Tutorial: How to Do Photoshoots Anywhere at Cons!

A shot from a photoshoot of a Yoko cosplayer (MisaLynnCLP) in the middle of a lobby/lounge of a hotel or convention center | Photo by KG Photos

Introduction

Cosplay photographers! It is well-known: anime conventions, small or large, are always full of people (crowds). With private cosplay photoshoots becoming more and more common-place these days at cons, the number of good shoot locations goes down rapidly during peak hours, ie. from late morning to late afternoon (9 am to 6 pm). With time risking to run short the longer and farther you search for available spots, you must use whatever locations you can find within an acceptable amount of time. And most of these quick-found locations have still some people in the background.


The lobby of a convention center during peak hours of a con... CROWDED!
(p: MrJechgo)


Popular landmarks of a convention venue will always be occupied, no matter what time of day
(p: Henrickson me)

But guess what? People in the background won't pose too much of a problem if you follow my "Photoshoots Anywhere" technique! Here's how you can achieve decent photoshoot photos in less-than-perfect locations at anime conventions.

1. Main Principles of the "Photoshoots Anywhere" Technique
2. Shoot Location Criteria: What Should your Spot Have and not Have
3. Lighting Setup

1. Main Principles of the "Photoshoots Anywhere" Technique

The fundamental rule of photography that the "Photoshoots Anywhere" technique uses is the Inverse-Square Law, which states that "the intensity (illuminance or irradiance) of light radiating from a light source (energy per unit of area perpendicular to the source) is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source; so an object (of the same size) twice as far away, receives only one-quarter the energy (in the same time period)." [Wikipedia]

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The main look/style of the "Photoshoots Anywhere" technique is Low Key, with shadows and dark tones dominating the image and highlights mainly on the subject. You get a well-lit cosplayer with a black or dark background, and the viewer's focus is on the well-lit subject, since the eyes are naturally drawn to the brightest parts of the photo.


A Low Key image, dominated by dark tones
(c: MahoCosplay | p: Flexgraph Photos)

To achieve this look, the subject and the background need to be lit by 2 different sources of light - if they were lit by the same source, then they would have the same illumination - with the light on the subject much stronger than the light on the background. This is achieved with flashes/speedlights or reflectors. It's difficult, though not impossible, to get a dark background lit by the sun or strong projectors, by "overpowering" those sources of light with the one shining on the subject, as long as you have the gear to do so.


A photo taken without flash, ie. with available light only: the subject and the background are equally lit
(p: Henrickson me)


But here, the subjects and the background are differently lit (different exposures)
(c: Shane Rideout, Yvonne Pon, Meevers-Desu | p: Torremitsu)


How a cosplayer lit by reflected natural light may look like. The background is dark AND in the shade.
(c: MahoCosplay)

2. Shoot Location Criteria: What Should your Spot Have and not Have

You'll never find a perfect spot during peak hours of an anime convention unless you're really, really lucky. To maximize the effectiveness of the "Photoshoots Anywhere" technique, you must find a spot where the background is far enough from the subject to become as close to black as possible in your photos.

Your photoshoot location should preferably have:

- Enough space around the cosplayer to set up off-camera flashes, on lightstands or handheld by helpers
- A background at least 4 times as far as the distance from the closest flash to the subject
- Low-enough traffic so that no one walks accidentally into your shots


A location such as this one could be OK, as long as the camera aims away from the windows and the ceiling lights (or a stronger flash power setting is used)
(p: MrJechgo)

The spot should preferably not have:

- Background or midground elements next to the cosplayer
- A bright source of light on the background (sun, projectors)
- A light-colored floor


The Gaming Room ain't exactly the best location... for various reasons
(c: DokiMomo, Spyross, GiH-Crafting | p: MrJechgo)

Let me explain each criterion:

- Enough space: Finding a spacious spot guarantees you almost every other requirement. Flashes need to be positioned and aimed in specific directions.
- Far background: An important aspect of the Inverse-Square Law. The background needs to be far enough so that it wouldn't be lit by the strongest flash.
- Low traffic: Reduces random background obstacles and session interruptions. You get cleaner photos and better concentration during your shoot.
- No nearby elements: People and objects located at different positions but at the same distance from your flashes will get the same amount of illumination. You only want your cosplayer to be fully-lit.
- No bright lights on background: The sun or projectors have enough illumination power to match the light shining on your subject, so the background would be as lit as your subject. Something you don't want.
- No light-colored floor: As the piece of land where your cosplayer would be standing would be at the same distance as your flashes, it would be as lit as your subject. A bright floor can be quite distracting.


