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[TheCosplayFox]

Originally Posted by Eurobeat King

Did you end the photo-shoot after he said that?

well it was more of a mini random photo shoot I guess but of coarse. I left immediately and went by my friends he tried to follow but as soon as he saw me going by a group of people he left and I didn't see him for the rest of the weekend.

[tfcreate]

Originally Posted by TheCosplayFox

He didn't get the photo but he was defiantly trying to get a panty shot as he kept coming closer and closer while I was above him and moved back and he was below I asked what he was doing and he said "if you'd stop moving back I'd be able to get the underwear shot for my website."

So yeah he was trying to get a panty shot. I can understand being in weird angles but it was very obvious what he was doing before he even said it. Though I know that that was just a unlucky situation as other then that that's never happened to me before.

If you had kicked him in the head, no one would have shed a tear...

[firecloak]

Should a photographer know how to pose you?

I was arguing with one of my photographer friends earlier. He said he didn't like it when the cosplayer has no poses in mind, and that got me thinking. How important is it for a photographer to know how to pose people?

I think a photographer should be able to pose the model, especially if they ask for a shoot. Even if the cosplayer asks for a shoot, I feel that the photographer should still have some general pose ideas.

I personally like it when the photographer has posing suggestions. I also like it when they adjust my current pose slightly (lift your head more, turn your shoulders this way...)

My favorite photographers that i've worked with can pose me, which makes the shoot flow easier. I usually have pose ideas of my own too

[Nostrum]

Originally Posted by firecloak

Should a photographer know how to pose you?

I was arguing with one of my photographer friends earlier. He said he didn't like it when the cosplayer has no poses in mind, and that got me thinking. How important is it for a photographer to know how to pose people?

I think a photographer should be able to pose the model, especially if they ask for a shoot. Even if the cosplayer asks for a shoot, I feel that the photographer should still have some general pose ideas.

I personally like it when the photographer has posing suggestions. I also like it when they adjust my current pose slightly (lift your head more, turn your shoulders this way...)

My favorite photographers that i've worked with can pose me, which makes the shoot flow easier. I usually have pose ideas of my own too

I think it's a meet-halfway kind of thing. If you're wearing the costume, you should know the character well enough to know how to pose it.
At the same time, if a photographer is hired to do a photoshoot, I think it's beneficial if they do some research before the shoot so they have an idea of key poses for that character. Part of their job, after all, isn't just pointing and clicking, but also capturing the character.

If the cosplayer brings a few reference images with them to the photoshoot, I think it's an all 'round win.

[Ashurachan]

I like to direct cosplayers. It's nice to have someone who knows how to pose, but I also like not to have the same photos as other photographers ; so I often suggest poses based on what I know about the characters I shoot, and if I don't know the character I ask the cosplayer about defining character traits, in order to suggest fitting poses and capture the right expression.
For me it's all about dialogue, and making the experience unique for both of us.

There's this other photographer I've been knowing for some time, who always trusts the cosplayer to get the pose and expression right by himself. His photos are technically good, but they rarely fit the characters. He may be a good portrait/fashion photographer, but to me he's not a good cosplay photographer.

[firecloak]

Question:
Do you ever change cosplay partners for the same cosplay? For example, let's say you cosplay Naruto, and your friend cosplays Sasuke, and you guys have a photoshoot together and hang out at a convention. If your friend doesn't cosplay Sasuke at the next convention, would you accept another Sasuke cosplayer as your cosplay "partner"?

I personally like to keep my cosplay partners the same, since I like to have photoshoots and all. I think it's better to keep one constant cosplay partner for a specific cosplay.

[DarkCloudInc]

Originally Posted by firecloak

Should a photographer know how to pose you?

I was arguing with one of my photographer friends earlier. He said he didn't like it when the cosplayer has no poses in mind, and that got me thinking. How important is it for a photographer to know how to pose people?

