Cosplayer Horror Stories - Photog side thread

>>8819612
I love you for this thread. I was trying to make it, but was too busy too. Will support wholeheartedly.

I have a jfash one, I'm a grill for reference.

>photoshoot with a group of girls in an alley with graffiti and stuff
>it's cold, like 7C
>one girl has on fishnets, booty shorts, a pleather crop and a jacket with buckle sleeves
>not even jfash why
>"aaaaah i'm so cold"
>why don't you just unbutton the sleeves while you wait for your turn for photos?
>"THIS IS DESIGNER"
>fast forward to her turn
>trying to get her to smile without deadeyes
>can't do it
>she then complains that I didn't capture any emotions in her photos

Also, before that, I got very exasperated and upset that, because I was mainly a photographer, none of my friend offered me a spot in their cosplay groups, which kind of hurt. They all just assumed I was happy behind the lens. After I said this one girl posted the 'you're not a photographer, you're a teenager with a camera' thing onto her tumblr.
>never gave her any flattering photos after that kek

>>8819701
Anon, this is a thread specifically for photographers to share their side of horror stories. There's already a photographer horror thread for cosplayers/lolitas

>>8819707
My bad. I'll delete. I missed the different OP because the pic was similar.

Okay photographers in this thread, stuff like this makes me wonder:

>What do you do if a cosplayer that is normally good and you work together with, suddenly shows up in a badly made and/or horribly unflattering looking outfit?

>What if you see someone in a beautiful costume, but the person is so ugly and/or bad in posing that there is no way to make him/her look good on your pictures?

>You are shooting multiple characters from the same series at once, but a few have such badly constructed outfits or unfortunate faces that they ruin the group pictures.

>What do you do if a cosplayer that is normally good and you work together with, suddenly shows up in a badly made and/or horribly unflattering looking outfit?
I'm only an amateur photographer, so most people I photograph are friends or friends of friends in cosplay. In which case I feel pretty comfortable trying to do on the spot fixes as much as I can (turning in unhemmed robe bottoms so you can see them, fixing the way a wig looks etc) because they at least want pics. I think 80% of the time, the person knows they look shitty, they just want pictures.

>What if you see someone in a beautiful costume, but the person is so ugly and/or bad in posing that there is no way to make him/her look good on your pictures?
Again, since I really have only worked with friends or friends of friends, I feel alright but basically doing baby steps? I think there are certain ways to minimize like double chins or turning in ways to make your waists look smaller and I sort of just model them like dolls. It helps that none of them are super obese, but sometimes the deadeye thing happens and I just tell them to think of something that makes them happy, sad, angry, etc for any emotion because portraits with "smize" faces are too hard for them.

>You are shooting multiple characters from the same series at once, but a few have such badly constructed outfits or unfortunate faces that they ruin the group pictures
I've done like four group shoots since I started photographing last summer (so not very long). I do a good share of photos I want and photos they want. I did a Haikyuu group shoot for some friends who did a Nekoma group and unfortunately, their Kuroo was shit and shortest of all of them. So I let them do some "gag" photos or whatever they wanted with each other, and then I set up poses to hide the worst at angles or whatever I thought looked okay. I gave them a good share of final photos of what I did and what they wanted.

Didn't happen directly to me but it kinda made me cringe being in the vicinity anyway

>photographer asks Deadpool cosplayer if he could take his photo
>Deadpool asks if the guy had any money
>not sure if he was trying to be in character or not
>awkward silence
>photographer says he has pancakes
>more awkward silence
>photographer asks what about chimichangas

At that point I just walked away. I don't know how I'd react if a cosplayer wanted money from me to shoot them. Trying to figure out of the dude was trying to stay in character or not just made the whole thing even more confusing.

>>8819745
>bad in posing
To add to this. How much direction do you guys give to cosplayers when you take their photos? Do you just let them pose themselves or do you give out detailed instructions? I've noticed a lot of people cosplaying comic book superheroes always default to the hands on the hip pose and I find that shit infuriating. I've looked at different flattering poses for models, but they don't seem like they'd fit the characters at all because they're too fashion model-y.

>>8819798
I general do half and half. Sometimes people come in with a lot of strong poses or know what they want and sometimes they need more direction. If I know the character, I'm more likely to detail instructions. If I don't, I'm a lot more hesitant to say anything specific but will ask if they can do other things related to the character if they keep doing the same basic poses.

>>8819783
>>photographer asks Deadpool cosplayer if he could take his photo

He dug his own grave there, Deadpoolfags should just be fucking kicked out on the spot let alone graced with any attention.

>>8819745
>>Coser you know, but ugly outfit?
Good cosplayers don't become freehugging weeaboos just like that.
Happened to me a few times tho, but every time the coser was self-counscious, said to me was how he / she was sorry for the crappy outfit, and we just worked around the defaults together.
When the costume is just something I'm not into it, I say it sincerely and I ask if the coser could guide me with some poses / situations, and I just add some basic photography rules to it to make something good-looking.

>>Beautiful costume, bad posing / ugly person?
2 different things.
Bad posing : I help and teach. I give them some direct instructions for simple poses ("face me, tilt your head, look at the ground cuz ur sad / in the air cuz u hope, that's ok"), and I show and discuss every shot with them. Little by little, they get how some clichés moves can easily make them expressive, and they relax.
Ugly : I'm pretty open, I shoot with spotty faces / fatties if they do nice make-up and appropriate costumes. And it's sometimes more fun than with sexy bitches.
However, if I can't at all make a good pic out of him / her - I'll just make 1 or 2 and leave. I'm not an ugly people rights activist, I'm here to have fun making nice pics.
99 % of the time tho, when a coser spend 200 hours on a costume, they also spend 5 more hours on finding a reasonable make-up that doesn't ruin it.

>>Group cosplay, one of them ruining.
Usually, they're a group, prepared before the con. I don't care if a face or a cos ruins the pic, they chose it.
It would anyway be rude to ask the group to break apart, so I never do it unless they suggest it.

>>8819798
>How much direction do you guys give to cosplayers?
Only few tips & suggestion, I let them adapt and guide them if they don't understand.
But even when their pose is pitch perfect, I always try to give 1-2 instructions, to show that I take interest in their pose - that way, they usually feel more comfortable, and ideas keep flowing easily.

>DerpyCon 2015
>I'm in the game room, spy this Madoka.
>Pretty cute, I say hello and ask her for a pic.
>She halfheartedly poses
>I try to get her to pose better
>She acts like I'm physically hurting her by asking for a few pictures
>I try to introduce myself as a photographer
>She turns away mid-sentence
>I leave because I know this is a prelude to a tumblr meltdown

What kind of autistic bullshit is this? Cosplayers are mostly adults, if young adults. Act like it.

>friend has beautiful cosplay they want me to shoot
>really excited to photograph this costume
>get text from them a few minutes before shoot
>"hey btw i changed the cosplay i want you to shoot"
>they show up cosplaying their own oc

:c

>>8820056
>I give them some direct instructions for simple poses
Cosplayer here and I rarely get this so when it does happen I go into panic mode and the last time I did it ruined what the photographer probably thought would be a nice impromptu photoshoot because he's telling me "Look in this direction" and I did and he'd sigh and go "No, look at this thing behind me" and I finally had to go "..I'm sorry but I can barely even see you.." after he saw me take my glasses off for photos. So yeah, behalf on all awkward cosplayers like me who may or may not also have bad vision problems, thank you for trying to be helpful.

