Hey everyone!

First of all, I want to say HELLO! to all of my new watchers! I've gotten a decent amount in the past couple of weeks, and I just wanted to say thanks for your support!

I apologize for how late this journal is! I got really sick after Christmas, and then my computer died right before New Year's Eve. It's been a fun two weeks! (not).

So first of all, just because I've had a lot of interest in the subject/questions asked: Yes, I will be at Katsucon 2013! Sadly, I'm full up on photoshoot slots. For those wondering, I didn't put out anything saying that I was, it just kind of happened! Caught me off guard, but still very cool. However, I know a lot of you are probably still looking to book photographers, and I'm sure that those of you who are photogs are probably looking to set up shoots. SO!!! If you're a photographer and are still looking to set up photoshoots at Katsucon 2013, please leave a comment here on this journal. In my next journal (which WILL be up in about three-four days) , I will throw your names/sites to get in touch with you at for setting up said shoots! (That is if anyone responds!) As well as posting my own Katsucon schedule!

Anywho, before I posted my year in review journal, I had asked for questions as people had previously indicated wanting more question answering/how-to journals. The awesome ~TifaIA had a plethora of them, and no one else responded with anything! So, I will be answering her questions!

First Question: How do you go about selecting locations for photo shoots?
Answer: I usually will scout an area like a mad man before hand. Recently, a lot of the shoots I've done have been in places I'm already comfortable in/know well, so I don't have to worry as much about scouting it. Anytime I go to a convention, I try and get there a day early, or wake up early and scout the hotel/convention center/city/etc etc. I'm pretty good about setting up a photoshoot schedule ahead of time, so I know what kinds of locations I need well beforehand. From there, it's a matter of deciding what will be best for the times I'm shooting at and going from there! For non-convention shoots, I'll either try to make multiple visits to the site ahead of time, orrrrr I'll do as much research as I can online!

Second Question: Do you research the source material the model is portraying or allow them to describe the character/scenery for you at the shoot?
Answer: Both. I absolutely do research ahead of time, especially if I'm not familiar with the series. I want to know poses, character disposition/mentality, what kinds of props I can either supplement in or perhaps expect to see, backgrounds/locations I'd want to shoot the cosplay in, etc etc. But, I also love hearing a cosplayer's interpretation of the character, as well as wanting to know what they had in mind when it comes to bringing that character to life in photos!

Now, ~TifaIA also asked me about lighting, but I want devote a whole journal to my approach to the different aspects she asked about, so that will come later! In the meantime, Happy New Year everyone! I look forward to seeing the responses to this journal! (Hopefully there are some this time! )

...see you space cowboys...

~C