"Cosplay" photos have attracted worldwide attention as a form of Japanese pop culture. When capturing famous characters in a game or an anime work with a camera, my style is to express them as "a piece of drawing," as I find it interesting to reproduce the individuality of the characters and the perspective of the world in the original work based on my own interpretation. Needless to say, much thought has been given to creating such a world, so I am very particular in choosing the equipment to use. With this in mind, the camera that I arrived at was the EOS 6D. In the following, I will explain the roles of a full-frame camera in bringing an imaginary world into reality.（Reported by: Lewo Saito）

EOS 5D Mark II/ EF50mm f/1.8 II/ Manual exposure (1/100 sec., f/14)/ ISO 320/ WB: RAW

Here, I captured a character that is created based on a "Chocolate Mint" candy using a pop, package illustration-like effect. I adjusted the lighting so that the high-key areas of the subject, such as the gradation of the skin tone, would appear smooth. Taking into account the design, I cropped the photo above the chest level to about one-quarter its original size. Nonetheless, the details remain clear, thanks to the expressive power of the full-frame camera.

Yuka

EOS 6D/ EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM/ FL: 50mm/ Manual exposure (1/1600 sec., f/8)/ ISO 100/ WB: RAW

This image aims at a surreal depiction of a bewitching world with "Yuka Kazami," the strongest phantom in the popular game, "Touhou Project," as the motif. By making effective use of the strong sunlight and the halation created, I took an HDR shot so as to retain the details of the sky. With a full-frame camera, which is rich in gradation, you can challenge tone expression with a huge contrast in the brightness.

Expressing the World of Characters through Advanced Photographic Technologies

From an ardent lover of games, I began photographing characters. I wanted to capture my favorite characters in a real-world setting, but this is not because I like costumes. I would see it as something similar to those photographing well-known personalities they like.

I try to adhere as closely as possible to the view of the world and the setting of the original work that I am immersed in, and reproduce them as photos in this real world. In order to do so, a large amount of special photographic techniques are needed, such as multiple-flash photography and careful exposure control for smooth tonal expression, and retouch techniques that superimpose many layers of high-quality materials. The effort required during the production process cannot be compared with that of normal photography. However, the same can be said for the level of satisfaction gained from the final result.

To fulfill such stringent requirements for the production of my works, support by a full-frame camera is indispensable. With an excellent depictive power of more than 20 megapixels, minimal noise at high ISO speeds, and a body size that eases handheld shooting, the EOS 6D is my favorite choice. The large sensor pitch makes it capable of capturing a large amount of light, allowing for fine-tuned lighting expression with the gradation retained up to the limits. Such expressive power is essential for reproducing an imaginary world in reality.

Cosplay photos contains a plethora of elements which many find charming, such as the gorgeous costumes, beautiful characters, and the creative gadgets and background setting that reflect the world view of the original work. I want to share the beauty of such a world with as many people as possible. As I was penning down my thoughts, I have also started thinking about ideas for my next piece of work.