Outdoor Cosplay Photoshoots
The outfit is the first part of cosplaying, the photoshoot is the next! And like standard photography, outdoor cosplay photoshoots are effective for bringing the raw and natural element of having a real environment to shoot in. There are many elements to consider when shooting outside like the light, the shade, the background, and even the actual location! All these should be pieced together seamlessly and perfectly to get that perfect shot that you need for your intended cosplay look. We have some tips and event hacks for your next outdoor cosplay shoot!
Event Hacks On Outdoor Cosplay Shoots
What’s Your Context?
The first step is to determine your context. What is context? Context involves the story of your character, the setting that the character is in, the timeline of the character (is it a medieval look or a post-apocalyptic future?). It is crucial to get all these elements right even before you start putting on the costume and looking for a location. Write this all down, brainstorm on your ideas, pinpoint available and possible locations, check the time and availability of daytime or nighttime. Prepare all this and you’re good to go.
Locations Are There You Just Don’t Know It
Let’s say you are shooting a futuristic mecha cosplay or a technologically advanced cyber-soldier, where will you find a suitable location? You do not need to wait 100 years into the future for the right look, you only need to…look! Buildings with glass windows are great for futuristic shoots. A clean city-line or a cell tower or even beside the newest Honda car is enough to give you that edgy look! How about for knights and dragons and princesses? Look for an old and dirty brick wall and voila! You have yourself the side of a castle! Walk towards the nearest public park and angle your lens towards the brush and the trees and you suddenly have a wild forest trail! All you need is your creativity and you can get your perfect location!
No Need For Special Effects
Another issue for outdoor cosplay shoots are the lack of green screens or clear spaces to insert special effects. Plus the availability and usability of advanced computer graphics is minimal and often expensive, plus you need the help of a pro graphics artist. Giving up? Never! How about you cut up some pieces of red paper and shape them as petals and throw them just as you shoot…there you go! Floral powers! How about scratching some Styrofoam and dropping them from a high location…you instantly have snow! Again you only need creativity and some clever use of readily available materials and you’re good to go!
www.Yuneoh.com is full of event hacks, tips, and tricks! Check our listings for more on cosplay because we are all cosplay fans over here at YuneOh!