe in the future we’ll see your work available on iTunes as well? We really like how you’re showcasing so many talented designers as well. Plus, that’s cool how you’re able to legally use music in your videos through trade. So what’s your secret? How do you get cosplayers to dance in your videos?!

Duy Luu: I haven’t thought of putting our videos on iTunes yet, but that’s something we will definitely look into now, thanks for your suggestion.

Thank you, we love collaborating with other talented people, and will continue to work with others. Mary has helped me a lot by writing to many conventions and designers, while I write to musicians and other companies. Writing is communicating. Then we show them what we have created, and that’s only the beginning of developing relationships with other amazing people. Doing things the right way takes more effort and a lot of people’s help, but it’s worth it. That’s how we plan to get somewhere with our dance and documentary projects.

Our secret to get cosplayers to dance in our videos has changed over the years. At first it was asking permission to film them without telling them what would happen next if they agree. Then we would surprise instruct them into dancing with us, and most of the time, cosplayers are fine with this. But, there were times that some were to embarrass to dance, shied away, and that’s fine, because it takes courage to do something new as it turns out from trial and error. Now that we have become a bit more established in videography, and have a better understanding of how to approach people, we have learned that it’s best to let cosplayers know who we are and what we are doing first, to save us time on our production with people who don’t want to do it. Many cosplayers love to be a part of the video projects that we are creating, and it helps that we have so many fans who know who we are at conventions.

Cosplay Photographers: Great insight! Also I’m sure once you reach a certain following of fans, it gets easier to get people involved as they already know what you’re about and are more likely to be excited to be a part of it. So I know you mentioned you have sponsorship by Glidecam, what other equipment like cameras and accessories do you guys use to film the dance videos and documentaries?

Duy Luu: Every year we gain a bit more experience, and with that, an upgrade is necessary to expand our creativity. I remembered borrowing video cameras and asking my friend Sarkstir to help film me when I first began creating dance videos. Only later did I buy my own entry level HD video camera. The current camera equipments we use for video is a Panasonic TM900 with x.07 Panasonic wide angle conversion lens.

Later when we started a Kickstarter project for Anime Expo and Otakon 2012, our amazing supporters funded us a Rode VideoMic Pro for documentary use. Recently, for photography, we have been gifted a Canon Xsi to capture more content for our fans, and It’s perfect for our use. We have plans to add a new DSLR camera for future projects that will give us greater control over shallow depth of field. Other than that, I use a 2.93 GHz 27″ Intel Core i7 16GB iMac to edit video. It’s important that I add that, it’s not the equipment you have that gets you further along where you want to be, use what resources you have available. Even if that means borrowing or starting with entry level equipments.

Cosplay Photographers: That’s very good advice and we definitely agree, it’s not the equipment. So it sounds like the Kickstarter project was a great success! Do you guys have other plans for future Kickstarters?

Duy Luu: You’re welcome! Kickstarter is an amazing program for us! Since Kickstarter is an all or nothing program, we needed to reach our goals of $1500 for each project, otherwise no funds would be available. Succeeding in reaching our goals of $1500 for each Anime Expo and Otakon 2012 project is an accomplishment for both Mary and I. We certainly appreciate all the pledges that were made from fans and Backers on Kickstarter. Thanks to everyone who pledged and made a difference for us. We were able to travel, eat well, share hotel rooms with the awesome videographer Acksonl, meet a lot of cool people, and we completed two videos for Anime Expo and two videos for Otakon 2012. We were most excited to the point of tears that one particular person, who loved us so much, he contributed $1500 single handedly. That person’s name deserves to be well credited, Cameron Tillery, also listed in the ending credits of our four videos.

Kickstarter worked very well in the end, although it wasn’t actually a walk in the park, we most definitely will think about using Kickstarter again in the near future.

Cosplay Photographers: You guys have the best fans! Would you have any advice to other cosplay photographers/videographers who might be considering Kickstarter? Like where to start, what to do, what to avoid, and etc.?

Duy Luu: Sure, I’d be glad to share what we know about Kickstarter. First, read all the suggestions carefully on how to launch a successful Kickstarter project. They detail everything on their webpage. After all, your success is their success. Then, if you are still confused, browse around, and look for successful funded projects, and see how others are doing it. It’s pretty straightforward, I think. Tell people who you are, have a genuine heart, work towards your goal, reward people for helping you, and you will succeed. People will come forward to fund your project if they can see that you are credible behind your words. We had fun working on our projects and have been very appreciative of everyone’s efforts on helping us reach both our goals for the Otakon and Anime Expo 2012 projects.

Cosplay Photographers: Thanks for that great insight. So what’s next for you guys? What cons are you guys planning to be at or wanting to attend?

Duy Luu: We’re happy to say that we are in communication and working with some conventions and fashion/accessories designers. We will be in a better mood for producing more dance videos once the weather cools down, and expect to see more of our dance videos released on our YouTube channels. We will also be in collaborations with musicians. In the future, we hope to collaborate with more talented people and work on all new kinds of projects not yet thought of.

Cosplay Photographers: Thank you so much for sitting down with us and sharing such amazing stuff! We are truly honored and we can’t wait to see what else you guys have in store. Is there anything else you would like to add before we wrap this interview up?

Duy Luu: You’re welcome! It was our pleasure to be interviewed by Cosplay Photographers. Yes, If there are readers out there who want to know how we got where we are today, it’s genuinely working with different people and doing what you love.

Cosplay Photographers: For this month, we’re doing something a little different in that we have a special guest who will be doing the Cosplay Photographers Featured Photographer of the Month!

Kitsurie Yuki: Hey everyone! This is Kitsurie Yuki from the Toronto cosplay group, Cosmeko. I am very pleased to have been asked to interview our very locally well known cosplay photographer, Jack Liu! As the Cosplay community in Canada grows, cosplay photography is becoming more and more popular. I would like to welcome Jack here for some discussion and hopefully give you some insight and tips on his photography! Thank you for joining me today, Jack. I have seen many of your albums on flicker and I love your photography style! I have a few questions for you today so lets get started!

I understand that photography is a hobby that requires a lot of time and effort. Like cosplay, it takes experience to improve. How did you start out in photography?

Jack Liu: I had dabbled in film photography in high school, but really I started photography shortly after I graduated from university. My girlfriend (now fiancee) at the time, Vickybunnyangel, had asked me to help take better photos of her costumes, and using an old secondhand Canon DSLR, I did just that. They turned out horrible; she hated them, and I wasn’t too pleased either with the results. At that point, a modern point & shoot could’ve done a better job, but it gave me drive to get better. I knew that it wasn’t my equipment’s fault, but rather my own inexperience. Over the years, I continued to work on at it, and yeah, I’m definitely much improved than from a few years back.

Kitsurie Yuki: Hahaha I guess we have to partially thank VickyBunnyAngel for your amazing work now! I am interested in the fact that you mentioned that the equipment you have isn’t most defining aspect of photography in general. I can relate also when making cosplays, the quality of material is important but it is how you use the material that is most essential. Can you elaborate on a few things that is most important in taking a picture?

Jack Liu: Yes, she’s certainly been my muse over the years, and will continue to be so.

As often stated by veteran photographers over the years, the best equipment you’ll ever have is the one inside your head. And I’m all about getting a photo ‘right’ in-camera, and not relying on post-processing to fix my mistakes. Zack Arias, one of my favorite photographers, once said, “When taking a photo, if you ever think to yourself, ‘I’ll just fix this in Photoshop’, put down your camera and smack yourself in the head, because that’s lazy.” So when taking a picture, making sure the basics like nailing exposure and focus is important, but so is your attention to everything that’s in the frame you’re capturing. For instance, your subjects, if human, are they posing in a way that’s appropriate and/or characteristic with the mood and character they’re trying to portray? The light that’s hitting them, whether natural or artificial, is it sufficient and pleasing enough? The background, are there any elements that could be potentially distracting or could ‘photobomb’ the subject you’re attempting to capture? in addition, being able to interact with your subjects in an efficient, yet gentle enough manner, is also important, and a whole textbook could be written in regards to that.

