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I will be offering Turbo Shoots Saturday 2/18/2017 at the following times and locations (Click this text for more information on how Turbo Shoots work)

Katsucon: Saturday 2/18

1. 1PM - 2PM: Overwatch Meetup
2. 2:00-3:30PM: By Azaelia 3 (VIP ROOM) on map below
3. 5:30PM - 6:30PM: By Azaelia 3 (VIP ROOM) on map below

Katsucon: Sunday 2/19

1. 11:30AM - 12:30PM: By Azaelia 3 (VIP ROOM) on map below

Starting at the Gazebo follow the red arrow on the map to find me and bring your friends! Free to shoot and purchase only the images you want (click for more information and to register for text updates)

Katsucon Floor PlanKatsucon Floor Plan

Katsucon Day 1 Sample Gallery

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I recently got to shoot this amazing Gilgamesh cosplay from my friend Shadow Drive Cosplay (https://www.facebook.com/shadowdrivecosplay) while at Matsuricon 2016. I met Rogue at Colossalcon this past year and we had a great time shooting there, so I was excited to see what he was bringing when he contacted me to book a shoot at Matsuricon. Admittedly, I am not familiar with Fate/Zero, but when we looked up reference images I knew my lighting style would really work well for what he wanted.  I did some test shoots for some particular effects before the con and when it came time to shoot I was ready to roll! I think we really got a great feel for the character in our shots and (as always) it was great to shoot with Rogue again.  Check out his page, send him some love and tell him The Portrait Dude sent you!

I got to shoot and hang out with the always amazing Wreck It Ronnie at Matsuricon this year and we rocked a quick ten minute session with her Korra. Ronnie always does fantastic work and this time was no exception - she even brought some cool material and spun it to give a waterbending effect in real life!  I love when the cosplayer goes the extra mile with their vision, and it really inspires me to do the same with the images we create. Check below for her "You Shot That Where?!" session where I show:

1. Where we shot
2. Time Lapse Editing
3. Final Image Slideshow
4. and (as always) the post shoot selfie.
5. Special appearance by Senpai! (when you see it lol)

Share It Up!

My vlog from Rocky Mt. Con is up over on my Youtube channel! This is the first of many vlogs as I go to conventions and shoots so keep an eye out for lots of new content coming from them!

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A few months ago my good friend Jessica contacted me and discussed the idea of me coming to the Ohio Renaissance Festival with her group to get pictures of their D&D characters (which they made costumes of) with the castles and people and overall feel of the festival.  I had done this last year with Brittani Ginoza as her female Captain Hook and it turned out awesome! That time I went solo, but this time I was able to bring my wife along. I had only been to one Renaissance festival the previous year, and she had never been so we were both pretty excited about the opportunity.  

We made it to the grounds without incident and got to look around a bit while the rest of our party got there and grouped up. I will say the bathrooms this year were greatly improved over last year (the wife was impressed!). Silly side not (BUT IMPORTANT!).  We purchased a flower wreathe for her at one of the vendors, got the group together and started to wander around, keeping an eye out for cool spots to shoot later on in the day when the sun wasn't directly overhead (HORRIBLE lighting to shoot in).  We looked at quite a few of the shops, bought some food (dear lord the turkey legs are everything I thought they'd be!) and found a cool spot to start snapping pics that was in the shade and out of the way.  

I have gotten used to the curious stares over the last three years of doing this as I get my lightstand and single softbox set up, and this was no different.  Even though there was a show going on ahead of them many people turned to see what was going on.  Once I had my calibrations locked in we were able to blast through the first couple sets of pictures fairly quickly and keep walking till we got to the castle (which was FANTASTIC!). It made a perfect backdrop for many of our shots.  Again, we drew the attention of some onlookers and I saw more than one person sneaking pictures of our group with their cell phones, and who can blame them?  They looked amazing!! As we were wrapping up at the castle, our Rogue noticed an archer had been watching us do our shoot and ran to give him one of my cards.  He came back and I grabbed a couple of super quick shots of him in front of the castle, which was pretty awesome.  

After that we had one of the vendors come out of his booth and asked to see one of the pics I had just taken.  I showed him and he offered to let us use his chainmail for some shots if we wanted to because he liked my lighting setup and how the shots were turning out, which was incredibly flattering.  We were on our way to one of the events, though and didn't get to make it back to take him up on his offer, which kind of sucks because he had some great work!

We wrapped up the shoot, grabbed some more food, checked out some shops (ate a ton of pumpkin cookies that our Rogue was thoughtful enough to bring) and parted ways. It was an absolutely fantastic day for all of us, the wifeoo had SUCH a good time (and even bought some great elf ears!).  We also got to talk to the awesome Karneval Masque Atelier and got a couple of cool shots of the wife wearing some of their great products. I would love to do some product photography with her work, it has so much detail and texture that my lighting and style just really works well on.  Below is a gallery of some sample images from the shoot on my Facebook, so check it out! Thanks for reading my rambles, keep being awesome and peace guys.  Till next time *bows*

FlorenceSuperheroNight

Every year I look forward to being able to work with the Florence Freedom to help provide great cosplayers for the various themed nights.  This time out we had Superhero night at the park!  We had a fantastic crew show up, had a great time with the fans and had an absolute blast.  If you want a real fun filled evening for your family and are local to the Florence, KY area make sure to check one of these nights out!