>>8820503
Not all cosplayers are into having their photo taken and some are just too polite to say no and others know that even saying "Sorry, no photos" usually results in said camera wielding person either getting angry or snapping one anyway.

>>8819612
#mad

>oh it's that one thread
>wait something is wrong
>why is there a butterfly where his head is supposed to be?

>>8819686

Haha :)

>>8819798
I give a lot of direction. It's apparently something I'm good at as many people keep hiring me for that. It really helps when working with people who aren't comfortable in front of the camera.


>What do you do if a cosplayer that is normally good and you work together with, suddenly shows up in a badly made and/or horribly unflattering looking outfit?
I work with some that I have no clue how it will look until they show up. It sucks when it's bad looking in my opinion, but if it is for them and they are paying me, I'm still going to do the best I can for them.

>What if you see someone in a beautiful costume, but the person is so ugly and/or bad in posing that there is no way to make him/her look good on your pictures?
There are a few photos that the costume and character looked fantastic, aside from some awkward, jarring human imperfections. (usually teeth related when I think about it.)
I just try and be creative and get a variety of images. Like smiling grins as well as looking over the shoulder, closed mouth smiles, etc.

>You are shooting multiple characters from the same series at once, but a few have such badly constructed outfits or unfortunate faces that they ruin the group pictures.
I don't do group meetup photos because why? What's the point? Your vantage point is where all the other snapshot photogs are and it always looks like garbage unless you organize it yourself.
If you are shooting multiple of the same costume in a paid shoot, uhh.. Just do your best in the time you have given them.

>>8820586
Photog here.

If you can't see, you should be able to say, "hey, I can't see without my glasses" without the guy getting upset. It's just common decency.

>>8820586

I usually snap my fingers if I need them to look near me. I say look here and snap. Dogs an do that. A vision impaired cosplayers should be able to as well, hopefully ;)

>>8820503
she could have been really stressed out, honestly. ive been at a con before where im in full cosplay and find out really bad news (ie dog is at the emergency vet, one of my friends is making con drama, etc) and it usually makes me forget to pose nicely, since my mind is elsewhere.

>Poorly made costume
Pose them well and get their face game strong, lots of 1/2 or 1/3rd shots, focus on their face, dynamic posing can distract from bad outfits too.

>Good costume/ugly person
A different type of dynamic posing, showcasing the outfit and using props to hide the face. It works with bad ass characters that have props, but also cute characters with the stereotypical 'giggle' posing or flowers, food, toys etc as props.

>good costume, bad at posing
Direction

>One bad apple
place bad apple at the back for group photos, do good individual photos and ensure bad apple has as many individual photos as the good members of the group. Don't slop on the framing and posing of the bad member. Also seconding letting the group arrange themselves for some photos.

>>8820503
>She halfheartedly poses
NGL this should have been your indication to walk away. It is REALLY obvious she was not in the mood to have her photo taken, but went through the motions with you to be polite. When a rando hall photographer occupies my time for more than a minute or two while trying to get the lighting or angle "perfect" or whatever, I get frustrated. So if she already didn't want her picture taken I can't blame her in the slightest for walking away from you when you wouldn't leave her alone. It's cute that you not only couldn't take a hint, but also think someone who doesn't want her pic taken is automatically an autistic tumblrina.

>>8820657
After I told him he pretty much just packed up his camera and left. Never got a card or anything but I wasn't too bothered since I hadn't paid him or even spoken to him before, he just rolled up where I had been sitting and wanted photos.

>>8820666
Not trying to shit on you, but some people might take that as rude, I'm a waitress and fucking hate it when people snap at me. Tell the cosplayer first, might avoid awkwardness in the future.

>>8821149
To be hones, family member, she shouldve said something and left instead of just turning around mid - sentence on him/her.

Ive never done that to a person and that sounds like a dickhead move no matter your mood.

>>8821165
Why does she owe respect to someone who isn't taking some major "don't talk to me" hints? Still no sympathy here... her desire to get away trumps your need for people to be polite to you at all times. Sure your fee fees get a little dinged in the process but seriously why does it matter that a stressed out stranger was a little rude for fifteen seconds.

>>8821160
Holy shit this. I have had people snap their fingers at me, people silently wave their hands in front of my face to get me to stop a conversation, photographers touch me while my back is turned, and photographers who touch me on the shoulder to get my attention even though I can clearly see them. Every single one of these makes me want to tell them "no" for a photo.

>>8821180
Maybe the hints werent that apparent. And i dont disagree, if you dress up to be in the center of attention and be a cunt at the same time, you have that right, but youre a cunt.

>>8821187
What about cosplayers who don't particularly want attention, but do want to dress up?

>>8821187
>While in costume you must keep a gracious smile on and allow yourself to be photographed at all times, otherwise you're a cunt

Oh you're one of those people. Gotcha.

This is getting off topic and probably belongs in the other thread, but cosplayers don't owe you shit just because we're wearing a costume. I have been cussed out because I politely declined a photo while I was in the middle of shooting someone else. Shockingly, sometimes we are busy and don't want a photo taken. Get over it.

>>8821194
I'd probably be front forward about it, but obviously everyones diffrently social. Honestly ive never done something like that to a person even at the worst of times, but i have been in situations when things only become apparent when you summarise the behaviours after it was resolved, then it becomes apparent. When a social situation develops its sometimes difficult to put things in perspective, especially when theres a whole diffrent thing you're trying to resolve at the same time. In retrospect i wouldnt asume she was a bitch, or the photographer a social retard. But banter is banter.

>>8821200
Settle down princess, nobodies taking your dollies.

>>8821202
>>8821165
>"family member"
>"taking your dollies"

Are you just googling random sassy comebacks and dropping them in regardless of how much sense they make?

>>8821206
I make them up as i go, thanks. Sorry, i understand you expected an essay about you in the genre of "oh youre one of those people", but i asumed ingoring a comment that added nothing of value was going to be just as fruitfull.

>>8821210
I mean it's pretty clear that you don't respect that cosplayers are people who sometimes need breaks or aren't in the mood to be photographed - I got that pretty early on. I was laughing over the fact that your dismissive catch phrases make literally no sense. What "dollie" is being taken away here? I would have gone with "Nobody wants to take your photo anyway." Much more in-context.

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>>8819612
>that picture

>>8821200
>>8821217

Say, "I'm not really feeling like being photographed right now, maybe some other time".

Don't turn away while someone is talking to you like a bitch. If a man did that to you you'd be up in arms. If a photographer turned away from a cosplayer, do you know how many "I hate x photographer" threads would be up in here about it?

It all comes down to civility and tact, something most cosplayers seem to lack.

>>8821217
Well you so naively presented yourself so i answered accordingly.

Are you saying cosplayers are people too? Well no shit sherlock.

By the way, did you know that shanking someone hurts? Because it does.

Im glad we really bonded here and found some common ground we can both agree on.

>>8821224
damn dude chill out, you're not making things look any better for your case
are you always in the mood to take photographs when you're out on the con floor? i doubt it, i imagine sometimes you just want to stop and have a sit, talk to a friend, or have a snack. what makes it any different for cosplayers? they don't have any obligation to you

>>8821250
I dont take photos, nor do i have a case to make. Are you writing all this on my file? Is it gonna hurt my employment chances in the future? Do i have to imply that youre acting irrationaly to mock you?

I think i'll be the better anon here and stop responding and save everybodies time.

