About Me
Hi, my name is Ewan. I am a UK based Larper, gamer and photographer. All these activities make me happy and after I started LARPing I realised I could bring a passion for portrait photography into hobbies where people dress up and pretend to be someone else.
LARPers and Cosplayers are my principal photographic subjects. In addition to being my people, with similar shared interests, there are properties that make them photogenic subjects. LARPers and Cosplayers, in general, like to be seen and photographed. They like the details of their costumes to be show. They like to act and pose and show emotion.
With LARPS, it is not unusual for them to take place in exotic locations or backdrops that have been dressed to match the theme of the event. Simply put - a LARP is often an brilliant engine for capturing amazing photos.
I have crewed some internationally marketed LARPs (aka "blockbuster" LARPs) and provided photography services at them. These include
- Capturing scenes as they happen
- Invididual Portrait Sessions
- Photo-booths
- Staging Group Photoshoots
- Photo editing
- Photo Hosting
- Printing
For in-character photography I generally use natural light, but I have formal training in the use of strobes, studio lights and light modifiers so I am comfortable with those too.
I use professionally specced cameras and lenses - D-SLR and mirrorless. While a great photo can be taken with almost any camera, the better equipment can provide me with more speed, efficiency and flexibility as well as the option to work in more marginal conditions. The result is a productivity gain.
This site is a place for me to discuss thoughts and insights in relation to being a LARP photographer. It is mostly a blog, those looking for a portfolio of work should check out social media postings made by me or others sharing my work.
LARP photography is something I am very passionate about. I aim to be very professional with interactions with organizers and my fellow LARPers, guided by the fact that I am part of your community and want to have a good reputation within it.
A reality is that most LARP productions, even the better funded ones, are heavily dependent on volunteer labour and photography is not generally an area where good money is to be made. The photos I make I am also the owner of, which is why I am able to self-publish them.
If I approached you as a cosplay at a convention, make sure I have you contact information so I can send you copies of the images.
If I have approached you with an offer to shoot your LARP it because I think the experience will be of high value both to me and to you.
If you are approaching me to shoot your LARP much will depend on my availability, the location of the event and whether I am able to re-coup costs of doing it. There are only a finite number of LARP projects I can support in any given year.