Knightmage as Mr. SinisterKnightmage as Mr. Sinister

(Click the banner above to see more of Knightmage's awesome work on his Facebook Page!)

When Knightmage and I were planning on shooting at Cincinnati Comic Expo and he asked what I'd like him to bring, almost before the question was out of his mouth I said "SINISTERRRRRRRRR!" lol. Ever since I saw his preview pics I knew I wanted to shoot this.  My lighting style and his airbrushing style have always made a terrific one two punch, but THIS. This was different. I have loved reading the Xmen as long as I can remember and was really freaked out by the Mr. Sinister character.  it seems for years he is always pulling the strings in the background on so many of the milestones in the Xmen.  On top of that one of my favorite podcasts (Jay and Miles Xplain the X-men: http://www.xplainthexmen.com/tag/mister-sinister/) have more than a passing interest in the character of Sinister and mention him on a fairly regular basis. We set it up, got a quick five minutes (if that) and these were the results.  Enjoy!  (Video to come with the originals, editing process and light set up to get some of these effects so keep an eye on my blog for part 2 coming soon!)

TIMELAPSE_002_TPDBLOGl_SORASSILLYSTYLES

When Sora's Silly Styles contacted me to book a shoot at Matsuricon 2016 and said she was bringing Edea I had to do a double take.  I have NEVER seen anybody cosplay as her, and actually used to play FFVIII quite a bit back in the day.  I knew exactly where I wanted to do the shoot and knew that I wanted it after dark so the lights of the bridge would be prominent.  Unfortunately instead of the normal slow rotation from one color to another (absolutely PERFECT for getting just the right complimentary color) they had the bridge where it had all the colors at once along the line of lights, which is still pretty to the human eye, but definitely NOT what I had in my head for the shoot.

When we met up for the shoot she said that some people had tried to high five her prop and had almost broken a couple of the spokes, so I assured her I could work with that and we headed up to the bridge to get set up.  After speaking with a few of the photographers huddled at the convention end of the bridge they said they had been spoken to by the hotel who owns the bridge about doing photography on their end and were asked to stay on the convention side.  The bridge typically has people walking back and forth CONSTANTLY during a convention and I knew that wouldn't be a problem with my shooting style because unless you are within five feet you aren't going to show up. We set up, grabbed the shots and sure enough right as we were finishing up we had a guy in a suit from the hotel come and basically kick us off saying the hotel didn't allow professional photographers to shoot on their property.  I could have pressed the point that I am NOT a professional photography (and hate being called that actually but that's a story for another day.  I'm actually a professional data anaylst if you want to get technical about it, photography is a hobby) so we packed up and headed back to the convention center. I showed her back of camera on some of the shots and we were both pleased with how the quick shoot turned out (9:32PM - 9:45PM from the EXIF data on the images).  

I knew I would have to do some post anyway to fix the spokes for her and also really wanted to capture the normal glow of the bridge so decided to take my time on this one and really make the images pop like the vision I had for them in my head.  The bridge lighting not being what I wanted and the spokes were just hiccups that were easily dealt with, but took some time so this edit session was right around an hour for the set of images she selected. I got them done, and kicked them up to her gallery (you can view them below). Now that I have a really solid editing laptop, I have got into the habit of recording my editing sessions for this type of case where I want to generate some content for you guys from the ridiculous amount of not so fun editing work that goes on behind the scenes. I have had a lot of people say they like seeing what goes into a shoot so I will be doing more of these in the future! Below is a time lapse of the editing process to fix the spokes, add some punch, and basically make what we shot match what was in my head.  I am very happy with the end result and my client has not stopped posting about her shiny new pics ;) (THAT makes me happy to no end guys).  To know that you appreciate the hours and hours and hours that go into a shoot after the fact - from setting up galleries, uploading samples, editing, processing, uploading.....it takes a LOT! It truly means a ton that you all like what we do and appreciate it so thank you *bows*  Enjoy the edit and the finals and if you want to see the normal speed edit with audio commentary let me know below!  If there is a demand for stuff like that I will start doing full sets as well.  Until then keep being awesome to one another guys, peace.  Dude out.

Exterior of bridge (in daylight)Exterior of bridge (in daylight)

Bridge during daylight from the outside.  We were on the left side shooting towards the right. 2016-10-08 14_22_12-(Time Lapse 002) Sora's Silly Styles as Edea (Final Fantasy VII) - YouTube
You get some onlookers during a shoot and because of how I shoot I don't even notice them till I get back and start editing.  It's pretty funny to see what goes on in the background of a shoot!

