PhotoBooth 2013

[Spott]

Hello Kumoricon

This year will be year number 5 for the On The Spott PhotoBooth at Kumoricon. My team & I are excited for this milestone in what is a long term relationship between the On The Spott team, Kumoricon attendees & Altonimbus. Over the years this has worked out to be a happy relationship for all of us & I thank everyone who has made PhotoBooth so much fun each year.

All but one year PhotoBooth has been free to all (I'm sorry about 2010). That will not change this year. However, what will change is that I will finally ask for donations at the door. I have equipment that is wearing out, my team deserves more than just a pat on the back & there is a non-profit organization that I want to donate to.

At the door will be a tip jar. Cash, check, or plastic will be accepted. The suggested donation is $15.00 minimum per person. Weather you tip or not will not make a difference on the time, attention, or quantity of images you receive in PhotoBooth. Some attendees drop a few grand on their entire con experience while others save up for months to cover admission, some food, & a little bit of fun. If you are one that can afford to tip the On The Spott team at least $15, please do. If $15 would blow your budget for the event, please don't. Either way, all guests will get the same PhotoBooth experience.

After con I will tally up the total of donations & the breakdown will be as follows. 20% will be divided equally amongst my senior team members (Bob, Kevin, Jamie). 20% will go to Pacific Animal Rescue & Sanctuary. After that, On The Spott Photography will purchase 5 general admissions to the 2014 Kumoricon for Altonimbus to use as they wish. Any dollars remaining after that go to my fund to feed my photography addiction & cover some of my costs for the weekend.

Some PhotoBooth guests have asked about volunteering in PB. That is greatly appreciated by my team so they can get breaks to enjoy con. I have contacted those that have expressed interest & am working out the details.

Lastly, this year I will be approaching Rose City Comicon about if they will allow the On The Spott PhotoBooth at Comicon this year (two weeks after Kumoricon). If anyone knows who I should contact, please let me know. I have heard Rose City Comicon is a locally managed, not for profit event (just like Kumoricon) and I would like to do for Rose City Comicon what I do for Kumoricon.

Here is the Facebook page for Pacific Animal Rescue & Sanctuary
https://www.facebook.com/PacificAnimalRescueAndSanctuary

One of my local & family run photo clients that has a great selection of Pirate, Steam, and other Cosplay & props. Being the "house photographer" for Dress Like A Pirate has been a blast since the first shoot. Captain Shayna has a great crew, outstanding good quality products & is always a pleasure to do business with.
www.Deresslikeapirate.com

This is "my" camera shop. Owned & run by a great local family. Great service, outstanding prices, in depth classes, & well, go see for yourself.
http://www.advancecamera.com/


Thank you all so much for making PhotoBooth so much fun year after year
Spott
www.SeeSpottPrint.com

[meb9000]

Looking forward to getting some official pictures for my cosplays. I always enjoy getting nice studio photos of my costumes, since normally I just have my cell phone camera and little else!

[Tsukinya]

You certainly deserve some healthy tips, Spott!  Do you do an amazing job, and we're happy to help where we can


If you know of specific times during which you might need an extra photographer hand, please let me know.  As this year's Photography Coordinator for Kumoricon, I'd be happy to help coordinate some time with one of our photographers, staff or volunteer.


Also, if you'd like some extra help with Comic Con, I can assist with interested cameras


For this year's Kumoricon photo booth, have you considered having appointment slots?  For those who know they specifically want pictures Saturday afternoon, it might be nice to have an hour or two during which attendees can make an appointment and know they don't have to wait in a massive line.  Other times can be walk-in as in the past, with associated wait.  Just a thought


Thanks again for all the awesome things you do, Spott!

[Spott]

A extra or back-up photographer would need to have studio skills & experience. Plus be someone that I feel comfortable with leaving in charge of a few grand worth of equipment. Any shots they took would need to be on my camera to maintain consistency for a PB guests as well as to allow efficient image distribution. I am more than happy to have other skilled & confident photographers spend time with me behind the camera in PB. I think I have been able to teach new skills to a few new photographers as well (I like sharing knowledge). Last year Brian & his panel came into PB at the start of a day & I was able to give a good behind the scenes look to the participants of the panel. (I would like to do that again.


What I am in need of is folks willing to volunteer for a hour or two helping guests prep right before it is their turn in PB. People that can help prep cosplay by looking for loose parts, string, wig levelness, & answer the questions that PB guests ask. I have Bob & Kevin which are a bad ass tech team & Jamie who is outstanding at helping me with image distribution.


Appointments, Not a bad idea but not done yet because I do not have the manpower to coordinate that.


