Henrickson

😭

The world lost an amazing cosplayer this week...

I first saw Feder as a rep for Team Germany at WCS Championship 2019. I was very impressed by her and Cita's cosplays and performance. It made me want to meet them.

Fast forward to 2022, and they were invited to Otakuthon as Cosplay Guests and WCS Judges! I had the opportunity to see them at their panel, at work judging and awarding the Canadian WCS Prelims, and getting their autographs.

It was a real pleasure meeting Feder, she was one of the sweetest persons alive, with a great smile and lots of energy. As I was the last person to get her autograph on Sunday of the con, I was able to talk longer with her and Cita, and even do a short photoshoot! I was hoping to meet them again, either in North America or in Europe (or even in Japan).

Sadly, Feder is now gone...

All my condolences to her boyfriend, to Cita, to her next of kin, to all of her friends, and to all her followers and supporters.

R.I.P. Feder / Sharina ❤️

Feder flew away to a place I can not follow.
I can hardly find words, my mind is filled with sadness and my hands are trembling as I write this.
On monday my bloved Cosplay partner, sister by heart and soulmate had a fatal accident. She was still in Tokio, enjoying the last days of her travel. We knew that she had been very happy until her last moment.
My thoughts are with her family and her boyfriend, who are fighting the unspeakable. Feder was the light in so many lives and the world is a darker place without her.
We already received so many kind words and condolences from people all over the world. Please understand that I can't answer everyone right now, this is just too much for me. But Feder would be full of joy, seeing how much she meant to so many people. We have the best friends in this world and I am beyond grateful for everyone.

I feel so blessed for calling Feder my friend and partner in crime for so many years. We sure had something special. A bond made in heaven that withstands any distance in space and time. She will always be by my side.

Please remember her as she was, with her brightest smile and incredible ideas, always up to some funny mischief.
I will love her forever.

And to those who wish to leave a personal message or joyful memory, I opened a condolence book for her family to read. Thank you very much.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k5welyAyO1jYMqHgb8Yd885_UZ3PtURB_lI6ZH6CLvc/edit?usp=drivesdk

A Montreal cosplay photographer is on indefinite hiatus. Wishing him a full recovery and comeback!

Quiz Time!

The game is simple: For each picture, guess the convention! If you've browsed all my cosplay photo albums, you should be familiar with most of them. If not, you can identify floorings and backgrounds to deduce locations and (therefore) which conventions are there 😉

There are 3 difficulty levels: Easy, Medium and Hard. Those who have traveled to many of the same cons I attended should have no problem identifying locations and conventions.

To write your answers, type the number, followed by a dot, a space then the name of the con, eg. 42. Nadeshicon (I'm not going to post an actual answer as an example if you see what I mean).

Abbreviations/shortnames are accepted, eg. ANorth / AN for Anime North, MTL Comiccon/MCC for Montreal Comiccon, etc.

There are 25 pictures to name the cons where I took them. 1 right answer = 1 pt, so the max possible score is therefore 25 pts.

Did I mention the prize is a GIVEAWAY private cosplay photoshoot? The follower with the highest score by JUL 4, 11:59PM will get a FREE shoot with me at an upcoming convention that I'll attend - for instance I confirm I'll be attending Montreal Comiccon Saturday-only from 1pm to 7pm, and Otakuthon from Thursday 6pm to Sunday 6pm. The rest of the year is undecided but Bakuretsu Con and Weecon have been proposed.

Notes:
1. The quiz/giveaway also runs simultaneously on X and IG.
2. You can DM me your answers but the winner will be publicly announced.
3. In case of a tie between the highest scorers, a random draw will be made.
4. The winner will be contacted to let them know they won, then a convention, day, time and meetup location will be discussed.
5. In case me or the winner cannot show up to the photoshoot, the winner can either change the date/time of the shoot, change the convention they want the free shoot to be at, or book another cosplay photographer at the same con, and I'll cover their fee (up to C$100).
6. In case of no-show, the next highest-scoring participant will be contacted and a shoot arranged at the next convention that I'll attend, if they attend that same con as me.
7. Giveaway winner's photos will be processed after hall shots and all paid shoots.
8. This free shoot is for 1 or 2 cosplayers. Additional cosplayers are charged $5 each.
9. Should the deadline of Jul 4, 11:59pm be passed and no entries have been received, the next con the winner can book a shoot at would be Otakuthon.
10. Only 1 submission per follower. If I receive more than 1 set of answers, only the first set will be accepted.