VickyBunnyAngel

Kitsurie Yuki: What is it like to work with someone close to you like your fiancée? Would you say it brings out better pictures? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Jack Liu: Working with a loved one is certainly quite a unique experience, and often times the photos are better, and have more meaning. Since my fiancee was the main reason I started photography, I see working with her as a pilgrimage to my basic photography roots, where I get to use everything I learned from shooting other people/subjects. Another advantage is that I get instant feedback from her during the shoot, and she holds no punches as to whether or not she likes the photos. Sometimes she’s right, and from time to time, we have our share of disagreements as to whether a photo is flattering or not. Some may also see this as a disadvantage, but having such a critical 2nd opinion gives me the motivation to be better, provided you’re the type that doesn’t get discouraged too easily.

Kitsurie Yuki: I also find as a cosplayer, that the best photos come from the photoshoots where you have the most interaction with your photographer. What has been your most challenging shoot? What things did you have to overcome in order to get the pictures you wanted?

Jack Liu: I couldn’t agree more. Interaction between a cosplayer and photographer is crucial, and the more trust there is (or established), the better the results usually are. I would have to say that my most challenging shoot was one not where my equipment failed, but where the cosplayer was shy and introverted. She had booked me, and I’m guessing, she had been trying to psyche herself up for the shoot. However, come the day off, she was back to her normal shy and insecure self. This is where people skills, and the ability to communicate with all likes of cosplayers/clients, really comes into play. It’s easy, and even fun working with cosplayers who are outgoing, bullish, and unafraid to strike even the most silliest of poses. However, in this situation, there was need for tact and hospitality, combined with ample amounts of direction and resassurance that she was doing superb (not just ‘great’). I can’t say the shoot was sensational, but definitely, it ended on a high-note with her feeling a lot more confident, and me convinced we achieved the best photos possible in such a scenario.

Kitsurie Yuki: I’m happy to hear that she was able to overcome her insecurities and pose comfortably. I understand how she must have felt, I was also very shy in my first few shoots!

Jack Liu: Yeah, everybody starts from zero at some point, so it’s important to help those who are just starting out gain confidence in their ability to create costumes and their overall self-image.

Kitsurie Yuki: For me, doing some shoots in Cosplay and out of Cosplay has helped me comfortable with modelling in general. I have noticed that posing for Cosplay is a lot different to a “normal” photoshoots. Do you have experience in shooting in other genres other than Cosplay? and what would you say distinguishes Cosplay photography apart from other genres?

Jack Liu: I do, I’ve shot weddings, senior photos, and I regularly do actor headshots, concert photography, and event/corporate photography throughout the year on my free time.

In my view, Cosplay photography, while very similar to other forms of portrait photography, is all about creating atmosphere and creating a setting that matches what the cosplayer is wearing, with a look and mood that matches what is being portrayed by the cosplayer. Often, the cosplayer, while being photographed, momentarily ‘becomes’ that character, and the photographer’s job is to capture that, and making it believable to the viewers. It’s not just about providing an ‘emotion’, but accurately capturing what is essentially a different person, from a different planet, universe, realm, plane of existance, or often in our case, a different medium.

Kitsurie Yuki: So true! I feel sometimes that I am almost acting when I am trying to portray a character, its fun! Do you feel that cosplay photography is more fun in ways because you are trying to recreate something that you wouldn’t see in normal circumstances?

Jack Liu: Cosplay photography is definitely more fun in many ways, namely because cosplayers typically are more willing to bring more than just the standard poses to each shoot. They bring poses that are signature to the character they’re cosplaying, and ideas that I wouldn’t ever consider, because I haven’t seen the source material. With cosplay photography, it’s more about the enthusiasm and gusto of the cosplayer, with their costume’s accuracy or physical attractiveness falling to a distant second and third.

Kitsurie Yuki: Indeed, I agree that cosplay photography plays with more elements than just the attractiveness of the cosplayer and accuracy of the cosplays. Moving to the topic of conventions, have you been to conventions outside of Ontario?

Jack Liu: Yes, I’ve attended Otakon and Katsucon conventions in the past, and for the first time, I’ll be attending Youmacon this coming November, and Collosalcon next summer. As well, I regularly visit Montreal each August to attend Otakuthon, one of Canada’s hidden gems for anime conventions.

Kitsurie Yuki: Otakuthon is one of my favorite conventions too! In your experience, how are the conventions outside of Canada in the perspective of photographers?

Jack Liu: Well, one of the primary differences, in my opinion, is the scale and locations of conventions I’ve visited outside of Canada. They’re much bigger, capable of accommodating many more cosplayers (comfortably), and many of them take place near far more scenic locations, so on-site photoshoot location selections during conventions are far more varied. Some photographers have said that conventions down south have more talented cosplayers, but I don’t think that is necessarily true, although I generally notice it being more competitive and fierce in the US.

Kitsurie Yuki: I also have heard that the conventions in the states are bigger as well. I was wondering if you had any tips for photographers who have just become interested in cosplay photography and how they could start?

Jack Liu: It goes without saying, you should go to cosplay conventions and other events. It doesn’t mean you need to go out and shell out top dollar for the best camera equipment out there, just use whatever’s in your means. Whether it be a cellphone camera, a simple point and shoot, or your parents’ old film camera, you just need something to capture your subjects (in this case, cosplayers) with.

You have to be comfortable photographing people on a certain level, particularly strangers. It’s not always easy to approach someone to take their photo, but it’s necessary if you want a non-candid photo of them. Be friendly, know your boundaries, and behave like a well-adjusted human being (that means NO creepy comments and behavior, not even a little!).

KNOW your equipment. As mentioned before, it doesn’t matter what you’re using to shoot, but it’s beneficial to know the ins and outs of your camera. Fumbling around is often a luxury you won’t have during a busy convention, especially if you’re taking photos of someone you stopped for a brief moment in the hallway or convention area. This goes double for private photoshoots, where if you act like you don’t know what you’re doing, your subject will lose confidence in you. When this happens, that trust that’s needed for them to be willing to try more daring poses and outlandish ideas won’t be there.

In short, the best thing you can do is to come prepared, in mind, body, and knowledge. Even if your equipment’s not professional, it’s more crucial that your attitude is.

Kitsurie Yuki: I agree that when it comes to cosplay and photography you shouldn’t be shy or else you may not get the shot that you want! There are also events like cosplay picnics and gatherings where I think it is easier for beginner cosplayers and photographers to step out of their shell since it is more of a relaxed environment in comparison to a convention. Conventions are usually always packed and you almost have to chase after people if you want their pictures!

Those are great tips for beginners that are starting out in cosplay photography! what kind of advice would you give to more experienced photographers or maybe share some things you are trying to improve yourself?

Jack Liu: I’d only have one tip I’d like to pass on, and it’s really more of a reminder, rather than a tip, and that is to talk more about technique, instead of equipment. It’s very easy to get caught up in discussions with others the latest cameras and lenses, and few photographers are immune to this, even experienced ones. However, we really should be focusing on making the best of what we DO have, rather than fretting over the things we DON’T have as much control over. As I mentioned before, the most powerful piece of equipment or gear we have is the one in our heads, and that’s upgraded with little to no cost. Instead, all that it costs is a little elbow grease, and practice.

