ACEN (Anime Central) 2011: Sunday Day 3 Photos

I finally finished processing photos. Sunday was a bit easier to get through than Saturday of course. Besides the Prince of Tennis gathering, I just spent my time walking around and taking miscellaneous cosplay photos. So when processing was all said and done it took me around 4 days to post-process 3 days of photos. I had around 20 camera raw setting saves that I selected through, so that I could give my photos this year a common natural yet vibrant feel to them (I did hand tweak images that didn’t fit in those sets).

While some of the images might feel a bit bright or over exposed (depending on your monitor, I have an ViewSonic VP2365wb E-IPS based LCD monitor set to give me true colors), that was the direction I was going and how I perceived events. It’s primarily a style choice on my part. Clean vibrancy.

Some highlight images of the day:
My final cosplay of the day, a Jedi Ninja Turtle. What a perfect way to end the event for me as I am an avid fan on Ninja Turtles:

Sitting outside on a stone wall were 4 ladies. What a perfect opportunity to get some great shoulder level portraits. Here is one of them:

I really like how the wind was a benefit to this shot rather than a hindrance.

Another renaissance fair performer doing her thing:

Excellent craftsmanship on this costume (Onion Knight):

What a great cosplayer. He actually wanted to take my photo after I asked for his:

This is from the Anime called Code Geass:

Moving forward I have a lot to work on.

Learn the math behind depth of field so I don’t just select a random aperture that I consider safe for the situation. Often, group shots require a small aperture. I’d like the be able to maximize background blur yet still have everyone in the group in focus. I did better at this year’s ACEN than the previous convention I went to (c2e2), so that’s good there is some improvement.
Improve my skills with external flash.
Take more video.
Take more consideration of framing/composition, lighting, color/contrast, and all related photography factors as usual. This is a never ending battle of which I’m ready and willing! These aspects are what make a great photographer actually great.

Overall, I’m happy with the work. Thanks to all of the cosplayers willing to spend a few moments with me so I could create something memorable for them.

Viltrox AF FE 28mm f/4.5 VCM ASPH ED Lens Overview

Viltrox asked me if I wanted to take a look at this unique compact autofocus full-frame prime lens with a focal length of 28mm and a fixed f/4.5 aperture for Sony E-mount cameras. Viltrox agreed to my standard collaboration terms before sending me the lens. In the video I talk about features, how it works in practice, and show photos I had taken on a photo walk with the Sony a7S as well as the APS-C a6000. Viltrox is starting this off as an Indiegogo campaign. They told me that it will eventually be sold through normal retailers: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/viltrox-af-28mm-f4-5-fe-chips-size-ultra-thin-lens They said it will be $99 USD or 109 Euros with discounts during the crowdfunding period. Check out Indiegogo for details. I am not an affiliate of that website. You can check on the status of availability through my usual affiliates: B&H Photo Video Amazon As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases! The front of the lens. K...

Camera Gear Reviews and Marketing Issues Exposed

A great overview by Gerald Undone on his experiences in the field of camera gear related videos! It is an important topic. The more open the better, I’d say. After over 13 years making photography and videography gear videos, I’ve not had a huge amount of success comparatively, but I’ve also never been especially brand safe to begin with for these companies to consider me. 🤣 I think his mentions toward the end of the video are especially important. The unwritten pressure, or worse with companies like Insta360 , shouldn’t be acceptable and should be publicly called out more often. That’s probably the only way things will actually change for the better. I created a video detailing my opinion on the topic further: More of my comments on the video… His YouTube channel. 4:30 I understand that’s what Gerald does, but are there situations where companies are paying for flights and hotel costs of other reviewers with the expectation of a video/article being produced? (EDIT: I’ve seen confirm...

First look at the Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 for Sony E-mount bought from KEH

I've use a Sony Alpha A6000 and the PZ 16–50mm F/3.5–5.6 OSS kit lens with my computer as a webcam for a long time now. It's a lower cost option that has been very consistent outputting 1080p at 30 FPS to a USB based HDMI capture device. The kit lens is generally fine, but it has a few quirks. The biggest issue is that throughout the zoom range the maximum aperture value is not fixed. This introduces technical challenges when I want to show detailed views of product or similar use cases. There are also other considerations I'll talk about later in this article. So I decided to buy the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN | C lens in E-mount as a replacement. Links in this article are a mix of paid and through my affiliates. I earn from each in different ways. One is a flat fee and the others I earn from qualifying purchases. Considering them for your purchasing needs helps make the creation of this information viable! I made a video unboxing the lens and trying it out with Open ...

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