PortConMaine 2024: Selfie dump

Wasn't there for a long time, but managed to overcome my shyness and meet some new people~

Soloing a con is actually very hard - no one to watch my back, no one to "break the ice" and start conversations with strangers - but is the ultimate freedom. A solo con-goer is free to go wherever they want, follow their own schedule to the letter, and do things uninterrupted and with full focus.

However, going to a con with a friend can be much easier for stuff such as Artists Alley and Dealers Room exploring (each friend scouting for interesting or rare items and reporting their locations and prices to each other), cheering for your favorite performers (musical guests or masquerade contestants), and doing cosplay photoshoots (one takes the camera while the other operates the flash).

PortConMaine 2024: Sample shots

A random trip to a con I haven't been to for... 11 years! My last and only time at PortCon was in 2013.

That's it for sample shots, I wasn't there for long, just like last time. 😅

A good old cosplay photographer is back after a hiatus. Book him now for Otakuthon!

Je suis de retour pour Otakuthon après quelques années d'absence.
Shooting de 30-40 minutes pour 80$.
5 Photos retouchées.
Les autres photos envoyés sans retouches.

Cosplayers! Book a shoot with him now for MCC!

Open Shutter Photo is going to Montreal Comiccon, Saturday July 6! We're offering our usual $100, 30 minute, 10 edited shot photoshoots, plus all the high res proofs.
Message to book!

Open Shutter Photo sera au Comiccon de Montréal, le samedi 6 juillet! Nous offrons notre forfait habituel de 100$ pour 30 minutes/10 photos plus toutes les épreuves.

Réservez votre place!

YetiCon 2024: Sample shots

Yeah, only 8 samples despite Yeti being a big cosplay convention, I didn't do any photoshoots and didn't take that many hall shots, it was mostly a Vacation Con for me so I took it easy. Also the lack of an extra free day meant that I couldn't explore as much as I wanted, so there are still some nice spots that I haven't discovered yet (where are the mountain top, the waterfall, the beach??). Till next time!

Back from YetiCon 2024! Before posting my sample shots, here are 12 Lessons Learned from my trip, my visit to the resort and the con itself:

TRAVEL

1. Committing to a YetiCon trip EARLY is ESSENTIAL: When invited to a trip to YetiCon, one must ask for days off from work more than 2 weeks in advance. As I was "dragged" into this trip at the last minute, I could only get the Friday off.

2. Pack HEAVY but in FEWER bags: This is one of those Minor Cons where we all pack as if it was a Major - let's call it a Special. Bring as much cosplay or photography stuff as you want, but! Pack in bigger bags if you can. The error most people do is to use a bunch of small bags. Consolidating belongings into bigger containers saves space overall in the car.

3. Gas up OUTSIDE the city to SAVE on money: A long-time trick to reduce expenses is to fill up our gas tank outside the cities and suburbs. We even gassed up on a First Nations reserve to save even more!

4. Depending on time of day, taking the 407 TOLL ROAD is much more QUICKER than passing through the 401: At your last stopover before Toronto, check highway traffic. Plot your route to the next stop (ours was Collingwood), and compare taking the toll road vs. the no-toll route. If you save 30 or more mins, take the toll. The money you spend using that road is worth skipping the slow driving on the no-toll.

5. If your car is HEAVY and has difficulty increasing speed on the highway to pass other cars, it's OK to cruise at a NORMAL speed: My Elantra was almost at its max weight limit and passing slower vehicles on the highway was not easy. I had to draft other cars and push my pedal to the floor to keep up with them while passing. A cruise speed of 100-110 km/h was always the rule. Increasing from 110 to 120 km/h was quite difficult when carrying 800+lb of people and luggage.