As for what I’m doing to improve myself, I’m constantly trying to work on my direction of subjects, and making the most of the equipment that I have. This is an area, however, that one can never fully master, so this’ll likely be a lifelong lesson.

Kitsurie Yuki: So I think this wraps up the end of my questions! I have learned a lot more cosplay photography and what its like behind the camera on the other side! Thank you so much jack for being here with us today! It was fun!

Jack Liu: My pleasure, thank you for the opportunity, and for your time as well.

Thank you so much for joining us for an interview today Kira. We recently stumbled upon your work and was immediately impressed by the amazing work. We’re hoping to learn more about you. So where are you from?

Kira Hokuten: Thank you for having me in this awesome interview. I’m based in Manila, Philippines.

Cosplay Photographers: Ooooh, one of our favorite cosplay artists is out in the Philippines as well, Jin of BehindInfinity. Have you ever met them or worked with them?

Kira Hokuten: Oh yeah! Jin-sama, and yes I did met her several times before and was able to take (a) couple of photos of her from certain cosplay convention/events. She’s really nice and truly one of the best.

Cosplay Photographers: We met her years ago at Fanime 2010 and are huge fans even before that, so we’re totally envious of you! So how is the cosplay scene out there? Are there a lot of cosplay conventions?

Kira Hokuten: I just happen to get lucky to take some photos of her given the limited amount of time during a convention. Our cosplay scene here is rapidly expanding/growing, almost every weekend, if not every other weekend we got different cosplay events, some are mini and of course the mainstream events which everyone is looking and waiting for.

Cosplay Photographers: What are some of the biggest cosplay conventions in the Philippines?

Kira Hokuten: We got ToyCon though it is dedicated for toy enthusiast and western animation but it’s totally jam-packed every June of each year.

Best Of Anime is another one to look for every mid September, and the biggest cosplay event so far which every cosplayer and cosplay photographer is looking forward to (is) COSMANIA, held last week of September if not (the) first weekend of October each year.

Cosplay Photographers: How big are those and do you attend those regularly?

Kira Hokuten: Big enough that we get to see international cosplayers and some are invited by the organizers themselves. Of course there’s like thousands of local cosplayers attending it as well. And yes, I regularly attend these big events

Cosplay Photographers: Any particular favorite cons and why?

Kira Hokuten: Yes, Cosmania, aside from the location where it’s being held (SMX Convention Center, the best convention center here in Manila), this is one of the only cons you get to see our local cosplayers wearing their up to date best costumes. They also got this Cosplay Photo Contest wherein the top 50 photos will get published in their yearly cosplay photobook, for us cosplay photographers we are doing our best to hit the #1 spot out of top 3 that will be awarded and get recognition for this contest.

Cosplay Photographers: Wow, very cool! So when you go to Cosmania, Best of Anime, and etc., do you tend to focus more on private photo shoots, hallway coverage, or a mix of both?

Kira Hokuten: Good question! As for me I tend to focus more on private shoots during these events, my top priorities for taking pictures are my teammates and close friends, (and) then if time allows I would scout the whole area to look for other cosplayers and invite them for another private shoots. As much as we want to take photos of all cosplayers, sadly, time and energy doesn’t allow us to.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you often take requests for private photo shoots from Cosplayers you don’t know?

Kira Hokuten: Not really, because of my busy schedule, as of the moment I can only do photoshoots during weekends and since I have my own cosplay team/group in which we’re planning ahead of time about cosplay shoot projects leaving me with not much time.

Cosplay Photographers: How did this cosplay team/group get started?

Kira Hokuten: I’ve been planning to create one since early of 2011 and was able to form the group back in January of this year. I’ve gathered all my closest friends and the people I’m aiming to work with in the community both cosplay photographers and cosplayers and told them my idea and they agreed to join.

Cosplay Photographers: Wow, that’s a very cool idea! So how many photographers and cosplayers are part of this group? Do you guys have a group name?

Kira Hokuten: Thanks! Well, so far there are 6 photographers and 6 cosplayers. Over the past 6 months of thinking what name we should have and we ended up with “NO NA ME”

Cosplay Phootgraphers: Nice, an 1-to-1 ratio! Clever name. Aren’t you afraid that if you keep working with the same person or set of people over and over again that your creativity might get stale?

Kira Hokuten: So far 1 to 1 ratio but we’re currently planning to invite more cosplayers based on our own set qualification. You got a point there, to avoid that, I keep shooting with other cosplayers and groups, though not that frequent. As I weigh things down, we get more advantage if we move as a team, since we can plan and brainstorm ideas on how can we improve even better. Unlike any other countries, here the biggest obstacle for us (cosplayers and photogs) is the location, truly hard to find one and if we do, securing a permit is like wishing for the stars, of course shooting on the same location over and over is not a good idea.

Cosplay Photographers: So as a group, do you guys select an anime series and everyone selects characters to cosplay or is the group dynamic more that the cosplayers can cosplay from any series and everyone just helps each other at the shoot?

Kira Hokuten: Yes, we select animes/game for our group to cosplay, discussing who would fit in particular character the most, though we have this kind of system wherein each member get to choose which series/game our group is going to cosplay, so everyone gets his/her own preferred theme.

Cosplay Photographers: Very cool! You guys are like a well oiled machine! So how long have you been doing cosplay photography?

Kira Hokuten: I’ve been a cosplay photographer since January of 2009, the same time I started photography itself.

Cosplay Photographers: Wow, you’ve been doing this for awhile. I’m surprised we haven’t stumbled upon your work sooner! How did you get into cosplay photography?

Kira Hokuten: I’m not popular or anything alike xD I used to be a hard core Ragnarok Online player then one of my members from my guild invited me to attend a cosplay convention back in October 2008 because he knows I like animes and stuff. Since then I never missed any convention until I bought my own DSLR in January of 2009 thus the start of my hobby.

Cosplay Photographers: What was your reaction the first time you saw cosplayers? Had you know about cosplayers before attending a convention?

Kira Hokuten: Hmm I really can’t remember my reaction the first time I saw cosplayers, but pretty sure I was amazed enough for me to decide and become a cosplay photographer. Yes I’ve seen several cosplayers online before my very first arrival at a convention.

Cosplay Photographers: When you’re doing a photo shoot, are you shooting to recreate a scene from the anime or something from your vision? Or a combination of both?

Kira Hokuten: Combination of both.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you do anything special to prepare for the shoot like watch the anime, Internet research, and/or speak with the cosplayer?

Kira Hokuten: Yes, I do all of those, it’s very important and highly essential for a cosplay shoot.

Cosplay Photographers: Are there any cosplay photographers that inspire you? And what inspires you about them?

Kira Hokuten: There’s quite a few of them, actually random cosplay photographers in China, Japan and Taiwan in which I can’t identify their names, most of their shots I’ve randomly encountered while lurking the net for photos. But the photographer who inspires me the most are Joey L, Melissa Rodwell, Zack Arias and Joe McNally.

Cosplay Photographers: Yes, some amazing cosplay photographers are out there in the Asian countries like Hybridre, Hexlord, to name a couple. Also a great list of photographers there too, those are the same people that inspire us as well! So let’s talk gear for a bit. What’s in your camera bag?

Kira Hokuten: Oh yeah! I would say it’s a given for them to inspire other cosplay photographers with their awesome works.

Gears, what I have are the following: Nikon D40 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G, Nissin Di622, Yongnuo 460, Yongnuo triggers, gels and other accessories

Cosplay Photographers: This is too awesome! Far too often too many photographers are caught up with gear and forget that vision, creativity, and skill go a long way! Do you ever feel limited by your current equipment, like, if only I had the D800, I could do this better or that better?

