Me again? Yes!
First, my Anthrocon 2013 photos are online. As usual, credit me for the photography if you repost or reuse any of the images.
CONVENTIONS
Anthrocon was amazing, as usual. I spent a good amount of time in-suit (you may actually see a few pictures of me in suit, this year), and I was out-and-about socializing and doing my usual photography thing when I wasn't fursuiting.. This year, though, felt a bit different. For whatever reason, it didn't feel as 'grand' as it was for me in previous years. Before I attended this year, Anthrocon always felt like a big deal. I'd have so much to do, and I would have to carefully manage my time to do everything I wanted. Anthrocon is fast-paced, and this year's convention wasn't any slower. But this year, even with all of the running around I did, I still managed to keep up with the convention. I was never tired or bored, and I still did everything I had planned to do (and more). I'm probably over-analyzing the whole thing, and it's really just the result of being adjusted to the convention and its pace. But Anthrocon is still my favorite, and I'll certainly return for 2014.
Future furry convention plans? The only certainties for the rest of 2013 will be Furlaxation, in September, and Midwest FurFest, in November. I'll be doing the fursuit photoshoot and the fursuit parade group photo at Furlaxation, and I'm sure that will be fun. There's still a small chance that I'll do some shooting at the fursuit photoshoot at MFF, but I need to talk to the proper people about that, to see if and how that will work out.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Speaking of which, I've found myself wanting to do more of the studio type of photography, and formal photoshoots. I still do my usual 'walkaround' photography at conventions, but it's becoming more difficult to get the shots I want. I've never been a run-and-gun type of shooter, and I want something more than the typical standing headshots. I prefer subject isolation and posed shots, and I sometimes need to move my subjects away from the crowds to get that. I haven't had anyone complain to me about it, but I'm always a bit reluctant to pull them away like that. I know what I want before I shoot, and I'll do what I can to get it. But, at the same time, I don't want to be pushy and give the impression that I'm pulling them 'away from their con' just to get a photo. I'm really a portrait shooter, and I prefer a studio-like environment. Doing the fursuit photoshoot at FCN was the highlight of the convention for me, and before that time, I never had so much fun shooting. And I liked a lot of the images that came from it, which is something I never said (and still can't say) about the 'walkaround' sets I've done. For every shot, I had a clean background and plenty of subjects willing to get into character and give me lots of different poses... and I was never concerned about interrupting them or pulling them away from something else. They were there because they wanted to be there, and the whole process was easy and fun for all of us.
In other photography news, I decided to sell my Nikkor 80-200/2.8D lens. Yes, it's a good lens, and it's not broken or anything like that. But since moving to full-frame, I often feel that 200mm is too short for a lot of my work. This was even more evident at Anthrocon, when I used it to shoot the dance competition. The convention rules state that people with tripods and such, to use for shooting the ballroom events, have to be seated/standing in the back rows. I have no problem with that, but I knew that 200mm wouldn't be enough for me at that distance, even with the 1.2x mode. I didn't have any issues, but I feel the extra resolution and the tripod saved me. Most of the images were cropped to 5MP - 8MP sizes, and that, to me, is unacceptable when I have so much more to work with (36MP in FX, 25MP in 1.2x). The images are okay, I guess, but they would have looked a lot better if I was closer to the action (and better still if I could have used an off-camera flash setup).
So, the lens has to go. I need something longer, and I'm gonna try the Nikkor 70-300/4.5-5.6G for a while. Yes, it's a 'consumer-level' zoom lens, but it's also a full-frame lens, and it's the cheapest way to get beyond 200mm on full-frame, while still keeping zoom versatility. Ideally, I would use the Sigma 120-300/2.8, but its $3500 price tag will keep me away from it for a while.
That's all, for now. Later (maybe)!
CONVENTIONS
Anthrocon was amazing, as usual. I spent a good amount of time in-suit (you may actually see a few pictures of me in suit, this year), and I was out-and-about socializing and doing my usual photography thing when I wasn't fursuiting.. This year, though, felt a bit different. For whatever reason, it didn't feel as 'grand' as it was for me in previous years. Before I attended this year, Anthrocon always felt like a big deal. I'd have so much to do, and I would have to carefully manage my time to do everything I wanted. Anthrocon is fast-paced, and this year's convention wasn't any slower. But this year, even with all of the running around I did, I still managed to keep up with the convention. I was never tired or bored, and I still did everything I had planned to do (and more). I'm probably over-analyzing the whole thing, and it's really just the result of being adjusted to the convention and its pace. But Anthrocon is still my favorite, and I'll certainly return for 2014.
Future furry convention plans? The only certainties for the rest of 2013 will be Furlaxation, in September, and Midwest FurFest, in November. I'll be doing the fursuit photoshoot and the fursuit parade group photo at Furlaxation, and I'm sure that will be fun. There's still a small chance that I'll do some shooting at the fursuit photoshoot at MFF, but I need to talk to the proper people about that, to see if and how that will work out.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Speaking of which, I've found myself wanting to do more of the studio type of photography, and formal photoshoots. I still do my usual 'walkaround' photography at conventions, but it's becoming more difficult to get the shots I want. I've never been a run-and-gun type of shooter, and I want something more than the typical standing headshots. I prefer subject isolation and posed shots, and I sometimes need to move my subjects away from the crowds to get that. I haven't had anyone complain to me about it, but I'm always a bit reluctant to pull them away like that. I know what I want before I shoot, and I'll do what I can to get it. But, at the same time, I don't want to be pushy and give the impression that I'm pulling them 'away from their con' just to get a photo. I'm really a portrait shooter, and I prefer a studio-like environment. Doing the fursuit photoshoot at FCN was the highlight of the convention for me, and before that time, I never had so much fun shooting. And I liked a lot of the images that came from it, which is something I never said (and still can't say) about the 'walkaround' sets I've done. For every shot, I had a clean background and plenty of subjects willing to get into character and give me lots of different poses... and I was never concerned about interrupting them or pulling them away from something else. They were there because they wanted to be there, and the whole process was easy and fun for all of us.
In other photography news, I decided to sell my Nikkor 80-200/2.8D lens. Yes, it's a good lens, and it's not broken or anything like that. But since moving to full-frame, I often feel that 200mm is too short for a lot of my work. This was even more evident at Anthrocon, when I used it to shoot the dance competition. The convention rules state that people with tripods and such, to use for shooting the ballroom events, have to be seated/standing in the back rows. I have no problem with that, but I knew that 200mm wouldn't be enough for me at that distance, even with the 1.2x mode. I didn't have any issues, but I feel the extra resolution and the tripod saved me. Most of the images were cropped to 5MP - 8MP sizes, and that, to me, is unacceptable when I have so much more to work with (36MP in FX, 25MP in 1.2x). The images are okay, I guess, but they would have looked a lot better if I was closer to the action (and better still if I could have used an off-camera flash setup).
So, the lens has to go. I need something longer, and I'm gonna try the Nikkor 70-300/4.5-5.6G for a while. Yes, it's a 'consumer-level' zoom lens, but it's also a full-frame lens, and it's the cheapest way to get beyond 200mm on full-frame, while still keeping zoom versatility. Ideally, I would use the Sigma 120-300/2.8, but its $3500 price tag will keep me away from it for a while.
That's all, for now. Later (maybe)!