This spot could work well, but the more criteria a location satisfies, the more people would want to use it!
(p: MrJechgo)

Examples of quickly-found locations that could easily satisfy most criteria:

- Quiet area of a large convention center lobby, in the shade
- Unused area of an exhibition hall, sometimes the Registration Room after the main badge pick-up rush at the con's opening
- Open area outdoors, near the lobby entrance, in the shade


This is a wide-open space, but it's packed full during peak hours
(c: sokacosplay, melcosplay | p: MrJechgo)

Examples of locations that fail most criteria:

- Large hallways where lots of people pass by
- Middle of a Dealers Room
- At the entrance of any important room (Dealers, Registration, any panel room)


Artists Alleys, just like Dealers Rooms, are always crowded. Don't shoot there.
(p: Henrickson me)

Exceptions to these criteria:

- Black drapes or walls: Most cons have tall barriers made of black fabric. This can negate the far background and no nearby elements requirements.
- "Fans": Your cosplayer's character is a singer, comedian or other celebrity, and they usually have fans around them. The nearby people can stand in as "fans" of the character.
- Patterned background lights: Lights with interesting patterns in the background can sometimes work out. It depends on what you can find and how you use it.


Ooooh, those are some pretty lights in the background!
(c: MisaLynnCLP | p: MH Photos)

3. Lighting Setup

The most important thing to maximize the effectiveness of the "Photoshoots Anywhere" technique is to have a light as bright as possible on the subject you're photographing. This can be achieved with flashes/speedlights or sunlight bounced on a reflector. While lighting your subject, great care must be taken to not spill your strongest light onto the background, to maximize the illumination difference between the subject and the background.


On-camera flash works at darkening the background, but images look very unoriginal, as all cameras are capable of on-camera flash and everyone (even beginners) can do it
(c: Tanya Bélanger | p: MrJechgo)

I usually proceed in 3 steps:

- The subject is placed in the open, with lots of space around him/her.
- The camera is positioned and aimed towards the background with the greatest distance behind the subject.
- Flashes are placed as close to the subject as possible, but right outside the camera's field of view.


Important tip: Don't forget to ask your cosplayers to remove their badges during the shoot
(p: Torremitsu)

Camera and flash settings vary with each environment, but are usually the following:

- The main flash fires at maximum (1/1) power. The 2nd flash fires either at max power or 1 stop lower.
- ISO sensitivity is locked at ISO-100 or as low as I can get.
- Shutter speed is locked at 1/200 sec or the flash sync speed of the camera.
- Aperture starts at f/2.8 (widest) but is shrunk with each test shot until exposure on the subject looks good (no over-white skin).
- A 3rd flash is added as needed, firing at max power or 1 stop lower.


Flashes should generally be not included/visible in photos, but can sometimes be kept for effect
(c: Mirazie | p: simplearts)

Flashes may be bare or equipped with either shoot-through umbrellas or softboxes. Light should always travel forward towards the subject, to minimize distance-power losses. For the lens aperture, it's not rare to see f/4.0, f/5.6 or smaller. If you want to maintain a wide aperture for whatever reason, install a Neutral Density (ND) filter on your lens to cut out light instead of shrinking the aperture.


Left: The main flash is close enough to the subject but right outside the camera's field of view
Right: The Back Light was visible in the original photo, but I cropped it to make it slightly less distracting
(c: ValkyDesigns | p: Henrickson me)

The good thing about having all your settings set-up to "perfection" is that you can do several mini-photoshoots in a row without having to redo test shots for each new shoot. This works as long as the distance from strongest flash to subject remains the same for every subject you shoot.


I once did at G-Anime 3 photoshoots one after another with the same camera and flash settings
(c: KitamonPlush, angelcrywolf | p: Henrickson me)

I recommend placing your main flash more sideways for male characters and more to the front for female ones, though sideways lighting may work for some females.



When lighting for males, the Key Light should come from sideways to give that "chiseled" look to the subjects
(Click on each photo for individual credits)



Lighting for females: cosplayers' faces should be evenly lit from left to right
(Click on each photo for individual credits)


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In a twist, sideways lighting (for males) can work for lots of females too!
(Click on each photo for individual credits)



Conversely, female lighting (on the front) can sometimes work for male characters, but not all
(Click on each photo for individual credits)

When desperate for locations and pressed for time to produce decent cosplay photos, the "Photoshoots Anywhere" technique is your solution this now-very-common problem. With practice and experience, your shots will approach the examples below. When faced with a shortage of perfect spots for shoots, just remember to shoot dark and light strong on your subjects in an open area of the convention. Good luck and happy photoshoots!

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(Click on each photo for individual credits)

Big thanks to my buddy for providing some sample shots. I salute the creativity of all fellow cosplay photographers who work in such difficult convention environments AND still provide us with beautiful cosplay photos. I hope this technique will inspire more of us to do shoots at anime cons and spend less time looking for suitable locations. For any questions, tips or suggestions on this tutorial, please comment below!