Hunting the Elusive

SMASH! 2009 (anime convention in Sydney) was pretty awesome. While not commanding the numbers that Supanova did, it was still very big and has definitely grown in size, quality and execution since I first went in 2007 (which was the first time it ran). The first day was full-on, while the second was more relaxed, but still pretty good. I had a hiatus from the anime convention circuit in 2008 due to surges of anti-social sentiment on my part, so I was in a pretty good position to evaluate the changes to the scene since two years ago, and I am happy to report that most/all of these changes have been positive. As usual, because of the sheer number of photos, I have just put a summation on this blog, and the main body of images can be found on the Pixels on Pireze gallery site: [Day One | Prince of Tennis] [Day Two]

Gallery summary:

85 photos for SMASH! day one.

78 photos for SMASH! day two.

22 photos for a mini Prince of Tennis shoot which took place during a short period outside on day one. This has been put into a separate gallery category for organisation purposes.

Despite the growth of the convention, the Roundhouse at UNSW remains a very viable venue for this event. Some of the sessions have been pushed outside the Roundhouse to a linked building with corridors of classrooms, and this area got less traffic.

The maid cafe has been relocated to a more private area upstairs and from what I can see, the operation has definitely grown, with more dedicated staff (the ladies and gentlemen from the photo above), higher quality costumes, much better promotion, and I think better food. I didn’t actually go in myself, but from what I saw on the first day, I think they are getting cakes from 85 Degrees, which is expensive but quality (just what one expects from a cafe, maid or otherwise).

From what I gather, the logic behind SMASH! is for there to be a smaller anime/Japan-culture related convention for Sydney, as opposed to Animania (coming up September, mini convention earlier this year), which has been subject to various criticisms, mainly to do with costs (tickets, stall costs, etc). Of course, I cannot make a judgment on experience differences until the full weekend Animania takes place, but the mini-Animania was not the best quality convention I have been to, due to the venue and staff management.

As per usual, I was there documenting the event on a non-official basis (I don’t think I’ve ever done anything “officially”), mostly on cosplays. I didn’t manage to do anything with the photos in the intervening period between Saturday and Sunday, because I was simply knocked out by the end of Day 1. Foolishly, I had skipped breakfast of any sort, and when I’m shooting, I don’t take lunch either, so basically I went the entire day without eating anything and ended up with a massive headache at the end of the day.

Again, I decided to let a great number of photos through the editing and culling process due to the documentation nature of the task. Needless to say, in the rush of a con, with busy strangers yearning to move on, dim lighting, and a phalanx of other photographers jostling for a shot, photos don’t have the polish that a relaxed shoot would yield, so please pardon me if the pictures show up the true amateur within.

Technical:

In a way, the SMASH! 2009 convention was the first real test for the Lightdome system by me. I had decided to get a more serious diffuser system after problems with the built-in reflector card in the Supanova 2009 convention. While the Lightdome did help quite a bit, I think my technique is still rather primitive, so in a lot of photos, the flash is still very obvious. I also found it works best in areas with a lower ceiling, so I can bounce, and get the diffusion from the sides of the Lightdome at the same time.

I brought along with me my Sony A350 DSLR, a Minolta 24mm f/2.8, a Minolta 70-210mm f/4, and the standard Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 zoom which has been my main workhorse lens up to now.

I fitted the Minolta 24mm f/2.8 as my run-around lens…yes, a prime as a primary for a con. I found it wide enough (equiv 36mm on crop sensor) for most of my purposes, and unlike the previous cons, I changed my modus operandi to a more portrait mode, as opposed to always having to get the full body shot. Of course I still had a few full body shots, but I was much less fussed about that this time round.

The Minolta 70-210mm f/4 (the “Beercan” as it is known to Minolta users) was used for longer ranges, such as when I was shooting off a staircase banister at the Prince of Tennis cosplayers on the grass downstairs, and during the competition on the first day, when I decided to shoot from farther away, while using direct flash and ISO 100 (thus the look on those).

I must say I really love the Beercan, and I am looking forward to exploring more of its capabilities in a more relaxed setting. It is very sturdily built, and very heavy, and I noticed on Day 1 that when it is fitted on the camera, the battery drains a lot quicker (possibly due to the power needed to move the elements).

For Day 2, the Minolta 70-210 f/4 stayed in my bag, while I used the 24mm for the earlier part of the day, before switching to the trusty Sigma 17-70mm zoom for the cosplay competition, positioning myself on the front row of the seats and using more diffused lighting from the Lightdome (though still pretty strong light). I left the zoom on thereafter.

One thing that SMASH! 2009 forced me to do was to play with the manual settings of my flash unit. Up till now, I had been happy to use TTL automatic on the flash, but from now on I will be tweaking the power settings, the zoom and learning some of the other settings. Learning the manual settings of the flash has been something I have been meaning to do for some time.

Other coverage (not a comprehensive list of links):

Shin @ Atarashii Prelude

Optic @ The Dis-Jointedzone

Bubby

Adun @ Moemoerabu