Comic Con, I sent them a e-mail introducing myself, offering to do the same thing there I do at Kumoricon & sent links to some of my PB galleries. I have not received a reply & there web page says all the vendor space is sold out. I hope to make contact with a rep from Comic Con at Kumoricon to see if there is any last minute options or to lay groundwork for next year. I am very motivated to do what I do at locally produced & managed cons, (not too motivated when it comes to cons ran by non-locals or for-profit entities.)


The tips I had to struggle with asking for. I do what I do because I enjoy it, not for the $$. However, $$ are a pathetic reality in our culture. If I did not start asking then I would not be able to maintain & upgrade equipment to keep PB going. Plus my team deserves more than a pat on the back for how they kick ass. And, I want to help contribute to the animal shelter / rescue members of my family are operating.

[meb9000]

Well, you guys will certainly be getting donations from me, I intend to get 3 sets of pictures this year, and I always pay for good camera work! Just the fact that you guys are willing to do this work for donations is just awesome. The $15 per photo session is just perfect for me!

[mike_was_here]

Hello!! I attended the photobooth this year, and you all were wonderful!! I had mine and my friends photos taken, but I would like to change the email address to which the pictures will be sent. Is that possible?? Please let me know!! Thank you very much!!

[DSaturn]

For the quality of the photos, donations are more than reasonable... I ended up doing quite a bit more than the 15 just because of how big my group was, I haven't even seen the pictures yet, and I already feel like it was worth it. PhotoBooth is one of the things my group always plans to do no matter what every year; the pictures always turn out great, and it is so much fun to do.

[Prince McKupo]

Heya there!  I really wanted to go to the photobooth this year to get some high-quality pics of my moogle mascot in action... I tried stopping by on Monday around 1pm and stood in a fairly short line...that didn't budge for the 45 minutes I was able to stand in my mascot without having to go outside to get some fresh air.  Were there some technical probs or maybe you just had a big group in there? 

[GregAtlas]

Heya there!  I really wanted to go to the photobooth this year to get some high-quality pics of my moogle mascot in action... I tried stopping by on Monday around 1pm and stood in a fairly short line...that didn't budge for the 45 minutes I was able to stand in my mascot without having to go outside to get some fresh air.  Were there some technical probs or maybe you just had a big group in there? 

Spott devotes a lot of time and effort to each person he shoots even if he doesn't know anything about the character or the quality of the cosplay. This is just normal McKupo.

[DarkInuFan]

Thank you for all your hard work this year! This was my first photo booth experience and I definitely will want to do it again next year! I had a wonderful time and you were very attentive to each one of the characters that walked through your door. I love working with photographers that know how to bring out the best in everyone and I hope to see you again next time!

[Derpyrainbowshy]

I got my pic taken day one and idk when he will send the pics. but im afraid if they were sent that they went to my spam box and are gone 


What do i do or have they all been sent yet?

[Kimiski]

Heya there!  I really wanted to go to the photobooth this year to get some high-quality pics of my moogle mascot in action... I tried stopping by on Monday around 1pm and stood in a fairly short line...that didn't budge for the 45 minutes I was able to stand in my mascot without having to go outside to get some fresh air.  Were there some technical probs or maybe you just had a big group in there? 

Spott devotes a lot of time and effort to each person he shoots even if he doesn't know anything about the character or the quality of the cosplay. This is just normal McKupo.

My sister stated she was in a short line for over an hour that did not move once, before finally giving up and having my boyfriend take snapshots of her in the park. My boyfriend had the same problem last year. The year before, when I still cosplayed, I waited an hour after it was supposed to open, and then had to wait near another hour with one person ahead of me. Also, more elaborate costumes seem to get more attention than simple ones. For some constructive criticism, maybe everyone should get the same time slot, or certain number of frames, and then if more pictures are wanted of them or they want more, have them get back in line again? This keeps the line moving, and allows people to get more pictures of them if they wish, while allowing people who want a few shots of them, can get in and out on on their way.

[Valkyrie542]

Heya there!  I really wanted to go to the photobooth this year to get some high-quality pics of my moogle mascot in action... I tried stopping by on Monday around 1pm and stood in a fairly short line...that didn't budge for the 45 minutes I was able to stand in my mascot without having to go outside to get some fresh air.  Were there some technical probs or maybe you just had a big group in there? 

Spott devotes a lot of time and effort to each person he shoots even if he doesn't know anything about the character or the quality of the cosplay. This is just normal McKupo.

