A World of Their Own: Celebrating the Art of Cosplay

From crowded convention halls to extraordinary fictional worlds, HERA celebrates the creativity of cosplayers and the photography that brings their characters to life.

There’s something rather wonderful about walking through a convention and suddenly finding yourself face to face with a character you’ve previously only encountered on a cinema screen, in a comic book or in a video game.

Over the years, I’ve attended a number of conventions, particularly London Film and Comic Con, and one of the things I’ve always enjoyed most is meeting the cosplayers.

I haven’t been to a convention for a while now, and I must admit I miss them.

What has always impressed me is the extraordinary amount of work that goes into cosplay. It’s not simply a matter of putting on a costume. There’s the research, the craftsmanship, the attention to detail and, very often, the ability to adopt the expressions, gestures and personality of the character being portrayed.

And the cosplayers I’ve met have been wonderful people. Generous with their time, enthusiastic about their characters and remarkably patient with photographers like me.

I’ve always felt that the least I can do in return is try to produce photographs that reflect the effort they’ve made.

More Than Just a Costume

One of the things I particularly admire about cosplay is the commitment involved.

Some costumes take months to create. Others involve extraordinary attention to detail, from armour and accessories to hairstyles, makeup and the smallest finishing touches.

But there’s another element that I think deserves just as much recognition: the performance.

When someone adopts the stance, expression or mannerisms of a familiar character, something rather magical happens. For a moment, you’re not simply looking at someone wearing a costume. You’re looking at the character they set out to portray.

That’s something I’ve always tried to capture with my camera.

Darth Vader and the Chicken Dinner

I’ve never been particularly interested in taking candid photographs of cosplayers, at least not if I can help it.

That’s not because there’s anything wrong with candid photography. It can produce some wonderful images, and conventions are full of entertaining moments.

But when someone has put an enormous amount of effort into recreating a character, I feel they deserve the opportunity to show that character at their best.

After all, if someone has spent countless hours creating a convincing Darth Vader costume, I’m not especially interested in photographing Darth Vader ordering a fillet of chicken.

I’d much rather photograph Darth Vader being Darth Vader.

For me, there’s something rewarding about giving a cosplayer the chance to pose, adopt their character’s personality and become, just for a moment, the person they’ve worked so hard to recreate.

The Challenge of Convention Photography

Of course, photographing cosplayers at a busy convention isn’t always easy.

Convention halls are crowded, the lighting can be unpredictable, and the backgrounds are rarely ideal.

There are people walking past, signs, stalls, other photographers and all manner of distractions. You might have a beautifully realised fantasy character standing in front of a fire exit or a science-fiction warrior surrounded by people carrying shopping bags.

But that’s simply the nature of conventions.

Everyone has paid to be there, and everyone deserves to enjoy themselves. I certainly wouldn’t expect people to move out of the way or give me special privileges just because I’m holding a camera.

So you work with what you’ve got.

You find the best available angle, ask the cosplayer for a pose if they’re happy to oblige, and try to capture the details that make their costume and character special.

Sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes you don’t.

And sometimes you come home with a photograph that contains a wonderful character surrounded by a thoroughly unconvincing background.

Giving the Characters Their Own World

This is where the second part of my photographic process begins.

I’ve increasingly enjoyed returning to my convention photographs and carefully removing the distractions of the original environment.

Rather than leaving a character standing in the middle of a crowded exhibition hall, I try to place them in a setting that feels appropriate to the world they inhabit.

A fantasy character might find themselves against an ancient cityscape. A futuristic soldier might be surrounded by the architecture and atmosphere of a science-fiction universe.

The aim isn’t to change the cosplayer or diminish what they’ve achieved. Quite the opposite.

It’s to remove the things that distract from their work and create an image that celebrates it.

I want the viewer to notice the costume, the pose, the expression and the character, rather than the crowd standing three feet behind them.

When it works, the finished photograph feels less like a record of someone attending a convention and more like a moment from the fictional world they’ve brought to life.

A Celebration of Imagination

Ultimately, that’s what I love about cosplay.

It’s a celebration of imagination, creativity and enthusiasm. People devote their own time, energy and resources to bringing something they love into the real world, often simply for the pleasure of sharing it with others.

And in my experience, they’re some of the most welcoming and generous people you’re likely to meet.

These photographs are my small tribute to the cosplayers I’ve encountered over the years, and to the extraordinary effort they put into their craft.

I hope the finished images do them justice.

And perhaps it’s time I found my way back to another convention.

I’ve missed them.

Photography by HERA Magazine International. The original convention photographs have been digitally edited, with backgrounds reimagined to complement the characters and their fictional worlds.