View the full image gallery here!
 

If you want to see more from Sora's Silly Styles check her out!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SorasSillyStyles/
Storenvy: http://sorassillystyles.storenvy.com/
Tumblr: http://megan-sora.tumblr.com/
@sorastyles on CosplayAmino
 

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001_TheRoamingRoman_Daredevil_CCE2016

Matsuricon Turbo Shoot ContestMatsuricon Turbo Shoot Contest

I didn't think I was going to be able to make it to Matsuricon this year, but after some plans shuffling around I will be there Friday and Saturday and will be bringing my Turbo Shoots as well. Turbo Shoots are a perfect way to get awesome pics if you:

1. Can't or haven't booked a shoot for your costume.
2. Are debuting a new awesome costume!
3. Have a favorite costume that only has cell phone shots or selfies.
4. Don't want to book with a new photographer (me!) without checking him out first.
5. If you already have a group shoot planned why not bring them over to a Turbo??? your friends will thank you when they see the awesome pics they get from it :-)

(NEW TO TURBO SHOOTS? CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO FIRST)

First the prizes!! If you bring the most people with you and win you get the following:

• The group organizer gets a free copy of each picture that I take of them during the Turbo Shoot (typically 2-4 images depending on how many are there). Value of this is $20 per image and you get your pictures stored in a customized personal gallery.
• In addition to that EVERYBODY in the winning group that you bring will receive a coupon for "Buy 1 picture Get 1 free" for any of their images that they choose to purchase from the Turbo Shoot.  

 The rules are simple:

1. Gather as many friends IN COSPLAY to be shot as you can with you to come to any of the designated Turbo Shoot times. (You need to be registered at the link above to get updates on when and where to meet).
   • Friday from 7:00PM-8:00PM (LOCATION TBD)
   • Saturday from 1:00PM-2:00PM (LOCATION TBD)
   • Sunday 5:30PM-6:30PM (LOCATION TBD)
2. RULES AND STIPULATIONS
   
   1. You and as many of your friends as can register at the bottom of the page so I have your information to send the gallery link to.​ Registering isn't necessary for the group but it IS for the organizer.
   2. Please share this post on your social media (buttons at the top of the page) saying you are going to one of my Turbo Shoots and tag any of your cosplay friends that you think would like to come. (For more information on Turbo Shoots in general click here)
   3. ​ALL GROUPS COUNT AS ONE ENTRY (Example you bring one group Friday, another Saturday, another Sunday.  They don't add up - each counts as a separate entry).  Whoever has the biggest group at any of the three Turbo Shoot sessions will be contacted as the winner.
   4. BUY 1 GET 1 FREE CODE - The group leader will be contacted to notify they won so PLEASE make sure your leader has your contact info (email) so we can let you know you won.
   5. "I HAVE ANOTHER FRIEND COMING IN TEN MINUTES..." - Nope, sorry.  All people in your group must be together when counted.  If your friend walks up during the counting process, sure that's fine.  But once the count is done, it's done.

In the instance of a tie both groups win the prize. If more than two groups tie.....we'll talk about it there and figure something out based on the situation hahaha.

 

​(UPDATED 8/20/2016) LOCATIONS!
SATURDAY AFTERNOON - 1P-2PM
Go to the crossroads hallway right by the main registration room (there is a Starbucks sign nearby) and go to towards the main convention center towards the large, open room with the escalators where you can pull up and drop people off at the entrance. Turbos will be at the bottom of the escalator nearest the Registration room (pics below I can't words good LOL). IMG_0539.JPG 2016-08-20 09_11_50-Columbus, Ohio - Google Maps 2016-08-20 09_11_19-Greater Columbus Convention Center - Google Maps

SESSION 2: SATURDAY AFTERNOON - 6P-7PM

 Atrium Room - Meet at the top of the escalators, in front of the elevators (i.e. take escalators up and walk over to elevators).  Unless something changes Turbos will be held near the elevators along the wall. File_000

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First and foremost of all The Matsuricon page has the official construction release on what is supposed to be done for the con.  Please refer to that for up to date information.  Below is just pictures I took myself and my observations and is in no way meant to supercede the official page. Also some handy links to get you started:

• Official Matsuricon/Hyatt 2016 Construction Release
• Official Matsuricon Photoshoot Locations (not my shoots)
• Official Matsuricon Photoshoot Schedule (not my shoots)

Now that we have that out of the way here is what I found:

PARKING: 

• If you plan on parking at the convention center itself (the entrance beneath the Food Court (exiting from E. Nationwide Blvd.) be careful as many of the directional signs in the parking garage are partially or totally obstructed by low hanging pipes.  I assume the signage will be replaced some day but for now some of the signs are hard, if not impossible to read when you need them. I also saw a number of workers on ladders in the middle of the driving lanes with caution cones around them as they worked so please exercise extra caution when parking. IMG_0501.JPG IMG_0504.JPG
• When I tried to park for my shoot today at the Nationwide Parking Garage (exiting from N. Front Street) they had a sign that the parking garage was closed for rennovations and only monthly parking was allowed.  I asked one of the booth attendants if it would be open for this weekend since many people (including myself) park there and walk over via the skywalk and she said she didn't know for sure, so be aware that option may or may not be closed.

