The Project
I wanted to focus on the leisure and hobby section of everyday life. In my own personal life, gaming (Video & Board) is something that I love spending my free time doing. I wanted to capture that.
Starting off, I spoke with a local TCG Shop and arranged evenings to come and visit. I wanted to get a wide range of games, hobbies and players which would need different nights a week.
Following that, I wanted to look at the home aspect also however, on a personal experience, that wasn’t possible.
The Plan for Visits
I’ve arranged with local game shop Harlequins (HQ)to visit on multiple evenings over 4 weeks to gather photographs of different games, events and groupings.
I also have our weekly trip to the WSAH where our social group plays TCG to photograph and my own personal life (post-moving) to document certain experiences. I want to focus on the physical games (board, tcg, tabletop) instead of video as it’s something that isn’t normally photographed in a social setting.
HQ Trip 1 – TCG Night
Games Played:
Magic The Gathering // Star Wars TCG // Warhammer Kill Team // One Piece TCG // Yu-Ghi-Oh.
Comments about experience:
I became overwhelmed so quickly this night. They had two TCG Tournaments running parallel and the room filled up very quickly. I stayed for around an hour, trying to focus on the groups and Warhammer games instead of the Tournament games.
The only issue I faced this evening was that the painters table was not an option to photograph. Members that were there worked for companies that meant they couldn’t have their photograph taken. I don’t fully understand it however, consent was not given.
I went in with my Nikon D5300 and a 35mm lens. Not knowing what to expect, I wanted to travel small and light, freeing me up and letting me stay out of the way. Whereas this did work well, I personally struggled with my settings. Wanting to focus on detail, I stayed in a low aperture which did give me some fantastic shots. However meant I struggled mid-way through on the wider ones.
Notes for next visit:
- Take second lens (18-150) to get wide shots and close ups at a distance – Means can be out of the way
- Polarizing filter due to card sleeves reflecting lights
- Attempt a quieter night due to high volume of people & own personal confidence.
Contact Sheet:
I haven’t been editing any of these images as of yet. As they’re shot in NEF, I’ve had to convert them to JPEG through Lightroom to import them into WordPress.
Personal Favourites:
HQ Trip 2 – Commander Night
Games Played:
Warhammer 40k // Magic the Gathering // Other Misc Boardgames // Mini-Fig Painters
Comments on experience:
A much quieter evening but it meant a more personal experience with the players. Not only that, my partner was one of the players which helped me connect with them more. I listened to my notes and took both lenses with me, splitting the visit in two – 35mm // 18-150mm. I also spent more time organising my settings and making sure I had the needed shutter speed against the aperture.
All in, around 2 hours were spent at HQ and it was a delight! As it was a quieter evening, I could talk to the people about their games and why they play. I even found a lovely Scottish man who lived in the same town as David Tennant in the 90’s. (His dad was his neighbour). The painting tables were available to photograph tonight however there weren’t many people around to shoot. I will need to come back to this one another evening.
I didn’t get as many photographs as I’d hoped for however, given the upcoming events, I’m hopeful. Over the next week, there are two major events happening. A MTG Pre-Release event and a Pokemon Day Event. Both of these will bring in different types of people and I hope even some wonderful stories to follow.
I want to see if I can find photographers who have captured live TCG events and see if theres angles/aspects I’m missing. This lead me to Nicky Ebbage
Notes for next visit:
- Find other players instead of TCG & Warhammer
- Focus on Mini-Fig painters!!!
- Special Events?
- Take into account statements made by Ebbage about her experience.
Contact Sheet:
Personal Favourites
HQ Trip 3 – D&D Night (Not)
I originally wanted to bring the 35mm and B&W Film with me however we couldn’t locate the film. In hindsight, it paid off as the full extent of the D&D group didn’t arrive.
