Back in the fall of 2009, I found out about .... and wait if this sounds familiar .... two photographers who travelled the nation of England to anime and comic book cons photographing cosplayers and publishing a book called Cosplay Fever ! . Very familiar yes ? I interview one of the photographer, Rob Dunlop but unfortunately, when I relaunch Cosplay in America site around May of 2010, I pretty much trash the old site and all the content. In the meantime time, in about a year's time since the original book came out, they've come back out with a sequel - Cosplay Fever Red now available at cons and hitting stores internationally in Feb 2011.
I decided to reach out to Rob again and chat about what had happen in the past year....
(Peter Lumby & Rob Dunlop of Cosplay Fever ! Photo by Paul Jacques)
Rob, so I had the privilege of talking to you probably about same time last year and crazy enough, a year has gone by ! How has it been for you and Pete with the launch of Cosplay Fever book. You launch it fall of 2009 if I remember correctly, yes ?
Hey Ejen, good to catch up again. Yup, it's just over a year ago now that we launched the first Cosplay Fever book. We started working on it in March 2009 and released it in October, so we turned it round pretty quick. The book sold well here in the UK and abroad, so there's definitely a lot of people out there who are interested in the world of cosplay.
Now I hear you launch Cosplay Fever Red : Omega's Dark Revenge ...... alright I lied, it isn't subtitled Omega's Dark Revenge but it just sounded cool. Anyways, did you start thinking of shooting another book while making the first book or did it come afterwards while you were on tour ? And how was the process of shooting the next book ? I suspect much easier since you had one book down or were there unexpected situations ?
Yes, our new baby Cosplay Fever Red is hitting retail stores in the UK, US and pretty much everywhere else in Feb / March 2011. Right now's a really good time for people to talk to their local comic stores, to make sure they get it in stock. I'm sure you want the same as us, for people to at least get the chance to see your book in the flesh - even if they don't buy it, they should have the opportunity to walk into a store and check it out. Talking of which, I've now got my hands on Cosplay in America and it's a breathtakingly beautiful book, so big congrats from across the pond :)
I'm not sure when we decided to make Omega's Dark Revenge (uh... I mean Cosplay Fever Red, damn that title sounds boring after the one you made up!). I think our plan was to just keep shooting after the first book was finished, so we at least *could* make a sequel. Then we waited to see if people wanted more Cosplay Fever. Luckily they did :) So, a year later... tada!
It was easier to make Red, as we gave ourselves more time and we kinda knew what we were doing a bit more :P We listened to the feedback from book 1 as well, so we added some features, like full series info for every character and an index at the back - little details which make life much easier for everyone. We also included interviews with some leading cosplayers from the UK, and we're really pleased with how those turned out.
So, all in all a less stressful experience. The hardest part was picking the final photos, as we had so many more to choose from this time round. You know what that's like - and I know we broke some hearts! We tried to be fair and include a wide variety of interesting and beautiful costumes from every conceivable genre, so even if people didn't make it into Cosplay Fever Red, I hope they appreciate the quality of the final selection.
In making the second book in less than a year from the first book, have you noticed any new cosplay trends ?
Oh yeah, plenty of new trends. More zombies! And zombie versions of other characters, especially from the Disney Zombie group. There's also the influence of the latest movies and games, like Avatar, Alice in Wonderland and Final Fantasy XIII. We had several great Alices and Mad Hatters to choose from, so it was hard choosing which were in the book.
Black Butler is also more popular than last year I think. And there's a lot more steampunk costumes. It's great to see so many new trends, and it makes our photos more interesting.
Let's talk about the photography aspect. Do you have any pointers for cosplayers as well as cosplay photographers out there ?
To cosplayers I would recommend that they try on their costumes at home and experiment with poses for their chosen character. This way they can see how to show off the details of the costume, while also making sure they look good :)
When in front of the camera, try to relax! I know this can be hard, but practice makes perfect, and if you feel tense then this can come across in a photo. And if a pose doesn't feel right then it probably won't look good either, so feel free to tell the photographer if you're feeling awkward.
Some poses which are right for the character don't really work in photographs. This is especially true when hands, guns, knives and other props are pointed at the camera - you can't see their shape properly and they'll probably be out of focus, which results in a clumsy shot. If you want to hold your hand or a prop in front of you, then you can point it slightly away from the camera (like a 3/4 view) so the photo is easier to read. You see this a lot in movie posters.
Another thing I would recommend is keeping an eye on how wigs / make-up and other details are looking throughout the day. You can leave your house looking perfect, but ten hours later you may need to fix stuff. The camera can pick up on the smallest details, so brushing wigs, touching up make-up, making sure all buckles, straps, buttons etc are where they should be will save frustration when you see the photos later.
To cosplay photographers I would say first and foremost be polite! Sounds like an obvious point, but if you start off with a positive friendly interaction, then the cosplayer will feel more comfortable with you and your photos will look better. The cosplay scene is pretty small, so be nice and friendly with everyone and always make sure the cosplayer is comfortable.
Being polite doesn't mean be silent. If a pose isn't working, then talk to the cosplayer, explain what the problem is and suggest changes. Involving them in the process is a good idea. Explain to them that tweaking a few details may sound trivial but it'll make for a better photo. When you're ready to shoot, I personally like to fire off 2 or 3 shots at a time, to eliminate people blinking. If there's several people in the shot, I'll fire off more.
Group shots are hard. It's almost impossible to achieve a really artistic photo of a dozen people, so just get the major elements right and don't sweat it. Just look at the light and make sure people are evenly lit, and you can see all the details you need to, but try to avoid any distracting gaps in the group. If you can have people on different levels, like standing on stairs, then this can help composition.
Oh, and another tip - get to know your fellow photographers! We can all learn from each other and it's great to be part of a community which shares a common interest.
Folks have been asking me for a second volume all year but I don't think I can mount a new book in that short of a time - plus given how large the United States is, limited time, limited finances. For you, do you see yourself continuing this every year (or every few years ?)
Honestly, I'm not sure. We've just poured our hearts and souls into Cosplay Fever Red so really that's all we want to think about for now. We're still taking photos at events, but that's mostly for fun, and we're also giving people the chance to order prints. I hope there's a new book sometime, but if there is, it'll be more than a year away.
Luckily, I really enjoy the process - at least the photography side, not so much the "typing up the release forms" bit :P Cosplay photography is a great way to learn the craft and experiment with new techniques, so I'm sure I'll keep snapping away for the forseeable future.
Finally, will we see you on our shores next year ? Perhaps San Diego Comic Con ? ^^
Hmm, not next year, unless one of us wins the lottery! But maybe 2012 :) If we don't have a new cosplay book out then we'll hopefully have something else to show off, maybe a comic book or something. But we both miss the good ol US of A, that's for sure, so we'll be back sometime !
Thanks Rob !
