OTAKON COSPLAY PHOTOSHOOTS
Okay this section is about the amazing cosplay photoshoots Otakon had throughout the weekend. I had been following Otakon on Facebook and they had been talking about professional photoshoots for cosplayers. Being intrigued by that, I had decided to try that. After all, at my first Otakon, I really didn’t experience much since it was basically a day and a half. Plus I was super thrilled of seeing what my cosplay outfits looked like with actual photography lights and backgrounds, and not grainy “standing in the hallway” pictures.
Being excited by this opportunity, heading from the hotel, I rushed over to the convention on day one, and it was easy to find the photo suite. On a Friday, there weren’t many people yet; it seemed most people arrived late Friday or early Saturday. The suite ran incredibly smooth on that particular day. The staff were very nice and helpful about any questions on the pricing.
The one problem I had was that even if I decided to do photoshoots in a certain time, I always seemed to miss a panel on something I wanted to hear. The problem for me was that there was a guide app that Otakon used for schedules you could make/ look at on your phone. I had put together a schedule each day for panels at certain times and once schedules changed, the Otakon app would completely delete my planned schedule. That really pissed me off, more than people pushing me or cutting in front of me… oh there is a lot more I could say about the foot traffic, but that will be later. LOL.
By Saturday, the photo suite was busier than the day before. It wasn’t as busy as I thought it would be, but by the time I went there, they may have had a slow moment. I saw a group that were dressed as Game of Thrones characters Cersei and Joffrey, and the outfits were spot on. It was nice that you got this break between checking in for photos and then getting your photos taken, that way you could look around at other people’s cosplay outfits. When you get photos taken, there are at least 60 different photos to choose from. With Takeru’s, I got the whole set. The lighting they used, and the posing they suggested…it was too good to pass up. I don’t regret the decision at all. Each photo is about 20 mb in size. So they are VERY BIG.
If you are a first time anime convention attendee, like to cosplay and decide to come to Otakon, I’d highly suggest getting at least one set from the professional photographers. It is really, really worth it. It’s completely different from getting a selfie taken, or having someone use your phone camera to take a picture of you.
Anime Connection 