Kira Hokuten: Thanks! So far aside from print size and the ISO quality, I don’t feel limited, in fact, I’m trying to buy another D40 because of its unique sync speed, if not brand new, 2nd hand with low actuation will do, the only difficulty I’m having with my D40 is I can only use its ISO up to 800 (when doing ambient night shooting) unlike high end units, you can use 2000 and higher without noise, but so far I’m still ok with it, it gives me more challenge to play and manipulate lights.

Cosplay Photographers: So it’s safe to say your style of Cosplay photography is more Strobist than ambient? How did you learn to light?

Kira Hokuten: I guess so, though it really depends on the theme and settings of the series being cosplayed. I learned about lighting when I noticed I’m having a hard time lighting the subject when shooting in a convention then I tried using off cam hand held strobe back in 2009, though that time no umbrellas or whatsoever, then my friend gave me a copy of Zack Arias’ “One Light Workshop” to watch and that’s where I learned the basics and proper knowledge about strobing. Also, I became an apprentice to my Master, he taught me a lot of stuff about studio lighting and strobing.

Cosplay Photographers: That’s very cool. What is the most important lesson you learned about lighting?

Kira Hokuten: I learned that we, or at least for me to know how to manipulate light in order to re-create it.

Cosplay Photographers: Can you expand on that? Like maybe an example?

Kira Hokuten: I mean to become more efficient when strobing one should try and be comfortable with ambient/natural lighting.

Cosplay Photographers: If a cosplay photographer wanted to learn more about lighting, off-camera flash, and etc. what kind of resources would you recommend to them?

Kira Hokuten: I would refer them to Strobist.com by David Hobby.

Cosplay Photographers: When you’re lighting, what kind of light modifiers do you typically use (shoot through umbrella, grid, snoot, and/or etc.)? And which one is your favorite and why?

Kira Hokuten: I mostly use a 60×90 umbrella softbox with grid spot.

Cosplay Photographers: Nice! That’s one thing we haven’t noticed many photographers using, gridspots! The results can be very cool! Do you find it’s cumbersome working with off-camera flashes? One of the big deterrents for other cosplay photographers to jump into off-camera lighting is that it takes too long to setup and too rigid to shoot. What do you think?

Kira Hokuten: Not really, I normally shoot based on how I project the outcome, whether it’s a off-cam setup or on-cam(ambient lighting). In other words, I really don’t mind carrying all those lighting equipment, I bring them because they’re necessary for my shoot. I noticed some photographers have this habit of saying and doing something like they don’t want to carry all those bulky heaving lighting equipment and would just settle for ambient lighting.

Cosplay Photographers: Let’s say you run into a particular situation where the off-camera lighting isn’t work for whatever reason (e.g. equipment malfunction, surfaces too reflective causing all sorts of light bounce back, and etc.), do you then shoot it ambient or stay committed to off-camera flash and change the location or spot you’re shooting at?

Kira Hokuten: Ah yes! Of course I’ll be force to re-think my setup, which sometime I ended up using on-cam flash if not my mini umbrella (hand held), it happened several times to me, especially when taking pictures of Alodia during one of her events.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you have any experience with LED light panels? What are your thoughts with them?

Kira Hokuten: None so far, are those the ones which have still lights? They seem to come in handy since you’ll have an idea or preview on how the light would fall on the subject, though I guess it can’t be used as a replacement for speedlites since technically they’re weaker in terms of the amount of light.

Cosplay Photographers: Yes, we wrote an article about them a while back with some tips. But yes, they are weaker, but they work quite nicely at night-time. What is the top three things you would tell a new cosplay photographer asking you for help in improving their photography?

Kira Hokuten: Cool! Now I have an idea how does it really works, I wanna try it! though my cam can’t reach ISO beyond 800 hahaha.

Top three things hmm. I’m not really good at this but I would say: 1.) Love cosplay and anime, it really helps. 2.) Keep on shooting while ignoring all the things that would possibly stop you from doing so. 3.) Don’t compare your works or compete with other photographers, instead compete with your own works, what you have shot today, try to surpass it the next day.

Cosplay Photographers: Great tips! So any upcoming exciting projects we should be on the lookout for?

Kira Hokuten: Thanks! We’re planning to shoot the “Another” series anytime soon, currently looking for the right location.

Cosplay Photographers: We can’t wait! How much post processing do you typically do for an image?

Kira Hokuten: I have two stages for processing, first in Lightroom, which I process all thing related to global settings such as hue, saturation, exposure, a bit of contrast and white balance correction. Then, in Photoshop that’s where I adjust detailed contrasting per color channel and to remove imperfections.

Cosplay Photographers: How long does it take for you to process an image on average?

Kira Hokuten: Normally around 15 minutes.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you have any other hobbies?

Kira Hokuten: Yes, online gaming, I used to be a hardcore Ragnarok Online payer.

Cosplay Photographers: What has been your favorite cosplay photo shoot and why?

Kira Hokuten: My own? So far, this shot. It has been one of my goals to shoot on a bridge like this, plus this certain cosplay is one of my favorites.

Cosplay Photographers: Great shot! We certainly are fans of Fate Zero as well. Well thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to interview with us! Your work is amazing we look forward to seeing more from you! Is there anything else you would like to add?

Kira Hokuten: You’re welcome and thank you very much for having me in this awesome interview. Keep on shooting everyone!

Andy, thank you for taking the time to sit down with us and for sharing your insights and thoughts regarding cosplay photography.

How long have you been photographing cosplay now?

Andy Rak: I’ve been shooting cosplay since 2007~ Fanime 07 was the first time I attended a convention with my dSLR.

Cosplay Photographers: How did you get into it? Did you have friends that were into cosplay or were you into cosplay?

Andy Rak: I have been a big anime fan for the longest time. The first time I went to convention I went as an artist with a doujinshi group. I was really into drawing back then. And then one year I was having a really bad art-block. I was having trouble with anatomy… proportion and stuff. So I decided to try something different and pick up a camera thinking it’s the “lazy” route you know. But somehow I got really into it and I just completely switched to photography haha.

Cosplay Photographers: Oh wow, you used to do doujinshi?! We want to see pics. How did you learn how to draw? Did you take a class?

Andy Rak: I didn’t take any classes. It was all self-taught… but then again they were really casual drawings, nothing super exceptional XD

Cosplay Photographers: LOL, from what we’ve seen of your photography, we highly doubt they were anything less than SUPER exceptional! What about photography? Did you take any classes to learn or was that all self-taught as well?

Andy Rak: Haha, thank you guys. Photography is mostly self-taught. I took one class at a community college when I first started. We shot in film, that class taught me the basics of photography.

Dio and Lucciola from Last Exile

Cosplay Photographers: Well for taking only one class at a community college, you have certainly turned out to be a prodigy! So what particularly interests you about cosplay photography?

Andy Rak: To me the most fascinating aspect of cosplay photography is the creative freedom as a photographer. There are hardly any “rules” to follow. It feels good to start a photo shoot knowing you can pretty much shoot however you like.

Cosplay Photographers: As a cosplay photographer, what elements are you looking for when selecting a cosplayer to photograph?

Andy Rak: Generally speaking I love shooting with cosplayers who are energetic and who are willing to try new ideas. Photo shooting is a team effort and good teamwork always shows in the results.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you often approach cosplayers to take their photos or do you find they approach you more often?

Andy Rak: That depends. I get more requests to shoot at-con, especially during the convention season. However, for off-convention shoots I almost always approach the cosplayers.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you ever turn any requests down? And why?

Andy Rak: Yes I do. If I don’t know the series enough or if I can’t come up with any interesting concepts for the shoot then I have to turn down the request.

