Convention Pop-Up Studio
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What is Included
The Pop-Up Studio consists of myself & two cameras with a line of professional lenses, operating for the entire duration of your convention. With a minimum of 10ft x 10ft backdrop, 1,000 watts of flash power, free unlimited downloads of fully edited photos for attendees. One camera is used exclusively for adults, the other exclusively for families and attendees under the age of 18. This minimizes the chance of family photos getting mixed with the adults photos. All images are fully edited in Lightroom, and released throughout the convention and the days that follow. Adults are kept in a public album, free for anyone to access. Families and children are in a separate, password protected album. The link and password for this album are physically handed to each subject, again to minimize the risk of attendees and their families. A sample album from PopCon 2024 can be found below, which is exactly what the attendees will see.
How it Works
There is no set price for each convention, with the minimum beginning at $4,000 USD, and continuing from there depending on your conventions size, attendee numbers, hours, and location. Once we have settled on a price and details are sorted, you’ll be sent a contract and invoice for a down payment, with the remainder of the price due before the convention starts.
After that you sit back, and let me get to work giving your attendees an amazing experience! I live edit when possible, but some conventions are so large and busy it’s not possible. I always prioritize family and children photos, making sure they get theirs up as soon as possible. The public adult album is then uploaded throughout the show and the following days after. I often live stream the editing process for the adults album on Instagram, which is always a really fun experience for myself and the viewers. This extends the promotional period for your show by continuing to generate interest and discussion for an additional week or more after the show has ended. We break down the setup, thoughts on the style, and walk them through the entire editing process.
To Start the process, click the button below to reach out and discuss scheduling availability, price, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we get the raw photos?
Short Answer? No. Long answer? There is a price point where I would be willing to part with my raw files, but I promise you; you don’t want them. You will never use them, you will probably lose them, and they will not be an accurate representation of the photograph taken. Save your money, and let me do the job you paid me for, including spending dozens upon dozens of hours sorting and editing what is often 3-5 thousand photos a show.
Is the Pop Up free for attendees?
The booth is 100% free for attendees. There is no catch, there is no registration or login needed. They do not need to follow me on instagram to get the address, nor do they need to subscribe to some junk mail newsletter. They click the link, find their photo, and download it in either web size, or FULL size. I do put my information on the bottom right as a small watermark. This is coincidentally a perfect place that someone could potentially crop the watermark out. Just saying.
Why do cons have to pay you?
While I love what I do, and in an ideal world I would do it all day every day for free, I also have bills to pay. The cost of the equipment alone is in the tens of thousands, ignoring any and all travel, lodging, and insurance expenses. At the end of the day, photographers should be paid. These conventions are amazing but are truly such an insane amount of work that I can’t justify doing them for free. In order to ensure the attendees never pay a dime, that money has to come from the conventions themselves.
Can attendees buy their photos?
Yes! While I do not charge for anything at the booth, nor do I currently offer prints in any capacity at the booth, prints are available online! The gallery host site, Pixieset, uses 3rd party printing services so anyone can click their photo, download a copy, then add a copy to their cart and purchase a print! It’s that easy.
Can the conventions use your photos for promotional material?
Absolutely, you can. I’d be honored if you used my photos to promote your shows. While credit is always appreciated it is not a hard requirement at this time. I do ask that when possible you tag me on social media, but this is again not a requirement. I try to promote the shows I’m working on my pages as well.
What makes you any better than a normal photo booth?
Most photos booths that I have seen are very simple; You walk in, take a bright photo 2 inches from a backdrop, and then you are ushered out as quickly as possible. While this is a valid and efficient photo, I do not personally find this setup to be really enjoyable for the cosplayer or the photographer. The social interactions with the attendees are my favorite parts of these shows. Watching someone get more and more into their character, becoming more comfortable being in front of the camera then watching their eyes light up when they see the image is an incredible experience. My booths are warm, welcoming, fun and highly artistic and unique. More importantly, I don’t really cap the photos one can take. If there is a line, I’ll keep it to a reasonable number. If there is no line? Then we can hang out and try more poses and bring their friends in. I always say, “I shoot digital; one or a hundred, it’s all the same to me". I’ve been invited to shows simply because, and I quote. “I know your setup brings in a lot of people, and I’ll make room wherever I can for you.”
Are you a registered business with insurance?
Once I have finished my transition from Hawaii to Maryland, I will have my public business information here. By the time anyone sees this page, it will probably already be finalized.