I think a photographer should be able to pose the model, especially if they ask for a shoot. Even if the cosplayer asks for a shoot, I feel that the photographer should still have some general pose ideas.

I personally like it when the photographer has posing suggestions. I also like it when they adjust my current pose slightly (lift your head more, turn your shoulders this way...)

My favorite photographers that i've worked with can pose me, which makes the shoot flow easier. I usually have pose ideas of my own too

Generally, I bring some poses as in the standard character poses and what I believe to be in character. After that, I ask the photog to offer some insight or suggest their own poses. 50/50. Though, that's for hired shoots.

For those who find me in the hall way or rarely ask me for an impromptu photoshoot, I give what I got, if they want something specific, gotta tell me.

Originally Posted by firecloak

Question:
Do you ever change cosplay partners for the same cosplay? For example, let's say you cosplay Naruto, and your friend cosplays Sasuke, and you guys have a photoshoot together and hang out at a convention. If your friend doesn't cosplay Sasuke at the next convention, would you accept another Sasuke cosplayer as your cosplay "partner"?

I personally like to keep my cosplay partners the same, since I like to have photoshoots and all. I think it's better to keep one constant cosplay partner for a specific cosplay.

Photoshoot as in hallway or photoshoot as in a private session?

[firecloak]

Originally Posted by DarkCloudInc

Photoshoot as in hallway or photoshoot as in a private session?

Photoshoot as in private session. By cosplay partner, I mean the type that you hang out with the whole day...that sort of thing.

I'd never say no if it's just a simple hallway shot xD

[Ashurachan]

A question to cosplayers who have FREE photoshoots with photographers.
Photography is a hobby for me, and while I love taking photos, there are large periods of time during which I just don't have any sort of patience for post-processing. So depending on the amount of post-processing needed, and my own motivation, I can release a shoot within two days, or nine months after the shoot.
So, how long after the shoot do you expect to have your photos ? If the photographer releases a preview shot or two within a week after the shoot, is a months-long wait more tolerable ?

[ichigo_m.]

As a cosplayer I can understand any kind of wait for a free service. But I don't like to wait for more than a month or two. (:

[bodatheyoda]

Originally Posted by Ashurachan

A question to cosplayers who have FREE photoshoots with photographers.
Photography is a hobby for me, and while I love taking photos, there are large periods of time during which I just don't have any sort of patience for post-processing. So depending on the amount of post-processing needed, and my own motivation, I can release a shoot within two days, or nine months after the shoot.
So, how long after the shoot do you expect to have your photos ? If the photographer releases a preview shot or two within a week after the shoot, is a months-long wait more tolerable ?

As a costumer and photographer both, I like a quick turn around. I'm like a kid at Christmas when it comes to getting photos off my camera and onto my computer. So I feel like if a photographer does a shoot with me for one of my costumes, I would like a quick turn around...no longer than a week...two if I have contact on a regular basis with the photographer.

[sukotsuto]

Two weeks seems like a reasonable time frame unless the photos are intended to be heavily processed into those surreal photos with special effects.

[TheFontBandit]

Originally Posted by firecloak

Should a photographer know how to pose you?

I was arguing with one of my photographer friends earlier. He said he didn't like it when the cosplayer has no poses in mind, and that got me thinking. How important is it for a photographer to know how to pose people?

I think a photographer should be able to pose the model, especially if they ask for a shoot. Even if the cosplayer asks for a shoot, I feel that the photographer should still have some general pose ideas.

I personally like it when the photographer has posing suggestions. I also like it when they adjust my current pose slightly (lift your head more, turn your shoulders this way...)

I'm awful at this, honestly. I'm trying to get better at it, but posing is really not my strong point. I can do it while looking in a mirror, but sometimes during a photoshoot I'll be focusing so much on my legs/arms that I forget to do the "no-double-chin" trick with my head. Then later when I see the pics, I think "if only they'd mentioned my chin!"

