Meet Alan Kuramoto of Portraits.N.Cosplay in Gardena

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alan Kuramoto.

Alan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Photography has been a life long hobby, ever since my dad gave me my first camera over 60 years ago. I taught myself the art of photography through landscape photography. I tried to photograph people, but I never liked my photos because I thought they were not any good.

Flash forward to 2012 when a friend needed a photographer for WonderCon, a convention that included celebrity discussions and something new to me, cosplay or costume play, people who like to dress up in various costumes, mostly of characters from movies, TV series, or comic books. I had zero clue what I was supposed to do or how to photograph cosplayers, but over the next years, I developed and improved on my skills as a “cosplay photographer”, basically listening to what cosplayers wanted, in terms of photographs.

My big “break” came at WonderCon 2017 when another friend invited me to a Harry Potter cosplay group that needed a photographer to photograph their group. From that photo shoot until a few others that year, I believe I started to get noticed and experienced my busiest year in 2018 with photo shoots at various conventions, including San Diego Comic Con, the biggest comic con on the West Coast. 2019 has been a year of various photos of mine featured in five different publications and as well as experimenting with new ideas that I have incorporated with my photo shoots. I am amazed by the support from cosplayers and fashion models who continue to inspire my creativity.

Has it been a smooth road?
I cannot say, exactly, if I had an easy road to get to where I am. Certainly, there have been long hours at conventions, some days without eating or much rest. Private photo shoots can be challenging, considering the locations or the travel time to get to certain locations, but I guess that is part of the game for any photographer and the rewards far exceed the challenges.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am considered as a “cosplay photographer”, but recently begun to focus on other aspects of cosplay photography and photography in general. I am focusing more on “head shots” or portrait shots of the cosplayer as well as non-cosplay or fashion shoots. I have expanded my horizons to photo shoots in popular amusement parks due to recent requests and in urban areas, such as the Little Tokyo area of downtown LA and charity events like the annual Christmas toy drives for the East LA CHP and The Shriners For Children Medical Center. I am very pleased with the apparent success over the past two years and feel that my photographic skills and integrity as a photographer are part of the reasons that sets me apart from other photographers, and, there are several good photographers in the world of cosplay photography. I just try to be different from everyone else and hope it works.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
There are so many places in Los Angeles for my type of work, the “problem” is finding the right location that is compatible with what I do. My recommendation to someone just starting out is to visualize the area you want to work in, scout around for a few locations, and go with your gut instinct.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portraits.n.cosplay/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fstop77

Image Credit:
‘90’s Fashion – Vanessa Perez, Black Widow cosplay – Sylvia Vale, Japanese Fashion(white yutaka) – Kana Nozu, Deadpool cosplay – Morgan Loftin, Pokémon cosplay – Samantha Schwacher, Japanese Fashion (green yutaka) – Haruka Moribatake, Star Wars/Padme cosplay – Erika Kawaguchi, Rey Cosplayer is Josephine Parks

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