FOOD COURT (UPDATED 8/18): 

• (UPDATE - Dear God in heaven people are losing their minds over the Food Court thing.  Update to previous post the Food Court will be under construction but still have some of the places open. Thanks to Taylor Cody Richard for the pic below showing the construction and what was currently available)
• foodcourt
  The Food Court area had signs up that "Food Court closed at this time for renovation" but it looks like only part of it is sectioned off and the vendors are still open. and the access doors to the whole area were closed off (including the second level overlook of it by the large neon sign). As always please have snacks on you in case you, or a friend needs a pick me up (especially if you are diabetic).
  IMG_0491.JPG IMG_0496.JPG

ATRIUM STEPS AND HALLS:

• The main atrium itself (where the massive steps are) looked business as usual on the first floor (except the Food Court doors being closed). Where I did notice a big difference was on the second level in front of the elevators.  The hallway section there that runs from the restaurant/bar area towards the food court was about half the normal width because of a large wall they had up and a lot of overhead work that was being done.  They had numerous signs on the wall itself, but please people don't lean, push or bang on any construction walls you see.  They are there to protect both the workers and us so be aware of where they are and give them room.  

IMG_0500.JPG ​ IMG_0492.JPG

GUEST SERVICES AREA:

• This is the area where there has previously been a round information kiosk (If you go from the Food Court to the hotel lobby of the Hyatt Regency) and looks VERY different.  Lots of tables are here now and it looks to have renovations completed on it.
• IMG_0499

HALLWAY TO MAIN CONVENTION CENTER (THE SKINNY HALL):

• Construction is done on "The Skinny Hall" that many of us ran into (literally) at Ohayocon this past year. We have a whole new pattern of con carpet to admire as well as some potentially cool wood paneling on some of the walls that may make cool backdrops   for pictures. IMG_0497.JPG

Gen Con 2016 GalleryPhoto Galleries are up for Gen Con 2016! Booked shoots, hall shots, Turbo Shoots and everything in between. Click the link in the blog post and put in the keyword for what you are looking for and you are good to go!

Gen Con 2016 is a wrap! I want to say thank you to the many, many, many amazing people I got to shoot with and hang out with this weekend.  You truly made it memorable and I had a blast with you all.  I know why you're really here though - THE PICTURES HOBBITSES!!  Click the banner above or link below to get taken to the events page and put in the keyword for what you are looking for.  I will be picking 10 or 15 of my favorites to edit up and post a gallery on Facebook (which will be included in this post when I have it done).  Check out the galleries and, as always if you want to purchase the full rez JPG of the images (with a print release for personal or selling prints at your table) all the pricing is in the galleries.  Thank you all again for making this one of the more memorable cons this year - you guys rock!!

http://www.theportraitdude.com/gencon2016

TPD Blog_TurboShootContest

(NEW TO TURBO SHOOTS? CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO FIRST)

So I figured for one of my favorite cons why not have my first Turbo Shoot contest here?  The rules are simple:

1. Gather as many friends IN COSPLAY to be shot as you can with you to come to any of the designated Turbo Shoot times (See map graphic below).
   • Friday from 1:30PM-2:30PM (LOCATION A/South Street Entrance)
   • Friday from 5:00PM-6:00PM (LOCATION A/South Street Entrance)
   • Saturday from 12:30PM-2:30PM (Union Station Photoshoot)
   • Sunday 12:00-1:00PM (LOCATION A/South Street Entrance)
2. Whoever has the most people with them will win the following:
   
   1. ​Organizer wins four free pictures from the Turbo Shoot
   2. Everybody in the winning group will get a coupon code to use that is good for buy 1 get 1 free on any Turbo Shoot pictures done the week of Gen Con.
       
3. RULES AND STIPULATIONS
   
   1. You and as many of your friends as can register at the bottom of the page so I have your information to send the gallery link to.​ Registering isn't necessary for the group but it IS for the organizer.
   2. Please share this post on your social media (buttons at the top of the page) saying you are going to one of my Turbo Shoots and tag any of your cosplay friends that you think would like to come. (For more information on Turbo Shoots in general click here)
   3. ​ALL GROUPS COUNT AS ONE ENTRY (Example you bring one group Friday, another Saturday, another Sunday.  They don't add up - each counts as an entry)
   4. BUY 1 GET 1 FREE CODE - I will have the code on my phone and everybody who is there take a picture of it with their phones.  If 30 people win the code will be good for 30 uses so don't share it with your friends it's yours and yours alone.
   5. "I HAVE ANOTHER FRIEND COMING IN TEN MINUTES..." - Nope, sorry.  All people in your group must be together when counted.  If your friend walks up during the counting process, sure that's fine.  But once the count is done it's done.
   6. In the instance of a tie both groups win the prize. If more than two groups tie.....we'll talk about it there and figure something out based on the situation hahaha.
      
