I feel like history is repeating itself, with what I’m about to say.
Every so often when I send back photos back to people either cosplayers or models with my other photography page, 99% of the time I am rewarded with phrases like, “omg, I love them” or “they are gorgeous, can’t wait to share them”, and I’m both think to myself “wow I did a great job” and “Did I really do a great job?”
I will admit I do find it hard to handle praise from people, I don’t know why, just something from a young age. I do spend a lot of time looking at photos either through my social media feed, or when I’m looking up the cosplayers wall for what work they’ve already done so I don’t repeat it, I’m introduced to such wonderful array of work, which I at times have thought to myself, “wow, I can’t top that”. I know this shouldn’t and isn’t a competition with other photographers but I have a mentality that I want to get the best photos for someone and if I believe they got better photos from someone else, I would rather they used their photos.
I do shoot with people whom I regularly know or have become friends with. And more often there praise for my work is always there. But a little part of me always thinks, are they saying that as I’m their friend, we’ve worked together or they don’t want to hurt my feelings.
I want to believe that if my work needed more work or there was something fundamentally wrong, they can come tell me so I can rectify it. I know my pride will take a bit of a kicking but I rather try and resolve any issues, then my work not being used.
I’m not expecting all my work to be uploaded by the cosplayer or model, ultimately it’s their decision what they like to upload, but I try my best to make that decision to upload my work an easy one.
I do get told I’m there favourite photographer which I do question them about cause as previously mentioned, they probably have worked with so many talented photographers and I can’t picture myself being amongst them.
I’ll also admit that if I don’t hear these praises that I’ve not done a good enough job and that I’ll have to try harder. But at the end of the day, I must learn that praise is good regardless if it’s someone I know or a complete stranger who stumble entirely upon my page and leave a comment of, “I like your work”.
I would want people to continue telling their photographers, especially your favourite ones, how much you like or love their work. Yes, it’s an ego feeding exercise but it’s something which some photographers work off.
I must learn that praise is a positive thing and regardless whether it’s friend obligations giving praise, or the same people saying the same thing, it’s a good thing to hear and it should push me to be better at what I do.
Let me know what you think. Do you find praise from family or friends good or do you take it with a “pinch of salt”
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Cosplay by Strelizia Cosplay
Taken at MegaConLive Birmingham 2023
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Hello Everybody
This week, Ed talks about why there are so many negative comments about MCM London on Social Media.
Gilles Bone’s Tiktok Videos
@gillesbone #stitch with @More Sushi MCM London is in no way perfect. As artists we have plenty to say about the management of tables, etc outside of what you see as guests. But you just cannot compare any of the other mentioned events, let alone call then better. Not even the same league. ♬ original sound – Gilles Bone
@gillesbone This isn’t condoning overselling of tickets for ANY event, but just insight to those who seem to remember a non exsistent rosey past where big events were not packed. ♬ original sound – Gilles Bone
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Cosplay by Rrxexn
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Natty Cosplay began cosplaying about 10 years ago, and since then she’s fully embraced the fandom, and found her tribe amongst fellow cosplayers and friends who attend conventions in and around her home state of Florida. Like many of us her journey into cons, and cosplays, began with a push by friends to join them for a trip to a nearby anime con.
Natty recalled, “My friends already got tickets, and they were like “come on book your ticket. We’re going to MetroCon”. And I was like, “You’re right I should. I lived here this whole time, and I never went. It’s almost like I almost forgot, but they reminded me.”
It was at this convention where she debuted her first cosplay, as she tried out the world of anime conventions.
“I just put together a little Poison Ivy cosplay by gluing on a bunch of leaves I had to a bodysuit, and you know we just walked around and had a great time,” Natty said. “I didn’t even delve so much into con culture. I just thought it was a place to shop really. I walked around the vendor area and saw so many booths, comics, and figures, and [other[ things.
As time went on, I found I had more space and time and resources and funds to get deeper into the hobby. That’s when I started being more consistent with it.”