>>8821217
Holy fucking shit just shut up, being a cosplayer doesn't give you the right to be an asshole because suddenly you need a break. How easy is it to say in response to someone asking for a picture, "No thanks not right now, maybe if you see me later ask again," instead of just walking away like a rude bitch. There is no reason to assume she doesn't want her picture taken and there's plenty of reasons to act kind of reluctant like maybe she's just camera shy, or is having some costume malfunctions she's embarassed about, maybe she's just tired from staying up late. I don't know about you, but I'm not a telepath so personally I need someone to just actually tell me what's going on with them, acting all wishy washy or kind of shy doesn't mean anything.

Also being "in a mood" or "needing a break" isn't an excuse to just walk away from someone you're having a conversation with, that's rude as shit. Yeah cosplayers are people, so are photographers, and it's never acceptable to punish or act mean to other people just because you're having a bad day.

Photographers in this thread, wanna ask something quite specific for advice.

>character wears glasses
>choose to have lenses for the glasses as it's kinda weird/stupid-looking to wear glasses without lenses on them
>had photographers complained the reflective shine is too much and ask to remove the lenses on the spot

How do you all work with character with glasses? Do you prefer with or without the lenses? If there's reflective shine how do you work around it?

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>>8821550
Not a photographer but the shine is quite okay when the character has it originally.

Like dorky male sidekicks on harem animes.

I've seen beautiful cosplays "ruined" by an unnecessary shine, it hides the cosplayers' eyes and is overall unflattering.

>>8821550
Book a photographer who knows how to work with light.

It can be as simple as just moving the flash to one side.

Cosplayers, why do you put up with these photogs who don't know what they're doing? :\

>>8821556
I see your point, I want to avoid the unflattering shine on the eyes too, after all I want my face to be seen. But I was wondering must it result to removing lenses from the glasses, or is there other ways.

>>8821560
I was quite taken aback when I heard that, I did not put up with the demand as I refuse to take off the lenses on the spot (as I might damage the glasses) The photogs usually just refuse to take my pictures or grumbles as they continues to take picture.

So it isn't the glasses' fault? Good to know.

>>8821224
I really hope english is your second language because ouch.

>>8821223
Read the story again. Nowhere does the OP say that they're holding a conversation or even that the cosplayer is replying to him. The OP continues to talk at the cosplayer while she grows more and more uncomfortable and unresponsive, before walking away. You and he are clearly too autistic to see that the cosplayer wanted nothing to do with him, and high tailed it out of there. Meanwhile you're sitting here bawling about how she's such a cunt because she wasn't polite enough while literally running away.

>>8821550
>How do you work with characters with glasses?
You either move the flash or you use a polarizer filter. Of course, if you're a cheap shit that doesn't have an off-camera flash or can't spring $20 for a CPL, that's a problem.

>>8819745
if cosplayer can`t pose I just go and fix it. We both want a good photos and they can`t see themselves. If it doesn`t help (some people make weird faces) I show them results and give an advice how to make it better.

Also, when I cosplay I can`t pose as well.

>>8821550
that`s...not a problem. Like, at. You got a weird photog, is all

>>8820666
>legally blind anon here
Never do this. It's irritating enough I might just roll my eyes and walk away.

A good friend of mine cosplayed for a year or two then decided he wanted to be a con photog instead. We've worked together a few times and since then he's bought "color cards" so I know which direction to look. The card color pops against the background so I can tell, let's say, the bright red blur from the blue blur that's meshing in with the sky.
May not work for everyone but I find it helpful when I'm flying blind.

>>8820666
That would piss me off. What photographers have done for me is give me instructions that relate to my own body (look a foot more to your left) or more commonly, to the light source.

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>>8821206
>>8821217
>What "dollie" is being taken away here?
Good God you're a fucking retard. Anon said that you were the equivalent of a little brat princess whose toy dolls were being taken away, thus throwing a hissy fit. Metaphors, dipshit. Do you read? Have you ever read any stories beyond fanfiction?

Also it's not that hard to say "Not right now" to someone asking for a photo rather than throwing a little inner bitchfit and being inconsiderate of them.

>>8821149
>It's cute
Oh boy, the condescending shit. You really are a tumblrina.

>>8820666
That's actually quite a hard movement to see, not to mention rude as fuck. Colour cards or a bigger movement like waving a scarf is better if the person is just really myopic, or just asking if they can see where you're pointing to before you treat them like an animal

>>8821753
The argument is long over. Clean the sand out of your butthole and calm down.

>>8820503
she was probably tired, yo. Shoulda just snapped the one pic and went on with your business. Your fault sorry.

>>8820503
>I try to get her to pose better
I don't know, if she didn't want to pose for you in the first place for whatever reason (she was tired, trying to play games, or just didn't like you for some reason) but wanted to politely just do one photo and get it over and done with, and then you start monologing about how you're a photographer, I would probably just turn away too.
Of course maybe she was a total sperg or you were both to blame, I wasn't there. Either way don't let it get to you so much.

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>>8821637
>lecturing me on not understanding
>my story

Okay player.

>>8819783
He reminds me of those people I see in Hollywood dressed in Costumes who you take photos with. They also expect tips.

>>8821637
>>8821800
>>8821810

Only children and animals turn away from a person who's talking to them.

A grown person would say, "I'm just not in the mood to shoot right now, some other time, maybe?"

Period. The fact that so many people are acting like her acting like a bitch isn't such a big deal is because they want to be able to act like fucking kids.

>>8821810
This. If I'm tired or think I look shitty after a long day and you're going on a holier-than-thou sperglords photographer monologue, I won't give a fuck.

Just curious, but who do you prioritize when choosing subjects? If you see 3 cosplayers about to enter the dealer's hall - 2 you recognize and 1 you have no idea where it's from - and can only stop stop one for a photo, who do you choose?
>Popular cosplay done adequately
>Rarer cosplay done adequately
>Well-done cosplay from unknown source (for ex, OC)

>Offer shoots last year at katsu for a little extra money
>Get a few takers
>One girl happens to be doing a costume I shot my friend in the year before (at the same con)
>Meet her at con, seems disinterested
>Start shooting with some difficulty
>Her expression was dead, couldn't smile for shit
>Showed her the shots to try and invest her
>She doesn't like them but she also don't know what she doesn't like about them and has no idea what she wants
>Mention that I've shot this before so I need a little input
>She suggests I just do the same shots
>Uh....no.
>Finish up fast and get out of there
>Actually had to liquify her mouth in every photo to make her look the least bit interested
>Post and hope we never interact again

>had hope this thread could be fun
>"this cosplayer has been rude with me so i'm butthurt" story
>endless discussions about it

So a real question (another photographer talking) :
Why do you try so hard ?
Cosplayer-chan acts bored or uninterested, maybe he's tired, maybe he has some friends to see, or maybe he just doesn't like your face.
Why do you keep pushing it ? Take a crappy pic, give your card and go. There's plenty of fish in the sea, and it's probably not by pushing it that cosplayer-chan will get into it.

>>8821868

I weigh rarer cosplay done adequately because I can't be bothered with OC. Being very honest, OC may look really nice but unless I wanna just show off an outfit I have no reason to bother the OC.

>>8821187
THIS x100

Nothing ruffles my feathers more than cosplayers who stand around looking for attention and then act too good to get their photo taken. If you don't have a huge lens or two cameras strapped around your neck they don't want anything to do with you.

