From July to the end of August 2023, preparing, running, and processing the Gen Con workshops was our primary focus. With all of that work complete at last, I wanted to cap the 2023 Gen Con chapter with a big gallery of all the portraits from the 2022 and 2023 workshops, think on the improvements we made from the first year to the second, and look forward to other modifications we might make in the future.
Iterative Design of the Workshop
In 2022, we ran the workshop for the first time, so 2023 provided an opportunity to keep what worked and make improvements. With each workshop, we take stock of what seemed to work while sanding down the rough edges.
One of those improvements was Gen Con’s cosplay program, helmed by the amazing Karissa Kosman, who happened to be one of the subjects of our last series, The People of Light and Shadow. As part of the cosplay program, Distant Era only had to concern ourselves with making solid workshops. Our badges were covered, and we had administrative support we didn’t have last year. Thanks a million to Karissa and her efforts to make successful cosplay programming at Gen Con. (Serendipitously, just after writing this paragraph, I went to a cafe to write more, and who should I encounter there but Karissa herself!)
Improvements for 2023
In 2023, the workshop format didn’t change dramatically, except that it was an hour longer. Thus, the biggest changes from 2022 to 2023 were as follows.
Miraculously ending up in the same hotel as the workshop
Rather than dragging our gear across town for each workshop like we did at Gen Con 2022 and the pre-Distant-Era workshops of 2019, we merely hauled it down the hall of the Crowne Plaza hotel. This was a very happy coincidence, as we booked the hotel the previous year and had no idea the workshops would end up there.
A more portable canvas background setup
I like my backgrounds, but over the last year I began to get annoyed with my favorite Westcott “canvas” background, partly from seeing the same textures repeated, partly from the awkwardness of transporting it. So as summer approached, and with a number of locations to travel, I invested in a (Westcott) canvas background kit that was lighter, easier to transport (I can wear it like a backpack), and in which I could store three-to-five backgrounds. The versatility and ease of transport therefore made everything just a little better.
Using a softbox as main light instead of a large umbrella
In 2022, I alternated between a large diffused umbrella and a large beauty dish for my main light, using the umbrella as fill with the beauty dish. Before the summer, I longed for a change in style from the big, broad light of the large modifiers I’d been using lately. I wanted to go back to lighting subjects more specifically.
The week prior to Gen Con, I photographed Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s The Duchess of Malfi preproduction images. At the end of that session, after I’d captured what they wanted for stock, I asked if I might take a few shots for myself. I switched out the big diffused umbrella for the small Magmod softbox I used to use in my first years shooting with flash, prior to the pandemic. I loved the way that smaller, soft modifier specifically illuminated one part of the subject with gentle light before fading away into shadow. In any case, that impromptu Babes-With-Blades sequence sealed my decision to try my old softbox for Gen Con this year. I also brought a small beauty dish and a large umbrella for fill. Overall, I’m pleased with that soft specificity in this year’s portraits.
(I also used a different lens this year, switching from my favorite 85mm portrait lens to a 24–70 so that I could zoom out on those bigger costumes and move in closer if necessary.)
A third hour added onto the workshop
In 2022, the workshop ran two hours, there were two sessions, and they sold out in two weeks. So for 2023, I extended the workshop by an hour, raised the price, and the number of available slots. Thanks to the extended time, participants received much more from the workshop, and we generally didn’t feel as rushed as we did in 2022.
Practice
Finally, I think practice and experience over the course of the year led to improved photography and editing.
Improvements for 2024
In the months ahead, I’ll be looking forward and looking back on what’s worked, what could be improved, and what’s ideal for Distant Era costumed photography at Gen Con. Are these three-hour mini studio session workshops the ideal way to participate as Distant Era at Gen Con? Should I try to accommodate those looking for quick shots outside the workshop environment? I’m not sure.
I’d like to continue to refine the education/instruction part of the workshop so that it’s a little more active. As it stands, I bang through the fundamentals and get right into practice. I’m not unhappy with that, but it could always be better.
I’d like a better way to get portraits to the participants. The Gen Con messaging app shuts down soon after the convention, and emails with links to the portraits sometimes get blocked or end up in spam. (If you’re a workshop participant reading this and did not receive the email with your portraits, please contact Distant Era here!)
As for shooting the show itself, I know there are a number of photographers who set up in the hall or outside and who make contact with cosplayers to shoot at the convention. I’d certainly arrange for sessions with clients who reached out, but I don’t know that I’d enjoy hustling for portraits at Gen Con. I like spending the time, working on the light, establishing relationships. Perhaps there is a middle ground.
The Gallery
Finally, here’s a gallery of all the participants from the Gen Con workshops from 2022 and 2023 in reverse chronological order. I’m proud of all of them for their awesome work. It was my great pleasure to photograph them!
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