The Cosplay Photography of IndieNate
Of the many years I’ve been attending conventions, photographer Nate Buchman is one of the kindest, humblest, hardworking and talented people I have ever met. Although I first met him cosplaying as The Joker at GraniteCon 2010, I was amazed how good his photography was from his work at last year’s Boston Comic Con. Recently he worked for CNN and Geeks Are Sexy at this year’s Dragon*Con, and during that time Nate was gracious enough to spend some time for this interview and talk about his amazing photos.
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Tell us about yourself. When did it occur to you that you were a geek/nerd?
I’m a self described jack of all trades dabbling in photography, makeup, and costuming. I spent the better part of last year working in the fashion industry as an assistant designer, helping constructing elaborate fashion designs and contributing makeup work when applicable. Outside of that, I spent my time in college at the costume shop learning theatrical design and earning a BA in it.
Alright now that I got the formal introduction out of the way I can comfortably answer questions.
I’ve always been a geek. I blame my parents more or less. Before my sister and I were born and before my parents married they use to play D&D with their friends. In fact they still have to this day artwork of their characters hanging in the hallway of our house. So, when I say I come from a nerdy household, I truly mean it.
If I had to pinpoint an exact moment though that I can look at and say I was a geek it would have to be when my parents showed me Star Wars: A New Hope when I was 3. To this day it’s still my favorite film of all time. I’d also say the year Batman: The Animated Series debuted on TV was another moment that solidified my geekiness. That show will always be special to me. My parents own two animation cells from the show with one of the Joker and one of Catwoman and Batman. Definitely a nerdy family, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Describe how you were first acquainted with cosplay and photography?
When I was 10 my parents bought me a Polaroid camera. I loved the instant satisfaction that camera gave. Just load it with film, snap away, and watch the image develop right in front of you. I used that camera when I was younger for a long, long time. That’s the only sort of film camera I’ve used. When I turned 13 or so I sort of stopped taking pictures and didn’t really pick up a camera again til my sophomore year in college. A friend was shooting a short film for a class project and he asked if I could shoot some behind the scenes shots. Wasn’t til Anime Boston 2009 (a few months after doing stills for my friend’s project) that I fully jumped into photography and portraits in general. In a lot of ways I copied my sister. She went to SVA down in NYC to study photography for a few years, and even though she eventually switched to an English degree, but still I really feel that I’m just following in her footsteps so to speak.
As for cosplay I was first introduced to it back at WorldCon 2001 in Philadelphia. I remember walking down the hallway to the dealers’ room and off in the distance where 3 costumers dressed as Jedi Knights. As a huge Star Wars nerd I couldn’t fully process what I was seeing at the time. Suffice it to say I thought it was totally awesome and it wasn’t until WorldCon 2004 in Boston that I sat in on a masquerade and fully saw what exactly cosplay was all about.
Why do you think cosplay has become so popular that it has become a subculture?
If it wasn’t for the internet I don’t think cosplay would be the subculture it is today. Yes, there was a subculture before the internet but, with the rise of social media as a means of connecting and staying in touch with others, cosplay has grown and prospered. Sites such as cosplay.com and acparadise definitely helped in the growth of the community and have provided a means of interaction as well as a way for cosplayers to get tips & tricks on sewing, makeup, photography, etc. It’s become a great way of networking and making friends. This is one of the reasons why I almost always carry business cards on me when at conventions.
What mistakes, in your opinion, do amateur photographers make generally in photographing cosplayers? What can they do to avoid them?
Cons today are inundated with photographers. I was just at DragonCon a few weeks ago and the amount of people I ran into with professional equipment walking around taking photos was staggering. The problem is that 5% at best will have images that truly stand out from the crowd while the other 95% will have rather generic images or quality that resembles something more from a point & shoot perspective. Basically what I’m getting at is a lot of people feel that when they pick up a camera they can pretty much jump in and be the best person in the world and walk around with a sort of ego making it look like they are the be all and end all of photography. If anything, I wish more photographers took the time to study and practice their craft, especially away from the cons. A large majority seem to only shoot at cons and to me I feel like so much potential is wasting away. Don’t just focus on cosplay. Shoot anything and everything and use that time to perfect how you use and look at light and composition and framing. Also, look for inspiration whether it’s photo or non-photo related.
What exactly makes a photograph or a cosplay a work of art, in your opinion?
