Cosplay And Photography

Hows everyone doing? Today’s a great day and what better way to make the most of this day than by reading my post? Lol just kidding, BUT SERIOUSLY. Over the years of being a photographer I have ventured out and explored several methods of increasing my photography skills, increasing my sites visitors and overall trying to better connect with the cosplay community. This has been one of a hell journey that is still in its infancy but I have learned a fair bit.

              Lucky for you, I feel knowledge should be distributedly freely. Soo, I will gladly share a bit of what I have learned liberally. With that in mind, lets kick of my top 5 reasons to incorporate Pinterest into your cosplay career. Starting off the list we have TUTORIALS.

Tutorials

If you have been DIYing your own cosplays without any outside instructions, first off let me say that is impressive. But, just imagine how much greater your cosplay could be with the use of outside assistance. Well my friend, Pinterest is a great place for those tutorials. Cosplay tutorial boards such as these (Cosplay Tutorials 1) (Cosplay Tutorials 2) (Cosplay Tutorials 3) are sure to increase your current creative knowledge and push you to the next level of cosplay.

Pinterest based tutorials range from working with worbla to makeup tutorials. This has been my “GO TO” for years with regards to bettering my photography skills.

You can also find artist renditions that may give you that unique angle you were looking for to perfectly recreate your favorite cosplay for your next con. But don’t stop there, continue to check out the hair styling tutorials and contact lenses tutorials to make your next cosplay extremely memorable.

Exposure

              This brings me to my second reason to heavily invest in Pinterest as a cosplayer.  EXPOSURE, EXPOSURE, EXPOSURE!!! Not all but I believe a healthy amount of cosplayers are looking to have their cosplays both noticed, appreciated and displayed.

Well that’s completely understandable considering the amount of time and effort individuals put into their cosplay but what about after the convention? That’s where Pinterest comes into play. Sure there’s Facebook and Instagram or even Tumblr but, Pinterest offers an angle which the other forms of social media do not.

Specifically, Pinterest is a search engine that can guide users directly to all your self-generated content. Users that follow your Pinterest boards can get the entire experience. You can show them more than just a picture of what you have been working on. You can offer an entire project from start finish. Essentially a peek into your cosplay life with its highs and lows rather than only the highs. This helps with building a relationship with fellow cosplayers because they can relate to your frustrations and failed experiments, because lets face it we all fail in the cosplay world A LOT.

Inspiration

Next up we have INSPIRATION. I have met and spoke with several cosplayers that tell me they are constantly seeking new venues for cosplay inspiration. We all have a habit of sticking with the familiar, well once again this is where Pinterest can lend a helping hand. Boards such as these (Cosplay Photography 1) (Cosplay Photography 2) are continuously updated with new images of cosplayers replicating characters from their favorite series.

Other boards such as these (Cosplay Board 1) (Cosplay Board 2) allow you to hone in on specific individuals styles. Replicating styles you find unique and creative are much easier when you have guides by the specific cosplayer you idol. Lastly with regards to inspiration, Pinterest allows you to find exclusive mashups that are not seen in the actual animes. If you want to create a Sailor Moon Kill La Kill mashup then Pinterest has you covered.

Networking

One of the most important aspects of cosplay that it seems so many cosplayers miss is networking. Several cosplayers do not understand how valuable connecting with your fellow cosplayers are. Linking up to do group cosplays is extremely common at conventions, unfortunately this is as far as many cosplayers go.

Several cosplayers are and have experienced the same problems you are currently going through. There is no reason to go through these problems alone.

Please, Please Please speak up. Why spend 2 hours on a problem when you can simply ask a question and have the problem resolved in 30 minutes. Questions such as whether you should use worbla or EVA foam are easily resolved by speaking with more experienced cosplayers . This idea is incredibly important for photographers.

No photographer can capture EVERY SINGLE COOSPLAYER at a convention. So rather than trying to hog all of the great cosplays, simply refer them to your fellow photographer. That way, you can both increase the number of images you take and increase the number of referrals overall developing both a new found partnership and increasing business.

Promotion

Last but not least, one of the best features of Pinterest is promoting yourself. Pinterest allows cosplayers to display their work in a manner that entices others to seek more. Other social media platforms such as Instagram do not tell the entire story. With Pinterest, you can set fans on a journey that 5 hours later leads them to becoming  a subscriber on your personal blog or Patreon.

Users can begin to recognize your brands logo and your styles special flare. Several people have created specialized boards which are dedicated to famous cosplayers such as Jessica Nigri or Yaya Han. There’s no reason you cannot become one of these cos players and the perfect place to begin is Pinterest.

I hope you enjoyed this look at the top 5 reasons to begin mixing Pinterest into your cosplay career. I have only begun to scratch the surface the cosplayer world and the growth possibilities are endless. With time I am sure I will begin to master Pinterest and strengthen my connection with the cosplay community. Well, that’s it for know, until next time STAY BOUNDLESS!!!