I captured Shouhou cosplay at the Bilibili World (BW) Sony booth. This pink puffy dress was exceptionally photogenic against the iridescent holographic backdrop. The gear used for this shoot was the Sony A7C II paired with the 24-70mm GM lens; hands-on experience proved this combination is genuinely practical for conventions. The environment at a convention is chaotic with dense foot traffic, and a standard zoom like the 24-70 can handle the vast majority of tasks. I previously tried carrying 50mm or 85mm primes, but shuttling between booths was practically impossible—you couldn't even squeeze into slightly popular booths. A telephoto like the 70-200 offers beautiful bokeh, but it's too heavy; hanging it from your neck all day leaves your shoulders aching, and in packed crowds, it's very easy to bump into people. Pairing the 24-70 with the Sony A7C II offers a balanced size and weight. With full-frame resolution plus in-camera cropping, you can capture ideal half-body shots and even close-ups, even at an intricately decorated booth like Azure.
Shouhou's styling had abundant fine details: the three-dimensional flowers and rhinestone embellishments on the upper bodice looked exquisite under the lights, while the transparent wings on her back paired with the pink tulle skirt created rich layering. To achieve better visual impact, I suggested she take off her high heels and showcase White stockings, crossing her legs or slightly lifting them to let the skirt fan out naturally. Adding White stockings smoothed out the leg lines, creating a pure anime maiden vibe when paired with the pink tulle dress. Photo 7 features her relaxing on the chair, making a heart gesture with both hands while casually slipping off her shoes—the frame looks much more vivid and far from stiff.
Without external strobe lights at the booth, the high-ISO performance of the Sony A7C II was fairly solid. Combined with the rapid autofocus of the 24-70 GM, snapping split-second moments of heart gestures and over-the-shoulder glances felt seamless. Because convention lighting is quite messy and the iridescent petals in the background easily produce glare, I looked for angles that evenly lit the model's face to prevent blown-out backgrounds. The focal length flexibility of the 24-70 shone to the fullest here, eliminating the hassle of frequent lens swaps while swiftly capturing the model's natural expressions in these Convention photos.
From initial communication to wrapping up, the overall shoot was highly efficient. Shouhou exhibited wonderful expressive range and natural movements. I experimented with different compositions, such as utilizing the booth's metallic base and black platform as foreground elements to add spatial depth. Sometimes, to frame the holographic petals more completely, I took a step back and used the 24mm wide end to incorporate more of the environment; other times, I zoomed into 70mm to lock onto facial nuances and upper-body costume details. The vari-angle articulating screen of the Sony A7C II was incredibly convenient for low-angle perspectives, allowing me to compose long-leg visual proportions without having to lie flat on the floor.
Shooting at conventions tests not only physical stamina, but also gear reliability and the photographer's adaptability. Although the 24-70 GM has some weight, in such uncontrollable environments, it rapidly finds the right framing without leaving regrets. The straight-out-of-camera colors looked great this time, needing only slight adjustments to contrast to stand out. Packing up gear and heading to the next hall now—hoping to capture equally satisfying images in the next session!