Back to one of our local cosplayers, the wickedly talented Jen Tate Cosplay who was recommended by a friend of ours. Jen does a mixture of making her own costumes and buying costumes but no matter what she does she always looks so good so we just had to feature her!
Age: 31
Location: Newcastle UK
What is your favourite food? chicken fried rice
Photographer unknown
You have some photos in some incredible locations? How do you find these locations and which has been you favourite to shoot at so far?
I’ve always loved exploring new locations and now that I cosplay and my husband is a photographer we try to plan fun trips to different areas for photos. We sometimes find locations based on what we see online or sometimes we just jump in the car and see what we find. My favourite shoot was in Scotland when I took a couple of tomb raider cosplays. We drove all the way to the isle of Harris in Scotland and found some amazing places that were so out of the way there wasn’t a soul in site and it looked like a tropical island.
Some of your costumes have been bought, what advice do you have for people who are looking into buying costumes but aren’t sure about whether take the plunge?
I have bought a couple of costume from Cosplay Sky which are great as a base to work on and add more detail. My advice is always do plenty of research on the seller as I have heard horror stories of people getting bad quality items or nothing at all and losing there money. Also don’t always believe the picture you see especially from eBay and Ali express.
Photo by Paul Flanagan Photography
You cosplay a wide range of characters from badasses like Evie Fry and Lara Croft to Disney princesses like Ariel and Elsa. What attracts you to cosplaying a particular character?
I’m usually more drawn to the badass characters as I really look up to strong female characters. I used to have very low self esteem and cosplaying these characters has really boosted my confidence. I started cosplaying princesses for an event called Minicon and seeing the young kids faces light up when they see you is priceless.
What advice would you give to new cosplayers?
Basically if you’re having fun you’re doing it right. If you decide to start making cosplays it takes time and practice, I’m still learning new techniques all the time. Having other friends who cosplay helps so you can give each other help and advice too. If you feel you can’t make anything buying a cosplay is just as fun and don’t listen to anyone who says it doesn’t count as there is no rule that you have to make everything. I love when I buy a costume and I can just throw it on straightaway without any fuss.
Photograph by Nicholas Gray
Photograph by Nicholas Gray
Photographer unknown
Photograph by Paul Flanagan Photography