[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.

[2026-07-16] 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.

[2026-02-08] 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.

[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.

[2025-12-28] Cosplay Matsuri 2025 (day 1)

This convention marks the first time I had used the RF 28-70mm f/2.8 STM for shooting cosplay. The 28mm wide end works well enough for shooting portraits from orthodox camera angles, but the field of view is a bit lacking compared to the 24mm of the more common 24-70mm lenses for dynamic low-angle shots where I try to exaggerate the limb proportions.

To compensate, I brought the Canon PowerShot V1 as a secondary camera. I still prefer the proportions rendered by stereographic fisheye lenses, but compared to that setup with the EOS M50, the PowerShot V1 is lighter, less bulky, and it can also zoom in to 50mm equivalent in a pinch (albeit being limited to f/4.5 at the telephoto end).

[2025-12-27] Ozine Fest Retro 2025 (day 2)

[2025-12-23] Christmas Photoshoot by Angel Bunaoski

Finally got to use the Lensbabies again for a proper photoshoot, but this was also the last time for The Scout. Fortunately, the Sweet 35 optic that it contained was still okay, but I'll now have to swap optics instead of simply switching between The Scout and Composer Pro II since Lensbaby no longer sells the former.

[2025-10-05] Cosplay Mania 2025 (day 3)

First time I got to use my DIY flash projector at a con in SMX.

The location wasn't ideal, but I did learn a couple of lessons about controlling light spill. 

[2025-10-04] Cosplay Mania 2025 (day 2)

Social media's great and all, but meeting people again IRL is nice too.

[retro: 2025-05-18] FanFes 2025 (day 2)

[retro: 2025-05-17] FanFes 2025 (day 1)

Tested my old signature technique (i.e. monopod + flash), but with twist: power zoom since this was done with a compact camera (Canon PowerShot V1) instead of the usual mirrorless camera which required 2 hands to change the focal length of the zoom lens.