(Photo taken by Lissa Haby at Wondercon 2023)
Hi, it's Zachary, ready to intrigue the world with zaniness and intrigue. Ever since May, Star Wars has been in the news. From future projects like the Ahsoka tv show, or the unfortunate passing of Ray Stevenson (and one of the final roles being in Ahsoka), Star Wars has been in the news. Some news is big, but for others like myself it's small in comparison. Still, Star Wars is still a franchise where the iron is still hot, including for myself. Long story short, my latest news/updates are very Star Wars related and it mostly involves cosplay.
A while back in March 2023, Wondercon hosted an event and one of my few cosplay, a Sith lord dubbed "Darth Xax" was my first Star Wars ego/custom cosplay for embracing my inner Sith. Thanks to a great photographer, Armando Rodriguez, he took photos of my cosplay and made me look awesome. While I did have another photographer that day, Lissa Haby, Armando also took on another project that went beyond photography: graphic designs/composite imagery. He was able to turn photos from a convention and put some science fiction effects onto his photography. It was amazing what he could do with Adobe Photoshop since it relied on putting various images and effects together to give off the ultimate Star Wars fantasy. Here are a few examples of what he did and while the first two here Armando's work, the next three are of my own doing and skill:
(The first two are by Armando Rodriguez, and the next three are by Zachary Vargas)
It goes to show how Photoshop can turn various images and effects into such cool digital art work. It was also a good opportunity to post my own stuff and find ways to turn photography into art. I'm glad to have met Armando and learn of his skills and talents as a photographer and a graphic designer. If you wish to see more of his work, you can find him on the links/social media pages below:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Alchemycosphoto
Instagram: @alchemy_cos
website: https://www.alchemycosphoto.com/
Other Updates (Star Wars Related)
While I'm still talking about Star Wars, here are a few notes:
- I need to plan a photoshoot for my Light Side Jedi cosplay, dubbed "Arkham Xohrak"
- I'm planning to make another Mandalorian cosplay, which is more based on my preferences and designs. It will be in a different color, various patterns will be used, and I hope to get it done this year
- I bought a Luke Skywalker cosplay (more based on Return of the Jedi) and plan for a photoshoot. My lightsaber is an Ultrasaber and it's not too accurate, it's a minor thing in the grand scheme of things.
- I also bought a wig to have a young Obi-Wan Kenobi cosplay. It will go well with my light side jedi cosplay, but I may need brown boots. Also, I don't have a robe but it's fine and while I don't have an accurate lightsaber, I got a mystery box blue lightsaber from Ultrasabers and like my Luke costume, it's a minor thing.
- Lastly, this is one thing I'm saving up for last: I have the darksaber. Through a mix of Etsy and Ultrasabers, I have my own darksaber. While it's a transparent blade, it's small potatoes since if I do Photoshop, I can edit it to look like the darksaber but with a green hue.
Long story short: I got cosplay plans and Star Wars will be one of them. Also, may do some other stuff like My Hero Academia since I bought new wigs for the male characters. I'll try and keep posting more Tiktok videos and other posts on my social media pages. Stay safe, stay clean, and best wishes!!!