>Cruising the halls at a con
>Spot a beautiful Great Fairy posing for photos
>Politely wait my turn while she strikes multiple poses for this guy. Finally he leaves and I and ask for a photo
>Enter cold bitch mode
>"Sorry I'm all photoed out"
>She sits down right there with her friends in the hall. Doesn't even bother leaving.
>Ask her if I can take a photo of her sitting down.
>"No my costume won't look right"
>Take a photo of her anyway from a high angle while she's in the middle of talking. It's hideous.
>Post it online

It takes ten seconds to strike a pose but I guess you can enjoy your ugly photo instead.

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>>8819783

>>8821955
>cosplayers who stand around looking for attention and then act too good to get their photo taken
Except the cosplayer in OP's story wasn't looking to get her photo taken in the first place? She was in the game room and posed as if she didn't care whether or not she got the photo taken and the photographer kept pushing her to pose better. The only one who wanted a photo in this situation was OP.

>>8820666
>snapping
k assdouche

>>8821946
>Take a crappy pic, give your card and go.
This. If a cosplayer rubs me the wrong way I go out of my way to shoot them in the least flattering way possible with the. Harsh lighting, double chin angles, anything else I can think of and just throw that shit online with the rest of my photos. If they didn't want a shitty photo taken of them, then they should have either been more cooperative or they could have just said no. On the other hand if the cosplayer is polite and friendly, I'll go out of my way to try to take the best photo of them that I can. Spend a little more time post processing their pictures and all that good stuff.

>>8821955

You sound like a dick but "I'm all photoed out" does sound like a lame excuse. Nobody is a winner in this story.

>>8821911
Basically every cosplayer ever.

>>8821955
Pretty fucked up of her.

>>8821982
While I don't disagree with the sentiment, posting bad pictures just makes you look like you're an unskilled photographer. I just don't return photos. If they're an asshole, I take my time. Fuck 'em.

>>8821955
she didnt want her picture taken; she was tired.
dont be such a vengeful little bitch about it.

>>8822017
You're assuming.

People have said to me, "No, no pictures please", and it wasn't a problem. My beef is not that I didn't get a picture, it's that she was rude to me.

Why is this so hard to grasp?

>>8822024
She replied to you, she said "sorry" and politely declined. The only perceived rudeness here is that you didn't get your way and then threw a vindictive tizzy over it.

Why do so many photographers in this thread think they're not only entitled to photos but entitled to cosplayers showering them with fake smiles 24/7?

>>8821160
>>8821710
>>8821735
>>8821773
>>8821967

Holy fuck, not in a demeaning way, idiots.
If you can't see very well and need some sort of sense to use for guidance, what would prefer? Smell?

I'd only do this if they couldn't see and needed another way, as well as asking them beforehand if that makes it easier. jfc

>>8822437
I can't speak for all cultures, but in basically all of the western world, snapping at somebody to get their attention is universally demeaning, it's always condescending, you're essentially treating them, as you yourself alluded to, like a dog.

What's done is done, but you might take some tips from the other photogs here and use color cards in the future, or at least let them know you're going to use sound to mark a direction.

>>8821955
There's no guarantee she'll see that shitty pic, or link or tag herself.

All you've done is fucked yourself by posting a bad photograph.

>>8821550
I compensate by increasing my shutter speed, since if I make it fast enough it doesn't usually reflect, but others have pointed out (also who the fuck lacks flashes they are like 10bux wtf)

also as a guy who is getting into cosplay photography I see why half of /cgl/ shits on photos, holy shit there is so much petty autistic bullshit.

negroes they don't owe you a photo, and if you are getting paid you treat them like gold. They are giving you their hard earned cash.

It isn't that hard to ask "hey can I take your photo,", if they say no, then smile and walk away. Also, offer them your business card so they can find their photos. I mean fuck this thread is like everything not to be to me!

>>8822437
Have you never been around a nearsighted person before or.......

Unless someone is actually legally blind, they're going to be able to see the vague direction of your arm far better than they'll be able to sonar-pinpoint the sound of your snap with our Daredevil-like skills. Unless you are snapping close on either side of their head I don't know how the hell you think that's helpful whatsoever. Everyone is in agreement that it's rude as fuck so maybe you should stop.

>>8820503
The fuck? You're the one who was autistic in this situation

>>8822557
>increasing my shutter speed, since if I make it fast enough it doesn't usually reflect

are you stupid

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>>8822557
>increasing my shutter speed
Holy god what
You can just ask them to tilt their head or to turn their bodies a bit away from the light source.

>also who the fuck lacks flashes they are like
10bux
wew lad where do you find your gear

>>8822583
this. movement is super easy to perceive, just move your hand. I'm a musical person (have been playing shit since I was 4 or 5) and I am still absolute shit with sensing the direction of sounds, no one is going to get your snapping unless they're batman in cosplay or something

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>>8822557
Holy crackers you are stupid as fuck.

>>8821641
>polarizer filter
This is the correct answer.

I'm a pro photojournalist who used to work as a team with my cosplayer ex-gf to do photos. Some of my stuff was really popular. I did all of the actual shooting work and the processing, she basically acted as art director and also did the detail retouching.

I'd like to shoot again, but I'm really lacking the directing skills and the fine editing ability to deliver the same quality that I'm used to, and I'm not all that sure how to help with that.

I shot with some friends way back at Fanime, and still haven't delivered photos. I feel awful about it, but I just can't get things to look the way I want them to.

>>8822992
Short term, get the Fanime photos to the best point you can, then send them to the cosplayers with this story as an explanation and an apology.

>>8822557
>he buys $10 flashes
Jesus. I want to see what your photos look like.
I got a $10 flash off of eBay once, the only settings it had were "on" and "off".

>>8822992
I recently worked with a photographer who had a great technique for directing cosplayers who aren't that great with posing. Instead of instructing how to hold your body (head tilted, look over your shoulder, weight on your front leg), she'd ask her cosplayers to move into the position (take a step forward and as you do, look behind you at that bush, slightly worried). She'd then continuously shoot as the cosplayer moved, which resulted in the pose being much more natural on top of easier to understand.

>>8821223

Anon apparently that does not work read >>8821955

>>8822437
Just saying, if you snapped at me to get my attention, I'd probably tell you to find some other way of directing me. Whether you mean it or not, it comes across as incredibly rude to most people. Stop doing it.

>>8820503
that's some chris chan tier shit, you autistic fuck

>>8821955
Mostflogged?

>>8823042
No

>>8823016
not that anon but thank you for the tip! I'm also having trouble with directing my models sometimes. I'm going to give this a try

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>>8822437
OP here who said they were pretty much blind without glasses. If someone snapped at me to get me to look in certain directions I'd probably feel a lot worse than I already did and just apologize and get out of there. I was already anxious enough since I have little to no experience working with photographers who want more than "Freeze long enough for me to take a single photo" and without my glasses my anxiety went super high because I couldn't see and he's telling me to look at this or that which I couldn't SEE so having someone snap their fingers at me repeatedly would have definitely been my breaking point.

I can see you (even if you're blurry) and I can see your hand if you just raise it and tell me to look at your hand/finger/something if it's positioned where you want me to look. Snapping at me would just confuse me more because the area is already noise so I don't know if it's you or someone else doing it, much less which direction it's coming from so using it to make someone look exactly where you want isn't going to work, especially if they're vision impaired.

>tfw that experience has me scheduling an eye exam to get contact prescriptions for next time

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>>8822437
If I had someone snap at me to get them looking, my reaction wouldn't think that it was very rude. I'd just think from my lack of familiarity with photoshoots but he did say that this is just a tool that this guy uses and after getting permission already.

But if that response was done in the not as a offhanded expression gone wrong but rather in the mindset of "Holy fuck look this way you blind dog", anyone would that think rude.

