Not A Fantasy! A Novice’s Guide to Realistic Cosplay Photography

The world of fantasy is so alluring. So imagine if you could find a way to make this fun vibrant world more exciting through photography. With just a few simple steps, you have the chance to become your own favorite anime character and bring the world of cosplay to life. Because you are a lover of anime and the world of fantasy, you already have the creativity and fun spirit required to make a photo shoot a success. Now, with just a few quick and easy tricks, you can get dressed up and started making your own fantasy images come to life.

Here are some tips on how to make your next cosplay photography shoot a success.

  1. Choose your look – You undoubtedly have your favorite cosplay looks, so find the best costume to match your image. This is especially important in your first cosplay shoot as you want to feel confident and comfortable so your strength can come across on film. When choosing your look find something that matches your personality and style. This will make you look more natural on film and keep you feeling good throughout the shoot.
  2. Use props to overcome image concerns – Some people know what they love, but don’t know quite how to match up their look with the look they are going for. With a few simple props, you can make it happen. If you have thick hair, wigs can be burdensome. Wear a wig cap to make your hair stay down and your wig stay looking great. If you are a girl who is well endowed in the legs and thighs simply wear dancer tights to help trim your look and make your legs look more muscular.
  3. Always buy a long wig – It is always a smart idea to buy your wig a little bit longer than you anticipate needing. This way, you have more flexibility to style it how you want. If necessary, you can always cut it but chances are you will not need to.
  4. A perfect body does not equal perfect cosplay – Don’t let your body get you down if it does not look exactly how you would like it. Cosplay has a lot to do with attitude and experience. In fact, to be great at cosplay, you do not have to have the perfect body. Stay confident in your skills and your cosplay will still lead to excellent photos.
  5. Avoid certain looks – Unless your cosplay costume specifically requires the following items, stay far away from them – skinny jeans (wear straight leg jeans instead), shiny fabric, or sticky hair gel for wigs. While it is important to follow the image of your character, do so in such a way that will still look realistic and avoid looking cheap.
  6. Always have a sewing kit or duct tape on hand – Cosplay photo shoots, to look realistic requires movement. This movement can sometimes lead to the ripping or tearing of costumes. Likewise, wigs can come loose, side burns can fall off and other numerous photo shoot bloopers can happen. Don’t let your photo shoot come to an abrupt end simply because you did not have the right materials on hand to quickly fix the problem and get back to shooting.
  7. Practice in front of the mirror – You are going to look great, but to do so most effectively on film, you need to know your best poses, angles and expressions. Spend some time practicing in the mirror on your own where you are most confident so you can nail the look you are going for before meeting up with your friends and fellow cosplayers.
  8. Don’t apply fake blood over carpet – May seem obvious, but many people apply their fake blood to their costumes over carpet and leave stains. This is clearly not a wise decision. Always put the fake blood over a material that won’t stain or apply it outdoors.

For your next cosplay shoot, dress the part of the character you love and have fun with it. The more fun you have with it the better you will come across on film.

AUTHOR BIO

Ferina Santos is part of the team behind Open Colleges, Australia’s provider of photography courses. A feisty nerd at heart with an obsession for media and vanity, she captures all her random musings with daily photographs in her blog, A Pink Banana.

Black Butler Cosplay Contest – #94 Rei

Cosplayer Bio:

Name: Rei/Female/Chinese American

Social Networks: deviantart

Character: Ciel Phantomhive

Comments from the cosplayer:

My name is Rei and I began cosplaying in 2007 but didn’t seriously go into the hobby until just recently last year in 2011 when I decided to do my first crossplay as Len from Vocaloids. Since then, I decided to cosplay Ciel Phantomhive whom I really love despite his cruel and twisted personality. It also did not help that I was his exact height despite being older than him orz. I debuted this cosplay this year at Kawaii Kon 2012. These pictures were actually just taken recently at a studio in order to enter this contest on time. I hope everyone likes my cosplay of Ciel c:!
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This post is submitted by Rei, entered in the Black Butler Cosplay Contest hosted by Miccostumes.com.
Winners and Prizes of the Contest:
One winner will be chosen out from every 15 contestants.
  1. First Prize: any costume from our Black Butler costume catalog
  2. Second Prize: any wig from our Black Butler wig catalog
  3. Third Prize: $20 Cash Coupon
  4. Winners after third will all get $15 Cash Coupons

The voting process:

  1. You can vote for the cosplayer by Facebook likes and Google Pluses. Each Facebook like or Google Plus will be counted as one score.
  2. In addition, the organizer Miccostumes.com acts as another judge. We will govern some votes and vote for the top 20 contestants. I.e., the best entry (in our opinion) will get additional 20 scores, the second will get 19, third 18, and so on.
Read this post for more details about the rules and how to join.

Live Convention – Natasha Sazenski at ArcadeCon 2012

Cosplayer Bio:

Name/Gender/Nationality: I am Natasha Sazenski (also Featured in DBZ Cosplay Contest) I am American Living in Ireland, Female

Social Networks: DevaintArt

Comments from the cosplayer: I Cosplayed Inuyasha’s Kagome here, at ArcadeCon 2012, in Dublin Ireland. I really wanted to feature the Con in this Contest. I decided to share afew photos and They consist of my Cosplay with friends and some other random pictures of the Placard…I’m glad I got to share my photos.

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The photos are submitted by Natasha Sazenski, entered in the “Live Convention” hosted by Miccostumes. Share your convention photo(s) and win our $100 cash coupon. Join now!