She has continued to delve further into cosplay, and now has quite a variety of cosplays she considers her favorites.
Natty said, “My very favorite one is that first cow cosplay. I did that one for Holiday Matsuri, and we had a cow meet up with other people dressed as cows. That was really fun. We did some pictures, videos, and I passed out little cow treats like candy. That was really fun.”
Natty continued, “My second favorite one is from ‘The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!’The anime is not as popular, but I love it. I dressed up as the Demon Lord. I love that cosplay. She never speaks, and she just eats all the time. It’s such a cute character, and it’s a very funny show.
Lastly Natty mentioned her third favorite cosplay she cosplayed was “Katara from Avatar The Last Airbender.” Natty remarked, “I want to revisit that and get more props for it, but I really had fun in that cosplay too. I want to bring that to a con.”
Natty loved the camaraderie and togetherness she had experienced, and she really wanted to help others find that as well, so she developed her first app “Show Buddy.” Natty recalled, “I launched Show Buddy around 2018. That was to help people find friends to go to concerts and festivals together. I would basically make a listing and curate a bunch of events that were going on in the United States, and have a group chat attached to it so people could sign up, join the group chat for the event and message back and forth. I think it’s still on Google Play, but I had to take it down off the Apple App Store around 2020.
I pulled the app down due to the nature of things at the time, but it was really fun while it was up and running, and I did meet a few people while I was using the app at that time. So it was a great experience, and I might pursue something a little bit more updated in the future.”
Natty took away some key lessons from her experience creating Show Buddy that have informed her about friendship and social hangouts in this day and age.
Natty remarked, “I learned that for some reason, it’s a lot harder for people to make friends and find people with the same hobbies in this day and age. I think a lot of people don’t like going to events alone, and if they have a chance they would rather go with someone. Though there’s nothing wrong with going places alone, I think just that the social atmosphere of things is just really lonely now. And there’s definitely a demand for people that want to meet new people and make new friends while they’re traveling or going to an event.”
When asked if Natty thought this related to conventions too, she replied “Oh yeah, for sure. There’s definitely a demand for with cons too, especially with this type of group, a little bit shy and feel they’re pushing themselves. They’re putting themselves out there, but maybe they don’t have a lot of experience going to places alone. So I can see that being a thing for cons too.”
Though many generations can of course struggle to find friendship and connections, I was wondering if this might be extra challenging for today’s youth.
“I think a lot of people agree,” Natty said. “It feels like more pressure now because on social media, you want to show a really flashy life. You want to not see your truest self sometimes. You kind of put up a perfect snapshot of that moment on your social media compared to what really happened behind the scenes in real life. So I do think that it was a little bit freer back then. It was easier. It was more natural. People liked posting unedited pictures of what they did with their friends for the weekend, whereas now everyone’s maybe pushing a product or something.”
One aspect of cosplays and conventions that Natty really appreciates is how it’s a wonderful space to meet a wide variety of people.
At conventions for instance, Natty said “I’m meeting married couples, families, and kids. It’s interesting but of course cosplay is everyone. It’s all different ages. So it’s nice to meet other people. You sort of just find your tribe and where you fit in.”
Natty stumbled into another fandom that really took her into a new unfamiliar world she then fell in love with. Natty recalled, “When I was younger, I was always searching online for shows on websites that had them hosted free, and I was looking for something and I accidentally clicked on a Korean Drama (K-Drama). It kept coming up, so I was like “I’ll watch this”. And I was so invested. I was like, “Wow, my mind was blown!” I didn’t even know about this culture and this country until I started getting really into that K-Drama. The K-Drama was ‘My Girl’, by the way, super old, but I just fell in love with it.”
Natty really went full steam into her love of Korean culture afer that, and this accidental click would lead her to studying overseas.