      
      Gen Con Turbo Shoots

2016-08-02_CosplayCultureAugust2016-08-02_CosplayCultureAugust

I recently had the pleasure of working with Cosplay Culture Magazine for their coverage for both Megacon (Orlando, Florida) and Colossalcon (Sandusky, OH) for their Special Summer issue (on newsstands Friday, August 5th, 2016). This is my first (but not last) time working with the magazine to provide convention coverage and I absolutely loved it.  Alan was fantastic and I had such a great time in Orlando and Sandusky shooting people doing what they love to do.  If you'd like to see more of the shots that didn't make it into the magazine click the banners below and put in the keyword you are looking for (listed on the page when you click through) to check them out!

2016-08-02 17_56_10-The Portrait Dude

2016-08-02 17_58_30-The Portrait Dude

If you play PC add me up! My Battle.Net ID is:
PortraitDude #1434

https://www.facebook.com/theportraitdudecosplay/

2016-02-27 13_42_27-Cosplay COMIC BOOK Collection One from The Portrait Dude - YouTube

TurboShootsTurboShoots

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER - LOCATION TO BE TEXTED MORNING OF THE SHOOT

I will release on my Social Media (Just look for @theportraitdude on Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram Story) and via SMS the morning of (Register for SMS notifications by filling out the form at the bottom of this post (CLICK HERE TO REGISTER).  Here is what you get:

• Each person will get between 1-3 rapid fire pictures taken (depending on line size and availability).  Two minute per person TOPS.
• Once you are done you can take a picture on your cell phone of the registration card with your code on it. 
  • (This will give you a link and directions on where to go to register your Name, email address and social media links)
  • Make sure you register below as soon as possible as I will have the unedited sample pictures online FAST the same day and need your information to send you the invite.  
• When you receive the email invite to the gallery you will be able to check out the image.  
• If you like it you will have the option to purchase the image:
  • $10 for one retouched web rez watermarked image
  • $25 for one full rez retouched image with a print release AND a web rez watermarked
    • (Print release will allow you to make unwatermarked prints of the image for your convention table or web store and I do NOT ask for a percentage of any sales)
       

Sample: Individuals

(Click To Register)

Here are some sample of what you can expect from one of my rapid fire shoots.  All of these pictures were taken within 4 minutes.

Sample: Groups 

(Click To Register)

Group that wants to knock out some FAST individual pics? This entire gallery of TWELVE Batman villains (36 final images) was taken in 20 minutes.

Registration:
If you'd like to register for Katsucon 2016 SMS Turbo Shoot updates fill out this form:

Katsucon 2016 Banner

​Katsucon 2016
National Harbor, MD • February 12-14, 2016

This will be my first year at Katsucon and am now accepting bookings for photo shoots.
 

Single Photo Session $50 (Half Hour):
- Session is half an hour long and can have one or two people for your shoot.
- You will receive your choice of 5 hi-rez retouched images and a print release via website download.
- You will also receive watermarked thumbnails suitable for sharing on social media.
- Files are delivered and stored through your own directory on my web site.  

If you are interested in shooting multiple costumes over multiple days:
- Single Costume: $50  (One costume either Friday or Saturday or Sunday)
- Double Costumes: $95 (Two costumes either Friday or Saturday or Sunday morning)
 

Group Photo Session $35 per person (One Hour):
- Session is one hour long and needs to have at least three people for your shoot.
- Each person will receive your choice of 7 hi-rez retouched images and a print release via website download.
- You will also receive watermarked thumbnails suitable for sharing on social media.
- Files are delivered and stored through your own directory on my web site.  
 

Sample of the selection process:
http://www.theportraitdude.com/selecting-your-images
(Directory Sample: http://www.theportraitdude.com/clientfiles)
- Booked sessions get first priority in retouching.
- You will receive an email with your preliminary (unedited) previews within 2-3 after the con. 

- Payment is required up front via Paypal to secure your slot.  
(I am sorry, but I don't take cash at the con).

When I was contacted a few months ago to be the photographer for an upcoming shoot involving a lot of members from the Spiderverse, little did I know that it would eventually end up with over fifteen people on the roof of a parking garage in downtown Columbus on a HOT day getting some of the most amazing (or maybe even spectacular hahaha) shots I have got to date.  As the group started to take shape over the past two months I got pretty excited because in addition to some top notch Spiderman cosplayers that I knew, I saw characters that don't get enough love such as Sandman, HobGoblin, Carnage and Scream would also be represented.  