>in exhibit hall
>camera in hand at the ready for interesting cosplayers
>walk past a cosplay model booth with a line for some reason
>booth attendants admonish me for trying to take photos of the pictures
>feel immediately scandalized

Why in the hell would I want to take pictures of your pictures?

>>8821955
You are why cosplayers bitch about photogs. You are an asshat. Just gracefully accept she didn't want to shoot and walk off. Dick.

>>8823196
I once had security flip out on me for the great crime of having my camera on my shoulder inside of a dealer's hall. Making it weirder, what happened is that the guard nicely came up and asked me to put it back in my bag, which I did, and then walked away... only for the hall manager to show up a few minutes later, try to confiscate my badge, and drag me to the con office.

The funny thing is that I was on a press credential, working for a legitimate outlet, and had actually been invited by the convention. The chewing out that the hall manager got from the press manager was only upstaged by the one the con chair gave her when he showed up.

>>8824027

Security are typically the main horror story fuel I have from cons. That includes staff members who aren't used to the faux power that they feel and end up bossing people around because they are stressed.

>>8824220
Yeah, there are a lot of really obnoxious guys on staff at any con, especially access control and security people.

I was in a staff position at a major con a few years back, and as I was on their media team working directly with GoHs, I was dressed professionally and had the same all-access pass that department heads and directors got. I have to admit that it was pretty enjoyable to watch the same security guys who'd hassled me in previous years snap to attention when I'd go by like a private when an officer walks into the room.

>>8821550
I prefer that lenses stay on so it looks natural. Angling the glasses down (more forward) helps reduce reflections. It's not that bad if it's a cloudy day.

>>8823023
>chris chan tier
no it's not

>>8821223

Precisely, rude is rude no matter how you look at it. Of course, we just heard one side of the story.

>>8822925
I live in an area with a lot of old people who have more money than sense, and I cut their lawns as a kid, so when they started dying the wives sold me gear. I literally have too many old as fuck MD/CF/pentax lenses and too many old film cameras (but I can adapt them but this is /p/ tier shit). (I have my nice canon modern kit, but I like the old shit with the mirrorless since I have a flash meter so why not pretend its 1985).

Protip: old people tend to get into expensive hobbies and then die, so make friends with them to get nice shit.

>>8821826
Basically this. If you try to justify it, I know you supply it.

>>8821955
you are a fucking asshole and I wouldn't have taken a picture of you either. Dumbasses like you need to stop shitting up this thread.

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>>8820503
>Gonna passive aggressively agree to pose then get mad at the photog for asking for a different pose and or offering advice for a better pose
>Then im gonna just cut them off and turn around mid sentence because fuck other humans. If they can't read into my mixed signals and or mind then fuck them.
>And now they're the asshole.

>Be me, at my 2nd con ever
>Advertise my photography, cosplayer and her group responds
>Decent outfits, not bad looking girls
>We set up a shoot, I give her a discount because the group is pretty big
>Day of shoot, a new girl shows up
>I include the new girl in the shoot for free, no biggie
>I go out of my way to make sure everyone gets good shots; I shoot past the allotted time in the frying sun, no biggie
>I show the pictures on the back of the camera, everyone is in love with the photos
>We leave on smiles and good terms
>Being tfwnogf-anon, and having the girls on FB, I hit up a couple of the cosplayers in the group about hanging out and getting to know each other while the con is still going on
>They're not with it, fuck it, I struck out
>After I get home, I finish the photos and post them on my site
>Their heads explode, they love them
>Feelsgoodman.jpg

(cont'd)

(cont'd from >>8825744 )

>A few weeks later, still have them on FB
>I begin to see they're hyper SJWs
>Ohshit.psd
>Decide to leave them on my list; we don't really talk, but occasionally interact with each others' posts
>They start to take exception to posts I make that poke fun at women
>redflag.mov
>I still don't do anything because we had a great shooting experience, and people don't generally flip their personalities, right? Right?
>Finally, I make a post about how a guy looked at me funny for buying something generally considered feminine, but how I'm still able to beat a nigga's ass
>ALL THE GIRLS IN THE GROUP LOSE THEIR COLLECTIVE SHIT
>One MAKES A VIDEO about how objects have no gender and how men (meaning me) imply that feminine means weak, and also how she'll stab a motherfucker (again, me) with a stiletto if he thinks she's weak
>Now, I'm sexist
>Now I hate women
>I'm a pervert
>I tried to sexualize them on the shoot
>They get other people who were at the con to chime in and it turns into a huge thing
>depression.wav

>>8825783
What was it? I'm trying to get a good image of these happenings in my head.

>>8825783
I feel like you are probably leaving some stuff out.

>Being tfwnogf-anon, and having the girls on FB, I hit up a couple of the cosplayers
>I struck out

It sounds like your intentions were more than just a photo shoot.

(cont'd from >>8825783 )

>I weather the storm as best I can, even though I lost in real life friends and colleagues due to this and other false accusations stemming from this
>I take all their photos down and finally take them off Facebook
>Almost quit cons over it
>Say fuck it, and go to one last one
>The love is rekindled
>Whew.gif
>A few months go by
>Out of the blue, SJW anon hits my inbox
>"Hey photog-anon, we were wondering when you were going to retouch and send us the rest of the photos"
>Bishwhat.dbs
>"Nah, SJW-anon, I generally give back 6-8 photos, and you got more than that, for less money. I can't help you"
>Stay civil even though they tried to ruin me in the community
>SJW-anon seems satisfied with that answer
>another few months go by
>rebuild my social circle
>things are starting to get back on track
>SJW-anon hits my inbox AGAIN
>"Hey, we noticed you took our photos down off your site and we're just wondering if you could send them over"
>NIGGAIFYOUDONTGTFO.MKV

I know I'm not blameless in this, but that doesn't change the fact that she ain't getting a response until the year 3016 sometime.

>>8825811

You should probably just let them know after the incident at that time you're not comfortable with keeping in contact and have removed the photos to move past the incident.

If they flip on that then they weren't worth any more interaction. If they manage to understand then you don't ever have to deal with them again I'd hope.

>>8825797
I hit up a couple of the cosplayers to try to get to know them on a more personal level. I meant to type that, but I was typing and editing all at the same time. I don't write very well start-to-finish. :(

I wasn't disrespectful about it, but yeah, I tried to kick some game.

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>>8825783
>meet random cosplayers at con through the years
>they friend my personal facebook profile
>regularly post /pol/ tier shit about immigrants shitting up Sweden and Germany and just general contempt for muslims
>occasionally make vaguely nazi jokes referring to Hitler as mein fuhrer
>regularly shit on the whole blm faggotry
>people usually quietly unfriend me with a week or two of friending me without saying a single word
>tfw I don't give a single fuck

>>8825826
So, are you a racist nazi or is that just your online persona?

>>8825826
I didn't take it as far as like, "Women are terrible people".

I forget what it actually was, because it was a few years ago now, but it was a joke about wives or something they didn't like. It was pretty standard. Sexist, but "roll your eyes" sexist. Not "put this guy on a watch-list" sexist.

I'm also not really a fan of the racism, so...

>>8825744
>>8825783
>>8825811
>>8825826

I'm confused by all this. They paid you, you took photos and then tried to put moves on them beyond the professional relationship and are denied.
You upload photos, they don't suck your dick, you offend them, they share their thoughts on what you said (or at least presume it's about you), take it as a personal attack, remove images, and don't respond further?