Natty remarked, “I was so inspired. I was learning Korean, like very beginning Korean, and my college had a study abroad program for South Korea. So I did a summer abroad at Yonsei International Summer School. And I met so many different people. We had a great time. We were always hanging out together, and it was great.” Natty continued, “ learning so much about the culture and just a different way of life. It was way more advanced, and a lot more convenient.. It had its good and bad , but
I enjoyed all of it. And then I went with my Korean friend to see her family because she was visiting. They were just so kind and generous to me and they gave me so much fruit, which is very expensive. We had to carry this huge bag of fruit back to our dorm. It was like watermelon, strawberries, peaches, all sorts of things, and I was so happy and grateful for that.”
Natty made sure to capture her time over in Korea, and she actually turned this into an eBook for others interested in learning about the country and culture of Korea. “I made a journal for each day,” Natty said. “It’s kind of like a blog with a picture for that day and everything I did. I’m glad I did that because it was for all those three months, so it was really well documented.”
She’s considered revisiting it, and perhaps re-editing parts, and when considering that she revisited many of her entries.
Natty remarked, “I read it and I remembered things that I did that I completely forgot. I had my fortune told, which was very fun. I also went to Japan from South Korea for like three days with a few friends, and that was also so much fun.”
Though Natty missed a lot of what Korea offered when she returned, she has noticed how much the cultural landscape has changed here, and how so many international foods, products, and stores have come over to the U.S. Natty remarked, “Ten years ago when I came back from South Korea, I missed having Korean food and everything, but now I can get that at the tip of my fingers with DoorDash. That did not exist before. Now we have a lotte Mart and so much more coming. So I’m happy about that.” Similarly she’s seen the world of cosplay and fan conventions evolve too, and primarily for the better. Natty said, “I like how much the cosplay space has grown. Now I see all types of shapes and bodies and skin tones and hair textures. Cosplay doesn’t have to be exactly like the picture or the anime. You can make it however you like and be creative with it.”
Now about 10 years on into her fandom, Natty’s continuation with cosplays and conventions just makes sense for her. “It just feels so natural to keep doing this,” Natty remarked. “It’s fun, I love the social aspect, and I would rather be spending my money on that than bills and stuff. So I feel like if I’m working at least I should work for something I enjoy too. So I always make a point to try to get one cosplay item and that keeps me going. I’m just working, but not enjoying myself.”
After slowing down her work on Show Buddy, she continued to embrace her side-hustle side, and she’s used her creativity to work on a new Exchange app. Natty explained, “It’s a listing website where you can post what services you offer in exchange for what service you’re looking for. For example, if you are a hairstylist and you’re looking for a makeup artist, you can post that and contact each other so that you don’t have to pay. You can just exchange that service. It’s kind of similar to Freecycle and other websites that do that. A lot of people do this already. I noticed a lot of people looking for things and they’ll offer their professional services, so I just wanted to make a website listing so that it’s all in one place and you don’t have to make a Facebook post or make a random post elsewhere looking for that.”
Like with cosplay, Natty has gained a lot through her creative efforts working on projects like Show Buddy and now her new Exchange website.
Natty said, “I love having a little side project. I work full-time for a Fintech company, but you know in my free time I do like to put out my websites and thoughts and apps and all of that. And there’s always a place for everything. You always have an audience for everything. It’s just finding the audience. That’s the hard part, but you know you should always do it because you never know what may come out of it.”
Disclaimer: All images and videos used, do not belong to FnC and belong to their respective owners.
This story first appeared Cosplay In America and if you want to share a “Cosplay Stories” to be shared here on this website, full details can be found here.
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Cosplay by Gianaxrose
Taken at MegaConLive Birmingham 2023
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We would want to hear your views on “How do you cope with comic con blues after an event?”.
What is it about the Comic-Con Blues which makes it an uncomfortable experience? Does working on the next cosplay help, or do you enjoy having that break from all that hard work building up to that one comic-con event? Do you even experience comic-con blues at all?
