Photographer of the Month #2-#3 Special Edition!

Mar 31, 201311 min read

Deviation Actions

KoreWaCosplay

SamhainKWC

Published: Mar 31, 2013

3.6K Views

How are you doing, fancy photographers?

On today’s special edition of the Photographer of the Month we introduce Zarli and Vanda Allen. Let’s start with Zarli, the Photographer of the Month #2! He’s an awesome photographer from Hawaii read more to know about him and his techniques and tips!

About Zarli

KWC: Introduce yourself. How old are you, where do you live, and what do you do?
My name is Zarli Win, I'm 41 Years old and live in Honolulu, Hawaii. Other than Photography, I work in the IT field for the City and County of Honolulu

KWC: Do you have any other hobbies besides cosplay photography?
Photography is my main hobby, but i shoot more than just cosplay. I also shoot Portraits, Glamour, and Artistic Photos. I've been doing it for about 14 years now.

KWC: What is your favorite game/manga/anime/comic/movie?

Favorite Anime: Legend of Galactic Heroes

Manga/Comic: Sanctuary

Movie: Casablanca

Game: Halo

KWC: Which are your favorite characters?
Char Aznabel (MS Gundam) and Shiryu (Saint Seiya)

KWC: Do you have a favourite photographer or a role model?
I don't have any one particular photographer that is a role model. I try to learn whatever I can from whoever is willing to teach it.

ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY

KWC: Why and how did you became a cosplay photographer? Did you have any help?
My fiancée "dragged" me to the first Kawaii Kon in Hawaii. I was already an avid photographer. While she was shopping and going to panels, I roamed the halls taking pictures. I found it to be a lot of fun. There were epic costumes and many nice people. As the years passed there were more conventions and outside photo shoots; many of those cosplayers also became personal friends. I guess you could say my fiancée helped get me started.

KWC: What does photography mean to you?
For me Photography is having a vision you want to express and showing the rest of the world how your eyes see something or someone.

KWC: Which camera do you use?
I use the Canon 5d Mk3 as my primary body.

KWC: Do you prefer manual or auto focusing?
I am actually quite blind and rely almost entirely on auto focus.

KWC: Which lenses do you use?
My two favorite lenses are:
- Canon 24-105mm F4 IS L
- Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L

KWC: How do you pick the place to shoot? And the photo angles?
Questions I ask myself about a location:
- Can I make it look appropriate to the subject?
- Is it safe?
- Will we get kicked out?
- Will there be enough privacy to be able to get the job done?
- How accessible is it for us and our gear/costume?
As for angles, there is no hard fast rule. Most of the time I'm an instinctual shooter. I will get a vision and see if I can make it work. One generality is: if you want them to look cute, shoot from a higher angle; if you want them to look imposing, shoot from a lower angle.

KWC: What did you learn as a photographer?
When I first started photography, I was more about just creating something beautiful. Now I've learned that photography is now as much a form of personal growth for me. It gives me a drive that I've never had before with any hobby.

KWC: Useful tips for the future photographers.
It's a horrible addiction! Just say no! *joke*
But seriously: but here are a few general philosophies to keep in mind:

Try as many different styles and techniques as you can. Start focusing on the ones that end up giving you the results you like.

“Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst”. – Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Learn whatever you can from whoever will teach you.

Start small and get the foundation skills down.

Having a good rapport with your subject is x10 more important than knowing exactly what angle to place a certain light.

A photo that has the perfect mood, but has some technical errors is better than a technically perfect photo that says nothing.

Pass on what you learn to others. ALWAYS pay it forward.
Websites:
ryusen.smugmug.com/
Photos (dropbox):
dl.dropbox.com/u/1638480/KORE.…

If you found his tips useful and you wish to learn more try to contact him on his website, he won’t turn you down

Check more of his work on the dropbox link he gave us!

Now meet a young girl with a bright future, the awesome Vanda Allen from Portugal, the Photographer of the Month #3!

ABOUT Wanda-chi

KWC: Introduce yourself. How old are you, where do you live, and what do you do?
Wanda-chi Hey there! My name is Vanda Allen and I'm 17. I live in Lisbon, Portugal and I'm a student planning on following video games or fashion photography.

KWC: Do you have any other hobbies besides cosplay photography
Wanda-chi Head-shooting people on Xbox mostly xD 3D manipulation, for about 3 years, and I like to (try) play the piano.

KWC: What is your favorite game/manga/anime/comic/movie?
Wanda-chi It's kinda difficult to choose my favorite game but I'd say Fable: The Lost Chapters or Halo Reach. My favorite manga is Rabbit Doubt and my favorite anime is probably Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni (not really sure), with Mnemosyne and Hellsing Ultimate as my favorite OVA's.

KWC: Which are your favorite characters?
Wanda-chi Beatrice The Golden from Umineko No Naku Koro Ni novel
Seras Victoria and Alucard from Hellsing
Sakuya Izayoi and Remilia Scarlet from Touhou Project.

KWC: Do you have a favourite photographer or a role model?
:devwanda-chi: I do have two favorite photographers, shiroang and Pugoffka-sama! I hope one day I'll be near as good as they are!

ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY

KWC: Why and how did you become a cosplay photographer? Did you have any help?
Wanda-chi My interest started at a FUPO meet. I had my little pocket camera and as usual I was taking photos of the cosplayers. I already liked fashion photography but I found cosplay photography to be more interesting and ''friendly'' in some ways. Since some people actually liked my photos, I guess that motivated me I've been trying harder and harder to get better.

KWC: What does photography mean to you?
Wanda-chi I think it's wonderful how a shot can capture a unique and beautiful moment. Even without post-processing, just a simple photo taken with a cell phone can hold a really special meaning to someone!

KWC: Which camera do you use?
Wanda-chi I use a Nikon D5000.

KWC: Do you prefere manual ou auto focusing?
Wanda-chi Mostly auto, I have a pretty poor eyesight and even with my contact lenses there are a lot of photos that still come out blurred :c But I still use manual when capturing little stuff!

KWC: Which lenses do you use?
Wanda-chi Nikkor 18 - 70mm and 55 - 200mm. I'm also planning on buying a Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8 lens.

KWC: How do you pick the place to shoot? And the photo angles?
Wanda-chi The place has to do with each character and series. After talking with the cosplayer about the place and exchanging ideas we choose the best option.
The angles are a very spontaneous thing, I don't really think much about them, though I like to make the background ''highlight'' the cosplay. But I always like to try new stuff!

KWC: What did you learn as a photographer?
Wanda-chi I got to know a lot of places! And that teamwork always leads to better results!

KWC: Useful tips for the future photographers.
Wanda-chi The most important tip I have to give is - don't be shy! - don't be afraid to ask cosplayers for a second of their time to shoot them, especially the more ''popular'' ones. I remember being really afraid to ask some cosplayers to shoot them and now some of them have even become my friends!
Work hard, trust your instincts and your own view of the world through the camera!
Websites: wanda-chi.deviantart.com/ and maybe a photography blog soon so that I can share more photos ^^

Don’t forget to +watch Vanda to follow her work, ask her more questions you haven’t seen here. She’s really nice so don’t be shy and talk to her ;D

With this we close the special edition of the Photographer of the Month, hope you enjoyed their photos and hope you could find anything useful here if you’re a starter. Contact them for further questions.

See you next month ;D