Normally at this time I’d do a review of the year, but this time I want to go back a couple of years as there’s something I want to talk about.
2019 was for me very light convention wise because of family stuff taking priority. I decided that 2020 was going to be the year I try our a few other conventions (CosXPo being one of them) and also see if I could get some more out of con shoots. If I didn’t succceed in generating enough interest I’d pack up, call it a day and walk away from cosplay photography for good… Well as we all know 2020 didn’t pan out as we thought it would and thanks to the pandemic, inept goverment and anti-vaxxers we ended up living in the “era of fear”. It was also about this time when I started experiencing mental health issues and decided that closing my Instagram account was a good idea. It felt really strange but satisfying to switch my account into private mode and go through an delete all 200+ followers and just walk away.
Two years and a few lockdowns later and it’s almost like everything is back to some kind of normal. Conventions are back, the same old minority of salty peeps who just want to make it all about them came back.
What I can say is that as far as my initial plans in 2020 were, well they just fell apart. I literally had to start again from scratch, but this time with a different mindset. I’m not chasing likes or follows as they mean jack s**t to me, I’d rather have a handful of people that I can shoot with on a regular basis than being a highly sought after tog. I’ve only done a few cons this year and being fortunate to attend CosXPo and two Secret Con’s as well as Megacon Manchester (which wasn’t all that good tbh) but apart from Megacon I’ve been able to shoot with some incredible cosplayers and produce some of my best work yet. Shooting at con’s for me is something of a drag as they’re rarely the best places to take photos as it’s hard to make a “cowshed” of an exhibition centre look like it matches the person’s cosplay I’m shooting. Maybe it’s me I don’t know but I prefer the safe space of a studio or a location without people getting in my way.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. I’ve been fortunate to do a couple of out of con cosplay shoots both in and out of the studio as well as getting back to shooting professional models and street art in Brighton.
As far as 2023 I have no particular plans and will just take things as they come. Either way let me wish you all a Happy New Year and good mental health.