Lighting and composition. Emotion as well. If I feel a sort of emotion when looking at an image that’s always a positive. Also if I see something and it leaves me completely speechless or somehow speaking gibberish, I’m sold. In all honesty though I’m a sucker for conceptual images especially with fashion. I spent the majority of last year working as an assistant fashion designer in Boston and I more or less lived and am still breathing that world. I love fashion and there are photographers out there who create absolutely gorgeous works of art that I remain forever envious of. For example Kirsty Mitchell’s “Wonderland” series is breathtaking. I’m still trying to figure out how she made some of those outfits. Just incredible work. Also adore the work of Miss Aniela from the UK. Her work is visual eye candy. Just everything she produces is stunning.
Does your experience as a cosplayer help you in your photography?
A little bit. In theatre when running costumes and makeup for shows I always had to be mindful of how the lights would hit the actors. Lighting in theatre is strange. It can do weird things as to how makeup and fabrics are presented on stage. In a way, learning how lighting works helps me in composition and editing. Where the light falls, what areas should be more highlighted while others need to be shadowed more. Not so much cosplay related, but the one class I took back in college on color theory was a HUGE help in the editing process. Gave me an understanding of color, what colors work well together and don’t, etc.
What were some of the challenges you’ve faced in your shoots? How did you overcome them?
The major challenge I always face is lighting. I don’t own lighting equipment. Don’t even own a reflector. It’s just me and my camera. Every time I go to a con I already feel like I’m at a disadvantage. I’m almost always seeking out interesting lighting that fits what I have in mind for shots. Sometimes I forgo this and just try to find backgrounds that work/fit with what the cosplayer is wearing. To quote Tim Gunn, “make it work” is literally how I do shoots. I just make them work as best I can sometimes. Usually though it all comes down to seeking out lighting and working it as best I can.
I will also say editing is a massive challenge. Some shoots edit quicker than others. When it comes to those ones that take a long time though it’s rather tedious. I often wonder if I’m over editing and I feel that I do, but sometimes I just feel that a little extra is needed for some images to make them as I picture them.
What camera(s) do you use and why? What programs do you use to enhance to your photos?
I own a D50 with a 17-55mm lens and I use my iPhone as well. More than anything I LOVE using my iPhone for pictures. That little camera blows my mind. I’ve gotten shots with that phone I know I have no business getting. Been using it more and more as a means of getting previews out there as it’s rather quick and easy in regards to editing and uploading. Also love using it for behind the scenes shots on shoots. Fun fact, my iPhone has 3 more megapixels than my D50. I cannot wait for the day I get to upgrade my D50. I’ve had the chance to shoot with the Canon 5DM2 and it’s a dream to work with. Fits my style of shooting perfectly.
As for programs I was using Adobe Photoshop CS4 for awhile, but I had a computer crash a couple months back that has left me computerless so I’ve been editing on an older machine with a copy of Photoshop Elements 10. Elements is a scaled back version of Photoshop. There are features such as the curves layer that I miss greatly, but I make do as best I can. Hope to get CS6 once I finally get a new computer.
What are some of the biggest challenges for you when it comes to costume-making?
Making a decision. The first cosplay I wore to a con was my own take on the Joker (think a young Jack Nicholson mixed with Alex Ross’s iconic image and you get the idea). That was 2 years ago. Since then I haven’t really made anything other than a rather easy Finn cosplay from Adventure Time to go along with a Princess Bubblegum cosplay my friend did back at Granitecon. Outside of those two I haven’t really had the time to figure out what to make. In all honesty I feel better about sewing for others or helping others out on their projects rather than my own. When I was working on Newbury St. doing fashion work some days would entail making 6-8 full-on couture styled outfits a day. By that I mean draft the patterns and scale accordingly, pin the pattern to the fabric and cut it out, and sew. For the year I spent doing fashion I had no interest in personal projects such as cosplay. I more or less burned myself out. At the same time fashion taught me so much about sewing and makeup that I’m forever in debt to that job for all it taught me. Just wish it could help me in picking out the next costume I want to make.
What current projects are you working on?
A few weeks ago I did press work for GeeksAreSexy.net and CNN’s Geek Out blog at DragonCon down in Atlanta. Truly a memorable experience.
As I don’t really have anything immediately lined up (things just sort of happen spur of the moment for me) I’m planning on taking somewhat of a break and sort of re-evaluating things. Shooting cosplay is fun. It’s my way of connecting with theatre. However, I don’t want it to be the only thing I shoot. Hoping to branch out and shoot more fashion, do more event coverage, and keep progressing as an artist. I know I want to get more conceptual with my images. Start telling stories and conveying an emotion so to speak in them. Again the work of Kirsty Mitchell, Miss Aniela, and Jaime Ibarra are all at the level I would love to be at someday and I’ll do whatever it takes to obtain that.
Outside of photography I’m looking at starting on/figuring out what I’d like to make for Halloween. Halloween, as it is for every costumer out there, is my favorite holiday and it’s an excuse to go all for nothing on an outfit. Makeup wise I’m eventually gonna start teaching myself special effects and doing more work for the stage and runway (hopefully).