Did you send them the photos after the shoot? Why are they asking for the photos again if you already sent them?
If they paid you, you should give it to them.

It sounds as though you tried to move in beyond photographer relationship on cute girls and were denied and now you are upset.

Am I missing something?

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>>8825833
A little bit from column A a little bit from column B. It's a pretty fun way to weed out thin skinned overly sensitive people. Family reunions are always a blast since I have a lot of my family members as a facebook friend too.

>>8825841

Oh shit I didn't read that part. They did pay.

Anon fucked up lol

>>8825841
I sent them their photos multiple times, as well as the proof pictures from the whole shoot. I don't owe them shit. I mean, why would I hold onto their photos? That's asking for trouble.

>>8825811
The alpha thing to do would be to tell them LOL NO and screen shot them asking for their pictures and put them on blast for still wanting to associate themselves with someone who they accused of being a misogynistic rapist or whatever.

>>8825861
hint: if more than 2 people are bothered by your comments, odds are they're not thin-skinned, you're just an asshole.

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>>8825871
I never said I wasn't m80.

>Have my hot dog trust betrayed by a Vanille
>I'll live with it, whatever
>Have AMAZING idea for a FMA shoot, mention it to my friend that does Riza
>We spend a couple hours in tall grass with a BB gun and some reflectors
>Shots all come out fuckin amazing
>I touch up all the photos and export them all twice, once in true color and once edited to look like daguerreotypes because it's FMA
>Present them to friend
>"These are ok, can I have the raws?"
>She doesn't have Lightroom or anything, idk what she'll do with 3GB of raws of us fucking around in a field
>SHE POSTS THE RAWS TO HER PAGE INSTEAD OF THE FINAL EDITS???
>Why would you betray my fuckin-around-in-a-field trust like that. We bonded over finding burrs in our socks.

>>8825912

Why did you give her raws?
Why didn't you ask what she was going to do with them?
Why didn't you ask her afterwards to take them down as they don't represent your work properly?
Likely she didn't like your edits, but that's besides the point.

>>8825744
for future notice if you ever see you have added a hyper sjw you have the option of adding them to the restricted list so they can't see your posts. facebook will default your new posts to being visible to friends, minus restricted, so you don't have to do anything special on your part

>>8825933
Smart.

>>8823042
Sounds like her but she's never done a Great Fairy cosplay afaik.

>>8825783
>ohshit.psd
Top kek anon. But man they sound like they're 14 or some shit.

>>8825950

With all his
>Feelsgoodman.jpg
>Ohshit.psd
>redflag.mov
>depression.wav
>Whew.gif
>Bishwhat.dbs
>NIGGAIFYOUDONTGTFO.MKV

Nigga sounds 12 yrs old

>>8825871
>they're not thin skinned, you're just an asshole
Bro if you go on tumblr and call black people "black people", you'll have an army of tumblrinas ripping you apart. We can conclude that that doesn't make me an asshole, it makes them thin skinned.

>>8825912
>first two lines are completely irrelevant
Why

>>8825959

Reference to a post in the other photog thread

>>8825962
I'm not a detective. Link that shit.

>>8825957
>hates something
>goes out of their way to recreate the exact thing they hate

Great job, anon.

>>8825968

ctrl+f hot dog

>cosplayer horror stories thread
>like 4 stories

My nigga, I know there's more photographers on this shit than just me.

And I know there's more bitchy cosplayers on here than the ones I met.

Fucking contribute!

>>8827528
I'm too beta to do actual photoshoots so I just do hall shots and sit in at meetups. So I'm not in a position to encounter that much horror tier stories. Mostly just run into occasional rudeness or awkwardness and that's it.

>don't have any cosplay friends
>maybe if I got to a series meetup at a con I'll make some friends!
>guy organizing it says 'professional' photographer he made arrangements with canceled
>volunteer to take some shots even though I'm not a professional or anything
>go to meet up
>take photos while they do their thing
>hang around afterwards and just take random shots of people goofing off and whatever
>at least two people there cosplaying the same character as me and are far more attractive
>everyone is always pulling them to get some photos and selfies with them
>basically be a fly on the wall
>get home and post photos on the groups facebook page
>no one comments as far as I can tell
>try to add the organizer as a friend because he's one of the few people who actually talked to me
>he never does

Pretty much the same thing happened the year after with a different cosplay series meet up. People liked or reblogged a few of their photos, but no one ever bothers communicating with me or adding me as a friend. Feels sad man.

>>8825861
>>8825826
Do you own an anime themed shit posting Facebook page?

>>8827561
Another tale of awkwardness

>walking around at a con
>hear loud gasps and a shriek
>see guy on his knee proposing to a girl
>hmm this doesn't seem like they're in character at all
>immediately think they'd probably want a picture of the proposal
>raise up camera, too far away so I don't take a shot
>walk a little closer to them and the small crowd of their friends
>think it would be rude to just take a picture without asking
>they seem to be really in the moment so I don't want to interrupt them
>ending not shooting a single picture and just walking away
>later I notice the girl on a forum asking people if anyone got a picture of her boyfriend proposing to her
>remember I'm probably the only one in that area at that moment that had a decent camera
>knew that she would have probably been happy with any photo at all and I chose not to take any because I'm awkward as fuck

Always just do it. Trust your gut, bro.

>>8827528

>Be photographer taking photos at a con
>Talk to prettiest girl around and ask for photos
>Says yes
>Took dope photos
>Become friends for years

It's only a horror story if you view that shit negatively, bruh

>>8822557
>increase shutter speed

does your camera shutter travel faster than 180,000 miles persecond?

>>8827561
>>8827619

I think the horror story here is your overwhelming beta-ness.

Get some balls, pls. :D

The WORST cosplayers are the one's who bring their own photographer and hand out printed cards like they are Gods gift to the world. Seriously I would take photos of any other cosplayer. I prefer real people over fakes.

After reading through this thread, a lot of you all need to not call yourselfs "professionals photographers"

>>8828564
u jelly?

>>8828591
I agree. Most cosplay photographers are hobbyists. That's obvious.
What would you consider a professional photographer?

>>8828347
You are correct! lol

>>8828591
After reading your post, I think I dropped a few IQ points. Jesus christ, learn to spell.

>>8828591
Deal, just as long as you don't refer to yourself as a professional cosplayer.

LOL at the thought of professional cosplayers and cosplay photographers! Let me know when you guys actually report your incomes from cosplay then.

>>8820503
You didn't touch her, did you? Nothing creeps me out more than a photographer with a nice camera trying to physically pose me like I'm a doll or something.

>>8828728

I report mine. bitch.

>>8828780
I've posed many cosplayers while touching them but I'm not a creep because I ask them and after they said yes. Sometimes cosplayers can't understand what you want from them even after a description, so ask first. Not sure why so many photofags don't understand this simple concept.

>>8828780
>Nothing creeps me out more than a photographer with a nice camera trying to physically pose me

I don't understand this. What does the quality of the camera have to do with anything? Woman logic, I guess.

>>8829304
This. Build a rapport with your cosplay model, and you can get her to do whatever you want. Be attractive, and she'll be comfortable. If you can't be attractive, be cool. If you can't be cool, be funny. If you're one or more of these things, they'll be comfortable with you, and you'll be shooting great shit in no time.

>>8829914

Non-photogs think that good cameras = good photos.

If I didn't burn from my memory that one hall photog who bought a $45,000 camera for "professional photos" (yet produces photos worse than a point & shoot) I'd post their website.

It's amazing, though. Amazing in a bad way.

