What is cosplay photography?
The best sub-genre of portrait photography
Simply put, cosplay photography is a photography session with a focus on cosplayers.
It's portrait photography, but with people dressed as the characters they're looking to bring to life.
Some people choose to do cosplay photography in a studio, just as they would for family photos or portraits. Some people choose specific locations, often that reflect the media or style of the character being cosplayed.
This Zero Two cosplayer (IG @rebels.cosplay) was cohesive with the cityscape from this photoshoot, done at the Z-lot in Detroit.
But matching the cosplay to the environment isn't always everyone's goal.
This Wonder Woman cosplayer (IG @melidise_cosplay) opted for a shoot at Michigan Central Station because she loved the aesthetics of the train station. This was a pairing of the cosplayer's favorite character and one of her favorite locations within Detroit.
A major reason cosplay photography is one of my favorite types of photography to do is that I've shot at some truly unique locations. This past Halloween, I had the pleasure of shooting for a family at the Detroit Zoo for one of its Zoo Boos! My only regret from this session is that the graveyard was so close to the front, we didn't get any photos by the Addams family head stones. (Although I got the best shot of their little Wednesday watching a fire breather!)
Cosplay photography can even happen on the fly!
It's not uncommon for cosplayers to be asked for their photos by fellow con goers or wandering photographers. This results in photos that use an event as the backdrop for their portraits.
The great thing about cosplay photography is how open-ended it is. There are no rules except the ones the cosplayer and photographer set for themselves. I have friends who predominantly work in studios because, for them, photographing cosplay is about playing with lighting and heavy editing, so they can incorporate fantasy elements that you just can't find in the real world.
In my experience, the most passionate people I've worked with on both sides of the camera were through cosplay photography. At the end of the day, it's because everyone's doing it because they're passionate about the end result. Which no one can wait to show off!
