J-Obsession, 2014: Elements of style analysis in The irresistible Urge To Play with Light

  • March 31, 2014, 12:29 p.m.
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Full album here:

https://www.facebook.com/yuen.xiang.hao/media_set?set=a.10152358932614085.1073741914.571969084&type=3

As per last year we were really only able to go on Sunday (although this time it’s because my Saturdays are stuffed with taekwondo nowadays). It wasn’t really a surprise to the people who know me that I went as Dante from Devil May Cry, since I’d already changed my profile pic beforehand:

The net result was that I was bouncing quite violently between being photographed and doing my own photography. I… managed, somehow.

I notice a trend by now; it’s not so much that I take a lot of photos (although I do).

It is that when I’m not taking snapshots of people who are doing something epic like this:



Fig 1

or this


Fig 2

I’m trying for candid shots that are, by their nature, unpredictable:


Fig 3

and rewarding:


Fig 4

And, er, did I mention unpredictable?


fig 5

But give that I have a duty to make my subject look good, you find me taking

the same


Fig 6

picture

Fig 7

over and over again.

Fig 8

just with different subjects:


Fig 9

In these cases, I’m letting the subject generate lines into and out of the photo, both to draw focus to themselves, and to generate the illusion of depth, centering the subject in the heart of the viewer’s attention. It used to be something I did almost exclusively, but I notice that a number of other photographers are doing it now, possibly because the cosplayers liked the effect.

Also, I like to shoot upwards


Fig 10

or downwards to force some separation between target and background:


Fig 11

and I do it a lot:




Fig 12

to the extent that I can often tell which picture is mine at a glance. The result is a slightly unreal image, helped along by a F1.7 lens

Of course, as I said, I didn’t spend all day photographing. I was the focus for quite a few photographers, which is somewhat of a first for me:

I think I look pretty good. Of course, this simultaneously tells me that I have a long way to go before I’m as good as this photographer.


Fig 1: Daichi Sakamoto (on ground) and Rocky Go (as Wolverine)

Fig 2: Rocky Go as Wolverine and Lee Hong Yang as policeman. He was incredibly happy at the opportunity to arrest a legend

Fig 3: Tinneh tastethenutella, stealing alpaca

Fig 4: Chibi Mikasa as Ryoko Matoi, Kill la Kill

Fig 5: Kuromori KinoKamiki (bottom) and Arisa (top), with alpaca

Fig 6: Benjamin Tan cosplaying as… Joker cosplaying Vocaloid Kaito. I think. It’s a bit complex.

Fig 7: Unknown, cosplaying Windrunner from DOTA. She has my card. If she wants to tag herself she will.

Fig 8: Marcus Alexander Li, cosplaying Milspec genre

Fig 9: Willy Lim as gangster.

Fig 10: Matsuoka Hime Rei-chama as Kyary Pamu (I think)

Fig 11: Caffeine (Rain Nighte) as Vocaloid Sandplay Kaito

Fig 12: Jessica Wee as Scouting legion member (not sure which one), Shingeki no Kyojin., Yukiko Tsukimori as Vocaloid Luka, Shizuka Kaname as… Fushimi, I think?… (not sure which one) from Project K

Fig 13: Myself, as Dante, son of Sparda, from Devil May Cry 4. Photograph by BingXiong Stan.


Last updated September 22, 2014


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