The Convention photos from BW Day 3 are finally compiled. Shanghai has been hit with typhoon weather over the past few days, with howling wind and heavy rain when heading out, but the moment I stepped inside the convention hall, that vibrant wave of anime heat immediately washed over the damp chill outside. Extensive preparations went into this con well in advance: waking up at the crack of dawn to apply makeup and style hair, walking around the hall in this corset and shorts outfit was genuinely exhausting, especially while hauling various props around.
This time, I carried a Sony A7C II body paired with two lenses: the FE 50mm F1.2 GM and the TAMRON 35-150mm F/2-2.8. When shooting booth portraits, the 50mm F1.2 GM is truly a lethal weapon; under the chaotic flashes and neon lights around the booths, the wide F1.2 aperture maximized background bokeh, cleanly isolating the subject while delivering formidable color rendering and sharpness. Although the 35-150mm is hefty, it was an absolute lifesaver for rapidly switching focal lengths to snap close-ups and full-body shots within the packed crowds. The Godox flash paired with a wireless trigger made carving out rim lighting in dim booth environments remarkably effortless.
I lingered around the amaran booth for a long time this round—the light quality from their softboxes was genuinely superb, yielding straight-out-of-camera raw shots that looked wonderfully pleasing. I also tested a few Viltrox lenses; their autofocus tracking speed on the A7C II was a delightful surprise. Roaming the exhibition, I bumped into many familiar photographer and cosplayer friends, everyone helping each other check compositions and bounce fill light.
Wearing this subtly techwear-styled getup, the Black tights outfit and straps really tested the coordination of my movements during shooting. To capture that cool, detached yet tension-filled vibe, I scoped out several distinct camera angles around the booths. With dense foot traffic passing by, we had to seize the split seconds when the crowd parted to fire the shutter. For makeup, I made self-adjustments by deepening the eye contours, which, paired with the wig color, stood out with sharper three-dimensional definition under the flash.
Attending a con in typhoon weather was definitely tough—my feet ached from walking and the wig easily got messy—yet the moment I saw the final photos, everything felt completely worthwhile. The captured shots spanned diverse vibes, from playful and cute to cool, tactical aesthetics. The booths' neon signs and glowing PC chassis provided an authentic sci-fi atmosphere, requiring minimal post-processing compositing since clean color grading was enough to bring out the images.
The magic of comic conventions lies in this face-to-face authenticity: diverse characters intertwining in the same shared space, united by a pure, passionate love for the 2D subculture. This experience at BW 2026 was truly precious, not only yielding satisfying photos, but also giving me a firsthand look at lots of newly released gear and merchandise at the expo. Next up, I'll continue taking my time retouching to share even more convention booth moments.