[2017 Guangzhou YACA Convention] Memories of Half-Body Close-up Portraits Under the Pentax Star 55mm Prime Lens

Flipping through the album and seeing these photos taken at the Guangzhou YACA convention on May 1, 2017, time really flies. The gear at that time was a Pentax K-S2 paired with the Star 55mm lens. Although looking back now it might not be considered high-end equipment, and the photos are entirely half-body close-ups with some even out of focus, that sense of pureness when first dipping into convention photography is irreplaceable.

As the cosplayer dressing up back then, I vividly remember the crowded convention venue, the makeup artists and photographers coming and going, and the experience of wearing heavy costumes in the sultry weather. Back then, the photos didn't have complex retouching or particularly gorgeous lighting, and even the backgrounds were just the messy aisles and crowds of the convention site. Yet, it is precisely these slightly flawed photos that preserved the most authentic atmosphere of that time.

Nine years have passed, moving from that novice photographer holding a small Pentax DSLR to having worked for many years now. If today, nine years later, there is still someone who loves photography and cosplay just as much as back then, please do contact me. I am more than willing to act as a model and let them shoot a new set of the current me. Comparing the past and the present is not just about seeing the progress in technique, but more about looking at how we have completed our self-expression within the anime community along this journey.

Compared to pursuing perfect composition and equipment, the meaning of photography probably lies in the ability to look back on the years. Back then, I might have thought a shot was ruined, but looking at them now, every single one is a precious memory. This is the gift that passion brings to people, and it's why so many people can persist for so many years on this path of photography and Cosplay daily life. Convention photography has never been just about pressing the shutter; it's about recording the effort and enthusiasm of that exact moment.

At the 2017 Guangzhou YACA convention, the venue's lighting might not have been ideal, and there were attendees and booth owners passing by everywhere. But whenever standing at the convention site, putting on these prepared outfits one by one, and tidying up the wig and makeup, I felt that all the preparation was entirely worth it. Pulling out these photos today, what I see is myself from back then, sparing no effort to match props and adjust hairstyles just to pull off a character well.

The camera gear back then wasn't as powerful as it is now, and autofocus would occasionally fail amidst the fast-moving crowds. But this precisely became a unique filter characteristic of photography from that era. The captured characters carry a hazy sense of intimacy. Back then I was inside the photos, and looking back now from a model's perspective, it serves as a revisit of my growth process over these years. As a cosplay enthusiast, those stylings from back then might look a bit less refined today, but they hold a lot of solid sincerity.

This passion for anime and characters has supported me in regularly attending conventions every year. Even though daily life is busy now, returning to the convention site, picking up a camera, or standing in front of the lens still leaves my heart feeling fulfilled. The photographer's line, "the meaning of photography lies in the ability to look back on the years," truly struck a chord with me. Without these photographers passionately recording everything, it would be extremely difficult for us to recreate those moments overflowing with youth many years later.

I really miss those days at the Guangzhou YACA convention, where everyone helped each other carry gear and tidy up wigs. If there are still photographers with the same enthusiasm contacting me this year, I would be more than happy to do another comparison-oriented commemorative photoshoot. It doesn't need to be complex; just like back then, standing in a corner of the convention, lifting the camera, and recording my current state will do. Time endows photos with extra value, and everyone in the convention photography community used their shutters to freeze countless pieces of evidence that we once existed. Even when looking back now at some photos with camera shake, I can't help but laugh out loud.