Jamie Flack is an extremely talented illustrator, graphic artist, photographer, and designer who also goes by the alias of Cat & Crown Artwork. With nearly a decade of professional experience under his belt, Jamie started out as creative director at marketing firm Digital Trailblazers which was featured at the 2015 edition of The newbie.
As an illustrator and photographer, Jamie has earned a large online audience and a growing reputation among his clients through commissions, collaborations, mentoring at conventions, and most importantly, the imaginative design work and composite images of fantasy it produces. “I know where the dragons and heroes are, and I know how to make them look more majestic,” he says.
• Capture cosplay with the best portrait lenses
We had the opportunity to speak with Jamie during this year’s CosXPo, a weekend event designed solely around sharing knowledge and skills through a series of panels, tutorials and workshops. One of them, a guided outdoor cosplay photography session, was organized by Jamie, who shared her best tips on composition, symmetry, and collaboration. She even put together a handy cheat sheet (below) for a rundown of cosplay photography best practices.
“I started photography at university and took an A-Level when I was there. I really enjoyed it, but the technical side was always a bit bewildering, so after I finished the course I put my camera down for a bit of time.
“I was more focused on digital painting and decided to take my photography into a more artistic style, and that just wasn’t necessary in my work at the time. However, when I went to my first Comic-con, I started to get interested again as a hobby, and that was about seven years ago, and here we are!
“I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered the craft yet, as I still feel like a hobbyist when it comes to the physical aspect of photography. There’s a lot to learn and technology to explore to get the best results, but I see my work getting better year after year.” , And that is what counts”.
“My main kit includes a Fujifilm X-T3 as the main camera body. Two lenses, the Fujinon 56mm f/1.2R and 55mm f/2.8, although I stick with the 1.2 mainly. I have two Yongnuo Ice Lights, which provide me with colors and LED light, in case you need an extra boost, but I prefer to use gel flashes for that as it’s much stronger color wise.
“I also have a Yongnuo radio master controller, which mounts to my camera body, and I control two flashes with it. One goes into a standard Neewer softbox for key lights, and then I have the other one located somewhere else, sometimes with gels, to provide edge lighting or back lighting. I also have a standard tripod, three batteries, two SD cards, and about four AA battery packs for the flashes.
“As for bags, I carry two: a camera bag for my most expensive kit, and then my large shoulder bag for the longest, most cumbersome things. I also have a compression brace for my back, because photography of cosplay plays hell with your back. .
“I’d say the best thing I can recommend to those just getting to grips with cosplay photography would be a solid prime lens, something that gives you good bokeh. They upped my game tremendously when I started out because if you’re at a convention, you’ll most likely it’s having a bunch of people walking past you while you’re trying to shoot.Having a lens that blurs them out and allows the focus to be just on the subject makes a world of difference.
“For me, my 56mm f/1.2 R lens is the one I’ve shot the most with, and it gives wonderful results. The only drawback is that I have to be about 70 meters from someone if I want it full frame.
“The fun thing about my job is that I tend to prefer a studio setup, which I can then control the lighting properly, ready to edit later, so a lot of my shoots lean more towards finding a place where I can do that. I’m also a bit homey, so it’s the go-to for me!
“As for editing, I do a lot of post-production work with my photography in Photoshop. I’m primarily a digital painter and illustrator and came to photography as a side hobby.
“I like to make my photography, particularly cosplay, a strong mix of both if I can, as it’s something you don’t always see in the UK community. Adding special effects, complex backgrounds, that sort of thing is always It’s going to be something I really enjoy, and it makes my photography more like scenes from the movies, which is always a big inspiration for me.”
“I use the Fujifilm X-T3 for its simplicity. I’ve always used Fujifilm because the person who got me back into photography mostly used it, and I enjoyed the results he got from it, so I bought the same one to learn the basics another time. time with”.
“The main lens I use is the 56mm f/1.2. I love the results it gives, and it separates characters from the background so cleanly with bokeh that it’s ideal. Again, super efficient and easy to use, which is what I appreciate on my products. I’ll admit I haven’t had much experience with other brands so I’m not sure I can give too much advice as to why this particular one is the best, but I definitely love it and find it gives great results.”
When creating composite images, it is important to capture multiple shots so that you can select the correct angled shot to intertwine the image and background. That’s why Jamie always carries multiple high-speed SD cards to make sure she never runs out of storage.
We asked Jamie if she had any final advice for those looking to get into cosplay photography.
“Mostly I’d say make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. It can be a really fun hobby, but if you think it could be a job, I’d say it’s the wrong area of photography for people to look at.” .
“I personally treat it as a hobby that I enjoy from time to time and since the pandemic, I’ve taken a step back from the number of people I photograph at conventions as I found myself struggling to keep up with the number of editing I do”. to do, when it is not always paid work. If you’re really interested in working with amazing people and shooting interesting and fascinating costumes, then this is for you, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself either.”
Check out Jamie’s phenomenal work on his official Web site Y Instagram page.
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