Where can someone contact you if they are interested in working with you?
Email is the best way – nathaniel.buchman@gmail.com. You can find me on Flickr @ Flickr.com/Indienate or on facebook @ facebook.com/indienatephotography and for those of you with instagram add me I’m under the name IndieNate!
Share with us three of your favorite pictures and share with us the stories behind them.
American McGee’s Alice – Anime Boston 2009
So Anime Boston 2009 I worked for tech helping with the setup of rooms and such and on the hours I had free I went around and took photos. Anime Boston 09 was my first anime con. I sort of knew what cosplay was before then due to WorldCon and photographers I had been following online such as Judy Stephens, Anna Fischer, and LJinto but I hadn’t really experienced that sort of cosplay in person. I had just gotten done setting up the Sheraton Ballroom when I ran into my friend Jova and her friend Elyssa who once I saw her I had to get a shot of. Shot this right outside the entrance that leads from the Prudential into the Sheraton. This photo is the first shot I took of a cosplayer. It also captures meeting Elyssa who I’d later join up with cosplaying as Joker & Harley Quinn. She’s one of my closest friends and I love how I have that moment we met captured
Editing wise, I had photographed her with a gray background behind her and had to blend in the background to make it more uniform with the picture so that distracting elements such as a potted plant behind her would be gone. Also did a bit of touch up in coloring and contrast.
Welcome to Rapture – Otakon 2011
The set that pretty much exploded online. So last year I went down to Otakon which I had never been to before and pretty much did photowork the entire time offering private shoots to those who were interested. I had just finished a shoot and was heading back to the Hyatt to relax when I ran into Anna Fischer who I was rooming with and decided to go say hi and also use that time to relax and take a breather. She was photographing two Magic Knights Rayearth cosplayers and off to the side just relaxing was a friend of theirs in what can only be described as the perfect Little Sister cosplay. I’m a big Bioshock fan. Love the whole art deco look and Ayn Rand influence spread throughout the game. I spent 5 minutes chatting with her before I asked if I could grab a couple shots of her amazing costume and the rest is pretty much history. When it came to uploading the images I decided to post them as a set on tumblr and next thing I knew in a span of a day or two it reached somewhere around 1000 notes and got featured on The Daily What. Still can’t believe the response that set got. I’ve had people from Irrational (developers behind Bioshock and Bioshock:Infinite) actually respond to the images and say how much they like them.
Editing wise, I don’t really remember how I got the image to look like this. I can tell you it took somewhere around 4-5 hours to get it to look like this, heavy use of dodge & burn, a LOT of layer masking and blending modes, and creative use of lighting. All the images in her set took 4-5 hours to get them to where they needed to be. Totally worth it.
Scoundrelle’s Keep – Teslacon 2011
More an example of my fashion work than cosplay. Last November I traveled out to Wisconsin with Jessica Lilley (The Lady of Graves) and The Emperor of the Red Fork Empire to Teslacon – a steampunk event that encourages full on character immersion. It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had at a con and I hope to attend it again next year. Anyways, I had messaged Rin prior to the event about setting up a shoot with her at the con as I loved the work she had in her portfolio and Ihad a chance to shoot with a designer, Scoundrelle’s Keep, whose work I also fell in love with. After the fashion show Rin and I met up and had a chance to take some photos of the piece she was modeling and it gave me a chance to both shoot with her and sort of explore an area of photography I don’t shoot that often but love capturing nonetheless. Again, I view steampunk as fashion and as such always try to capture it in a way that conveys that. It was fun shooting with her. I was really the only photographer utilizing the hotel for shots and as such it was fun seeing congoers walk by and be sort of perplexed/amused at what was taking place.
Editing wise, jeez, where do I start . I had her pose in front of a pillar at the hotel that was sort of in the lobby and the pillar was not wide enough to cover the frame so I had people showing on the right side as well as the left. Also it was underexposed a tad bit. First I used the clone stamp to get rid of the people and create a more uniform background. Next I brightened the image up and did a bit of color correction. Now, the first edit I did I wasn’t satisfied with. I posted it online and immediately felt that something was off. Reopened the saved Photoshop file I had and brought in a texture I had saved and it gave that extra kick it needed. Did a bit of dodge & burn and some coloration to give it a more retro look and arrived at the result you see now. For fun a few months ago I posted the progression this image took onto Tumblr starting with what it originally looked like, what the first edit resulted in, and the final product I eventually got to on a second look which you can see at this link – http://nate-b.tumblr.com/post/16671532295/before-after-the-middle-photo-was-the-first-edit#notes
