PhotographyBanzai.com

Last year, I went to an anime convention called Uchi-Con that's at a university in downtown Chicago. I wanted to see if I could take and post photos directly from the camera without editing. After each convention it usually takes me multiple days of editing, so I'd like to avoid as much extra work as possible.  For this event, I was using the Nikon Z5 and the Nikon 40mm f/2 lens. The reality is that the editing process afterwards is a massive amount of work. Ultimately, having ready-to-post photos right out of the camera would be a huge time saver, but as we will see throughout this article it isn't realistic without using your own lighting.  I adjusted the photo afterward so that the cosplayer is brighter. The main issue I ran into was white balance. At least on Nikon Z5 camera I was using, the auto white balance just did not seem good enough to handle the varied lighting environments all the time. Though, being true-to-life of the environment and getting a look that feels...

I recently created a video from GoPro footage and photos I took at an impromptu trip to Colossalcon North in 2024, which is held at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. It has been a while since I visited this hotel. The convention Daisho Con used this space for years, which I had gone to a few times. It was nice to check it out again!  The weather was nice, which is the main reason I'll decide to go. Considering it was November in the northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin area, nice weather is a big factor for me. If it's snowing I'm going to pass.  The main lobby of the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. My Photography Gear and Settings For this trip, I was using my usual setup: the Nikon Z5 with the Nikon Z 40mm F2 lens. It's a cost effective combination, especially with how expensive camera equipment is getting. The Z5 isn't perfect, and its autofocus is not amazing, but if you take enough photos and set the camera up properly, it can be pretty decent. T...

I took a trip with some friends to the Midwest FurFest 2024. I'm just now getting to the edit of the video and this website article. This was my first time at this particular convention, and it was a very interesting experience. I've been to one other furry convention, Anthrocon back in 2017, and I found the two events to be quite different.  If you want to see more photos I do have galleries of the two convention on my Cosplay Banzai facebook page: The Midwest FurFest 2024 photo gallery. Or check out my Anthrocon 2017 gallery.   A first-person view of Midwest FurFest 2024 entrance area of the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center . My Camera Gear and Settings for Convention Photography For this event, I was using my usual Nikon Z5, but I paired it with a 28mm f/2.8 lens. Considering that most fursuits make people physically larger, it makes more sense to use a wider angle lens than the 40mm I typically use at other conventions. I think this choice worked out well. For those int...

This year I attended Anime Magic 2024 on Saturday. I'll be going over my experience there, the photography aspect and interacting with people. Usually, I talk about the technical aspects of photography first, but I wanted to switch things up. Anime Magic: A Growing Convention with a Unique Vibe Anime Magic is a relatively new convention, and while it's growing, it still maintains a smaller convention atmosphere. I've found that it fills a void left by larger conventions like Anime Central (ACEN), which have moved away from certain features. For example, Anime Magic still includes Itasha car displays, a feature ACEN no longer offers. At least I can't remember the last time they had cars on display at ACEN.  A look at some of the Itasha cars on display at Anime Magic 2024. Anime Magic also brings some unique elements, like including tattoo booths. I also appreciated that the food options were more aligned with the convention's genre, offering Japanese snacks and ramen...