>>8831450
I met a photographer last year at nycc who rented their gear and we exchanged cards. I saw their photos from the con and half if not more of his photos were dark as hell and I could swear he was shooting with two lights BAKA

>>8828642
>>8827619

Anon you fucked up big time. If a proposal is happening at a con you just take photos. A lot more times than not those moments are expected to be photographed.

>>8827528
I just don't really have much in the way of horror stories. I don't "advertise" or solicit shoots, so pretty much everything I do is with people I already know well enough to know that they're not likely to cause trouble.

The worst experience I've really had was with a pretty well-known cosplayer who was doing a pair cosplay with a friend I often shot with, and they asked me to shoot this pair. The well-known cosplayer didn't even show up to the con until 3 or 4 hours after the shoot time, and then took 2+ more hours to get into costume. That was pretty much the last time I actually scheduled a shoot, now I just tell them to call me when they're ready, and it usually works out pretty well.

>>8828591
>>8828728
Yeah, a lot of people throw the term around way too much. I mentioned that I used to be a pro in an earlier post, but in my case it's absolutely true, I just worked in a field that had almost nothing in common with cosplay photography. I still shoot for work, too, but it's only about 50% of my job so I don't count myself as a pro photog anymore. (I do PR for an aftermarket auto parts company, so I shoot a lot of stuff like new projects in the shop, really cool customer cars, and our company's race team on the track.)

>>8828791
good for you bitch, but a majority of these cosplay photographers and cosplayers don't is what my point was. Same for those that claim to be making it but still living at home with their parents and not helping the household or bitching about debts

>>8831450
THIS x 1000

Don't worry. I remember the guy who brought a Hasselblad to conventions and produced absolute shit. I checked out his website and Facebook page, and he'd go on and on about his equipment, and his photos were horrid.

The irony is, most cosplayers didn't know the difference. I think they think size of the lens = the better the photographer.

So I bought an extra big lens for Katsu.

>>8833076

Those Hasselblads... H5d-200C (I just happen to have it saved in Google search).

It hurts, anon. It hurts...

There's like 10 of us currently trying to talk some guy out of going around ALA with a 400mm and shooting "candids." It doesn't seem to be working.

Looks like we've got another "creeper" legend in the making. Can't say we didn't warn him...

>>8833374
Mike?

>>8833374
Caps?

>>8833374
What...

...what can you shoot with a 400mm at a con? Eyes? Like, a single eye? Cheekbones?

Like, wut?

>>8833374
Haha I thought me taking hall shots with a 70-200 was bad enough holy shit.

>>8834088
In theory there's plenty of room in most cons' outdoor areas to frame a head & shoulders portrait with a 400mm.

I've used a 200mm to do full-body shots quite a few times and that requires even more distance to the subject. (During shoots and not hall shots, of course. 200mm is nice because it gives you a little bit more leeway to get lighting in close to the subject, gives you more control over how the background looks, and is more flattering to a lot of cosplayers' faces.)

How do you guys deal with turning down people who request shoots?

I just decided to come back to cosplay photography after years out of the scene, and posted on an upcoming con's page that I'd be available. I expected maybe 2 or 3 requests, instead I've gotten close to 30 in two hours or so since I posted, and it's not even peak hours for views on that page since people are at work or school.

I've already got 10+ conversations going with people who I'm up for shooting with and probably can't take many more, and I'm afraid of looking like an asshole because I'm prioritizing more attractive people with better costumes. (I'm not trying to perv or get laid, I'm just trying to bring my "brand" back and so I'll shoot with people who will look better in my portfolio and give me more exposure.)

>>8835114
Don't feel bad. I'd list your criteria and explain that you want to shoot the most strongest applicants you can to build your professional portfolio. I would lso draw up a time slot chart so that you can plan your schedule and so that applicants can see what is available. It will seem much more transparent. If anyone gets butt hurt, they were too immature to begin with.

>>8835121
I already have a Google Calendar going for scheduling, but I'd rather not make it public. (I don't want to have my whole con overwhelmed by shoots, and if I post the schedule, I'm worried people will say "oh, you have 2 hours free here, why don't we shoot then?"

>>8835126
Then don't leave any blanks. Put "lunch" "appointment" etc. Also if anyone is complains that you aren't booked back to back, they are an asshole. Explain that you don't want to overload your schedule to ensure that those who do get shoots get the best quality you can offer. Have a backbone.

>>8835132
Yeah, that makes sense. I'm just keeping it low key and doing everything through DMs at the moment.

>>8835114

Don't make your calendar schedule public. Are you charging? If you are charging, just tell people it's first come first serve. Get every ones times that they would prefer, organize it that way and choose by priority of what you want to shoot.

Just tell everyone up front that you have recieved a lot of requests and it will come in order of availability and who asked first.

After that, have them pay you upfront, before the con. Otherwise you will have a lot of last minute cancellations because they are cosplayers and can't be trusted in that sense.

Make special exceptions of those you are closer to and trust, if they want to pay in person. But for reals, people will bail with lame excuses if you don't have them pay before the con.

I don't normally give out advice like this, but whatever. Do it if you want. Last con I did it this way and easily banked over 600 for the couple days. I shot the whole con, but had downtime too. It was fun and got some solid photos. Plus a pretty penny over the weekend.

>>8835114
Stop fucking apologizing for yourself.

Shoot who you want to shoot with, for whatever reason you want to shoot with them for.

You're going to get talked about on here no matter how politically correct you are anyway.

>>8835194
No, I'm not charging. I probably will after a few cons, but I've been out of the game for 3 years and need to get some momentum and name recognition going again. My figuring is that, by shooting for free, at least for this con, I can shoot with people that probably wouldn't pay me, and having them in my portfoilo can help start building my "brand" back up.

>>8835259
Good point.

Thanks, you're right. I'll never make everybody happy, and I sure as hell won't enjoy shooting with people that I just don't feel like I can make look good.

>>8835299

If you aren't getting paid, then just do what you want. You can always say something like, "Sure, if you buy me lunch or a beer." or whatever.

Do not feel obligated to fulfill all the shoots because that's ridiculous.

I'm also assuming you can take a decent photo.

>>8833076
>H5d-200C
i think i saw that guy, was he older in a yellow shirt? I mean I saw that and felt like I had seen a god, just because I know medium format is a thing, we have one at command, but this is like seeing the sacred heart in reality.


>>8834166
See, I dual camera because I love my 16-35 for just the huge depth of field on the full frame side, but I use a 17-50 (experimenting with a 16-85 for a con I'm about to go to) for the quarter body shots as I like the smaller depth of field for body shots and portraits.

>>8835306
Yes, my ability behind the camera is not an issue, I'm a former pro. (Outside the cosplay world.) I feel like my editing and directing need work, but that might just be me nitpicking myself.

I did quite a bit of cosplay photography back in the day, but it was mostly with the cosplayer I was dating and her friends, and so I had plenty to shoot and never needed to solicit shoots or promote myself. This whole open booking thing is really new to me.

>>8835436
If you consider yourself a pro and struggle with booking and cosplay photography. I'd like to see your pro work, because you aren't exactly oozing confidence.

>>8835449
I was a staff photographer at a magazine, so the situation was very different from what you see in the cosplay scene. I had an editor to handle all of the scheduling and booking and often an art director to handle the direction, my job was pretty much just lighting and the actual photography itself.

