As you all know I’m not a dedicated cosplay photographer so I wouldn’t exactly call myself an insider in the world of cosplay, but over the months as I’ve followed your work and seen your WIPs, I know how much effort and craftsmanship goes into each of your cosplays. This project is my attempt to try capture and showcase that passion and artistry.

The layouts for zine will include:

• A variety of photos ranging from full length, mid-length, headshots, and costume detail.

• A blurb from the cosplayer about their cosplay,

• Several of the cosplayer’s favorite quotes from their character,

• A short bio.

I’ve seen fashion editorials formatted in a similar way, but I have yet to see a cosplay shoot presented like this.

LOCATION: Various spots at the con. Most likely mainly in photographer’s alley or at the front entrance. Possibly inside, depending on if I can find a nice backdrop with good light. There’s also a spot between the Hilton and the convention center (G8 on the Fanime Gathering map) that has an interesting metal grate wall.

DATES & TIME: The two main days I’ll be attending the con will be Saturday and Sunday (I might go Monday, but it will only be for a couple of hours due to work).

Available time slots will be at the top of every hour. Saturday: 11-6. Sunday: 10-5. Monday: 10-11 (only if Saturday or Sunday does not work).

For those who do their primary shoot for the project on Saturday and you have another cosplay you want photographed on Sunday, I am open to doing a quick mini-shoot (a headshot, mid length shot, and full length). Same thing goes for Sunday, except the mini shoot would be on Saturday. Primary shoots will have priority first, but once everyone locks in their shoots for the project, the remaining time slots will be open to the mini-shoots.

EQUIPMENT: Just me and my camera/s. On Saturday I’ll be shooting digital only. Sunday will be both digital and analog. I’ll be trying out my Mamiya RZ67 with a 6x4.5 film back. The Mamiya is a medium format camera (the negative size with the 6x4.5 film back is twice the size of a 35mm). It has a waist level viewfinder, so instead of bring up the camera to my eye and pointing it at you, I’ll be holding it at chest/waistlevel and looking down at the viewfinder. Just a slightly different kind of shooting experience that I’m looking forward to trying out.

THE PHOTO SHOOT: This is where my inexperience comes in. I’m still not very comfortable with directing, so it won’t be one of those “I want you to pose like this” kind of shoots. This will very much be a collaborative effort. This project is as much for you as it is for me. I welcome and want you to bring your own ideas. I’ll be doing some research on each of your characters to familiarize myself with them, but you will know them much better then I will. How you choose to pose and portray your character will mainly be up to you. I’ll bring some of my own ideas and may make a few requests or suggestions, but it will always be after you’ve done the poses that you want to do. I’ll be making a pinterest mood board just in case we hit a block and need some inspiration.

Full length shots. We’ll warm up with these and keep things loose, experiment with different poses, etc. The shots will be framed from head to toe and will capture your entire cosplay. This set will be all about conveying your character through gesture/body language. At this stage I’ll be keeping my input to a minimum. I want to keep your creativity with your posing open and free. I may occasionally ask you to hold a pose or make a slight adjustment and then step in for a slightly tighter shot.

Mid-length shots. This set will be framed from head to lower torso and focus on both gesture and facial expression. These shots will be much tighter so when posing keep in mind any gesture with the hands and arms that extends too far away from the shoulders will be out of frame (however this can be compensated for by angling the body).

Costume detail shots. This set will highlight various parts of your cosplay; hairstyling, footwear, props, interesting costume elements or textures, etc.

Headshots and expressive shots. These will be framed from the head down to mid chest and some a bit tighter showing only shoulders and head. This set will focus on expressing your character’s personality or attitude. Subtle or cool or completely over the top, it’s up to you.

Shooting aesthetic. My style is very minimalistic, just the cosplayer and a simple and clean backdrop.

With each con I’ve slowly built up my confidence, but this is still very much a learning experience for me. The pictures used for the mockup with Michaela (@lil_mackie_cosplay) was my first shoot. Up to that point it was mainly “one and done” shots and a few mini sets. So I thank you ahead of time for your patience and goodwill during the shoot:)

WHAT I’LL NEED FROM YOU (after the con): A blurb on your cosplay. This is your opportunity to say whatever you want about your cosplay and character. Why did you choose this character? What is it that drew you to him/her? What do you love about the character? etc. If you made your cosplay; what went into the creation of your costume? What were your struggles? What were your triumphs? What’s the thing you’re most proud of? etc.

I will also need several of your favorite quotes from your character and a short bio about yourself. How long have you been cosplaying? What inspired you to start? Why do you love it? etc.

I don’t expect any of these elements before the con as I know you will all be hard at work on your cosplays:)

END PRODUCT: The zine layouts will be uploaded onto my site in the Fanime section in a new gallery called Featured Cosplayers. Within it, each of you will have a dedicated page that will have a slideshow and the full layout spreads.

I will also format the layouts for print, so you can go onto a site like blurb.com and have an actual magazine made. I think it would be neat to have something to hold in your hands and flip through and share with friends and family. I would love to print one out for each of you myself, the price for an individual magazine is pretty reasonable (under $10 with shipping included), but to do it for everyone, the cost adds up really quickly. I’ll be ordering at least one test magazine, so maybe I’ll make it a giveaway and do a random drawing to pick which cosplayer’s project I choose.

The photos from the shoot should have a turnaround of two to three weeks and I’ll make them available for you to download for your own use as soon as I can. The actual layouts will be a much lengthier process. Although the presentation is very minimal and simple looking, there’s a lot of thought that goes into the layout of the spreads, the pairing of images, and the overall flow etc..

Once I finish everyone’s project I’ll do a dedicated post for each of your cosplays on instagram and maybe even behance.

As always the photos are yours to use as you’d like:)

I know I’ve gone a bit overboard with all the info, but it’s my way of trying to make up for my inexperience by being as prepared as much as possible by figuring out the things I can before going into the shoot.

Above all else, this project is just for fun. I want this to be a good and fun experience for everyone involved and I hope the end result will be a cool and unique end product.

If you have any questions feel free to dm me on instagram. In the coming weeks I may also shoot you a few messages relating to your cosplay to better prepare myself going into the shoot.

found in COSPLAY ZINE