South Park

South Park

Cosplay Photographers: Do you watch Anime or read manga? Any favorites?

Andy Rak: Yes! I have a lot of favorites, let’s see. To name a few: Mushishi, Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion and pretty much everything from Miyazaki.

Cosplay Photographers: That’s very cool! You know it’s interesting, it’s kinda rare for cosplay photographers (or the ones we know) to actually watch Anime series! So that’s cool you have references. What advice would you have for cosplayers if they wanted to be photographed by you?

Andy Rak: Haha thank you. I was a big otaku before I started doing photography, that’s probably why. In fact I’ve been a little out of the loop this past couple of years. Please let me know if you come across some good shows!

The best way is to contact me early so I can start planning. Most of the time I enjoy watching the series before photographing. This helps me generate ideas for the shoot and to me that’s part of the fun.

Cosplay Photographers: LOL, that’s so cool! Any cosplayers you would love the opportunity to work with?

Andy Rak: I have always wanted to attend a convention in Hong Kong and work with local cosplayers there. It is my hometown but I really don’t know much about the convention culture over there so it will be a new experience. It will be fun!

Cosplay Photographers: Oh, we would love to travel abroad and check out the international cosplay scene as well! Any cosplay photographers that you would like to meet or work with?

Andy Rak: It’s always fun to work with Minh Soi, Mike Cabusi and Tony Quan.

Cosplay Photographers: Speaking of Tony Quan, we noticed that you, Tony, and James Giovanni Pan all have amazing post processing skills. Did you guys learn together and/or practice together?

Andy Rak: Thanks guys! Tony and I started shooting cosplay at pretty much the same time. We shot and party together a lot so in a sense we influence each other. (Bad influence? lol)

I didn’t get the chance to shoot with James a lot though. I think James and Tony shot together when they first got started.

Cosplay Photographers: I’m guessing you do all your amazing work in Adobe Photoshop?

Andy Rak: Yes. I use Photoshop for post-processing.

Cosplay Photographers: How long do you typically spend post-processing an image?

Andy Rak: It ranges from 15 minutes to hours. Depending on the concept of the shoot. Usually I plan ahead for the type of look I want before the shoot to speed up the process.

Cosplay Photographers: We want to say, what most impresses us about your post processing is your amazing use of colors. Most other photographers just use effects, but you do color and it’s wickedly cool. How did you become so effective with color?

Andy Rak: Thank you. I think part of that was from my drawing days. I was in this drawing group in college and some of the members were graphic designers. They are really good with color and I think drawing/painting with them taught me to pay more attention to color usage.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you still draw now?

Andy Rak: I haven’t done that for a while now, 5+ years haha. But I guess I can probably still draw a stickman (in rainbow color!)

Cosplay Photographers: Nice. We were going to ask for a self-portrait! Stick figures always look thin, so we’re happy. Do you use any other software like Lightroom?

Andy Rak: Haha yea! No need for liquify. xD

I use Lightroom occasionally. Mostly for event coverage type of work. Batch processing minor adjustment.

Cosplay Photographers: I’m sure all your shots are perfect, just need to sprinkle some Rakka-magic for the final touch! So let’s nerd out and talk gear for a bit. You shoot with Nikon? What’s in your gear bag?

Andy Rak: I shoot with the Nikon D700 with 24-70 f2.8 or 70-200 f2.8 almost exclusively. I found this combination very flexible for shooting in different locations/situations. Great speed and color too.

Cosplay Photographers: Any particular reason you chose to shoot with Nikon?

Andy Rak: My first dSLR was actually the Canon XTi. I switched to Nikon later that year simply because my Dad owns some of the old Nikon lenses. To me I loved both systems. Really hard to pick a favorite!

Cosplay Photographers: Do you use any flash or are you purely ambient?

Andy Rak: For on location shoots I like to use the Nikon speedlites. Loving the mobility. For studio works I use Alien Bees strobes.

Cosplay Photographers: So do you do off-camera or on-camera lighting? Do you use any modifiers like umbrellas, gels, snoots, and etc.?

Andy Rak: Haha I enjoy moving my light sources around so I do off-camera lighting most of the time. Umbrellas, gels, snoots and honeycomb grid are probably my favorite modifiers when shooting with my speedlites. Very portables flash accesories and they each give distinct results. I also enjoy using beaty dish and softbox with strobe.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you recommend brand name modifiers or are they just a waste of money? What do you use?

Andy Rak: Personally I don’t think it makes a big different. I’ve seen wonderful work from photographers who use different brands and even DIY modifiers. In the end it just comes down to which product you feel most comfortable with. For me I uses modifiers from HonlPhoto, LumiQuest and Westcott.

Cosplay Photographers: Do you have a favorite modifier that you use more often than others? And why?

Andy Rak: Hmmm favorite modifier… I don’t quite have one. Well, if I have to pick one probably the umbrella just because to me it is a pretty “safe” lighting option. The light is soft and even and that gives me a lot of option in post-processing

Cosplay Photographers: So besides being a doujinshi artist, what else would people be surprised to learn about you? Can you also tap dance?

Andy Rak: Tap dancing would be fun! But unfortunately I don’t know anything about it haha.

Besides photography I also enjoy peak bagging and rock climbing. They give me a totally different kind of satisfaction from shooting. We are in one of the best places for it – there are so many beautiful trails and national parks in California. I Look forward to hiking them all! Also, I found them an efficient cure for art block. Always inspiring.

Cosplay Photographers: Wow, peak bagging and rock climbing! That’s wickedly cool! Is that part of your new photography experiments? By going hiking and rock climbing so you can capture epic Lion King-esque (Corgi King) pictures of Johnny Junkers and Junkers?

Andy Rak: Haha you got me guys! We were at the summit of Mt. Woodson and it is a local tradition to take a shot at this “potato-chip rock”. After taking some regular group shots we just somehow had the most goofiest idea for a pose lol. Good times! xDD

Cosplay Photographers: So do you always take your camera with you when you go hiking/rock climbing?

Andy Rak: Hmmm almost never my D700. But usually I have my iPhone or a Nikon P6000 with me. The Johnny image was taken with the P6000.

Cosplay Photographers: Wow, the picture quality of the P6000 seems to be very good! So any other cosplay photographers that inspire you or whose work you follow?

Andy Rak: I really enjoy works from fellow photographers in CA. They really bring cosplay photography to a new ground .

Cosplay Photographers: You’re being very diplomatic by not naming any photographers! So where do you want to take your photography next?

Andy Rak: Haha it’s really hard to pick from the great works here in CA. To name a few I really love photos from Tony, Eric, Tiffany Ho, and Tiffany Jing Crawford. They each have very unique vision and their work is always fun to see.

In terms of photography, I’d like to play with different shoot concepts. I have a couple ideas in mind I can’t wait to execute. It’s gonna be fun.

Cosplay Photographers: I totally understand! So many talented individuals here in CA. Your current work is already amazing, so we can’t wait to see what else you have in store! So, when you’re not running around taking pretty pictures of cosplayers, what do you do that pays the bills? Are you a full-time photographer?

Andy Rak: Yes indeed! I work for an advertising agency to shoot for their Ads and code for their web application.

Cosplay Photographers: Oh nice, that’s very exciting! That explains how each of your photographs tell a story very effectively. Does cosplay photography help you any with shooting ads or vice versa?

Andy Rak: Thank you. I think they definitely do. At work I shoot mostly in studio so that helped me build up my knowledge in lighting and strobe, while in cosplay photography I get to come up with my own concept and execute different ideas. I think they are a nice combo.

Cosplay Photographers: Are there photographers or artists you draw inspiration from?

