Last night I had the honor of photographing my good friend Michael in his newly minted Stormtrooper outfit. He’s had a long standing ambition to join the 501st Legion, which is a group of cosplayers that wear Stormtrooper armor and show up for events or other activities like cheering up kids at hospitals. I’ve been following his progress on his armor build, from sheets of formed ABS plastic, to full completion.

Last night I got to take his certification pictures that he’s submitting to the Legion for basic certification. Once he’s certified he can attend various events in costume and participate in official activities. It was a ton of fun to see the costume all put together, and he did a great job on it. It was also fun to get to do some photos of people again, with some studio lighting. I haven’t gotten to work with that in a while, and although I see some things that I wish I would have changed, I’m pleased with the results.

Happy Trooping Michael!