This year will be very crowded - please don't do dumb when you have a camera! :)
- Sincerely, someone who will barge into your cross-hallway photo-op ;)
(I created this image, but feel free to steal and share far and wide - http://imgur.com/gallery/CwWWErh)
But what if I REALLY want to take the photo right there?
This is always a pain in the neck in any crowded place where people might want to take pictures. At first, you want to be accommodating and not block someone's shot. After a while it gets tiresome waiting for people to take their pictures.
I've been going to Gen Con too long I think. I cant remember the last time I took a pic of a random costume. I appreciate the effort, I really do, but do you have any idea how many harley Quinn's I've walked past over the years?
/slowclap
My only concern is that the people that NEED to read this thread, won't.
Let's make T-shirts!
I feel one of the nice things about digital photography is that if you walk through someones shot you don't "ruin" it - you just make them wait and try again.
I don't worry much about walking through peoples digital shots if they are taking more than a few seconds and blocking the way.
I don't worry much about walking through peoples digital shots if they are taking more than a few seconds and blocking the way.
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Alec Usticke, Unofficial Gen Con Indy Facebook Discussion Group
I haven't done a con of any sort since the 1980s, and I've been reading a lot about asking permission before taking any photos, but I'll be at Gen Con for work, and the boss has asked for pictures (cons are completely foreign for most of the folks I work with). So, with that in mind, is it okay to take random "atmosphere" shots to give them a sense of what the event is like without asking permission? This would be mostly fairly wide shots of crowds and the exhibit hall and whatnot done with a phone. Nobody in the office will likely recognize the bulk of the cosplay (heck, I probably won't recognize a bunch of it), and I don't have any real interest in photos of individuals, posed or otherwise. Just looking for some honest advice.
P.S. I'm pretty sure the graphic above could be titled "how to take photos at any large event (and not be an idiot)". Sadly, that sort of behavior isn't limited to game cons.
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Alec Usticke, Unofficial Gen Con Indy Facebook Discussion Group
@ Clevelandk1: That shouldn't be a problem. I've done that in the past, and I've seen it done many times. You want to ask permission of you're trying to get a shot of a specific subject (cosplay or whatever), but if you're just standing back and getting an overall shot, you should be fine.
I would encourage you to be at the Exhibit Hall on opening day and try to get a shot from the 2nd floor. Also, once inside the Exhibit Hall...you'll find plenty of things to snap pics of...just try to be mindful, as this thread suggests. Besides the Exhibit Hall, there are plenty of other photo ops...just look around.
What you DON'T want to do is be a creeper taking pictures of cosplaying ladies & gents without asking first. Judging by your post, it doesn't sound like that's your intent anyway, but wanted to mention this for other readers.
Thanks!
I love that shot of the crowd waiting to get into the vendor hall. I've used a similar shot to sum up the immensity of Gencon to others and to prepare first timers of the fun they have to look forward to. In regards to taking pictures, I will ask to get a group shot of the GM and players for all the games I play in at Gencon (usually all RPGs). Usually after I ask, others in the group want pix too. Then I'll take some shots during the game. A great way to remember.
Please tell me that's, like, San Diego Comicon or something.
