Mike Talladen Photographer Interview
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Interview by: Geek Girl Jillian
Mike Talladen of Photo Tsumi & HummingBear Studios is an amazing photographer. In our little realm of the internet he is a well known cosplay photographer but he is also skilled in wedding shoots as well! I was lucky enough to snag an interview with this busy gent and chat a bit about things from a photographers perspective at cons and shooting cosplayers instead of the cosplayers themselves!
Read on, you might find a few things surprising from the other side of the lense!
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1. So you do all different types of photography, what made you jump into cosplay photography?
It's pretty rare that you'll bump into me without a camera. I've been to a few cons before, taking snap shots here and there, nothing serious. Just photos of a cosplayer posing in front of cluttered, busy backgrounds of other visitors and/or booths full of merchandise. Nothing I would really share with anyone, and certainly nothing that does the costumes and their creators any justice. Being able to apply my style and creativity into a shoot at a con is incredibly rewarding for myself and the model. At least I hope so lol. We both walk away with some pretty cool images.
2. What are some of your favorite and least favorite parts about cosplay photography?
I really enjoy challenging myself and creating something different. Some peoples costumes just blow my mind and I feel obligated to deliver a really cool series of images for the cosplayers/costumers. It gives me a chance to really get creative, especially with characters I love. I also meet a lot of really cool people, so I am definitely thankful for that.
I don't get to shoot nearly as many people/costumes as I'd like to during a convention. There's either not enough time, or I just don't see them. I really wanted to find a good Iron Man and Poison Ivy to set up separate shoots, but it just wasn't in the cards. I try to stay away from situations that result in tons of people walking away with basically the same image. Boring. The big group shoots are kind of lame, honestly. I mean it's cool to see and fun to be a part of I'm sure, but I don't want to shoot it. I'll take some snap shots of them and then try to pick out some really cool costumes within the group in order to try to shoot them individually later on.
3. How do you feel cosplayers perceive the photographers? Is there anything you would change?
I haven't been a part of this community that long, but I've heard stories. I feel like a lot of people are just grateful to have their photo taken, especially when a photographer can deliver a kick ass image of them in their costume. However I think a lot of times photographers are being taken advantage of. Unfortunately most of the time it's no ones fault but the photographer, or more specifically, "photographers" as a whole. There are so many people in the photographic industry that call themselves a photographer or might be called one by others simply out of the pure fact that they have a nice camera.
I'm not making fun of anyone, or saying I'm better than anyone, but there are a lot of people like this that play the part, intentionally or otherwise, and it weakens the business for actual professional shooters out there. It's almost become expected of photographers to just hand over images they take and allow another person to just do as they please without any agreement or exchange of services at all. There is a huge misunderstanding of how ownership and copyrights work, not to mention a persons time. Unfortunately this isn't exclusive to the cosplay world, or even the photography industry. It's a problem in almost every art field. I bet there are people who make costumes as a source of income who have the same thing happen to them. Too many people working for free or way below what they should be charging, and in turn, clients expect a lot for little to nothing.
I could go on and on, but the bottom line is, respect. Mutual respect. I've heard of some cosplayers start huge debates over things like this. They act like it's a privilege to be able to photograph them. Yeah, it is. It absolutely is. But, it's also a privilege for them to be photographed by a photographer, especially if they know their stuff. It works both ways. Having that respect for one another is incredibly priceless. It's what the art community needs in order to survive and flourish. Respect one another and give credit where credit is due.
4. Tell us a little about the shoot with Laura! The lighting is just perfect on these shots! Can you tell us how you managed to get such great light in the hustle and bustle of an anime con?
Thanks! I've gotten a lot of comments and questions about what kind of editing I do in order to get these results, but my editing is really minimal. Mainly just exposure and cropping if need be. I did a bit more editing on the Maya shoot so I could make her phase orb look like it's glowing. It's all about light. I do a lot of work with off camera flash and colors. Knowing where to place your flash, how it's going to hit your subject and adjusting your camera and flash settings to fight the sun or any other kind of ambient light is extremely important no matter what kind of shoot it is.
Finding a good location is really key, too. Trying to match the environment and the lighting to the model, or character in this case, helps create the dynamic results. Laura and I scouted around the convention center earlier in the day to find potential spots and ended up in this secluded parking garage that worked really well considering our options. Knowing what time of day to shoot at so that the amount of ambient light was in our favor was also very important.
5. What advice would you give up and coming cosplay photographers?
Know your gear. It doesn't matter how good or decent your equipment is. If you don't know how to use it, what's the point? Break the rules, think outside the box. Be respectful of everyone around you, including who you are trying to shoot. If someone you want to photograph is sitting down and eating, for the love of god let them eat! Pass them your info and meet up later. And please, definitely don't be creepy. That's not fun for anyone.
6. What is your dream photoshoot?
Laura and I are actually working on something I think will be really cool, but unfortunately we cannot disclose any details at this time. So... sorry about that. On the other hand one of my absolute favorite comic series was Age of Reptiles by Ricardo Delgado. Traveling back in time to photograph dinosaurs would absolutely kick ass. But I would probably die, so I've chosen not to do that yet. Emphasis on "yet."
I'm also a huge Gears of War fan. That's definitely on my wish list. Getting a squad of some of the Gears and Locust to stage a small skirmish in some kind of over grown, abandoned oil rig would be rad. And don't think for a second that I won't put Hoffman right at the front of the fight. Fog machines, stage blood, lots of lighting. Yeah. Drool...
7. How much gear do you take on these shoots? Ever feel like you don't have enough or you have too much?
I treat it like any job I go on. While it's important to pack light during the day, I typically bring all the gear I have except studio lighting gear and keep it in my hotel room. That way I've got relatively easy access to anything I need at any given time. I have a back up of everything just in case. Everything. Cameras, lenses, flashes, cards, batteries, cables, etc. When I'm lugging it all from the car to the room and vise versa, it definitely feels like too much.
I plan my days so that I have a pretty good idea of what I will need with me most of the time, whether it's a scheduled shoot or spotting a sweet costume and stopping for a quick set up. I shoot with prime lenses so I've typically got two on me at any given time. I love my 35mm 1.4 and my 100mm 2.8 macro. A lot of times I do wish I had more on me, but you work with what you have. The Maya shoot with Laura involved two flash units, though I remember one point in time during that shoot I muttered to myself how I wish I brought a third. Simple is better sometimes, though.
Thank you so much for this opportunity!
Mike Talladen Photographer:
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October 02 2013