The aspects of Cosplay Photography and how to improve on each of them

I've been stuck in a rut recently, I feel like I'm stuck in a loop of endless dead-ends in what I'm doing. Maybe a little bit of introspection will help point me forward on to improvement.

I would like to begin this article with the premise that these are my own opinions. I do not recommend using this article as a guide for your works. I'll be using my photos as examples.

I've been thinking about how to convey cosplay photography in words. How do we communicate what we want to achieve in our photoshoots? I've condensed the many kinds into three aspects that you may want to study on. There's a fourth aspect I included but I don't think it's relevant to the point I'm trying to get across.

Character Showcase

Your goal is to highlight the subject
Used most in: Cosplay Conventions, prints

This is the aspect of giving effort to showcase the cosplayer and their portrayal of the character they are cosplaying as. This is the most commonly practiced aspect of a cosplay photoshoot. This is the "how close can we get to portray the character if they existed in real-life?" part. Character showcase might be the most technical of the three aspects. Subjects are typically aware of the viewer/camera in these shots.

Improve these things to max out character showcase abilities:

Character knowledge - mannerisms, poses, what would the character do usually?
Accurate cosplay - accuracy of the costume, makeup, props. Proper facial expressions., etc.
Level up your technical skills in photography - study proper composition & lighting. Learn how to get the best angle of your subject. This is a whole can of worms that is too broad of a topic to discuss in one go.
Eliminate distractions in the shot - either through timing, editing or location placement, up to you as long as you don't add unwanted things in the background/foreground. You might also want to edit out any issues with the wig or costume.
Editing and/or Photo-manipulation - know how to constructively add details in post-production. Most often modifying the image is also part of the process in cosplay photography.
Practice - when you get comfortable with your current style, look where you can still improve, then learn.
Good taste - very abstract, and very hard to explain. There are edits that are technically complex, but the end-result turns out to be corny. Execution is important. Avoid pit-falls and ask for criticisms.

Examples:

May be an image of 1 person and text — March 7th CN: Aikashi. Focus on character, location and outline is reminiscent of Penacony, a location in-game.

May be an image of 3 people — Mona Megistus CN: Mitchaki. Focus on the subject. Additional effects added in the theme of the character

May be a closeup of 1 person — Platinum CN: Angel Ayanami. Subject is the whole image

Akali CN: Chappi. Image with photo-manipulation that is lore-accurate

Surtr CN: Kristah. BG is fully rendered but the emphasis is still on the character

May be an illustration of 1 person and text — CN: Choco Pai. Apart from retouching, added effects that accentuate the character

Creative

Your goal is to invoke a feeling
Used most in: Photoshoots

It takes a different kind of mindset to have creativity. I mean sure, it's always useful to have creativity. But let's be honest: there are the creatives, then there are creative among creatives.
Creative shoots sets a mood for the viewer to feel with an overarching concept. Creative shoots provide the cosplayer/photographer/editor an opportunity to add their original spin/interpretation to the shoot. There is an additional artistic expression to the medium. Often there are overlaps of different concepts of art. The subject may or may not be aware of the viewer/camera.

Tips to help the creative process:

Research your source materials
Read and watch movies. Expose yourself to more forms of art
Experiment. Don't be afraid to fail
Explore mash-ups of art-forms that usually do not mix.
Draw inspiration from other works (but do try to give it your own spin than outright copy another artwork)

Examples:

May be an image of 1 person — Hu Tao CN: Rae Rae. Hu Tao does not wear this kind of dress in-game. Editorial qualities in post-production.

Angel Devil CN: Hani Sae. Set of photos do not successfully convey the costume's qualities. Editing emulates filmic-era photos. Theme is loneliness.

No photo description available. — Akane CN: Chappi. More focus on the overall image than the subject

May be an image of 2 people — Control Devil CN: Choco Pai

Narrative

Your goal is to tell a story
Used most in: Photosets, photobooks

CN: Thinne, Crimson Paradox, Lady Domino, Saix

Narrative-driven shoots have a sense of continuation in-between photos. The concept is more concerned on the overall idea rather than on the individual images. Some images provide context on what is happening but might not make sense on its own. Narrative-driven sets usually do scene recreation, story-telling, and character interaction. Usually the characters are portrayed to not be aware of the camera/viewer.

Things to help you with narrative-driven shoots:

Read/watch the source material
Create a moodboard that sets the feel
Create a storyboard that sets the plot. Set the destination of the story you want to tell.
Create an emotional connection. Introduce motivation to the sequences of events for each photo.

Examples:

Sui Siblings, imitates invitation to wine and the daily lives of the siblings

Honestly, I suck in narrative-driven photoshoots.

When do we use these aspects on shoots?

As someone who creates content, you must know when to prioritize what aspects for what kind of shoot you are trying to achieve

Shots focused on showcasing characters typically excel as standalone images, each highlighting the character's essence and costume details effectively.
Creative-driven shots have the versatility to shine independently or complement each other when presented together, showcasing innovative interpretations and artistic expressions.
Narrative-driven shots thrive within a cohesive photoset. Each photo contributes to the overarching story or theme, providing context and depth to the visual narrative as a whole.

If you can achieve the holy grail of combining these aspects equally: please drop a link below the comments section, I would love to learn from you!

These aspects can mix and mash on shoots. There are no rules. Just have fun. Be inspired.

quirkycatsdoe's Instagram post: “tired ting 🤕🌫 ——————— . . . . . . . . . # cat #catpic #cutecat #quirky #meme #cute #catmem… | Cat memes, Cute memes, Animal memes — me: burned out and art-blocked but still trying to work on it

There is a fourth aspect I was thinking about, although this is very debatable. No need to read through this. Click here to read:

Sex Appeal. It is very prevalent that sex appeal is being used as one of the most prominent ways to make cosplays more captivating. This phenomenon manifests in various forms, ranging from interpretations that stay true to the character's essence to those primarily designed to exude sex appeal for its own sake.

In its authentic form, sex appeal in cosplay stays true with the character's personality, story, and design, enhancing the overall portrayal while remaining faithful to the source material.

On the other hand, some cosplays prioritize sex appeal above staying true to the character or story. These interpretations focus more on being visually appealing and seductive, sometimes neglecting the character's personality or narrative context.

I'm not going to go on a moral high ground to say who's right or wrong. That's up for you to decide.

This section more or less delves into theoretical stuff regarding how society in each community/area works. Physiology also plays a big part. This is absolutely not my forte.

There's this weird phenomenon where locals are more accepting of international cosplayers being more lewd with their cosplayers while at the same time being more critical of local cosplayers being lewd with their cosplay. I don't know the details of how this works. Maybe there's a sociology major that wants to tackle that subject.

"Pretty privilege" is another commonly leveraged advantage. I cannot deny people will be more attracted to pretty people. The downside for those with "pretty privilege" is that a lot of them slack off on other aspects, and viewers will be none the wiser.

Advice to improve sex appeal? It's very highly subjective. I'll just say if you do have sex appeal, it's not wrong to capitalize on it. My take is just make it somehow tasteful or at least somehow related to a character's appeal.

Nothing wrong with prioritizing one aspect over the other, it is specially difficult to be creative on top of fussing over details.