Spectacular cosplay photos requires a tight partnership between the cosplayer and the cosplay photographer. Starting from this month, we will be having a monthly feature of great cosplay photographers that work tirelessly behind the camera to bring everyone in the community awesome cosplay photographs.
For the first interview in the series, we spoke to Hexlord from Black Rabbit Photography, a veteran cosplay photographer whom has close to 10 years of experience. Friends and cosplayers who have collaborated with him would know him as Thomas. Even though is from Malaysia, he frequently travels to Singapore to attend various cosplay events here.
From your Devianart and Facebook page, we can see a wide variety of photos with various styles to them. But overall, if you were to use one word, how you would describe your style of cosplay photography?
I guess ‘evolving’ would be the most appropriate word to describe my style of photography. I always encounter new and interesting things, both for my personal as well as my professional life. And this gets reflected into my body of works as time goes on.
Do you have any advice for cosplay photographers that are just starting out?
Keep on learning, and don’t be afraid to try out new things and to make mistakes. As a saying goes, one does not learn from successes and victories but rather from failure and defeat.
What do you think are the necessary qualities that a cosplay photographer must have?
The eagerness to learn, personal responsibility and finally good communication.
When you first started out, did you feel shy and hesitant to approach cosplayers for a shoot?
Not really. When I first began shooting, I find that most of the cosplayers do exhibit a very friendly vibe, so asking them for photos seem like a very natural thing. This applies to both the events that I have attended, as well as the shoots that I organised.
How do you build rapport with the cosplayer during your photoshoot? Especially if it’s a cosplayer that you are working with for the first time?
Communication is important. During the photoshoot itself, it is good to keep talking with the cosplayer. Maybe sharing some jokes will lighten up the mood and allow for a more natural session – breaking the ice so to speak.
Try to project a more confident personality, so that the cosplayer feels assured that you know what you are doing.
What are the various difficulties when shooting cosplay and how do you usually resolve it?
I think I won’t be able to stop listing down all the difficulties! I think some of the greatest difficulties revolve around location setup, time management, logistics and areas of responsibilities. Yes, in my opinion, technical (photography-wise) difficulties are the least of my worries.
Resolving these difficulties (or minimising them) can be done by proper planning and communication, and a bit of luck. It depends on a case-by-case basis as well.
Do you have any interesting cosplay shooting experience that you would like to share with us?
This happened while I was shooting the series “Kiki’s Delivery Service”. A family was walking past us during the photoshoot session. All of a sudden, the father turn towards us and asked for a photo to be taken together with his family.
It turned out that he watched the show when he was young, and looking at the cosplayers reminded him of that series. Although this is not exactly the first time it has occurred, I still find it interesting nonetheless.
Cosplay photography is a 2-way interaction between the photographer and the cosplayer. Do you have any tips for cosplayer (from a cosplay photographer point-of-view)?
Cosplayers can learn the poses/expressions from photos of past shoots for the same series prior to their own shoots. I would also advise cosplayers to discuss with the photographers involved about their ideas/concepts to see if these can be reasonably done within the timeframe given.
It is crucial to set the right expectations between all parties, to prevent misunderstanding during the actual/after the shoot itself. The last important tip is to relax and have fun! At the end of the day cosplay is a hobby and everyone should enjoy themselves to the fullest.
What is the camera set-up that you love the most? What do you think is the most efficient camera set-up when it comes to cost?
For events I usually carry around my primes (35/50/85), and an ultra-wide angle lens if I feel like it. I felt that with proper positioning you can cover most aspects of the event with this setup. Sometimes though I would carry along a telephoto if I am covering the stage area.
However, if you are just starting out, a simple DSLR with a 50mm prime lens will be the most efficient setup in terms of cost. Easy on the wallet, and also on the weight as well. I do recommend a simple reflector if you wish to utilise natural lighting to the fullest.
After taking a photo, how long do you spend editing it before you post the final product?
For post-processing, I usually spend between 15-30 minutes per image. But I have accumulated and created a lot of editing profiles over the years, so I can further reduce the time taken to do the editing and spend the extra time on fine-tuning the minor details.
AFA have invited many guest cosplayers to our events. Have you collaborated with any of our guest previously? How was the experience?
Yes, I have previously worked with Kaname from Japan. The experience was refreshing because he was very familiar with the photoshoot process.
In addition, he also has suggestions on what poses he can do for portraying the series, making for an enriching experience. So in short, there’s not much difference actually because celebrity cosplayers are usually as enthusiastic as any other cosplayers we meet on a regular basis!
Are there any cosplayers that you have not collaborated before, and you hope to work with them in future?
I hope to have the chance to work with the following cosplayers/groups overseas: Sara1789 (Taiwan), Omi Gibson (Japan), ROCOCO & Nori (Taiwan), Astarohime (Russia), Calssara (Germany), Strawberry Censor (USA), C4 (Thailand), Daikon Sky (Indonesia), Miyo Lee (South Korea) among others …
I think I mentioned too many haha.
What are the recent anime series in 2014 that you would like to shoot (but have not have the chance yet)?
Zankyou no Terror, Aldnoah.Zero, Ping Pong and Tokyo Ghoul!
That concludes our interview with Hexlord. If you want to see more of his amazing works, do head over to Hexlord’s Facebook page. I am sure we can look forward to the amazing photos that he will be taking at AFA 2014!
If there are any cosplayer photographers that you would want to see being featured on AFA Channel. Do leave us a comment! Meanwhile, we leave you with a gallery of some of Hexlord’s works.
The post [COSPLAY] Feature Interview with Cosplay Photographer Hexlord appeared first on AFA Channel!.