EUROBEAT KASUMI PHOTOGRAPHY - COSPLAYING ANIME STYLE

One man. Many women. A piece of photographic equipment. Plus a unified passion that drives them all along. No. I'm not listing the items required for a porno, dear reader. I'm telling you about what my pal Albert needs for his photo-cosplay thing. Want to know more? Then please check this out.





1) What are your own origins, Albert? Plus what path did you take in life prior to getting to where you are today?   I have attended Anime Conventions since 1992, starting with a couple per year and increasing the number as the years went by. I liked going to conventions and doing the things most attendees like doing: like buying stuff in the Exhibit Hall, watch anime, attend panels, etc. etc. etc.

Then in 1998 I started taking pictures of cosplayers at conventions, first with 35mm film, then eventually getting into Digital Cameras around 2001. Ultimately taking pictures of cosplayers became my main focus and these days that's all I do while at con's.

2) In your own words how would you describe your style of photography?   I'm not a professional photographer, but I would like to say my years of experience of going to conventions and taking pictures has made me into the photographer I am today. I like to focus on getting the details of the costume's, since the cosplayer's have put so much time, effort, and money into their work -- so I want to reward them with nice pictures. I'm not too concerned about background's really, since their costume's are my main focus. I'm also not a big fan of post-processing and don't use much photoshop either. I let the cosplayer's add their own photoshop if necessary. 

3) What have you learnt about yourself via this endeavour? And were their any unforeseen obstacles you had to content with along the way?   I love meeting new people and their costumes, and hope to work with them again the next time we meet. It's people who appreciate my work that I want to continue working with.

I've had many friends that I've known for a long time give me less of their time for photo-shoots, and they prefer to shoot with other photographers, despite me knowing them longer. However, it is their right to pose for who they want to (just like I have the right to shoot whoever I want to) so not being close to certain cosplayers isn't easy sometimes. I just have to remember that there are plenty of cosplayers to photograph so that helps.

4) If your attitude towards taking pictures was an actual song, what song would it be and why?   I take pictures for cosplayers and fans to enjoy, and I always want to thank them. There is a Super Eurobeat song by Mega NRG Man called "Thanks to my Fans" and that song goes out to them.

5) If you could get a celebrity – either living or dead – to promote your snaps, what person would you get, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   I adore Emily Browning, cause she was just so wonderful in the movie "SuckerPunch" as Babydoll, and I do enjoy doing photo-shoots of Babydoll cosplayers when possible. To have her promote my pictures (of Babydoll or other characters she likes) would be a great honor.

6) What was the best convention you were a part of?   Attending BlizzCon in 2013 and 2014. The convention was so well organized. The floor-show was amazing. The gaming tournaments were thrilling. The cosplays were superb. And just overall the best convention I go to each year.

7) Same question as above, but worst convention you were a part of?   It's hard to say which convention I had a bad time at. If I enjoy a convention and not have any problems, I would definitely return the following year. I think the worst experience was having my laptop stolen on the final day of a convention. I had spent the weekend taking a lot of pictures, and not being able to share those pictures really hurt. But l learned a valuable lesson.

8) During your time in this field, what piece of advice would you want to impart on a fellow photographer?   Please always ask a cosplayer for a picture, and say thank you. Always be polite and never harass a cosplayer. (Cosplay =/= Consent).  Post and share your pictures, and be sure to have fun!

9) If you have a personal motto, what would it be?   "Just like in the anime, 'Initial D', it's not the car... it's the driver. For me, it's not the camera... it's the photographer".

And on that note, dear reader, I'd like to thank Albert for telling us about his cosplay photography. Plus if you'd like to sample some of his snaps, please check out his great facebook page. Many thanks