Andy Rak: I love photo-journalism type of work. James Nachtwey and Steve McCurry are probably two of my most favorite photojournalists. I am also a HUGE fan of fashion photography from Steven Meisel.

Besides photography, I also draw inspiration from music. A lot of the time ideas come up when I’m listening to good music.

Cosplay Photographers: Very cool! What kinds of music do you listen to? Do you listen to music while you’re shooting, before you shoot, or while you’re processing?

Andy Rak: I love anime/movie OST and musicals. I especially love music from mushishi and Haibane Renmei (anime). Old school stuff, haha, but really good stuff.

I rarely listen to music while shooting. Probably when processing.

Cosplay Photographers: So I heard you’re a foodie! What types of food do you like and what’s your favorite?

Andy Rak: haha you got me! Yes I love food especially Chinese food. I can eat that every day. Glad we have so much awesome Chinese food in CA. I am also a HUGE FAN of dark chocolate. Those are my weakness haha.

Looking for local hole-in-the-wall restaurant is one of my favorite past-times. XD

Cosplay Photographers: You’ve heard it cosplayers, bribe The Rakka with lots of dark chocolate!!! Any particular restaurants we should try when we’re in San Diego or SoCal?

Andy Rak: Hahha! You sure we should name places? We should charge them for mentioning their names.

Cosplay Photographers: LOL, it’s all good. We’re just want cosplayers to fly out there and stalk you waiting at the restaurant for you to show up!

Andy Rak: LOL FFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!! There is a lot of good places. San Diego is not the best place for Chinese food. However we do have very good Mexican food. I love the taco at “Taco El Gordo” and “Lolitas” is a local favorite spot for carne asada fries.

And if you are in town definitely check out “Chuao Chocolatier“. They have the best dark chocolate! All local made too 

Cosplay Photographers: OMG, the famous carne asada fries…*drooooolling* How do you craft your shots? Do you do extensive planning?

Andy Rak: Definitely. I usually allocate time before a shoot for planning. In this phrase I’d think of a theme/concept for the shoot, think about what kind of props we might need, what type of processing we will apply to the final images and (briefly) what type of shots I want.

The point is not to try to plan out every bit of detail, but getting a general idea is always helpful.

Cosplay Photographers: Nice, nice! So Andy, if a new cosplay photographer was to come to you and ask you for advice on how to get better, what are the top 3 things you would tell him or her and why?

Andy Rak: Experiment with different gear (lighting/camera) and get the best one you can afford. Gear plays a big part in photography and there is no reason to make things harder by having the wrong gear.

Learn from doing photoshoots. You’ll learn A LOT! From scheduling to planning to execution, you’ll learn random stuff like how to make small talk with your model during a shoot; how many little towels to bring for people to sit on; how to ask random strangers to help you when you need an extra hand for lighting… etc. All these little things help shape the final result of a shoot.

Also, this might sound unrelated but don’t miss out on parties (lol). Cosplay photography is about people. It is a lot less commercial compared to most other fields of photography so don’t “work” too hard. At the end of the day it’s about friendship and fun.

Cosplay Photographers: Parties! Yes! Nothing like networking over a drink, we are totally all about that! Has there been something that you learned now that you wished you would have learned or knew sooner that has made your life easier in regard to cosplay photography?

Andy Rak: Haha, definitely to get a backpack for all your gear. For the longest time I was using messenger bags to carry around all my gear. Not until the past 2 years did I realize it is sooo much easier with a backpack. xD

Cosplay Photographers: Excellent advice! One of our favorite backpacks right now is the Think Tank Photo Streetwalker HD! Anything else you want to add Andy before we close up the interview?

Andy Rak: I hope everyone has a great time shooting at the next event/gathering. Thanks for having me for the interview guys!

Cosplay Photographers: Thank you again for your time Andy, you certainly are in the Top 5 of our favorite photographers! We can’t wait to see more amazing photo projects from you!

We would like to introduce this month’s Featured Cosplay Photographer of the Month, Benjamin Koelewijn a.k.a. Beethy.

Cosplay Photographers: Beethy, thank you so much for joining us today and making time our interview. So you’re from Sydney, Australia. Are there many cosplay conventions out there and do you ever go to any of them?

Beethy Koelewijn: Conventions over here in Sydney and Australia in general have been growing exponentially. I was actually at the first convention in Australia, ever. Animania, Sydney back in 2002. It was small but it had a surprisingly positive response. Currently I believe we have 4 main conventions: Supanova, SMASH, Animania and Armageddon. Comic-Con will have its debut in Melbourne this year. In our community SMASH is regarded as the best con due to its atmosphere and activities. So if anyone ever comes to Australia for a con, go to SMASH!

And to answer your question properly. Yes, I go to nearly every con here in Sydney. Not just to take pictures, but to hang out with my friends. I’ve met a lot of great people over the years.

Sheryl Nome from Macross Frontier

Cosplay Photographers: Wow, there are quite a few conventions over there. Are there any favorites and why?

Beethy Koelewijn: Definitely SMASH. Everyone’s in a better mood there. There’s less stress because none of the major cosplay competitions are featured there. So for me, that con is heaven. I’m not sure if I get my best shots out of SMASH, but I definitely get the best memories from it.

Cosplay Photographers: I’m sure all the readers are wondering the most important thing, how are the parties at SMASH?

Beethy Koelewijn: Cosplayers in Australia do know how to party. After most cons, the regulars all leave together in one big group and usually hit up a karaoke joint. Get drunk, eat bad food and do things they regret the day after. Solid partying.

Yuna from Final Fantasy X

Siren from Tron Legacy

Cosplay Photographers: Nice! We’re booking our plane tickets right now! So how long have you been doing cosplay photography?

Beethy Koelewijn: It’s been 3 years now.

Cosplay Photographers: How did you get into cosplay photography? Was there a pretty girl? Big Anime fan? Something else?

Beethy Koelewijn: A girl I was dating at the time told me to bring along my camera to these conventions. We used to just go to ‘em for fun. Since I was just starting out with photography back then I thought “Yeah okay why not”.

From the first bunch of shots I took at that convention the feedback was extremely positive. I started becoming known amongst some of the better cosplayers rather quickly. Then it just spread like wildfire. Everyone wanted to shoot with me. It was pretty crazy, looking back at it all.

I also grew up absolutely adoring Anime and Video games in general. So going to these conventions was already a pretty standard thing for me to do because of my love of everything there.

Cosplay Photographers: Very cool! So when you’re at conventions, do you often ask Cosplayers to shoot or do you get asked?

Beethy Koelewijn: People will ask for shoots prior to the con. They’ll send me a message. On the day I mostly just shoot whoever I think looks awesome.

Cosplay Photographers: I’m sure you have to turn away cosplayers all the time. What has been the most interesting cosplay/cosplayer that you have shot so far?

Beethy Koelewijn: Definitely Yasemin Arslan. I consider her Australia’s best cosplayer. Even though she hasn’t won any competitions or anything. There’s a reason why my gallery is riddled with photos of her. We connect on a creative level. She understands me, I understand her. There’s a deep emotional connection there that I don’t get with many other people I photograph.

With most other people it’s often a ‘Hey how’s it going, snap snap, bye’ situation. With her it’s something more special than that.

Sheryl Nome from Macross Frontier

Harley Quinn from Batman

Cosplay Photographers: That has to be the highest level of achievement, connecting on a creative level. Can you elaborate a bit more in detail. For example, when you say a deep emotional connection, how does that translate out to the final shot? Is it that she’s willing to push herself to do difficult poses?