STAY:

6. The Collingwood Walmart DOESN'T have EVERYTHING that big-city Walmarts do: While we were shopping at the Walmart closest to the resort, there were items that I wanted but they weren't sold at that store or they were depleted. It's best to shop for "rare" items at your local Walmart and stop at the Collingwood one for essential or popular items.

7. Bring your OWN FOLDING TABLE, SMALL FAN and MINI-FRIDGE if you're staying in a RENTAL HOME: The place we stayed at were condo units in a multi-home row. Our bedroom had only a basic bunk bed with a light and a p**f. I had to lay down my luggage on the floor and deploy in the closet, while my laptop was on a chair that was brought up from the dining room. Also there was no air conditioning in the rooms, only heating. So for next time, I'll have to bring a small folding table and a fan.

The kitchen refrigerator will get full from all the food that people are bringing. If you're going to bring a lot of food for yourself and run the risk of overfilling the main fridge, then bring your own mini-fridge (cube) that you can leave in your bedroom.

8. DON'T PLAY Cards Against Humanity at a LOUD PARTY, we WON'T HEAR each other: The music will be blasting very loud, and people will be shouting over each other. It will be very difficult or impossible to play CAH as we're required to talk to each other during gameplay.

9. It's better to COOK your own meals than to EAT OUT at the Village restaurants, it's much cheaper this way: The restaurants in the Blue Mountain Village are expensive, it's better to buy your own food at a grocery store in Collingwood, bringing it to the place where you're staying at and cook it in your kitchen. Plus, you won't need to dress up and get out, you simply walk from your room to the kitchen and prepare your own meals.

CONVENTION:

10. SATURDAY-ONLY con passes are not available; if you want to spend just a single day at the con you can ONLY do it on Sunday, arguably the most boring of the 2 days of the con: Those of you who want to daytrip to YetiCon from Toronto or a nearby town should do it only on Sunday. It's expensive to do it on Saturday as the con only sells 2-day passes that day; you'll be paying for a day that you won't attend. So to save money, you should only daytrip on Sunday.

11. The OFFICIAL SATURDAY CON PARTY doesn't suit all party-goers: The party DJ cannot play true random dance mixes; the resort actually asks event organizers to submit a music playlist in advance so that they can approve the songs to be played during the party that's held at the con center. If partiers want real parties, they should ask around for private house parties. The one hosted at our place had DJ Poppers, a young talented female DJ.

VILLAGE:

12. A TICKET to a SINGLE resort attraction/activity in the theme park costs $27: I bought a full Play All Day Pass online for only $54, while at the door would've cost $75. The best day for these activities would've been Friday, but we arrived late and the BBQ was at 7pm, so there was really no time to do anything in the theme park. We played on Sunday the Mini-putt, which took us about 2 hrs to complete an 18-hole course.

In the lead-up to YetiCon this weekend, here are cosplay photos I took from other cons, shoots and events that look and feel like that con:

Back from Anime North 2024. I'm still in recovery mode, but hall shots are up!

Here are my convention trips for the rest of the year and for next year. The list:

- Confirmed: Montreal Comiccon (SAT-only) and Otakuthon
- Planning: MCC Holiday Edition and Winter G-Anime
- Proposed: Nadeshicon (if it returns in 2025) and Anime North *or* YetiCon (go to one but not the other)

Any con not on this list, I might not go - but for the ones that are confirmed, see you there! 😃

Anime North 2024: Sample shots

My Anime North 2024 schedule!

Try to find me during the Green times!

(Panels to be added during the transit to Toronto)

2024 Solar Eclipse: Select shots

Pictures 1 to 9 taken with my smartphone, last one with my dSLR. The experience was so eerie!

People and fans have been wondering, "When's the next Otakuthon?"

With the 2024 dates having NOT been announced during the 2023 Closing Ceremony, many have been asking this essential question, with some trying to guess or find answers on their own.

Here's what the convention replied to their inquires (post in purple border).