I feel it's the responsibility of the cosplayer to at least have a few pose ideas - after all, the photographer may not be very familiar with that particular character. But I also think the photographer should be allowed to try out some poses if they have an idea.

I especially like it when a photographer is willing to adjust my pose. It's hard for me to visualize just how a pose may look while I'm doing it, especially if it's one I haven't practiced much yet. I'd love to know if bending my arm down a little or turning my head a bit will make the photo more dynamic. In the end, we'll both get a better photo for it.

Originally Posted by Ashurachan

A question to cosplayers who have FREE photoshoots with photographers.
Photography is a hobby for me, and while I love taking photos, there are large periods of time during which I just don't have any sort of patience for post-processing. So depending on the amount of post-processing needed, and my own motivation, I can release a shoot within two days, or nine months after the shoot.
So, how long after the shoot do you expect to have your photos ? If the photographer releases a preview shot or two within a week after the shoot, is a months-long wait more tolerable ?

If it is a free shoot, I'm much more patient than I am with a paid photoshoot. For a paid shoot, I'd usually expect at least some (maybe more than half) of the images within a couple of weeks. For a free shoot, I'd say about two months. I will admit that the wait is much easier if they release a few preview shots along the way, though.

It also depends on the con. Most of the photos I get are at Dragon*Con. Since it's such a large event and I know most photographers are working through images from multiple shoots, I'm more patient. For a relatively small convention where the photographer may not have had as many photo shoots, I'd expect at least some teaser/preview pics a bit faster.

In the end, it's all about communication. Keeping the cosplayer(s) updated and letting them know that you're working on the images goes a long way toward keeping people happy while waiting. A preview pic here and there helps as well. I was part of a group at Dragon*Con that had some paid photos taken. The photographer ended up with a massive backlog of images from the con, and kept the group updated to let us know he was still working his way through them. Over the time period, he posted a few of his favorite shots as previews, which actually helped build excitement for the "final reveal". When all was said and done, it was about a month or so before all the images were ready, but no one was upset because we knew we hadn't been forgotten.

[Ashurachan]

Originally Posted by sukotsuto

Two weeks seems like a reasonable time frame unless the photos are intended to be heavily processed into those surreal photos with special effects.

Removing distracting elements from a photo and make it look natural is quite time consuming too. The shoot I'm working on right now was shot in a crowded park, and I'm spending a lot of time on some shots just to remove people in the background... if I don't want these edits to be too obvious, it takes time.

[TeaForThought]

Originally Posted by TheFontBandit

I'm awful at this, honestly. I'm trying to get better at it, but posing is really not my strong point. I can do it while looking in a mirror, but sometimes during a photoshoot I'll be focusing so much on my legs/arms that I forget to do the "no-double-chin" trick with my head. Then later when I see the pics, I think "if only they'd mentioned my chin!"

I feel it's the responsibility of the cosplayer to at least have a few pose ideas - after all, the photographer may not be very familiar with that particular character. But I also think the photographer should be allowed to try out some poses if they have an idea.

I especially like it when a photographer is willing to adjust my pose. It's hard for me to visualize just how a pose may look while I'm doing it, especially if it's one I haven't practiced much yet. I'd love to know if bending my arm down a little or turning my head a bit will make the photo more dynamic. In the end, we'll both get a better photo for it.

Yes....this. ^
I know...that as a cosplayer on my own...I Cannot pose correctly for the life of me. I will try to prepare poses in a mirror and then look back at how that actually turns out in a photograph? It looks terrible. Having photographers to direct me is one of the best things I've ever discovered...because generally...even if they're not familiar with your character, they know how to direct you so that the lighting and everything else makes it a good photo....now whether I'm satisfied with myself or not is always in question, but at least the photo turns out nice.

If that made any sense.

That and when people show you the photos they take. If it turned out wonky..it's nice to see what you did that messed it up so you can correct it, rather than have a bunch of terrible wonky photos floating around.