These are the Beards of Con. Oz Comic Con, to be exact.
Let me start this by saying, if you ever feel like you don’t fit in, go to Oz Comic Con. An overwhelming sense of welcome was how I would describe the experience as my wife and I wandered the isles. Like, no matter who we were, what we were wearing or anything else we could’ve been judged for, no one was bothered. And, on top of that, every interaction we had was full of joy, happiness and genuine eagerness to make our day great. Anyway, onto the beards.
For our daughter’s birthday this year, we took her and a couple of friends to OZ Comic Con in Melbourne and for the most part, I was just along for the ride.
With no expectations, other than assuming there’d already be a plethora of photographers documenting the marvellous costumes and creations, my entire goal was to merely enjoy the spectacle and find out what all the fuss was about.
It wasn’t long before I noticed the familiar furry chins of the almighty beards upon many a person’s chin. Glorious beards were everywhere. Long beards, short beards, dark beards and white beards. Y’know, all of the beards. (Well, I didn’t see any wizard beards sooooooo, what’s up with that?)
Admiring a few beards from a far, it dawned on me that these strangers needed some light shone their way. I was not prepared, however, for the amount of excitement and acceptance of me to make their portrait and showing off their beard growing skills.
It takes a bunch of commitment to grow (and maintain) the hairy chin and these gentlemen have taken to the task with much enthusiasm. And it shows!
Making portraits with all these beautiful humans was undoubtedly the highlight of the show for myself. Watching their eyes light up with pride as we appreciated the joy that is growing a beard.
Thanks for the few minutes we shared, conversing over common interests. Thank you.
A Note On Image Usage
For personal usage, with proper photo credit (tag and mention @gorakphoto in any captions) please do not hesitate to use these on your personal social media accounts. Please contact me for any commercial/business usage, or if you’d like information on prints.
