Kamera No Hitsuji Issue 3: Anime Expo Part 1 (Patreon)

Every year for the last three years, I've attended Anime Expo in Los Angeles. It's the only convention I regularly go to. The convention takes place in the beginning of July, and at least one of the days always falls on July 4th, Independence Day here in America.

I'll be splitting these KNH issues into two parts. The first part will be on the convention itself, the second will focus on Little Tokyo, which is about five minutes away by car from the convention center, and where I generally stay for the convention. My trip to AX is a mix of business and pleasure; I do photography on panels, do networking, and give out merch samples to business associates, but it's also an opportunity to meet with internet friends from across the country.

Pulling up to the convention center this year I was quite surprised. My last two Anime Expos were a bit chaotic; hot weather, long lines, big crowds. Last year I spent thirty minutes waiting in line, in the hot sun, despite being the photographer for a panel. This year, I was in almost instantly. I'm not exactly sure what they changed, but the whole process was like clockwork. Given my previous description and AX's reputation as a brutally crowded shit show, you might be wondering why I'm so eager to attend every year. In reality, the crowds ARE the reason I attend. 

Most of my year is spent at my desk in Portland. My connection to the industry is through social media. My cohorts and I get a lot of traction online, yes, but 10k likes on a post can never capture the energy of ten thousand living breathing human beings gathering together to celebrate the things they love. I’m often burnt out by Summer, so AX is a great way to re-motivate myself. The Exhibition Hall is my personal favorite. Some people might assume it’s artist alley, and I do love artist alley, but my dream has always been to have a Hitsuji Goods booth in the Exhibition Hall. Something about the scale of it all, it moves me to dream big.

Before I forget, let me take a moment to talk about my gear. I brought a lot more cameras and equipment with me this year. The biggest change is I’ve gotten into using filters, in particular an 85B filter. 85B filters are orange, they’re meant to warm up cool, tungsten balanced film like Cinestill 800T so that you can shoot it like daylight film. I’m extremely happy with the results. With the right editing, I can get it to look almost like Ultramax or Fuji 400.

 There are two major advantages to being able to shoot tungsten film in daylight. First, it’s versatile, especially for a convention. Conventions like AX involve a lot of transitioning from bright outdoor spaces to dimly lit interiors. With one filter change, I can shoot both on the same camera. Second, it’s a slightly higher ISO so you can shoot higher shutter speeds. Cinestill is normally metered at 800 ISO, but when using an 85B filter it’s recommended you shoot the film at 500. The only small issue I ran into, which you’ll notice on some of these shots, is that there’s a bit of vignetting on the edges. I was using a Nikkor AF 28-85 zoom lens. The filter I used was 62mm, the standard thread size for the lens. Unfortunately, with wider focal lengths like 28mm, you can get some vignetting when using a filter. In the future, I’ll need to purchase filters that are slightly larger than the thread size and use step-up rings.

Back to the convention. An interesting thing happened this year; I got recognized, A LOT. Certainly a lot more than I’m used to. I wouldn’t say I’m particularly secretive, but I don’t post a lot of selfies or do interviews. I’m not a very visible public figure; I’m mostly known for my work. It was a really pleasant surprise though. I think the fact that I dressed like Mitsu for most of it helped. The two guys pictured on page 7 stopped me on my way to artist alley. I’m pleased to say that every single Hitsuji fan I’ve met is cool as fuck. If you guys ever see me at Anime Expo, PLEASE don’t hesitate to say hi, it makes my day every single time.

Last year I was still relatively new to film photography, and the year prior I didn’t even own a film camera. I shot around 720 photos this year; I flew into LA with a gallon ziplock bag full of film and gave myself permission to shoot as much of it as I wanted. This is just a small snapshot, but I hope it can capture at least a little of that AX magic. I’ll be posting part 2 soon, which will be entirely focused on the photos I shot around little Tokyo, of which there are hundreds. You can also check my instagram account @american_konbini or my photography twitter @mootsheep to see some of the ones that didn’t make it into this issue.

Thanks for your patience on this issue, I wanted to make sure it was as good as possible. Part 2 will be much faster because all the photos have been developed and scanned. Bunch of new merch is coming, NGK 4 is being drawn; I promise you Fall is always the best time for Hitsuji-happenings! Again, thank you always for your patience and support. It's been a busy month for me photography-wise. I’ve been working with Suzi Hunter on a bunch of stuff lately so if any of you are fans of both of us, you’re in for a treat! Check her latest youtube video and you might notice something in the background!