Once Upon A Con 2025 Wrap Up

ISO 100, Aperture F9, Shutter 1/250s, Focal Length 29mm

This was the first year I attended Once Upon a Con, a fantasy book convention previously held in Pennsylvania.   I had heard good things about the convention and was looking forward to attending it, especially since it had been relocated to the Gaylord in National Harbor, Maryland.  I also liked that, based on their outward-facing websites, you could register to be an approved photographer for the event and receive a special badge.  This is different from a media badge.  So, I was looking forward to attending and photographing lots of fantasy characters (elves, fairies, pretty princesses, etc.) and lots of ball gowns, which really is my sweet spot.  I was also looking forward to some of the panels they were hosting, as well as their vendor area, which was 90 percent authors.   Overall, I thought this convention was going to be a pleasant diversion from the standard anime/comic conventions I have been attending. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation was very different.

I knew things were not going to go smoothly for the convention when the badges, which were supposed to be mailed, were switched to a pick-up-only option.  Usually not a big red flag but concerning.  I arrived on Thursday, so I could pick up my badge to be ready to start shooting on Friday morning.  Unfortunately, the badges did not arrive at the convention center on time, resulting in a 90-minute delay in badge pick-up.  In addition to the badge pick-up being delayed, it was not well-organized, and they did not have the special photographer ribbons, which were promised to all registered photographers.   Then the Discord servers started heating up with controversies about promised hotel rooms for guests, VIPs not receiving all the promised swag, and a general lack of communication from the convention organizers.  By Friday morning, cancellations of the panels and guests began, which had a ripple effect on the entire convention, resulting in many people leaving early.  With people leaving early, the whole convention felt very dead.  The only place that I felt was lively was the vendors' hall, where the people who remained went to support the authors and vendors.   I will say the convention had a good variety of authors, with several being local to the DC area.  I picked up a few physical books and added some to my Kindle and Audible lists.  

Now, let's talk about the photography environment at the convention.  This was not like shooting Katsucon, for one thing, I could actually move around, and there wasn’t a crowd around the gazebo.  The place actually felt empty, and I had to really hunt for a cosplayer to photograph for hall shots.  One thing I will mention is that I don’t think many of the people dressed up were accustomed to being asked to be photographed.  I think this is just because the convention is billed more as a fantasy book convention and the cosplay aspect is just a secondary or tertiary item for many of them.  That was fine because I liked the expressions on several people's faces when I asked them for a photo.  I think they felt surprised, then special that someone had complimented their outfit and wanted to photograph it.  I also attended a few of the fan meet-ups, which usually are events where people who cosplay from the same series meet up for photos; these didn’t seem to work out that way.  These meet-ups had no organizers, so I unofficially ran one I attended.  I’m not sure if everyone grasped the concept of the meet-up, as it wasn’t well-organized, but people managed to make the most of it. 

ISO 100, Aperture F8, Shutter 1/100s, Focal Length 28mm

For Once Upon A Con, I took a different approach to con photography, as I did hall shots and mini-studio sessions.  I was able to offer mini-studio sessions because I secured an executive suite, which allowed me to set up a mini studio in my room.  Thus, I brought a lot more equipment than usual.  In my room, I had a backdrop set up, complete with two strobes, two softboxes, gels, a posing box, and flower arrangements.  I also used some of the room's furniture during the mini-studio sessions.  Then, when I was walking on the convention floor, I had two flashes, one on camera and one on a light stand tucked into my backpack.   For this convention, I booked 9 sessions, which were two fewer than what I booked for Katsucon this year.  The difference is that 7 of the Once Upon a Con sessions were mini-studio sessions, resulting in a better ROI.  Over the course of the convention, I shot 1190 frames, which was significantly more than at Katsucon.  I shot a range of ISOs from ISO 100 to ISO 2500 with my most common being ISO 100.  I shot a range of apertures from F4 to F10 with the most common aperture being F8 and F4.5.  My shutter speed ranged from 1/25s to 1/250s with the most common speed being 1/200s.  Then my focal length ranged from 24mm to 92mm with the most common being 24mm. 

ISO 100, Aperture F8, Shutter 1/80s, Focal Length 35mm

Normally, at this juncture, I would talk about how I shot some particular photos, but I’m not going to do that this time.  I’m briefly going to talk about how it was shooting in a hotel room, and then just show some images from the convention.  Shooting inside a hotel room wasn’t too bad, since the room ceilings were about 10 feet high.  With an executive suite (separate bedroom and living space), I had enough space to move furniture (the hardest part) to set up the backdrop without people seeing my luggage and sleeping space.  The main thing I would change if I did this again would be the backdrop; instead of the cloth/muslin one, I would bring the fuzzy stretchy one, so I didn’t have wrinkles.  For the mini-studio sessions, I was using 2 Westcott FJ400s, I went with the Westcotts because they are compact and battery-powered.  A typical battery will give you about 300-400 shots at full power.  I had extra batteries with me just in case but didn’t really need them.  The other item I would change would be to add either an extra strobe or a v-flat to the kit, as it would have made a few things a little easier.  I also would have taken my bell reflector with the grids to add some dimension.  While I had some flowers with me, to use as props and set pieces, I didn’t really use them as much as I should have.  However, I did use some of the furniture in the room (chairs and end tables) as props during some of the sessions.  I used the gels I had with me frequently to change the background color.  While I’m glad I took a posing box with me, I mostly used it as a box to carry/hold my gear when transporting it from my car to the room.   Overall, for my first time doing mini-studio sessions out of my room, it worked well.  There are a few things I need to refine and revise, especially when it comes to equipment, but that is to be expected.  I think I will offer more mini-studio sessions at conventions (if I can get a suite) in the future because 1) I don’t have to worry about finding an uncrowded spot on the convention floor, 2) I can be more creative with lighting,  3) the photos will be different from the standard convention images, and 4) it is just less stressful for everyone.

ISO 125, Aperture F4, Shutter 1/200s, Focal Length 27mm

Overall, Once Upon A Con was a mixed bag.  The convention organization execution was bad, but I loved the concept and enjoyed the vendors' hall.  From a photography standpoint, I wish they had given out the approved photographer ribbons/badges I registered for.  Still, the cosplay was reasonably good, and I think it would have been better if people had stayed longer.  I really hope they improve and recover from this misstep because I believe it could be something worthwhile in the future.  Conventions can be hit or miss, but at least I was able to test out something new at a smaller convention that I can bring to a larger convention in the future.  You can see all the hall shots from Once Upon A Con:  Here.