Games Played:
Magic the Gathering // Warhammer: 40k // Lorcarna // Dungeons and Dragons
Comments from Visits:
A much busier night as we had a Gundam TCG tournament this evening. The events organiser did request I did not photograph the event which unfortunately cut off half the room. Not only that, there were multiple groups that were under 18 which I was not photographing without parental consent. The final blow was finding out the D&D group I wanted to focus on had cancelled last minute. There was a much smaller group that came by however they arrived as we were heading out. (I was there for two hours this time, 6pm til 8pm. The group arrived around 7:30)
There was a beautiful moment of a community coming together. Upon our arrival, Kat stated that they had received the new chairs for the venue. Everyone came together, offering help in carrying the old ones out and unwrapping the new ones. Myself and Ed included!
I wanted to focus on solely people tonight, attempting to get facial photographs capturing spur of the moment actions. Whereas I wasn’t fortunate in the capturing department, I did grab a few beautiful shots that caught some wonderful moments. Unfortunately there weren’t any painters around tonight but I’m hopeful for next Monday as it’s Mini-Fig night.
Notes for next visit:
- Check ISO! Most of the photos are too nosy & required de-noising before exporting.
- More focus on facial features. Watch one pod for a period of time to capture moments.
- Stay away from Warhammer – We have enough 🙂
Contact Sheets:
Personal Favourites:
HQ Trip 4 – Magic Pre-Release Night
Games Played:
Magic the Gathering TMNT Pre-release draft // Star Wars RPG // General Customers.
Notes from Visit
We were prepared for a rough turnout for this event however expected 10-15 at least. Not the 4 that turned up!
Including Ed, there were a total of four players for the whole event. Apparently for the next two nights of the event, it was the same. With this, I attempted to see what was around for me to photograph. As last time, I wanted to focus on people/faces however this time, I wanted to focus on the “Non-Male”. As it’s such a male-dominated area, seeing other genders attending is a comforting and wonderful thing.
Contact Sheet
Personal Favourites
As it stands, I have one trip left booked in however I want to use this to fill gaps in.
HQ Trip 5 – Research & Understanding
At this point, I was getting lost. I wasn’t able to see a new direction to start photographing. My lecturer asked me what angle I wanted to focus on and I couldn’t think of one. I blurted out “Community & Enjoyment” but that doesn’t feel right. These games are like chess, they’re strategy and planning. They’re tabletop war! It’s all focus and thinking ahead.
For my next visit, I decided to head down. not as a photographer but as a player. Try and see the experience differently. Try and figure out what angle I wanted to focus on. I was so hung up on taking the photographs, I’d almost forgotten what I’d was photographing.
I have enough experience in Magic The Gathering that I could sit and play a few games. I wanted to talk to people I’d photographed and hear their stories and play against them first hand.
D & M
A couple in their mid-20’s, both come down on a Monday night to meet with friends & play a few rounds of MTG. D started playing in their teens however, felt a bit isolated being female in a male dominated game. They would play with close friends but never had the confidence to play at a Local Game Store. It wasn’t until they met and started dating M that they had the confidence to start playing elsewhere.
M started playing in his teens also but would play at a local games store, as well as online. He’d competed in local tournaments and event nights however never wanted to play professional. The game to them is a connection they have, something they share together. It’s something they’re both excited about and enjoy playing. That being said, they both made respective comments about how much they’ve spent on it.
D & M were amazing competitors, helping me out with things I wasn’t sure about and being kind whenever I made a mistake. D held the victory early on however M managed to take her out. I became a troublesome threat against M however, ultimately M won the game.
E & A:
Although not happy being photographed, I had an amazing discussion with them about the game, what it means to them and how they ended up at the position their in.
E was introduced to magic back in high school and used to play it with his friends. He fell in love with the intricate ways the cards can mix and the thousands of different ways it can be played. Prior to Universes Beyond, he was excited for every set meaning new combinations and new strategies. However he feels like the game has since become a cash-grab with very little soul left. He believes that in the last two years, there has been maybe 3 sets that have intrigued him, one of which was a cross over with Final Fantasy.
A said she picked up the game because of a freebie at her local games shop. She then dated someone who taught her how to play but made the game feel like a chore. It wasn’t until 6 years ago when she started dating E that she actually started enjoying the game. To her, it’s nothing more than cards he loves but it’s something that brings her closer to him. She described it as a piece of his world she can enjoy alongside him. She did mention that at times, it feels like she’s fueling an addiction with how much it consumes him.
