June 24, 2014
SupaNova Cosplay 2014 Sydney
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| Optimus Prime from Transformer Movies at Supanova 2014 |
My friend invited me to join a Cosplay convention in Sydney Olympic Park. It's SupaNova Pop Culture Expo. I already heard of such a convention wherein enthusiasts show up and dressed like their favorite anime / cartoon / manga / superhero / book character. At first I was sceptical. I haven't been to an event and I don't know what to expect - I'm 100% clueless. I have a camera gear with me. I wanted to shoot but I don't know how 'these superheroes' would react if you asked them for photos. Anyway, like any adventure, I said YES and went to the convention.
I'm pumped! This is exciting!
Those were the first few words I uttered by the time I got there. Something feels like home and slowly I was having fun.
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| Batman and Penguin from Tim Burton's Batman |
Aside from familiar characters that roam around the convention, there are booths that sells, informs and displays different kind of items. There is also a big wrestling ring in the middle of the event. It's massive and loud, particularly if being used by wrestlers. There are clothing lines that mainly displays T-shirts for sale with your favorite comic hero printed. I saw figurines. If I have a large house, I'd buy several of these and do a landscape!
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| Superwoman is here! |
Stan Lee is on the house! But getting to him is difficult as you need to go on long queues, buy tokens and pay before you could actually be with him to take both photograph and autograph. If only I was here since Friday (SupaNova runs for 3 days starting Friday and I was only here Sunday), I would have pushed through the queues! I regret it a bit as this is Stan Lee's last visit in Australia and he's not coming back. He's already 91 years old (by the time of this writing) and who knows what would happen to the Godfather of Marvel!
There are also a few people / celebs that give their autographs, but I'm still regretting Stan Lee. He's the only one I would like to have an autograph.
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| Obi Wan Kenobi & Princess Leia |
Blast From the Past
I'm a big superhero fan. I grew up with Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Video Games, Anime and Magic Cards at my side. Being at SupaNova brings back memories. I felt nostalgic. I love the X-men. I saw Wolverine there in 'civilian' costume. Amazing, with a little gel and beard, he actually looks like Wolverine! I also saw Cable and Rouge. There was Batman, Bane, Poison Ivy and I love the only Penguin which is very realistic! I love the Diablo series and I saw a female Demon Hunter. I love how detailed her costume is and love the bow she's carrying. I also saw Monk with bright white and yellow costume. I also saw N7 armor from Mass Effect. Below is a photo of Griffin and Spengler. Ghostbusters is a cartoon I grew up with.
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| Egon is Alive! |
Interestingly, I saw Magic Cards in one of the shops. I don't play this game any more, but it's good to have a play or learn all the new rules. I was thinking of being an MTG Judge that time when I was playing actively. I've been playing Magic Cards for years and I love the challenge of creating a fantastic 60 deck of cards. I started during Ice Age.
For like-minded people, Supanova is a very good event to attend too. You'll appreciate how people give the effort in creating their outfit and they appreciate if you took photos of them. I got friends who are asking me when will be the next event. They are interested in jumping and joining in. I'll let them know next time and hopefully we could all go together.
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| The Demon Hunter! |
I'll be prepared next time. I'll bring my lights and proper lens. I saw the events as they unfold and now equipped with more ideas to take the shot. I enjoyed myself taking selfies with my favourite characters.
Sasha, Hanna and Alice
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| Shoot Surprise |
For me, the best thing about the convention are the people that attended. I love their costumes, getup and attitude. I could literally take photographs of anyone in costume doing signature poses. As my friend, Jingson, and I were walking, we saw 3 girls fixing their dresses. Sasha, Hanna and Alice looked like they were from the 1800's... or early 1900's? I don't know, it's like 'A Blast from the Past' or 'Back to the Future'. I just know they all look pretty on those dresses. Jingson introduced himself and asked to take photographs. I'm a 'voice activated light stand' so I was just following him. They agreed for a short photography session and this is where I enjoyed the most.
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| Hanna in Black and White |
As I was helping Jingson, I noticed that they do take the time to make those dresses look amazing. The designs were intricate and I felt like shooting myself. So I told one of the girls that I'll take their photograph, separate from Jingson's. This way, they have 2 sets of photographs from 2 photographers.
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| Sasha's Portrait |
I wasn't prepared to shoot this day, but I wanted to. I wanted to make the time and somehow keep amazing photographs. I'm a bit limited in my planning, haven't looked at my 'posing guide', have no expectations whatsoever. I know I wanted to shoot and I wanted to deliver. I hope the girls love the photos I took for them.
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| Alice in Black and White |
To Sasha, Hanna and Alice: Thank you very much for posing for me. Please find below the link to the rest of your photos. I hope you love them :)
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed that day. Taking photographs was a breeze and asking someone to make that signature pose was easy. It's fun seeing your familiar superhero walking around. It's funny to see weird and comical characters. I regret I didn't went earlier to grab Stan Lee's Signature and Photo. I regret that I lost 2 days of taking selfy shots of familiar characters.
But I still enjoyed that day. I know what to expect. I know what to do next. So I'll be dropping by the next event (hopefully without conflicts). I know it's SMASH 2014 and I'm already scouting the place to grab that amazing photograph.
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| Iron Man wit Repulsar Blast |