CD Nicky

Cosplay is often uncomfortable and cumbersome, and needs extra care when going to a location. You also want to make sure you look the best in your photos. This means that you need to take some extra planning into consideration when planning a photoshoot.

​What to Bring

I always bring a small kit with me with necessary or potentially necessary items so I can keep myself and my costume in proper shape. This kit always includes a small makeup touchup kit, which usually has the items most likely to need touching up at the location: eyelashes and lash glue (I put on the lashes once I'm at the shoot), lip products, face glue for my wig, and any cosplay-specific items like nail glue or face paint. This kit also includes wig touchup items such as a comb and bobby pins. I also recommend a small repair kit with items such as safety pins, tape, and a quick-setting glue so you can do any quick repairs on your costume. 

Bring a cover-up item or change of clothes. If you are planning on anything that might be messy, especially dirty, or wet, you may need a full change of clothes (and a place to put these on), but even if not, bring a coverup item such as a skirt or robe in case your costume is on the skimpy side, or something to convert your costume into normal-ish clothes if you need to stop anywhere on the way there or back.

In addition to items for cosmetic repairs, you also will need a few safety items, especially when shooting outdoors and not in a studio space. If your costume has difficult shoes, bring a change of shoes if you need to cross difficult terrain or if the ground is especially dirty or dusty and would ruin the look of your cosplay shoes to walk through. Snacks and water are also always a good item to bring, as well as any medication or items you may need for medical conditions. If the costume is not suitable for your location's weather, you will need to bring items to mitigate the weather: a coat or jacket, handwarmers, hot or cold beverages, hand or battery operated fans, and stick-on cooling patches often sold for headaches, depending on the situation. 

​Planning Ahead

I always check the weather leading up to a shoot, and sometimes, you want very specific weather. In these cases, such as wanting a photoshoot in the snow or on a sunny beach when you live somewhere those conditions happen but aren't especially common, keeping a cosplay on hand to take advantage of the weather when it does happen can help you get that dream shoot.

When planning for travel to your shoot location, be sure to plan for all aspects of travel: what mode of transportation, how you will get from your main transportation to the shoot itself, and how the photographer will get there if they are not coming with you. I highly recommend driving or carpooling if at all possible, since you don't want the hassle of taking public transit in cosplay, and a car can hold more and larger items like props and wings. I also recommend putting the finishing touches on your cosplay at the location -- wigs, false eyelashes, accessories, etc. -- so you don't have to worry about these items getting damaged or being uncomfortable in transit. Also get to know the parking for your shoot ahead of time. I like SpotAngels.com for parking information, since it tells you where parking is, how long the time limits are, when no parking times such as street sweeping are, and how much the parking costs. Know the cost of parking and how far it is from the shoot location itself -- I'd personally rather pay a little more for closer parking while in cosplay, but that's up to your own comfort and ability. 

Also get to know the location ahead of time. Look at user-submitted photos and street views on Google Maps and similar sites, and if possible, visit the location ahead of time. There may be hazards like uneven ground, rocks, stairs, or water that you would not otherwise be aware of. Since some costumes would be difficult at best and dangerous at worst to wear in some locations, such as very high heels when scrambling over rocks or a trailing gown with deep water or thorny underbrush, be sure to bring that change of clothes and shoes for such situations and only wear the final look at the actual place the photos are being taken.

Behavior Towards the Location

Finally, when shooting on location, treat the location itself and anyone at it with the utmost respect. With private locations, such as a rented studio, be sure to treat the property well, and with public locations, be sure to treat both the property and anyone at it well, as you won't have a private, cordoned-off area. Treat your location better than you would treat your own property. This is both for the sake of other people so you do not disturb them or force people to clean up after you, but also for your own sake so you don't get in trouble and also can continue shooting in that location. Studios and other rented locations will give you their rules on their website or when you book, and most public locations will have their rules and regulations on their website or alongside any permits you purchase. If you are in doubt about something, always email to get permission first. This will not only ensure that you actually have permission to do what it is you want, but will also put you in the good graces of whoever is in charge of the location and they will be more likely to welcome you and other cosplayers back.

Always follow the "carry in, carry out" principle. With very few exceptions for properly disposed of small trash items (think snack wrappers, not entire props), everything you bring with you into a location needs to come back out of the location with you. This is most important for outdoor locations, as anything left behind can become an ecological issue, but also in private indoor locations, especially if you are using messy substances like fake blood or confetti. Be sure to clean up any props you use and any trash you generate. If renting a location, be sure to leave extra time to strike the set at the end. This involves cleaning up and removing anything you brought in yourself as well as moving anything that belongs to the location back to its proper place. Many studios have lighting equipment, furniture, and other items you can use, but require you to leave the location how you found it and these items where they belong. 

​Don't make any permanent or potentially permanent changes to your location. This includes digging in outdoor locations, littering, staking items into the ground, or affixing items to walls or other environmental items such as rocks or furniture, even if you use temporary methods such as tape, as these can still damage the location. Also be careful of trespassing into areas that are closed to the public, especially in outdoor locations where these areas are typically closed due to either danger or ecological sensitivity, and stick to public pathways and roads as much as possible. Don't trample plants or pick flowers or otherwise damage the environment. Grassy fields and such are usually okay unless specifically blocked off or closed, but areas like flower fields or otherwise cultivated gardens are generally not. Also be sure to not use dangerous substances or props, especially in outdoor locations. You don't want to release dangerous chemicals in the environment or cause panic over a possible fire with smoke machines, or, worst case, actually start a fire.

​Behavior Towards Others

Perhaps one of the most important things to keep in mind is to treat anyone you encounter with respect. Staying humble and being an unobtrusive as possible will go a long way. Don't take up a lot of space for a long time, especially in popular areas. This goes for blocking pathways, camping in popular features so others can't enjoy them, blocking doorways, and otherwise diminishing other people's enjoyment and also creating an accessibility hazard. Move aside if you see people coming or if you are shooting in a particular spot for an extended time, and then return to it.

Do your best to not get strangers in your photos. While most wouldn't want that anyway because it would ruin the shot, be sure you aren't shooting in a way that could accidentally get people in your photos more easily by angling yourself differently or using different lenses and depth of field, but also make sure it doesn't look like you are photographing strangers. Generally it's obvious what you are doing, especially with a photographer and not self shooting, but it's something to be aware of. 

You might get questions when shooting in a public place, so do your best to answer them kindly. I often don't want to explain the whole ordeal to people, and people generally understand when you say phrases like "art project" and "fashion shoot," but if you get people asking more in-depth questions than that, answer truthfully and kindly. You don't want people who had never heard of cosplay to have their first exposure to the hobby be negative, and most people are simply curious and interested in what cool thing you are doing. Use the opportunity to share that interest! In all my time shooting in public places, I have never gotten a rude comment, but if you do, deescalate the situation as much as possible and walk away if you need to. If you are more comfortable with a friend with you to help deflect, bring one.

Finally, keep yourself safe in interacting with others. Don't brandish weapon-like props in ways that can look like an attack, and I would advise leaving anything that looks realistic for private locations where you won't be putting yourself at risk if anyone mistakes the prop for being real. Even if a prop looks like a fantasy weapon, be careful not to brandish it in a potentially threatening manner. Also, if someone in a position of authority asks you to leave for any reason, cut the shoot short and do so immediately.

Thank you for reading, and happy shooting! :]