Awhile back as my former pessimistic self I did a long rant about “needing a Fursuit to be Popular within the Fandom”.  It sparked quite the debate on both sides of the fence.

I’m not here to re-open that Wound, instead I’m here to look at how it has affected my life (because it has in a BIG way) even though I never have nor have any intention of ever wearing or buying a fursuit.   I am very THANKFUL for that change.

I will start off on saying that in spite of how bitter I was before as the old me I have always had great respect for fursuiters, especially those who can get into a character; be active and put on a show.  

Want to know why certain fursuiters tend to get more screen time in my videos and more photos of them?  The answer is simple: being entertaining is key.  Having an amazing suit might get a few photos for reference, but the Performance fursuiters will get far more attention from my camera.

Which slipstreams into the meat of this post; how Fursuiting has affected my life and changed it for the better:

When I joined the Fandom Fursuiting wasn’t a thing… at least with the level of quality and craftsmanship it is now.  Any fursuits that existed were either something someone bought at Party City during Halloween costumes 1 / 2 off clearance or were hand made with no experience or real inspiration to delve off of.  Therefore it was a very niche thing and was not regarded as a defining point of the Furry Fandom as it is now.

Instead, the big thing was Artwork.  Artists were the Egomaniacs and popularity contests were based off of how many commissions you had or badges you were wearing.  This was one camp of the fandom.

The other camp was the gamers, RPers and those glued to Online RP/Mucks even while they were at a convention.  I was in this camp.  This camp is still around but not as large as it once was; though it is starting to make a comeback.

I started out in Furry as a Gamer not as a Photographer.  It’s the reason my first Staff Role in the fandom was as the Gaming Head for Midwest FurFest, a role which I just retired from last year.
There  were two influences to me for me to get into Photography.  The first was Nature and Animals.  One of the main driving forces behind wanting to get better equipment and experience with photography was being in a Photographer’s Paradise (Hawaii) and stuck with a POS point and shoot camera that took small grainy photos, was so slow that I couldn’t capture any motion with it, and had almost no Zoom.

The second was Fursuiting.  When I started getting more into Photography it was also at the dawn of Fursuiting becoming a recognizable thing within the Furry Fandom.  The timing may have been coincidental; but it did inspire my Photography in a BIG way.

If I look through my photo archive I realize that 1 / 3 to 1 / 2 of my photos stored on disk are photos I would be reluctant to share with my family and co-workers because they have “Weird people dressed up as Animals” as the main focus.

So yes, Fursuiting has affected my life in a BIG way.  It helped change and shape me from an awkward nerd who hid behind an RPG book to a slightly less awkward nerd who hides behind a camera instead.

When I started going to Furry Conventions I wouldn’t have wanted nor needed anything more then a pocket camera.  Take a few photos of random things and my friends to prove I was there.

Now I spend a serious amount of time before the con just deciding what gear I should pack and trying to make sure I have enough batteries, tape, and memory cards for the weekend; and still I often find I didn’t bring enough.  And it’s all thanks to Fursuiting.
Without Fursuits and Cosplay I would have never had the experience or desire to learn about a lot of certain aspects of Photography such as Studio Photography.  While I did it professionally as a Church Directory Photographer for a little while, it was far far less fun then doing it for Fandom conventions.

Now, there is some truth in the fact that getting a fursuit is an Easy way to get instant popularity even as a photographer.  A Fursuiter carrying around a DSLR tends to get a LOT of attention.

But this shouldn’t be about looking for an “Easy way”.  Sometimes the harder, more challenging road is the one that is also a lot more interesting.  Yes it takes a lot more effort but in the end can be a lot more rewarding.  The people who do follow me are following me because they really enjoy my photography and videography and not because “Hey you were the guy in the really neat Fursuit that was taking photos while in suit!”

So I’ll circle back to another question.  People might wonder why I have zero interest in wearing a fursuit.  Well there are a couple of answers to that:  First off I’m a big guy who is not in perfect shape.  My body does not know how to regulate heat well at all.  I break up a profuse sweat sometimes working as an event photographer in a very light T-Shirt.  Being that active in a Fursuit would damn near kill me.

The second reason is for what I do it would be both a hindrance and a distraction.  Yes it might garner some attention which is helpful for getting reactions especially for Videography; but in addition to being exhausting physically it’s also a hindrance with your field of vision.  

Being a photographer or videographer your vision is already severely reduced by looking through a viewfinder or LCD panel.  You see what your camera sees.  Your peripheral vision goes to shit.  

So I can in a way understand what fursuiters go through as photographers have one of the same inherit problems when they are working.  I’ve stumbled and run into people I haven’t seen multiple times as a photographer or videographer because they were outside the field of view of the lens.

Throwing on something that would reduce your ability to see as a Photographer seems like a really bad idea.

To Wrap up: Fursuiting has changed my life for the better.  It has allowed me to live vicariously through the photos I take at conventions I attend both as an individual and as a Staff Photographer.

Without Fursuiting or Cosplay a staff photographer at a Fandom Convention would be really dull. For that matter, would there even need to be a staff photographer without cosplay?

 I’ve done Event photography at things like a Family Reunion and a Gala; and while the gratitude you receive from the party that hired you at the end is rewarding; the actual photography is a lot more dull and those “fun moments” are fewer and further between.

Not to say there aren’t moments.  Hell, even at Furry Cons some of the best video I have taken were of people who were wearing plain clothes.  But many times it was someone out of suit who was interacting with someone who was in suit.  That combination can be Magical.

So to the Fursuiters out there:  Thank you for entertaining us.  Thank you for allowing me to take photos and video of you and allow your creativity to fuel my own.