CostumeCon32 – Cosplay Photoshoots & Working With Photographers

• Look around locally for photographers – cosplay websites, cosplay forums, blogs, Facebook pages, etc.
• Also ask other cosplayers who they’ve worked with and recommend
• If you have any friends into photography ask them to take some pictures of you
• Always bring friends to photo-shoots. Always. DO NOT GO ALONE
• If a photographer doesn’t want you to bring friends, DO NOT BOOK THEM

The two previous points caused a disturbing amount of real life experiences to be shared by the panel hosts, and the audience. Stories ranged from the generally creepy/unsavoury to the ones where people paid money and never received pictures. Please, Please, PLEASE be safe and never meet anyone for photos by yourself. Even if you’re offered free or “trial” pictures, if they don’t want you to bring friends, don’t go.

• Always ask if you can use a particular venue/location for pictures (if you’re at a convention/hotel/other semi-public space that may not want to host an impromptu cosplay photo-shoot)
• Try and get a photographer who is also a cosplayer or who’s worked with cosplayers before – it makes a difference
• See if you can meet good photographers at local conventions
• Pre-plan areas that you’d like to get pictures in just in case the photographer doesn’t have any locations in mind
• Make sure to tell the photographer at the beginning of the shoot if you want specifically posed pictures so you can get them first
• Find a venue that matches your costume
• At a convention? Try some doors – they might be unlocked and lead to an awesome space for photos!
• It’s always best to ask forgiveness than permission!
• Be really polite in asking if you can use a space, and nod while you ask – it’ll subliminally incline them to say yes!
• If there’s a girl in your group, get her to ask ‘cause girls get more yes’
• If security hovers near you and stares, get as many pictures as you can and then really nicely ask “I hope this is ok? Am I in your way? I can move…” etc.
• Be really nice to security and you’ll get more photo privileges (I can personally attest to this one – we’ve had many requests for pictures of us WITH security!)
• Always thank security/other convention personnel profusely for being allowed to use a space for pictures – they’ll remember you and you’ll probably be allowed to use that space (or others) in the future
• If you’re told to move/leave – don’t argue – just do it
• Cosplay pictures lend themselves to action shots
• You don’t have to wait for a convention to roll around to get pictures – book a shoot with a photographer anytime
• Get non photographer friends to take pictures of you anytime just for practice/fun – try poses, faces, fabric, makeup, etc
• When you contact a photographer, ask rates, check their portfolio, ask how long it will take you to get the pictures back, turnaround, etc.
• If your photographer drops off the face of the Earth and you’ve not got your pictures – GO PUBLIC HARD
• If you’re wearing a skirt and fancy doing a twirling pic – spin and smile at the photographer, then spin the other way and repeat, so you don’t get dizzy
• Ask to see how twirling pics look before continuing – sometimes you think it’ll work and it really doesn’t – good to know before you spend 15 minutes doing it
• Send reference pictures of your character to the photographer so they’re familiar with your cosplay
• Practice posing in costume in the mirror so you know what are your best angles, what action movements work best for you, how to use your prop/weapon effectively, etc.
• If you find a pose difficult but want to get a picture like that let your photographer know that you can only do 1 or 2 shots like that
• Ask the photographer to “count you in” – I do this when I’m being photographed outside in the bright sunlight. My eyes are incredibly sensitive to light, and as the Red Queen the direct sun reflects off my white face making it near impossible for me to open my eyes outdoors. I say “I’m gonna count down from 3, and then I’ll open my eyes and you get the picture”, then I say “3, 2, 1” and open my eyes long enough for them to get a shot.
• Photographers aren’t going to know if you’re having a wardrobe malfunction so having a friend there helps – have them monitor you and let you know if anything is out of place
• Ask your photographer for feedback during the shoot
• Tell the photographer if you’re new to this, if you’re shy, nervous, if you don’t like a picture – they don’t know these things unless you tell them
• Don’t be in character when interacting with the photographer, just in front of the camera
• Bring comfy shoes to wear to and from the shoot, and while you’re not actually being photographed

Posing

• Change your pose every click of the camera using small movements – body, head, facial expression, prop, etc.
• Be cognizant of your eye line – how it looks to the camera
• Movement is key – keep it smooth, small, and slow
• Tweak your shoulders, hips, and spine
• Convex or concave wrists?
• Practice a lot in the mirror!
• Move your props/weapons like your body – small, smooth, slow
• Straight to camera is a “power pose”
• Using small movements helps find that one magic pose
• If you don’t get a picture back from the photographer that you know was taken – ask for it
• Similarly, if you get one you really dislike then ask them to remove it
• Cosplayers can post/show pictures of themselves that are professionally done but they can’t sell them

Worked with a photographer? How did it go?

Any photographers wanting more cosplay pictures for their portfolios?

It Takes A Village To Cosplay!

Earla Alara