The beginning of the year I made a New Years resolution to not only travel more but to attend and photograph more conventions. So far I have a least one Con per month which I’ve never tried before. My first Con of the year was PAX South, which was in San Antonio Texas. I personally have never been to Texas and was super excited to go somewhere new. My excitement was not wasted in the least; San Antonio is probably one of the most beautiful cities I’ve been to.

 Traveling down there was definitely a new experience. Instead of flying like a normal person myself and three friends drove 12 hours from Louisville KY all the way to San Antonio TX. I have never been in a car for that long and hopefully won’t have to again for some time. The ride was long, the traffic was rough and our mental state was definitely tested. Luckily we planned a slight detour not only for a break but also a short photoshoot to get us out of the car. 

 We stopped by a local park in Austin for a few hours for Ariel’s Quite shoot. The Sun was out and it was warm which in KY in January is un heard of so it was a nice change. This shoot was also a time for me to warm up for the busy weekend ahead of us. After our break we finally reached San Antonio and the sun was quickly disappearing so we didn’t have enough time to really scout for locations. So the next day was going to be a surprise for everyone. We stayed at the Crockett hotel which was just lovely, I definitely recommend it. I plan on staying there next year for sure. The location was only a couple of blocks from the convention center which if you take the river walk is actually really pleasant trip. Plus, the Alamo was across the street from the hotel and I we cut through it in the morning which was really neat! 

 The Convention center was a great size for this convention. There was a lot of room inside and the outside for photos and being able to move around with out being shoulder to shoulder with everyone. Inside the dealer room however was a little crowded. I felt like they spaced everything so close to make the Con feel bigger which was irksome. There were tons of space on the outside of rims of the hall and definitely towards the back of the hall. I wish they had space some things out. Also I wish that their maps were more clear to where the Artist Alley was located. Through out that whole trip I was unable to find it which was disheartening. However, those two things are the only negative thing I would have to say about PAX South. Everything else was amazing! 

Before this trip had even started I was contacted by 2K games to help promote their newest game Battleborn. They had a group of  cosplayers creating beautiful costumes are were wanting me to take photos pf them! I nearly had a heart attack, because  I've always been a huge fan of 2K and for them to contact me was just mind blowing! Above is a small slide show of some of the portraits we captured!

The Cosplays at this convention were on point! I was so happy to be able to see and work with some many new creative people! I was also introduced to the Borderlands Family which I love. They were some of the nicest people and were all extremely supportive of each other and really felt like a family even with newer members, which was just amazing! There were so many great cosplayers everywhere I just wanted to work with everyone! I’m also only showing just a fractions of who was all there so you’ll have to come next year and see for yourself! 

One funny story that happened during a shoot with cosplay power couple Cool by Proxy is that we were kicked out of the Alamo! I knew this could be a possibility however it is easier to ask for forgiveness then permission. Which is why we started from the back of the Alamo and made are way around before we were asked to leave. Now I have something in common with Ozzy Ozborn, haha! In the end we were still able to get a couple of shots in the Alamo! 

 I am so thankful and humbled to be able to work with so many different, talented, creative people and I honestly can’t say thank you enough to everyone that I was able to work with. You all are the reason why I love my job and why I get up in the morning! I hope to be able to work with everyone again, and I can’t wait to see what your journey hold for each of you! 

Photographer Notes: I give this Con 4 ½ Cameras The location is AMAZING to photograph here, there are so many options for different types of terrain for cosplays is insane. This is also a convention that if you don’t plan on attending any panels or go into the dealer’s room you do not have to purchase a badge to be able to shoot. However, if you are wanting inside of the convention center for anything then you will need a badge. This was all in all a fantastic Convention and I definitely plan on returning next January!

Cosplayers:

Altar Lion Cosplay, Cool By Proxy Productions, Monika Lee, Gogo Incognito, Drcane

, Viverra Cosplay, Enasni Volz, Sledge,  Kaytea Cosplay, Dinobunny Cosplay, Jade 幸蓁