Beethy Koelewijn: Sure! The way I feel it works is that when I do a shoot with her. I don’t have to say much. I just am. And when I do want something. There’s no question, it gets done. And it gets done perfectly right away. Anything I ask her to do, she is willing. We sometimes work together prior to a shoot with the conceptual side of it. What are we trying to convey? Why should we focus on using these colours? What emotion should be heaviest to fit the theme of this shoot? Questions like that.

I’m very fortunate to have found someone within the cosplay world who has a great understanding of art.

Cosplay Photographers: Have you guys ever done collaborative shoots in which she crafts a cosplay because you wanted to shoot it or do you mostly just shoot whatever she makes? Do you also have any creative input in her cosplay?

Beethy Koelewijn: I don’t like to trap creativity. So I naturally give her complete freedom in what she decides to make. Her taste is quite good so I know that whatever she churns out will look amazing.

Cosplay Photographers: So you’ve been photographing cosplay for three years now, how long have you been photographing in general?

Beethy Koelewijn: Five years.

Cosplay Photographers: How did you get your start in photography and what drew you to it?

Beethy Koelewijn: My girlfriend at the time got me into it. I was always a bit creative as I was doodling bad art and was part of old school online oekaki communities.

I once borrowed her camera and she said my shots had potential. She kept driving me further even though I thought I had absolutely no talent or skill. Without her drive I wouldn’t be where I am today.

What has always drawn me to photography in general though is just how powerful images can be. You see a picture, and it can change you, influence you, make you think. I think that’s pure magic.

Cosplay Photographers: I’m sure the answer is probably evident from browsing your deviantART, but we’re guessing portrait photography is your favorite? Have you tried other types of photography like landscape?

Beethy Koelewijn: I have. When I started out I literally tried everything. Landscapes, macro shots, abstract stuff, etc. Portrait work just feels deeper and more involving to me, which is why I’m currently only doing that.

However, if I do travel somewhere, I will no doubt take many landscape shots and the like.

Cosplay Photographers: How did you learn the technical (aperture, settings, lighting, and etc.) and the artistic sides of photography? Did you take any classes, self-taught, Jedi-mind tricks, or are you just the Avatar?

Beethy Koelewijn: Photography to me felt like a drunk person trying to figure out how to ride a bike for the first time.

No lessons or anything. I just kept pressing all the buttons to see what it would do. I like figuring things out on my own. It feels more rewarding that way.

Cosplay Photographers: We certainly feel you on that! So where do you draw upon your inspiration? Does it just come to you? Do you just keep clicking the shutter until something comes out? Magic?

Beethy Koelewijn: All that stuff comes from within. I see images in my mind. Not too different from serial killers but less murderous. I try to put those images into a reality. Then I use that as a base while I shoot.

My inspiration often comes from films. I have seen thousands of films from 1920 to our current year. Films I believe have some incredible images.

Cosplay Photographers: Wow, that’s very interesting. Can you throw out a few recommendations of films that budding photographers can watch to help them get inspiration?

Beethy Koelewijn: Absolutely! Blade Runner, 2001: A Space Odyssey, There Will Be Blood, In the Mood for Love, The Machinist, Requiem for a Dream and OldBoy.

I could go on and on.

Hatsune Miku from Vocaloid. Click to enlarge.

Cosplay Photographers: We have no doubt! That’s definitely a great list for anyone looking to get started. So what kind of anime and video games do you like? Are you playing Diablo 3 like everyone and their moms right now?

Beethy Koelewijn: Video games! Man, that stuff is my life.

On any given day I’ll play Galaga, Majora’s Mask, King of Fighters 96, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Diablo III, Battlefield 3, Psychonauts and Super Meat Boy.

I have a library of thousands and thousands of games. Can’t get enough of it.

Anime I think has been in a bit of a decline. There just seems to be less high quality stuff around than say 10 or 20 years ago even. Right now I think Legend of Korra is the best anime like cartoon out. And it’s not even Japanese. My favorite anime would have to be Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion and Nana. That’s the holy goddamn trinity right there.

Cosplay Photographers: Sweet! You’re talking our language there! Do you ever research any of the characters you might photograph or you just let it come to you like you mentioned earlier?

Beethy Koelewijn: I’m familiar enough with most popular anime to have a good understanding of it. If I’m shooting and I don’t know who they’re cosplaying. I just ask ‘em. I want to make sure the background and theme fits the character. This is pivotal.

Cosplay Photographers: So let’s chat gear for a bit. What do you use and why?

Beethy Koelewijn: Gear’s a very interesting topic. It involves some personal details about myself also. Lets get started.

I was once one of those people who though ‘Better gear means better photos’. This is true in a sense. But it only becomes true if you really believe in that. I was taught otherwise by some dire circumstances.

I owned a Canon 5D II, 24-70mm f/2.8L, 14mm f1.4L, 24-105mm f/4L IS, 100mm f/2.0, 430EXII Flash, Remote trigger, Stand, Umbrella. While that huge list may not mean a lot to people who aren’t familiar with gear. It translates to about $10,000-$15,000.

Something bad and unexpected happened to me. Like an explosion almost. I was suddenly hit with an extreme form of anxiety disorder. Read up about it if you want to know the specifics. This prevented normal sleep and a normal life. I was unable to keep working. Bills kept coming in, so I had to sell sell sell. All of that gear I mentioned vanished. This hit me pretty hard. I thought photography was over. I thought that was it, the end.

A good friend of mine felt bad and said. “Here. Take my Canon 1000D. You could use it better than me.” I also still had a 50mm f/1.8 in my closet somewhere. So I picked myself up and took some shots with it.

First thing I noticed was how light it felt. But the real surprise was something quite amazing. I came home. Started editing.. Finished up. And I noticed something incredible. At standard high quality web resolution I did not see any loss in quality when I compared these shots to my old ones.

I was shooting with a 300 dollar setup. And it was fine! I was so happy. So that experience has taught me something valuable. It’s not about the gear. It’s how you use it!

Cosplay Photographers: Yeah, we were wondering about that too because we noticed you went from high-end gear to entry level, yet continued to produce the same level of quality. If anyone is proof that gear doesn’t make the photographer, you would be photographer of the year! So what lens do you use now and why?

Beeyh Koelewijn: Just the 50mm f/1.8. It’s all I need. I think I might have a dusty 17-40mm f/4 lying around somewhere though. The nifty fifty is one of the best lenses for portrait work around, I think.

Because I know someone at Canon, I’ve been lucky enough to try out literally every lens they’ve ever produced. Taken them for test drives and everything. 2nd favorite is probably Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L USM.

Back to the fifty though. I like it because it’s cheap and produces one hell of a sharp and clear image at anything above f/2.2 usually. The build quality is crap, but that doesn’t matter. They’re 60 dollars. I’m on my 3rd one already. I love em to death. Even when I do go full frame in the near future (Likely 5D III) I’ll still keep using this cheap ass lens. It’s awesome, light and produces Canon L like quality images. All for 60 bucks!

Rei and Asuka from Neon Genesis Evangelion

Cosplay Photographers: You heard it here! Beethy uses the Nifty-Fifty and can take better photos than 95% of us cosplay photographers! We quit!

Beethy Koelewijn: Hahaha

Cosplay Photographers: But wow, anxiety disorder. That sucks. Has that helped or hurt your photography? With lack of sleep and everything, we can imagine that must take a toll on all aspects of life.

Beethy Koelewijn: It affected every aspect of my life. But any problem can be managed.

I think in the long run it will have a very positive effect on my life. It prevented me from getting stuck in this menial repetitive pattern that some find themselves stuck in. And this is crucial to the quality of one’s creativity.

Cosplay Photographers: We’re cheering you on! I’m sure you have a great support system to help you out and continue to help you out. Do you use any flash or are you purely an ambient photographer?

