Martin James Photography

Wait…is that Super Mario? Yes, it sure is…and Sonic the Hedgehog, the entire cast of Final Fantasy VIII, The Joker, Ant Man, and every other cult comic and film icon from the original Incredible Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) to the original Back To The Future (The DeLorean). And of course Luigi, looking like he could do with a few 1-up mushrooms.

However, despite the fact that MCN Comic Con is absolutely choc-full of great people/things to photograph, it’s a surprisingly difficult event to shoot. First, the space is H-U-G-E, so you need to be careful to compose the shot to feel thrilling and intimate. Secondly, what we’ve discovered over the years, is that capturing the fun and excitement of fully dressed up fanboys and fangirls is anything but simply a case of shooting someone in costume. Unfortunately, lots of people milling around in costume is what you usually get from a photographer at these kind of events.

Not us, of course! In typical Martin James style, we got right in there, arm wrestling Superman, bantering with Deadpool, and reaching the parts other events photographers cannot reach (with the help of stepladders of course). But seriously, the trick here is to not be afraid to talk to the subjects, develop a rapport and be bold and creative enough to ask people to stand in specific places and encourage them to do things that are going to make for awesome photos.

We were asked to capture the popularity of the event and the variety of things going on; the client wanted images for marketing, brochures, advertising and anywhere they thought they could continue to attract more and more people. We did all that and more, having a fantastic time in the process. Now Comic Con is going from strength to strength and we get asked back each year to do more of the same! Which just leaves one important question…ready player one?