Cosplay shoot at Asten Castle

Sunday 14 April 2024, 17:17 by Elja Trum | 2,669 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Yesterday, we went to Fotoclub Wijchen for a cosplay shoot at Asten Castle. With eighteen photographers and nine models, it was a fun but busy day. The castle, or rather a ruin, is a great location for this kind of shoot.

Eric - f/2.8, 1/640s, 320 ISO @ 100mm
The shoot had been well prepared by the organisers. The photographers were split into pairs and every half hour you worked with a different model. The castle grounds were divided into three locations, so you spent an hour and a half at each location with three different models.

Working with one model as a pair means you can easily take turns. This gives you time to set up equipment or think through ideas, while the model stays nicely occupied.

Chinouk - f/2.8, 1/200s, 100 ISO @ 105mm
Beforehand, I expected half an hour with two photographers and one model to be rather short, but it turned out to be more than enough. It was actually just fine like that.

The cosplayers had all arranged outfits that suited the castle location. From knights and Vikings to more fantasy-style clothing. The combination of the location and outfits like these quickly produces great photos.

Majlen - f/2.8, 1/250s, 100 ISO @ 70mm
With so many photographers and models at one location, it is difficult to take wide shots. For example, a photo of a model with the entire castle in the background. The grounds were large enough for all of us, though, and everyone was considerate of each other.

I brought my flash kit for on-location work, but in the end I hardly used it. We were already incredibly lucky with the weather. It was pleasantly warm, but there was still quite a lot of thin cloud. That meant the sunlight was not too harsh.

Lissy - f/2.8, 1/320s, 100 ISO @ 155mm
Incidentally, I took most of my photos in the shade, or with the sun behind the model.

I mainly used my Canon EOS R5 with my EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens. Every now and then I switched to the 24-70mm f/2.8L. That proved to be a great combination for the shots I was looking for.

Julia - f/2.8, 1/640s, 500 ISO @ 24mm
I worked a lot at aperture f/2.8. This gives you a sharp model against a blurred background. Just the kind of portraits I like.

A location like this is not cheap to hire, so it is great when you can do it together with lots of photographers. The models also get a lovely variety of photos that way.

All in all, it was a really fun and successful day!
As far as I am concerned, it is well worth recommending to other camera clubs.

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