Heroes Invade the Valley of the Sun

For the 2nd year in a row, I attended Phoenix Comic Festival in the heart of downtown Phoenix, Arizona. This year however, my girlfriend and I would attend Friday and Saturday only. To our relief, the temperatures were in the mid to high 90's (Fahrenheit), as opposed to the 110+ range it was last year! The convention center air conditioning was working just fine however, so getting shots in and around the building didn't pose much of a problem at all. I chose to wait until the cooler temperatures came close to nightfall for my outdoor shots for several cosplayers.

During the day while most of our time was spent walking around the convention itself to escape the heat, I chose to shoot only with natural light. I wanted to accentuate the natural desert tones in the area, which I find to be quite unique. It's certainly different to what I am used to, and I welcome variety. Downtown Phoenix embraces the desert feel with warm, earthy tones and colors dominating the metropolitan area. I was excited to take advantage of this, even if most of my shots were taken closer to night time.

I was able to meet up with some friends from last year, while meeting some new ones to shoot with later in the evening close to our hotel. The spot we chose had a perfect combination of urban and natural environments which made it suitable for any number of cosplays. Take a look at some of the final products from my shoot at Phoenix Comic Festival below!

I'm happy with what I was able to capture during my time in Arizona. The event was a lot of fun, even if it was a bit of a quick turn around of a trip. As with any shoot, I learned new things and tried to gain as much experience as I could! It's always interesting to look back at these shots and give them a critique after some time has gone by. I like to look at my past work with fresh eyes. I can tell you that this set is drastically different from last year's, and I think that's a good thing.