Cosplay on Film, Part One

Here’s what I love about cosplay: Every cosplayer brings a different characterization and interpretation to the persona they are cosplaying. You can put a Slave Leia cosplay side by side by side with fifty other Slave Leias and no two will be exactly alike; and I love that.

As a photographer and an artist, working with distinct and individual versions of characters that I love is truly one of the most exciting parts of what I do. Seeing the humanity and genuine passion for a character is one of the delights of working with cosplayers, it made me want to do something as unique and different as the cosplayers I photograph. To wit: I will be taking my film camera, with 70mm color film (yes you read that right) to every convention I attend for the foreseeable future.

Starting with Wondercon. Yes 2017. Yes in two days.

For a general idea of what this is all going to look like I took a few rolls of 120 film to Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con. These images have not been edited or corrected beyond simple contrast/exposure corrections. All the color variations, fogging, light leaks, and spots are on the actual negatives themselves.

This test run taught me a lot, and I’m excited to see what I get at Wondercon and to share that with you all. If you’re interested in being a part of this project let me know.

Or just look for me, the camera’s hard to miss.