FAnime Recap

This last weekend I was in San Jose, CA, for FAnime. Having registered in February, I did not have to spend a lot of time in line to get my badge, and got a cool looking badge too. After that, I was on the prowl with my camera looking for impressive costumes for the rest of the weekend. I did actually sit down to watch some anime, and found a couple that I liked, but for me actually watching anime is secondary to testing my photography in the grueling conditions of the convention.

If I were to create circumstances to improve the photography conditions, I'd have someone managing a backdrop, someone else holding a reflector to bounce light back to the subject, and a couple of flash umbrellas and soft boxes to shine a nice even light on my subject. The cosplayers would be patient, and have a general idea of how to pose. In reality though, the cosplayers, while willing to have their pictures taken, are not usually willing to concede more than a simple pose at their current location, minimizing their time distracted by any particular photographer. This meant having random people and objects in the background, no extra light besides my camera flash, and nobody else helping me out. The light inside the convention was dark with a yellow/orange cast, sometimes with glare from large windows. Outside, buildings blocked the "good" light in the early morning and late afternoon. Most of my pictures have a candid feel to them, with all of the distractive elements in the background, but it also gives some context to the event.

Of the anime conventions I've attended, I prefer FAnime. It's much smaller than Anime Expo in L.A. or Anime Central in Chicago, but there were plenty of people in costume to keep me occupied. San Jose is local for my friends in California, which makes them much more likely to attend. The staff are ambivalent to photographers, unlike the open hostility shown by the staff at Anime Central. My friends who care tell me that FAnime tends to get newer anime than the other larger conventions, as distributors use FAnime as a test market for their newer imports. The only drawback to the smaller conventions is that not as many vendors ply their wares. There are often several anime conventions for any given holiday weekend across the U.S., and the larger conventions offer better economic incentive for vendors to attend.

Still, it was a fun weekend, and I'm looking forward to coming about again next year. Maybe I'll be a little more selective, and pick out cosplayers who are willing to work with me a bit, and enlist one of my friends to hold a reflector board.