Location was a big concern so everyone started scouting and while a couple of suggestions were made nothing ever really clicked as "This is the place" until I parked for Matsuricon in the basement of the Front Street Nationwide parking garage.  During the convention I had a friend show me some pictures that he took with his cell phone on top of a nearby parking garage and my jaw hit the floor. IT WAS PERFECT!!!  I have always loved parking garages so I went to the top and once I saw the skyscrapers right next to it and potential for shots I started shooting some video and taking panoramas to show the group.  I uploaded the scouting shots to the group and everybody agreed this was the spot to do the shoot. Panorama or RooftopPanorama or Rooftop

11222717_145087542496125_9051518104914210687_o We picked up some people, we lost some people due to schedules, adulting and other such things (as you do in a shoot this big), but still ended up with a very strong showing of heroes and villains alike.  The morning of the shoot as I was prepping my gear, going over my checklists and listening to my jams getting ready I had no clue how many people would actually show up (you know how Facebook events are) but I knew that we were going to have a blast.  When I arrived at the parking garage I looked around and nobody was parked up top so I turned my radio off and hear music and laughter so I followed that.  What a great way to start a shoot!  People had already started to get there and get their gear on, talk to each other, play music and have a good time.  We gave it a little bit to make sure we have everyone who was coming and started shooting.

Since I don't shoot large groups much I had them set up to shoot one at a time, looking back if I am the only photographer I think we could have three or four groups nearby working on getting their poses and location lined up and when I am done with one move to the next so there is less waiting around time for all the cosplayers.  Nobody seemed to mind too much (though it was insanely hot that day - ESPECIALLY on the roof, everyone did fantastic and we made it through the day without anyone melting so I call that a win!

At the end of the day I had an absolutely fantastic time with everyone and am so thankful for such a great group of friends.  Check out their social media pages below, send them some likes and let them know The Portrait Dude sent you!

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Blitzkrieg Cosplay as The Punisher
https://www.facebook.com/Blitzkrieg-Cosplay-517567675007545?hc_location=ufi

Kimberley Kemp as Mary Jane
https://www.facebook.com/kimberley.modelling

Spiderman Big Time (Blue Variant)
http://instagram.com/inmyzonewithsean

Black suit/ Symbiote Spider-Man
http://instagram.com/robertsonfire

Superior Spider-Man
https://www.facebook.com/andrew.mastorovich

Future Foundation Spider-Man 
https://www.facebook.com/Mercenary-Deadpool-of-the-North-732749406788126/

Hobgoblin 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Flash-photo-casual-cosplayer/242242465962390

Female Spiderman - Dark Nightingale Cosplay
https://www.facebook.com/Dark-Nightingale-Cosplay-681064238706396

Male Spiderman - Dancing Mad Cosplay
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06292013_fireworks

Here in the States the Fourth of July is a holiday when you know there is going to be an amazing light show as we celebrate Independence Day together.  With modern cameras getting less and less expensive and smart phone cameras getting better all the time there is no shortage of people trying to capture the wonder that we all feel when we see that first trail explode in the sky.  No matter what your camera of choice, there are a few fundamental tips that will really help you make the most of your images and put your blurry, grainy and shaky pictures from last year to shame.  

Step 1 - Prepare The Day Before The Shoot
Shooting in low light requires a little planning, so don't wait till ten minutes before the fireworks start to grab your camera bag and run out the door and expect to get the amazing shots you see other photographers get.  Here are some steps to take the day before to make sure you are prepared for your shoot.

• Don't forget to clean off your memory cards and make sure your batteries are charged beforehand.  Few things are as heartbreaking as hiking twenty minutes to that perfect location and realizing you forgot your memory card in your computer at home, or you forgot to charge you batteries.  Trust me - I have been there!
• Pack a Flashlight (Always a good thing to have on night shoots).  If you have a tiny keychain flashlight these are always great to check your settings between shots without ruining your night vision with your big flashlight.  
• Bring a tripod - A tripod is your best friend for night shoots and low light situations.  How your eye sees light and how your camera sees light is VERY different so bring your tripod to make sure you get the clearest possible shots that you can.
• Find a good location - Find out ahead of time where the fireworks in your area will be set off and find a place where you will have a good vantage point of the action that isn't obscured by power lines or lots of lights.  That doesn't mean that you want an entirely clear sky either because a notable landmark or something like a river could really add some style to your shot, so put some thought into it.  

Step 2 - The Shoot

• Get to the spot you selected the previous day an hour or so before the fireworks start to make sure you have time to get your camera set up and calibrated before the show starts.  Frame up your shot as close as you can and once the action starts take the first shot or two to make sure the shot is centered up as you cant it to be and your focus and everything is functioning properly.
• Make sure your tripod is set up solid and level and that your camera is mounted properly to it.  You also DO NOT want to extend your tripod all the way up because it will make your tripod less stable.  Keep your tripod set up lower will help it to be more stable.  (There's no rule saying you can't sit on the ground and take pictures so go for it!).  You want your camera solid to get your best chance for a great shot and "I'll hold really still" or just leaning against the car or tree will NOT work.     
• If you have a remote shutter trigger for your camera use it.  Even with your camera on a tripod pressing the shutter button can give a slight amount of shake, so using a remote release will help to totally get rid of the shake.  (If you plan on buying a remote trigger MAKE SURE it is for your specific brand and model of camera).
• Manually focus your camera (I can't stress this enough) - You want to turn your camera to manual focus mode and set it to infinity. (If you're not sure how to do that here is a super quick four minute video below that breaks it down pretty easily). Bright fireworks and hazy smoke will really freak your camera's auto focus out so save yourself some missed shots.
  