My sister stated she was in a short line for over an hour that did not move once, before finally giving up and having my boyfriend take snapshots of her in the park. My boyfriend had the same problem last year. The year before, when I still cosplayed, I waited an hour after it was supposed to open, and then had to wait near another hour with one person ahead of me. Also, more elaborate costumes seem to get more attention than simple ones. For some constructive criticism, maybe everyone should get the same time slot, or certain number of frames, and then if more pictures are wanted of them or they want more, have them get back in line again? This keeps the line moving, and allows people to get more pictures of them if they wish, while allowing people who want a few shots of them, can get in and out on on their way.

I think everyone (groups included) gets about fifteen shots before they leave; and then they have the option of getting back in line for another round. I don't think one kind of costume gets more attention than another; the photographer is just trying to get the best pictures he can within the five minutes per person he sees (ten, if it's a group - since he likes to try to get about five or six solo shots per person after taking a couple group shots before moving onto the next person waiting in line).

[Deviant Spider]

Wait or no wait, as a professional model, I appreciate his passion for the work he does. I've been in far too many photo booths that were just "stand there and smile" *click* ok next.... I hate that.
Watching him get animated with EACH group in front of me, hearing the story behind the characters and how they should interact with one another not only gets you, the customer, great photos, but it also keeps his name as a photographer in a good light. Remember, he also wants to be proud of his work as his name is attached to it. Many people around me did not tip him and yet he still devotes the same enthusiasm and attention to each group, regardless of money.
I waited in line over an hour to have photos of my group taken but after the hours and hours I spent making our costumes this was certainly worth it to me. If you want a quicker experience, hit up one of the other photographers on here here and schedule a session, have a friend do them or make new friends *safely of course* with several of the wonderful photographers I saw in the park. The "Official" photobooth of Kumoricon deals with several hundred if not thousand+ people in one weekend for donation only. Much like any other popular event at Kumoricon its just one thing I expect to wait in line for as its worth it in the end for me. <3

[Derpyrainbowshy]

Has he sent out pics yet?

[shyskeletons]

Has he sent out pics yet?

I haven't received mine yet, but I'm being patient, since when I asked how long it would take, he did say about 3 weeks. =3

[DSaturn]

My group has waiting in line for a couple of hours for photobooth before, and when you see the quality of pictures, and the quality of the experience, it is beyond worth the wait. If you don't want to wait so long, I suggest going at a time where there aren't as many people around, such as Monday when there are less people, or during major events. You have to keep in mind that we don't pay for going to photobooth, the least you can do is give them some of your time. They do amazing work.

As for when they should show up, I don't start to worry until the end of October. He goes through the pictures in the order that he took them (generally). In the past, my group has usually gone on Sunday evening, and received our pictures 2-3 weeks in to October.

[Spott]

Thank you all for you inquiries, compliments & even complaints. Here is my official update on what is going on with PB images. About a week before con my non-photo job pretty much doubled my work duties on a 3-4 week assignment. I barely got the time to do PhotoBooth. That assignment is finishing up next week. So far I have not even had time to look at all the images myself. I expect to be able to start uploading to all the private galleries next week.


I really enjoy hearing from guests that enjoyed their time in PhotoBooth. So much of my attention is on the technical aspects of lighting, composition, & image quality. I am very glad to hear that I and my team still provide a good experience when I am "in my zone" focusing on the fine details.


Based on the images I have seen so far the white background days (Sat & Sun) were Spott on. Monday with the black background was not quite up to my expectations (not the true black background I wanted).


Thank You all for your feedback & your patience.
Spott

[Spott]

I have finished sorting the images from Kumoricon 2013 PhotoBooth. The numbers are below for those keeping track.

3822 Images.
153 Groups.
30 Hours of shooting.
$550 Gross ($110 to Pacific Animal Reduce & Sanctuary).


I am uploading to private galleries now as images are being processed. My pesky "real job" has lightened up a bit giving me time to work on Kumoricon images. Please expect your link in your email in the next two weeks.


Thank You
Spott

[Derpyrainbowshy]

thats good to hear

[DSaturn]

I cannot wait; I'm so excited.

[DSaturn]

Have others gotten their pictures yet, because my group still hasn't, and I haven't heard anything in a while... Haven't even seen the usually posting that people tend to do.

[Valkyrie542]

Have others gotten their pictures yet, because my group still hasn't, and I haven't heard anything in a while... Haven't even seen the usually posting that people tend to do.

I have gotten my photos, but I think some are missing (that's what happens when I take photos of the same costume in separate days, bah!).
The picture posting has slowed to a crawl, probably because this year is over and done with and everybody's getting psyched for next year.

[DSaturn]

When did you go???

[Spott]

If you have still not received your 2013 PhotoBooth images please e-mail me directly from the e-mail address you provided at Kumoricon. The last few months has had a great deal of turbulence in my personal life & some galleries may not have gooten out in all the turbulence.


Thank You
Spott
spottphoto@gmail.com