Katsucon is coming…tomorrow actually. I’ve gotta tell ya, after being away from it
for three years due to the Pandemic, it was one of the best feelings of 2023 to
get back to the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center and breathe in that con air
life again. For me, Katsucon, like
Otakon, is a home away from home for celebrating being an Anime fan with like
minded Anime fans. For a lot of people,
however, it’s one of the biggest Cosplay celebrations on the East Coast. Thousands of Otaku flock to National Harbor
every February, bringing cosplays old and new to show off and have photos taken
throughout the majestic Gaylord itself.
And who can blame them? The
Gaylord was built for photography. So to
celebrate tomorrows epic return to one of my favorite conventions, todays Top 5
Wednesday will be looking at the Top 5 Photoshoot Spots at Katsucon.
Located on the second floor of the Atrium, this little
gap between the Hotel and the Convention Center is home to a couple of
beautician shops and spas.
It’s also got
perfect lighting and backdrops for more elegant looking photoshoots.
Just walking down the hallway gives off a
very magical feel and one glance at it and you can see why it’s a popular spot
for a photo of anykind.
There is a
downside, however.
This passageway is
one of several used by all attendees to get to their next destination and photoshoots
can get difficult depending on what time of day you try and attempt one.
My personal suggestion is waiting until
nightfall when the lighting is best or keeping an eye on the official
photoshoot schedule to see when crowds might be focused in other areas, leaving
this little not so secret spot open for business.
#4-Stonewalls by the Escalator
While there is an eternal problem with crowd control and
heavy traffic congestion at Katsucon, some spots seem to be immune or have less
hassle to deal with.
One such spot is on
the far left side of the bottom floor Atrium, right by the gift shop.
Here against grey stone walls you’ll find a
bunch of smaller, somewhat private photoshoots going on.
The wall itself looks cool and if you wanna
get fancy with setting up lighting and other backdrops, there’s ample space for
that too.
Usually you can find one or
two photographers doing professional shoots here and they change out pretty
frequently, meaning there’s a chance for everyone to take advantage of this
space not really hampered by large crowds even at the height of the busiest
day.
#3-The Rear Entrance Courtyard
Katsucon is held in the middle of February, which is the
middle of winter, which means no human being would ever want to risk super low
temps for the perfect photo right? Well
some do go for it but the last few years have been a little weird weather
wise. Last year especially saw temps at
a cozy spring level, which meant everyone could pile outside and take advantage
of the sun and the space. And they’re
right to do so. The Courtyard offers
some of the best scenery in all of National Harbor including the titular Harbor
itself with Washington DC just off in the distance on the other side. There’s also pathways to other locals like
the famous National Harbor Ferris Wheel and the docks where a lot of cosplayers
like to have private shoots. It’s enough
to make an argument that Katsu should maybe be held in March or April.
#2-The Fountains
Arguably the biggest indoor spot for photography, the
Fountains are where the largest groups hold their official and unofficial
Photoshoots. It can definitely get a little cramped (so i’d recommend knowing
what shoots are there and getting there nice and early so you can get a good
spot near the front.).
Despite that,
there’s something to be said for seeing dozens of cosplayers bring their
creations from one expansive Anime or franchise together.
From My Hero Academia to Fate/Stay Night to
Critical Role, Katsucon usually reserves this spot for the biggest fandoms and
sometimes even offer two hour slots instead of one (depends of the popularity
of what’s there).
Plus when the lights
go down and you are lucky enough to get photos while the Fountains is doing its
nightly light up and water rising show, those pics have to look absolutely
stunning.
#1-The Gazebo
Really was it going to be anything else?
This one spot is the reason why Cosplayers
travel far and wide to be here at Katsucon: to have their photo taken in front
of this one Gazebo that might as well be a Holy relic.
Be it at day or at night, the Gazebo area is
one of the busiest in the entire convention.
When large group photoshoots aren’t happening, there’s always a line for
people wanting solo photos to show that they got to have their cosplays seen at
this location.
Besides the Gazebo
itself, the area around it is pretty popular for photos, especially at the
doors leading to one of the Gaylords central ballrooms.
Here you can find five or six photographers
at once holding private photoshoots with Cosplayers, its actually impressive
how they can space it all out.
Also,
personally, if you want to really get a good taste of con life, just find a
nice corner, sit there and look or close your eyes.
The Gazebo level is just a place of pure
magic, especially at night.
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