E plays the game like chess, he’s always thinking three steps again while I’m figuring out what he did two turns ago. A did something called “Small Bean-ing”. Where she doesn’t quite understand what’s going on so the other players ignore her, deeming no threat. That being said, she did managed to create a 26/26 hamster that did nearly take me out in one. Unsurprisingly, E wiped the floor with us both.
I didn’t win a single game that night but I had a great time. Playing alongside them and having some fun with it all. I’d gotten so wrapped up in the photographs, I’d forgotten the game.
HQ Visit 6 – Focus on MTG & Play
Games Played:
Magic the Gathering
Notes from Visit:
Following my previous visit, I decided to slow down and focus on one pod at a time, try and capture moments. Inbetween games, I started looking at specifically MTG and Harlequins things. ie stock, POS & signs.
I’d managed to get my settings right as well. 1/50-1/80, F4 and 1000 iso seems to be combating the light issue fantastically. Since HQ changed their tables from purple to white it’s made colour correction so much easier.
Not only that, the manager asked me to come back this weekend, Friday & Saturday, to photograph the “C-EDH National Championship Qualifiers”! Not only that, they’ve got a major Pokemon event they’ve hired me for also! Whereas I might not use the photographs, it would be amazing experience.
Reviewing the photo’s, there wasn’t much usable. Either because I wasn’t quick enough or because of my own shaky hand. This was definitely the worst of the visits so far.
Contact Sheets:
Notes for Next Visit:
- Possible long day so comfy shoes and wear black to avoid being distraction.
- Bring spare SD cards & drinks
HQ Trip 7 – National Qualifiers
Games Played:
Magic the Gathering
Notes from Visit:
This was an insane day! I was at HQ by 10:30, the tournament started at 11. I met the judge for the event, Tom, who was lovely and the CEDH-UK rep that was there to officiate the event. They were both lovely to work alongside and helped in any way possible. We were estimated to finish around 7pm meaning we were all in for a long day.
The event would consist of three stages. Beginning, Top Cut & Finals. The start would consist of all players (33 in the end) and 5 rounds, each lasting 75 minutes with a 15 minute extention. Round two would be the top cut. They would take the top 13 and play two rounds, 75 minutes each. Then it’s the finals. The time limit would be determined at the time.
We were due to finish around 8pm. We didn’t until 10:15pm.
Aside from an 90 minute breather I took to recharge the camera and clear the SD cards, I was there all day alongside the Judge & Staff. We were all a bit crazy by the end of the day.
It was an amazing experience that had a whole heap of issues for me and the player. First issue was the lighting. The settings I’d been using were for the store at night. We were now in blinding sunlight meaning I had to reset. We also realised it may be time to put my trusty Nikon D5300 to rest as it was struggling to keep up with me. The only other issue I had was between my shutter speed and peoples movements. These are quick action tournaments meaning everyone’s moving fast. I’m having to shoot at around 1/50th meaning I’m getting a lot of motion blur.
Overall, I ended the 12(ish) hour long shoot with 1400 images. Most of which were from continuous shutter attempting to capture a movement. After culling to only ones that were usable, I was left with 173.
Post Cull – Contact Sheet
End of Trips & Thoughts
Whereas I wanted to look generically, I ended up focusing more on Magic the Gathering. The reasons being what they are (Age bracket, personal connection, playability) it became an experience I would happily do again.
It let me see the casual and competitive side of the game and understand it’s players more. If I were to attempt this again, I’d definitely make some changes. Between my focuses, my equipment and my own perspective. I’d attempt different game shops to add variety.
However, in the eyes of this project, I was more than happy with the collection I’d gathered. After the initial cull, I’d got over 200 images, out of over 2000 in total, that were “usable”. I now need to start culling down and finding the perfect ones.
NEXT PAGE – SELECTION & RETOUCHING
AlphaRose Photography 
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