>>8835449

"pro" in the real world and "pro" in the cosplay world look very different. Among other things, charging cosplay prices for real freelance is a good way to get blacklisted since literally everyone will think you're shit on general principle and the people who'll hire you are going to take you for a fucking ride

>>8835493
Blacklisted in the cosplay community? Wut? hahaha!

Charging freelance prices outside of cons is normal for some photographers.

>>8835493
This is basically why I've never been into charging. If I'm gonna make it a job and not have fun, I'll just go take a real freelance job. I once got paid 5k by a liquor company to fly to a NASCAR race for one day and take pics of their top distributors with the car and driver that they sponsored, and then make prints, frame them, and drop them off at the company so they could ship them to the subjects as souvenirs. Literally one 12hr day of processing, printing, and framing. Making less than a grand for busting my ass for three or four days at a con and then spending weeks on processing and editing seems absolutely insane in comparison.

I quit photography as a main job entirely, though. I do PR for an automotive aftermarket company now, about 70% writing and 30% photography, and take home three times what I made as a photog.

>>8835498

No, blacklisted in the photography community.

Real photographers are doing this for a living and won't mind obliterating your reputation once you start undercutting their prices and fucking with their meal ticket.

>>8835500
Isn't ohotography being pressured by cheap fucks who don't want to pay the value of photography now, I mean on the journalism side, E reports and bullshit and the iPhone combined with ratings cratering for the locals and newspapers collapsing mean that the modern photog on the journalism side has to hustle even harder (or go the Vice style side and do a one stop shopping thing of going deep into new and exotic realms), and the corporate masses don't like to pay people what its worth.

>>8835499
I agree, I do this for fun and to force myself to improve because the only way to get better is to take photos, see what you did right/wrong, and then head to the desk.

>>8835500
Real photographers? I don't think you know what you are talking about.

>>8835508
Not that anon, but real photographers don't charge 100 dollars an hour for portraits. That's chump change.

>>8835507
>>8835508

Journalism has always been a shitshow, but corporate gigs can pay out pretty well if you know what you're doing, see >>8835499

advertising and weddings are the bread and butter of freelance, as much as people hate doing them, and fucking with that is a real good way to ruin your name in the eyes of your peers, and having a shit reputation is the #1 reason most new togs quit since they can't secure work from anything but bottom feeder clients.

>>8835519
I agree. My con rates are such a discounted rate for photos. If people think that's expensive, then I really don't even want to shoot them lol

>>8835519
Lol no one pays over $100 for a photo

>>8835539
You can FOIA how much the US Government pays for our lowest bidder for mass photos for events, that isn't unrealistic.

>>8835539
You are incorrect. If you are a photographer, then this is a great example of why you will always shoot for free.

>>8835552
I have seen 1200 as a typical quote for LA headshots for actors/models, 900ish is the midwestern/central US number I usually see.

I don't think people realize how much this shit can cost (so why real photos can eat the huge expense of photography)

>>8835577

Like, just as a breakdown, just for "a single headshot," the price will include line items for:

-labor
-image processing
-material expenses for prints (framing, the actual paper, etc.)
-travel expense
-insurance
-depreciation
-online storage

each of these things isn't necessarily a lot in and of itself, but there's a lot of overhead in the business that needs to get paid.

>>8835587
Yeah, this is totally on point.

I mentioned in the other thread that I've had jobs that paid 5k+ for two days of work, and this is why. Cosplay photography is chump change, and I'd rather just do it for free and not have the pressure of a paid shoot.

>>8835114
Just make a public post like "Wow, I didn't expect such a fast response! I think I'm already fully booked, so I'll stop taking requests, and I'll touch base with those of you who have applied already."

>>8835624
That's actually exactly what I did, although I didn't say I'd stop, just that I had a ton and was already pretty much booked.

I don't want to discourage somebody who does really nice stuff from seeing it and asking, but it seems to have cut down on the overflow of responses.

I'm honestly totally blown away by how much interest I've gotten. I posted my old portfolio but didn't really count on the fact that people I shot back in the day are now quite well-known, and that generates a lot of attention.

>>8835577

1200 just for headshots seems kind of high considering full wedding coverage around here (not a cheap area) runs 3-5k for decent people for 8hrs. The hourly rate and number of photos returned is way better.

>>>8835587

Sometimes, when life starts to suck, I wish I had tits so that life can be easy for me too.

>>8835644
I wish I had tits all the time.

>>8826604

What does it mean though?

>>8831450
http://sketchydrew-photography.com/
you're welcome anon-chan <33

>>8835790

jesus christ how horrifying

>>8835790
>http://sketchydrew-photography.com/
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

MYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD5hMu-IsCY

>>8835790
He shot this shit with a camera that costs more than most new cars.

I have to use equipment held together with tape.

Life is not even fair.

>>8835628
Wedding guys are really only turning over 5-6 money shots. The rest are just fluff nobody cares about to inflate the numbers

>>8835790
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD5hMu-IsCY

what. the. fuck.

>>8835803
>http://sketchydrew-photography.com/
how can you tell what camera he's using? I can't find EXIF info anywhere

>>8835834
i'm not the person you replied to, but i'm the person that originally found this photographer. there was a photo posted in a local con's tag on tumblr that had exif. he also talks about his hasselblad on his fb sometimes too.

>>8835844
i see. He looks like he's just using a Nikon full frame to me. D800 probably. not a cheap camera but nowhere close to a car.

>>8835790

I hate you, anon.

<3

File: chrome_2016-01-28_08-40-39.jpg (165KB, 1285x878px) Image search: [Google]

165KB, 1285x878px

>>8836147

Apparently he took the info off his site but last I checked he specifically named the model of Hasselblad that he was using (which I posted earlier. H5d-200C I believe.

Instead of just saying stuff I'll post a screenshot of where he does mention it, though there are other places he's brought it up (which I can't find right now).

File: chrome_2016-01-28_08-42-16.jpg (28KB, 502x184px) Image search: [Google]

28KB, 502x184px

>>8836147
>>8836301

Nevermind, found it.

>>8836301
>This enables us to create imaes of the highest quality currently available with today's digital technology

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD5hMu-IsCY

File: 1445067707813.jpg (70KB, 350x399px) Image search: [Google]

70KB, 350x399px

>>8836301
>We have a limited number of modeling slots available

That'd be a career ending shoot

>>8836301
Holy shit, I just looked these guys up.

How can they possibly be this terrible? All of their photos look like they just blasted a bare studio strobe right into the models' faces.

>>8835799
>Glamour/Boudior

>>8836302
>Just look for the geeks with the biggest camera

This is why cosplayers are such twats.

But honestly , this thread is for ragging on those cosplayers, not retard photographers. Let's get back to business. :)

>>8836625

>be me at con booked solid
>have everyone pay for timeslots before hand
>one person i haven't met begs to pay in person
>standing there waiting for her to arrive
>no call. no show.
>text her and call her with no response
>3 hours later "there was a family emergency, I can't show up"
>see her coincidentally in cosplay with friends drinking Starbucks 5 minutes after she texted me

trust no bitch.

>>8836625

My bad, like the other anon (in the sister thread) I confused Stallone's head with butterfly.

>>8835790
his camera costs as much as my car NEW did and I have a fancy plug in electric car because it gets me in the HOV lanes.

>>8835790
I MET THAT MAN
and yeah his website is like some 199X geocities shit, wtf.
>>8836301
I saw him at Ohayocon, I am willing to testify I saw that man, he was an older white male with the medium format camera, (the flash literally blinded me fuck)

>>8825823
>more personal level
>that level being MUH DICK

>>8836852
Hehe