Top 5 Things I Learned From Taking Pictures at Awesome Con

 
Hello Geek Girls and Guys! This is Heather, your non-cosplay guild member. I prefer living vicariously through my brave and geeky cosplay ladies. So unlike these crafty ladies, I can't sew, work metal or leather, put on awesome makeup (other than my own eyeliner), or make anything.
So what is it I bring to this awesome group of ladies?  Well...I have taken 4 beginner's digital photography classes...so I have that going for me, which is nice.
In today's post I will try to list some of the tips I learned from heading out to Awesome Con which can hopefully help you too! As with all our blog posts, please feel free to comment with your tips!


1. Exposure, Exposure, Exposure.

So the Friday I headed out to the Capitol the sky was completely washed out but at least the sun was trying to shine through! I had compensated with appropriate aperture and shutter speed, but you know what would have been nice? Had I properly set the exposure compensation on my Canon 7D!  I had left the exposure at +2 from a
prior shoot, and with so much sun I couldn't see how overexposed my pics had become on my playback screen.





So what did we learn from this Dorothy? 1- always check your exposure.
2- as a backup when you look at the playback turn that histogram on!
Some very smart techie person invented that histogram to save your ass
from these kinds of problems!

2. Don't Be Afraid to Get Up In That Mug!

OK so maybe I didn't get up in cosplayer's faces but I did work out the high side of my 28-135 mm lens. I really tried to work my ability to "fill the frame." My favorite photos are the close ups with those bright and shining cosplay faces. So ladies and gents get over any weirdness/shyness you have and get close to take those pics! They are there to show off their mad cosplay skillz, flatter them with some great shots!

 

 

 

3. Love Me Some Flash!

What would have made those outdoor washed out pics better? Some diffused flash (and as mentioned above... setting the right exposure setting). In the fun craziness that was the Guinness World Record attempt at the Capitol, I didn't even think to throw on that flash. However, by the time I got over to the convention center, I learned
the error of my ways. So, my friends, no flash, ok.  More flash, better. Check out the two below photos as proof of the relative awesomeness of flash.  Flash...I love you baby...I promise not to forget you again.



















4. Posing is Great, Not Posing Can Be Even Better

 

Let that unicorn act natural!

5. Why Take 1 Photo When You Can Take 30?

Gone are the days of film.  What's worse than trying to photoshop eyes back onto a cosplayer's eyelids? Well, probably a lot. But it does get about as frustrating as trying to grab my sleepy puppy from her under-couch lair.

 

 

This was one of about 40 shots I got of these great Batman villains. Burst mode has definitely become my friend!

 

OK geeky ladies and gents, that's all my brain could absorb for one outing.

STAY GEEKY!

-- Heather

To view my full Awesome Con album go to:https://www.flickr.com/photos/96598863@N04/sets/72157644041103290/