Winter G-Anime 2024 selfie dump~

Smikimimi your facial expressions were the best! 🤣

I often have silly pics in my collection of convention photos, and as many of you may know I post some that are super funny and worth of being shown. This time I not only have 1, I have... 6!!

Smikimimi competed in the G-Anime 2024 Masquerade with a friend and was very in-character during her entry. She wasn't the only cosplayer in the cosplay contest with amazing facial expressions so I had to deliberate and choose a winner for this "people's choice award".

I may choose to give more "people's choice awards" to other entries depending on what interesting things I find while editing the Masquerade photos. If I do, I'll award the winners here online on my FB Page after posting all the stage presentation shots.

Winter G-Anime 2024: Sample shots

Winter G-Anime 2024: Final Schedule

Montreal Comiccon Holiday Edition 2023: Selfie dump

Montreal Comiccon Holiday Edition 2023: Con Report!

Day 1: Saturday

I dressed up as Kyon from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, packed a light photo gear load that fits into a messenger bag and did a park-n-ride downtown via the metro. The weather was cold but not too cold. Arrived at the Palais des Congrès, I ate at Subway while spotting a few cosplayers among the diners.

My friend Joey joins me and asks me to hurry, the lineup to go up to the con getting very long. He was fearing a LineCon, but the line advanced quite fast.

The entrance to the con was at the west end of the convention center, with one staircase going up and the other going down. The Dealers Room itself was occupying room 210, exactly where the Otakuthon Main Events room usually is. I entered inside and walked the perimeter of the Dealers Room in a counter-clockwise direction.

I messaged a few cosplayers to see if they were up for some quick photoshoots. 3 of them agreed and we set up appointments. In-between shoots I visited the Dealers Room again, this time touring the central area. The room was L-shaped, with one end of the L being a cafeteria with an eating area. I also took a break there while Joey hunted for rare Funko Pop figures.

My friend helped me with most of my shoots, while the last one the cosplayer’s friends provided the assistance. We actually got kicked out from 2 locations, the white tunnel and a set of 2 armchairs at a nearby hotel...

I also took hall shots and chatted with old and new people. After the con, me and Joey went to our end-of-year group dinner at Chez Chili, which was skipped by 2 of our friends due to fatigue and boredom.

Day 2: Sunday

Sunday, busy day, all on repeat basically. Did many photoshoots one after another, talked to friends and toured the Dealers Room just once.

Wore something "random formal" with a bowtie I never used in public. It was snowing so I wore my winter coat instead of my rain jacket. I also brought more gear but out of their pouches, and my 18-35mm f/1.8 zoom lens in addition to my 50mm.

First photoshoot of the day, no helper AND no breakfast. I went to Subway after that. The worker there tells me since Mini-MCC was at the other end of the convention center, there were NO customers on the east side, so there was no lineup to order at Subway.

Photoshoots at the white goddess statue fountain are both the basis AND pinnacle of any downtown Montreal fan con experience, and being in a colder month indoor shoots were the norm, so that location was pretty crowded. Still, each group had their own spot, so we took the 2 doors, stone wall, part of the black fountain and the bushes with light garlands.

In another shoot, we took pictures at the tinted windows but a con staffer stopped us and asked us to change location. We did, and completed the shoot downstairs near the giant yellow duckie.

Photoshoots are always tedious when I don't have my friends with me as assistants, and my first shoot ended up taking 3 times longer than planned. I managed to get some good photos but am sure I would've got better ones if I had help. I'm known to hold a camera in one hand while the other holds a flash, which is not a steady hold for both the camera (blurry pictures) and flash (improper lighting).

At the end of the con we simply said goodbye to anyone we knew and went home. The last known person I met was T-Dude64 😃

Not sure if we're returning to the Holiday Edition of our comic convention in 2024 but this year sure was fun, and I'll continue working on the photos I took. Stand by for uploads over the next days!

Montreal Comiccon Holiday Edition 2023: Sample shots

Colors not final

Day 1: Used 50mm f/1.8 lens only, no flash
Day 2: Used both 18-35mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.8 lenses, 2 flashes