  
• Turn OFF your flash!  The fireworks give off more than enough light on their own.  If you can't turn off your flash (mainly for point and shoot cameras) put a piece of black tape over it or something.
• Set your camera to Manual mode and use the following settings to get you started (each shoot is slightly different and you may need to make some adjustments on the fly):

1. ISO - Set your ISO to 100.  This will reduce the noise you see in your images and make sure the bright bursts don't blow out your image.  
2. Shutter Speed - Set your shutter speed to ten seconds as a starting point.  This will make sure you get those nice long firework trails that characterize firework shots.
3. Aperture - Set your Aperture to F12 set your focus to manual and dial in your infinity point that you found using the video above. This will make sure you are not letting too much light in and that you have a proper depth of field without the fireworks being out of focus (Depth of field is the distance between the closest object in focus and the farthest object in focus in your picture).  If your shots are too bright move your aperture up (higher number) one stop at a time until you find the sweet spot.
4. Timing - Shooting fireworks is all about timing.  A second too early or too late and you could barely miss an amazing shot.  To minimize this take a LOT of pictures.  With digital cameras it doesn't cost anything extra to shoot ten shots or 1000 shots so get as many as you can to maximize your chances of getting a great shot. As you shoot more and more then you can work on refining your shooting style and timing and going from "spray and pray" to the more refined "capture a specific moment" shots you see.
5. White Balance - What white balance you use depends on what looks good to you and what effect you are trying to go for.  When in doubt use the cloudy option on your camera, but if you are feeling adventurous and want to experiment check out this article on Fireworks and White Balance to get some ideas.

• The Grand Finale tends to be a good bit brighter than the rest of the show because of all the extra fireworks getting set off at once.  If you notice your first picture being way brighter than the rest turn your Aperture two or three clicks and try it again as this will let less light to your sensor and make your picture less overexposed. If it's still too bright, repeat as needed to get things better under control.
• Have fun!  The whole reason you are doing this is to have fun and get cool shots so once you get a few great shots try something crazy for fun if you want, it's totally up to you.  Do you run the risk of missing a really cool shot by doing this?  Yep.  Do you also have a chance of finding something really cool and unexpected - absolutely!  Rules are made to be broken so play around and remember any practicing you do with you camera helps you to learn.  Sometimes you have a great shoot and learn what to do next time, and sometime you have a rough shoot and learn what NOT to do but either way never stop learning.
• When packing up make sure to take your flashlight and do a thorough sweep of the area before you leave. it is extremely easy for something to fall out of your camera bag and become lost as you are setting up. (The flashlight on your phone will be sufficient for this).

Need some inspiration?  I have collected some great shots here on my Pinterest board for you to check out.  Check out how some of them use obstructions (trees, buildings or people) as part of the image itself.  Also I included a couple neat shots that you can only get by breaking the rules to get your gears turning.

Shooting fireworks with an iPhone 
For you iPhone photo fans out there here are a couple things to make sure you aren't left out of the fun.  I have rounded up a few really good articles to check out about how to shoot fireworks with your iPhone so if that's your thing here you go.  They have some great iPhone specific tips, tricks and apps to use to get the most out of your iPhone.

• http://lifeinlofi.com/2012/12/30/shooting-fireworks-with-an-iphone-updated/
• http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/06/29/how-to-take-pictures-fireworks-iphone-android/

Thank you for taking the time to check this out and I hope it helps in your shoots.

Wesley Smith
Portrait Artist
The Portrait Dude
http://www.theportraitdude.com
theportraitdude@gmail.com

06222013_supermoon

With supermoon (aka perigee moon) weekend upon us I know that there will be tons of people dusting off their cameras and heading out to get some shots of this celestial event.  

The "Supermoon" of March 19, 2011 (right), compared to a rather "average" moon of December 20, 2010 (left)

supermoon (plural supermoons)

1. A full moon or new moon, when the Earth-Moon distance is in the lowest tenth of its range
   (Picture and definition taken from http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/supermoon)

(Click here to head over to timeanddate.com to see exactly when the moonrise and moonset is for your area)

Basically when the full moon happens when the moon is at it's closest to the Earth.  Because it is closer to us it can appear up to 14% larger and up to 30% brighter than normal.  If that doesn't sound like it would be that noticeable you should take a look outside tonight because it will be noticeably brighter.  I'm talking REALLY bright.  It was bright enough to be rather distracting to the group of photographer friends and I who had originally got together to experiment with some sparklers art last night, but as soon as the moon poked up over the tree line everyone immediately was grabbing their tripod and moving to get a better angle.  It was a pretty cool experience, we all had a blast and I ate WAY too many smores so it was a good night all round.

