Photography Plans for 2017

It is the New Year, so it is time for some new photo projects and goals. I still plan to do work with the DC Cosplayer and Photographer Group and do convention shoots but want to expand beyond that. This year I would like to do a few more personal projects and increase the number of shoots I do outside of conventions. To reach this goal I have developed a list of photoshoots I would like to do this year.

A film noir shoot. This shoot is based on classic noir films like the Maltese Falcon, The Third Man, and Casablanca. This would be a shoot based on 1940’s and 1950’s styling, focusing on old Hollywood glamor, and be very low key or dark shoot. This shoot would be in the evening and be a mix of studio and on location, since all the locations I’m thinking of are within short walking distance of the studio. Ideally, I would love to do this shoot, as a couples shoot, but singles are good too. You can see my pintress idea board for this shoot here.

Girl in a Cherry Tree. Last year I did a wonderful shoot with Neirdheim Jen, by placing her in a cherry blossom tree. I want to do a few more shoots like that, since this will most likely be the last year these cherry trees will be accessible (blame construction plans). Therefore, I would love to do at least few more shoots, placing a model in the tree, preferably with a long flowy dress or something that is cherry blossom appropriate. I would love to shoot with a dress called “endless fire” or the “magenta orchid parachutedress” located on dream shoot rentals. My other thought would to be place cosplays based on Sakizou, Hannah Alexander, or Nene Thomas designs.

Arboretum Shoot. I would like to do a shoot at the National Arboretum. This one does not have a specific theme, but I would be looking to do something that is a bit elegant or fashion oriented. Basically, no superheroes.

Night Shoot overlooking the city. This shoot is geared towards superheroes, because the idea is to place the background below behind the model.

Random Shoots: I do have a permit to shoot within the Fairfax County parks and there are a few locations I would like to shoot. In addition, I’m hoping for some snow so I can do anther snow shoot. I will also be keeping my eye out for new and interesting locations; I might even make it up to the GraffitiWarehouse in Baltimore.

To those who are interested in working with me on any of the shoots listed above (which will be TFP), please message me through my Facebookpage: Munchkin Photos by Heather.

I will also be offering all cosplayers 90-minute shoots (in studio or on location) for 45-dollars, which would include a CD/thumb-drive of all the edited images from the shoot as well as an online gallery.

Comments

Cobwebs Everywhere

On October 7 th , I did a studio spooky session with Coralinx Cosplay . The central theme of this shoot was a pretty goth girl who had a fondness for spiders and decorating with cobwebs, making it a perfect Halloween session. Note: Cobwebs are defined as abandoned or old spiderwebs that have collected dust. Many cobwebs are the result of comb-footed spider (i.e., black widows) that make irregularly shaped webs. Spiderwebs are active structures built to catch prey. (Source: Western Exterminator Company) For these sessions, I used: Photography Equipment Other Equipment Cannon R6 24-105 mm Lens Transmitter/Trigger 2 Westcott FJ400 2 Phottix Strobes 2 strip boxes 2 rectangular soft boxes 2 c-stands 3 light stands Backdrop stand Black seamless 2 Westcott silicon gels Tether cable Laptop Laptop holder Sandbags A-clamps Spyder Color checker Fake cobwebs Table ...

Katsucon 2025 Wrap - Up

Katsucon 2025 didn’t seem as crowded as 2024, but I still wasn’t feeling it. Katsucon will always have a special place in my heart, but I think I’m just bored with it, from a creative perspective. While I still love working with cosplayers the location itself no longer excites me and I’m tired of fighting the crowds. If I return to Katsucon 2026 I think I’ll just set up a studio in my room and do studio sessions. I can be a lot more creative with a studio session, and I get to use all my lights. So now let's talk about photography. For Katsucon I was shooting with my Canon R6 with an 24-105 Canon RF lens, and I had a fisheye lens on me as well, but we will discuss that later. I had two speedlights, one on camera which acted as a trigger 90-percent of the time and one on a light stand which my husband would hold during shoots. This year I booked 11 cosplay sessions and shot 869 frames. I shot a range of ISOs from ISO 100 to ISO 800...

2025 Year in Review and Looking Forward to 2026

This year was a bit interesting especially since during the day, I’m a government employee, which resulted in a lot of stress and a 42-day furlough. I didn’t attend as many cosplay events with the D.C Cosplay group, now Costume and Camera, as I normally would have, due to schedule conflicts. However, I traveled up to Poughkeepsie, New York for two photo events, one of which I was a featured photographer. I attended two conventions, one of which didn’t turn out as expected and the other just confirmed my decision to take a break from it. Though happily I did a lot of studio work this year, which I enjoyed. But on the other hand, I lost my dear “studio supervisor”, my dog Teddy. He liked to great clients and then “supervise” while lying/sleeping in his bed. I also started to work on the business side of my photography work, by investing in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) site to manage bookings, schedules, and payments. No more trying to juggle...

The Munchkin's Notebook

Search This Blog