For some, photography is not just a mere hobby. There are people who see it as an art, a passion, a way of life. Jeff Ricalde is one such person who has come to appreciate the many fascinating aspects of photography, so much that in his first year as a professional photographer has graciously organized a free photoshoot at the scenic Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife in Quezon City.
Top-caliber photographers have been invited to participate in the event, bringing along their cameras and a wealth of skills for individual and group photoshoots around the many fascinating locales that the Parks and Wildlife has to offer. The unique aspect of this particular photoshoot is the invitation of both commercial/pro models and cosplayers as the subjects of this event. This arrangement was a unique but welcome learning experience as there are photographers who got to work with cosplayers for the first time, and they got to try creative shots and techniques they don’t use with their usual models. Cosplayers in turn were taught more standard ways of posing and projecting in front of the camera, ones different from the poses they are used to. Also, Sir Jeff had told everyone beforehand that everyone should just enjoy themselves at the event.
Sir Jeff encouraged me to take on several of the gorgeous pro models for a shoot. It was a refreshing yet daunting experience for me as I have come to realize that I have only taken pictures of cosplayers in my short and shaky career as a very amateur photographer. Nevertheless I still gave it a shot with the expressed apology that I am next to clueless about photography. Luckily, I have had the pleasure of taking a few photographs of the lovely Esperanza Alcazar which admittedly made my day.
After a whole morning of sunny weather, a downpour by the afternoon had everyone running for shelter. Even then photographers set up their equipment on the covered stage and at the amphitheater and continued their shoots despite the rain. Come late afternoon the rain stopped and photographers and models and cosplayers alike scrambled to get some last good shots in before the sun set. At the end of the day, Jeff shared some parting words thanking everyone for their participation, their presence, and support for his first anniversary photoshoot.
The event was a success as everyone did get to enjoy themselves and got many really splendid shots while they were at it. Everyone benefited from the experience and will certainly have many stories to tell and photos to share in the days and weeks to come. We would like to thank Sir Jeff Ricalde for inviting us to participate in this unbelievably enjoyable event. We hope that he’ll get to set one again real soon. Our thanks also to the handful of outstanding photographers present as we have learned much from them and had fun working with them. They truly are an amazing bunch. Our thanks to the models for lending us their talents and fantastic poses. And of course, lastly, to the cosplayers from N2P Cosplayers and Shonen Jump PH for doing what they do best: cosplay, have fun, and be really, reall, really noisy. We all hope to eperience this much fun again in the very near future.
Thank you all for visiting and we hope you’ll drop by again soon for another great cosplay coverage.
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