Beethy Koelewijn: Damn straight. I’m very fortunate and thankful that I have such amazing friends out there who have helped and carried me through that rough period.

No flash! I used to use lights and will probably do so in future but I’m currently exploring ambient light only.

With my latest Yuna cosplay shot you can see that the sun is hitting her on the back. We were on the edge of a huge shadow cast by a building directly behind her. I used her staff which was painted with gold to reflect the sunlight. This created a beautiful soft and warm glow on her face.

Ambient light has huge potential. The sun is the world’s best light source, and it’s free!

Cosplay Photographers: Except you can get blinded and skin cancer. Those are free things that cost lots of money! But you are right, ambient light has a lot of great potential. What’s your next step in photography? Do you have some crazy experimental thing in mind designed to push the creativity to the bursting point?

Beethy Koelewijn: I have some insane images in my head that I need to realize. I am in the process of finding the right people to help me deliver these creations into the world.

Cosplay Photographers: We can’t wait to see! Any teasers you can drop us? Will it have fireworks exploding in the background or maybe it will involve jumping out of an airplane at 10,000 feet?

Beethy Koelewijn: Haha, nothing like that. Just images that invoke deep thought. I will mix beauty with horror. Create vague stories. Almost like memories. That’s all I can say.

Cosplay Photographers: Fine, we’ll wait impatiently, because we have no choice! Do you have any plans to attend any U.S. conventions? I’m sure there are many fans of your work over here (like us!) who would love to meet you in person!

Beethy Koelewijn: When I do run into more funds. Going to the US to see the country and visit a con is at the top of my list. Not even joking. I’ve been wanting to go for a good 2 years now. Chloe Doan, Yaya Han, Crystal and Todd Graziano, twins Cindy and Karen (YuuriC/YuuriK). I want to do shoots with all of these people so badly. On top of that there are some excellent photographers I really look up to that I’m dying to meet.

I know it’ll be an absolutely unforgettable experience. It’d be a dream come true.

Cosplay Photographers: Well, you answered our next question. We were going to ask if there were any Cosplayers you wanted to work with. Since you named some Cosplayers, we think it’s only fair you name the cosplay photographers (or videographers) you want to meet as well!

Beethy Koelewijn: The main guy I’d love to meet since I’ve been admiring him before I started cosplay photography is BigWhiteBazooka, Eric Ng [April 2012 Featured]. His talent is absolutely astounding. Meeting Asianschoolboy, Darkain, LJinto and Tony Quan would be kickass too.

Cosplay Photographers: Eric is just the absolute best! We just love his stuff. You certainly named a bunch of amazing cosplay photographers! What are the top three things you would tell a new cosplay photographer starting out who might ask you for advice?

Beethy Koelewijn: Sure!

1. Be friendly and confident. Introduce yourself. They will too. Ask them about their character. Be interested. This will set a very positive and energetic mood for the photos you’re about to take. Which will greatly improve your results. Asking a cosplayer “Hey uhh can I take your picture” and then snapping a bunch is the worst possible thing you could ever do.
2. Always take a cosplayer outside when shooting! Or just plain somewhere else. You need to find a good backdrop and lighting that suits them well. Make sure the background isn’t distracting or busy. If you really want to make things simple.. just find a blank wall. This works very well with cosplay since their outfits are often very striking and busy.
3. This is a general portrait tip but it’s one that will take you very far. Have a cosplayer stand where at your desired spot. Then just ask them to look at you. Not through the camera, just you. Then move around them.. and tell them to keep following you with their face. This way you’ll find that sweet spot in which they just look absolutely amazing. Then you go from there and start shooting.

If you follow those 3 tips carefully. I am certain you’ll notice a huge difference in the quality of your images.

Cosplay Photographers: So what do you use to edit your photos and how much post-production goes into your photos?

Beethy Koelewijn: I use Photoshop CS5. How much post work goes into a shot depends entirely on the image itself. The amount of work I put in basically differs from shot to shot.

If I look at my most popular shot, the Harley Quinn one, around 20 minutes of work went into that one. General clean up work, contrast and colour fixes. Basic stuff.

My Vocaloid stair shot had about 2 to 3 hours put in. The entire background had to be altered. Parts were very distracting so they had to be removed entirely without making it too obvious.

So it usually ranges from 15 minutes to 4 hours.

Cosplay Photographers: All your shots look very natural, like Eric’s. Do you use Lightroom or anything else at all?

Beethy Koelewijn: I don’t. I prefer the freedom I get in Photoshop. I don’t like applying slider adjustments over an entire image. Whenever I do contrast adjustments.. it’ll be on a layer. Then I’ll wash over it with a massive soft eraser with very low opacity. Gives it that more natural look.

Cosplay Photographers: That’s a neat trick, thanks for sharing! How did you learn how to use Photoshop? Was it the same way you learned photography?

Beethy Koelewijn: Like I said earlier in the interview. I did crappy doodles back in the day. Most of these were done digitally. While I never used Photoshop to do any of that work I was quite familiar with the software already. Back then I loved getting my hands on new software and to just go crazy with it. See what I could do with it. I’d get music, video and photo editing software. Loved learning new things.

So as soon as I started snapping photos. I started processing them right away. My early stuff was bad of course. But I’m glad I started so early.

I didn’t really look at tutorials. Most of it I figured out on my own. Which is why some of my techniques are rather unorthodox, while they get the same result.

Cosplay Photographers: I bet you’re the kind of person that walks into a room with a big red button that says “Don’t Touch” and you’ll press it until the button breaks! So, boxers or briefs… I mean RAW or JPEG and why?

Beethy Koelewijn: Haha that’s right. The RAW or JPEG question always puzzles me. I wonder why it gets discussed as often as it does. It’s like saying. Should I eat this expired hamburger or this 100 dollar steak. RAW is far superior to JPEG in every possible way. The amount of data you can recover in a a RAW file is unreal. RAW has saved my ass many times. Once I had this shot that was completely underexposed. Thought I had to bin it. RAW recovered all that for me. I brought it all up in RAW processing. Could not believe how clear and crisp it looked. If I had shot that in JPEG I would’ve been in serious trouble. If you do meet someone with a dSLR who prefers JPEG. That’s okay, they’re probably new to photography. I personally take the time to explain to them why RAW is leagues better.

Cosplay Photographers: Here’s one last technical question: do you shoot in Manual, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Professional mode, or the awesome green square model?

Beethy Koelewijn: ALL GLORY TO THE GREEN SQUARE! ALL GLORY TO THE GREEN SQUARE!

Sorry I don’t know what happened to me just then. Always manual. I don’t even touch that dial. I always need to be in full control of the outcome of the image. Couldn’t do it any other way.

Cosplay Photographers: We were right there saying the words with you! Defy not the Green Square God! So your full name is Benjamin, how did you get or come up with Beethy?

Beethy Koelewijn: Yeah people always ask me that. The girl that pushed me into photography called me that. My old online name was this weeaboo one ‘okita-san’. Needed something fresh. Went with that!

Cosplay Photographers: Awesome! So we want to thank you again for taking the time to sit down and allowing us to interview you. Your work is very inspirational and the opportunity to get to know you better has been a true honor. We cant wait to see more exciting stuff out of you. Is there anything else you like to add as parting words?

Beethy Koelewijn: It’s been a pleasure. The one thing I’d like to add is a message to anyone reading this, If you need advice, I will help you. It doesn’t matter who you are. How much or how little you know. I will gladly share my knowledge with anyone out there. Just google Beethy. You’ll be able to contact me in a multitude of ways.

Thanks guys. Best interview I’ve had thus far!