Okay so now we know what the supermoon is, we know it's very distracting to photographers (hahaha) we need to know how to photograph it!  Here are some great tips I have found from around the web as well as a link to my Supermoon board over at Pinterest for some great ideas on how to use the supermoon to make some great memories.

Tips to make your moon shoot a success

• Don't forget to clean off your memory card and make sure your batteries are charged beforehand.  Few things are as heartbreaking as hiking twenty minutes to that perfect location and realizing you forgot your memory card in your computer at home, or you forgot to charge you batteries.  Trust me - I have been there!
• Bring a tripod - A tripod is your best friend for night shoots and low light situations.  Even though the moon seems like it is putting off a ton of light and you won't need a tripod don't be fooled.  How your eye sees light and how your camera sees light is VERY different so bring your tripod to make sure you get the clearest possible shots that you can.
• If you have a shutter timer on your camera (and most do) use it!   Even with a tripod pushing the shutter button on your camera can still produce a slight shake to your images.  Using a shutter timer tells the camera X number of second after I press the button take the picture (I generally use 2 seconds on my camera).  Check your camera manual to find out how to do this on your specific model.  Lost your camera manual?  Click here to search manualsonline.com for your specific camera model - it's a great resource to use!
• Flashlight (Always a good thing to have on night shoots)
• Lens Hood - If you have a lens hood for your lens use it to keep surrounding light from flaring your images (flashlights and people who can't stop checking their phones near your lens are horrible for night shoots).

Suggested Camera Settings.  Keep in mind these are only to get you in the ballpark and you will need to do some fiddling to get the result you are looking for, but this should help save you some time getting started.  If you aren't sure what a particular item is click it to see a great article over at http://digital-photography-school.com to read more about it.  The first step is to set your camera to MANUAL mode

1. Use a long lens.  I will be using my normal 70-200 kit lens for this year's supermoon.  
2. Manually focus your camera - DO NOT use autofocus!  Autofocus is not a fan at all of unusual light conditions and this shoot will be no exception.  For SLR cameras check your manual on how to switch your camera to manual mode, turn your focus ring all the way to the infinity setting as a starting point.  For compact point and shoot cameras you will need to check your owner's manual to find the landscape mode (usually a mountain on the dial).
3. ISO - Set your ISO as low as it will go (generally 100, though some cameras go lower).  This will reduce the noise you see in your images.
4. Shutter Speed - Since the moon is so much brighter than usual we will need to use a faster than usual shutter speed.  I start at 1/125 and then if need be move my way down towards the slower shutter speeds as needed (1/60, 1/30, etc).   This will vary greatly depending on your camera and lens so keep experimenting till you get the desired result.  Remember - if the moon is too bright use a faster shutter speed (1/125, 1/250, etc.) to limit the amount of light you have coming in.  If it is too dark slow the shutter down and try again to let more light in.
5. Aperture - I have seen posts both ways on this, but personally I like to set my aperture at F8 to make sure I can get plenty of detail in my shots.  If you open your aperture up to say F2.8 you will be letting in a LOT more light, but it will also be a tougher to get anything else in your shots so start at F8 and play around.  (Keep in mind that unless you have a prime lens your aperture will be different zoomed all the way out than it will zoomed in.  This will affect your pictures so if you wonder why your pictures change when you zoom that's why!)

Once you find a spot to shoot here is a quick checklist to get you started:

1. Get your tripod set up, camera attached solidly and lens hood on.  Make sure it is set up somewhere solid - you don't want your camera and tripod falling over!
2. Set your ISO to 100, Shutter speed to 1/125 and Aperture to F8.
3. Line up your shot and get it focused in.
4. Either use a cable release for your shutter if you have one, or set your camera time to something like two seconds and take your first shot.
5. View your image on the back of your camera.  If you are too bright adjust your shutter to a faster speed and try again, if too dark drop your shutter speed down one stop and give ti another shot (no pun intended).
6. Have fun!  Remember that rules are meant to be broken and once you get a feel for how your camera settings affect your picture start playing around with it and have some fun.
7. When packing up make sure to take your flashlight and do a thorough sweep of the area before you leave.  It is extremely easy for something to fall out of your camera bag and get lost as you are setting up.  Don't have a flashlight?  Not problem download this great app for your iPhone - I use it all the time!

If you need inspiration for cool supermoon pictures head on over to my Pinterest board to see what other people have done when shooting the moon.  Another cool article on the Supermoon is over at The Huffington Post.

Thanks for taking the time to check this out and I hope it helps in your shoots.  I look forward to seeing what you all come up with so feel free to find me on Facebook and keep in touch.

If you would like to request information or to book me for a shoot feel free to Contact me, I would love to hear from you!

Wesley Smith
Portrait Artist
Wesley Smith Photography
http://www.wesleysmithphotography.com
wesleysmithphotography@gmail.com
740-988-8441