[2026-10-03] Cosplay Mania 2026 (day 2)

Based on what an event marshal told me, it's now forbidden to take pictures inside the event halls using anything other than a smartphone, and the only exceptions to this are people wearing IDs (i.e. media photographers for the event and exhibitor photographers who paid for their shooting spots).

I stopped taking pictures after that and just spent my time chatting with other photographers who apparently have not yet heard about this new rule. They asked if this might have been just somebody power-tripping, but the event marshal was clarifying the rules with somebody else via radio(?), and I'm more inclined to believe his statement that it was a decision by the event organizers of Cosplay Mania.

Their event, their rules; and there are countless other cosplay events out there that I could attend instead, but I still find the decision unfortunate since hobbyists are getting the short end of the stick. It would also be nice if new rules are properly announced online prior to the event instead of letting people know only when they're already there.

[2026-08-29] Experimental Shots: Light Umbrella

Anybody still remember Joby GorillaPods or their countless clones such as the CD-R King variant here?

[2026-08-15] FUJIFILM Philippines - Nationwide Photo and Video Walk 2026

theme: REFLECTIONS

initial candidate for submission

actual submission

I thought I already had a passable entry in the morning with the first picture, but then I snapped the second image while I was looking around to replace my worn-out shoes.

The saturated colors of the former are more eye-catching, but the composition felt cliché, and there's a high chance of others doing something similar since we had puddles everywhere that morning.

In contrast to that, the second shot was more muted, but it featured a more transcient moment, and it's a better metaphorical representation of the theme with the music being a reflection of the artist.

---

In-camera edits were allowed, and a lot of heavy lifting was done there given the sensitivity of exposing for a subject reflected on a smooth black surface.

I think there was also a restriction about visible brands, but I couldn't crop out "YAMAHA" without sacrificing the main subject so I just cut out the first 3 letters to leave "AHA".

[2026-07-16] Max Collector 2026 (day 1)

It's interesting to note that this convention is primarily aimed at toy collectors, but they still went out of their way to gather 20 cosplayers as special guests, though this was only announced a day before the start of the event.

[2026-06-13] Toycon Tandercon 2026 (day 2)

[2026-05-03] Ozine Fest: Summer Special 2026 (day 2)

I had originally planned to edit and upload these shots the Monday after the event, but I then had to prioritize other stuff.

In other news, my dad's out of the hospital a day early, so that's cool.

[2026-04-18] Canon Photomarathon 2026

Entry for the main theme ("FEEL IT")

After a 7-year hiatus, the Canon Photomarathon makes a return and opens its doors to participants of other camera brands.

[retro: 2019-10-19] Canon Photomarathon 2019

Entry for theme 1 ("DREAM")

Entry for theme 2 ("FAITH")

The event was held at SM Mall of Asia, but given how the contest would eventually be saturated with pictures of that place, I went to Quiapo instead for my shots.

[2025-03-08] Resident Evil Cosplay Group

First time I've ever been to District 1 Cosplay Cosplay Studio (Makati).

[2026-02-25] Trillion Peso March: EDSA Revolution 40th Anniversary

The last time I attended a protest was back in 2016 when people gathered on Bonifacio Day to protest Marcos's burial at Libingan ng mga Bayani.

I'm glad that activism is still alive in this country, but the shitpost placards from a decade ago were simply on another level.

[retro: 2016-11-30] Bonifacio Day protest against Marcos's burial at Libingan ng mga Bayani

[2026-02-08] Quezon City Photo Club 10th Anniversary

The Quezon City Photo Club had a photoshoot at Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife last Sunday to celebrate their 10th anniversary.

[2026-01-04] Black backdrop test

I've had this 3m x 4m black backdrop since 2024, but I only got to try out the full length last weekend since I don't usually have the luxury of being able to rearrange the furniture to this extent.

notes:

[1]
I have no idea if the wrinkles can be ironed in a reasonable amount of time after unfolding the cloth since I don't have a backdrop roller to keep it wrinkle-free for storage.

[2]
The muslin cloth is thin, so any lighting in the background can easily bleed through. Even light-colored objects (ex. white walls) behind the backdrop can easily reflect light from studio flash. A second layer of dark cloth needs to be clipped to the backdrop stand to prevent this issue.

[3]
If the subject-background distance is close relative to the position of the light, the backdrop will appear as dark gray when it is hit by the light. To make it look black, either the light must be much closer to the subject, or the light must be controlled to prevent it from spilling onto the background.

[4]
I used a gray card to check the necessary camera and flash settings to get a proper exposure with my DIY projector attachment. With my camera set to 1/200s, f/4.0, ISO 400; my Godox AD200 Pro needed to be set to 1/1 power, with the projector lens (Sigma 20-40mm f/2.8) at f/2.8 and roughly 28mm focal length to illuminate a subject of my height.

Granted, I can get brighter light using the Godox AD100 Pro since that flash can focus the light into a narrower beam to force more of it through the projector lens, but it produces an uneven pattern, and the generated heat is enough to melt my acetate prints.

[5]
I don't like the idea of shooting at home since it would be a hassle for the other people living here.

At the same time, the backdrop (cloth + stands) is prohibitively heavy for shooting elsewhere when combined with the rest of the gear (camera + lens, flash + light stands + modifiers).

Right now, the only thing I can do with this is practice and check for feasibility before doing an actual shoot in a studio somewhere else.

There IS a studio though that's less than a 10-minute walk away from where I live, but that costs money to rent.

[6]
When the light projector is used, the output of the flash is significantly reduced to the point that drowning out ambient light is a challenge even indoors.

As such, the ideal use case would be inside a studio where the ambient light can be shut off. Otherwise, it would be best to shoot at night.

[2025-12-30] Cosplay Matsuri 2025 (day 3)

[1]
As a hobbyist who advertises shooting for free, I get approached by cosplayers with varying levels of experience. Admittedly, directing models is one of my weaknesses as a photographer, and that's why I appreciate it when I get to work with people who already have a good idea of the shots that they want to get.

[2]
My setup was mostly the same as what I had utilized for day 1, but I think the output for day 3 was improved by flagging the umbrella and Flashbender to prevent light spill on the background. Also, I used a circular polarizer as an ND filter to cut down ambient exposure by about 2 stops, and this allowed me to use the RF 28-70mm f/2.8 STM wide open.

[3]
For day 3, I was able to secure a spot at the photographer's area which was later shared with 2 other photographers. Special thanks to Robin Nightschooler and Vérité Imaging for making this event much more interesting than usual since I rarely get to work with other photographers to this extent.

[2025-12-29] Cosplay Matsuri 2025 (day 2)

For day 2 of the event, I failed to secure a spot for shooting, so I had to resort to the more mobile 1-light setup since photographers were prohibited from putting up light stands outside of the designated photographer's area. I've been avoiding this technique lately due to its physically-demanding nature, but for this instance, I also had to carry the weight of the unused 2nd light stand.

Fortunately, I think these shots turned out okay despite the constraints.

For this occasion, I also used the EOS R6II instead of the usual PowerShot V1 for the one-handed camera operation since my left hand was busy holding the light stand. Unlike before when I used the full-frame camera with a heavy Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 G1, my current RF 28-70mm f/2.8 STM lens is much lighter, so the setup isn't as demanding on the forearm and wrist.