Drop your comment, in the Comment Section below or on our Facebook page to share your view.
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Cosplay by Alexkestis, Kaikestis, Iamjimtho
Taken at MCM Comic Con Birmingham 22
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On our various social media platforms, we have original content published every day. Here is a roundup of all the posts.
Monday
Ted Lasso by Lemmonhead92
Cosplay Discussion : How do you feel when a comic con approaches and why?
Tuesday
Bombshell Halloween Batgirl by Jemzamia Cosplay
Crispy Red Bean, Matcha Pudding
Cosplay Stories : Kamura armor from Monster Hunter Rise by echo_waters
Wednesday
Takashi Mitsuya / Tokyo Revengers by Tasogare Cosplay
Steamed Garlic King Prawns on Glass Noodles
Podcast #151 …Is MCM London values of money?
Thursday
D.Va (Black Cat) / Overwatch by Moonlitstreets Cosplay
Tiktok : Yeah I’ve been to MCM London. Here are my photos I took in 2022. Can’t wait to take more photos with cosplayers this year.
Feature : There’s a reason you’re not getting photos of your cosplay and it’s not what you think by 86th Floor
Friday
Banjo Kazooie by Sianlily
Podcast Extract : CeleryMoonDesigns shares her opinion on where the better MCM event is held.
The Batarang // Mushroom parfait, burnt apple & onion ketchup, sourdough toast
Cosplays We Like : Dr Eggman / Sonic the Hedgehog
Saturday
Cloud Strife / Final Fantasy VII by Angel Got Chill
Big Belly Burger // Wayne Estate beef, burger sauce, pickle, onions, American & smoked cheese
Sunday
Bowsette / Super Mario Bros. by Cerise Queen Cosplays
The Joker’s Grin // Beetroot gnocchi, salmon, mint courgettes, Mauritian curry, lime leaf oil
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On our various social media platforms, we have original content published every day. Here is a roundup of all the posts.
Monday
Obi-Wan Kenobi / The Clone Wars by The Healy Meister
Cosplay Discussion : “…what would put you off working with a…”
Tuesday
Angel ‘Experiment’ & Stitch / Lilo & Stitch by Tearastar & Emberwolf
Slow-cooked beef ragù, organic tomato, mozzarella, cheese sauce, crispy pancetta & fresh basil Pizza
Cosplay Stories : Prestige Empyrean K’Sante by blackacecosplay
Wednesday
Latex Harley Quinn by Jinxy Dragon Cosplay
Tiktok : I may be too excited for MCM London
Panko Chicken Curry Udon
Podcast #152 …FnC Room 101
Thursday
Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin / Kingsman by Autumns Cosplay
Tiktok : 5, 6, 7, 8, I am ready to go to comic con!
What Have I Learnt about Re-Editing My Work?
Friday
Regency Aziraphale / Good Omens by Tricksy Spirit Cosplay
Tiktok : Imagine being at a comic con….
MCM London 2023 May Part 1
MCM London 2023 May Part 2
MCM London 2023 May Part 3
MCM London 2023 May Part 4
Podcast Extract : Bii shares her thought from my entry for photographers who uses backlog as a “flex”
Chocolate Sprinkles // Chocolate ganache, glaçage noir and sugar sprinkles
Cosplays We Like : Cloud Strife / Final Fantasy VII
Saturday
Mermaid & Pedro / Guides of the Horizon by magically.madeleine & Rhilentless
MCM London 2023 May Part 5
Abalone Siu Mai Dim Sum
Sunday
Jesse Faden (Asynchronous Suit) / Control by OtteryKhaleesi
MCM London 2023 May Part 6
MCM London 2023 May Part 7
Won Ton Soup
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Cosplay by Viridian Cosplay
Taken at MCM Comic Con Birmingham 22
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Cosplay by Cara Jane Cosplay
Taken at MCM Comic Con Birmingham 22
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This week’s Cosplays We Like comes from Stitch from the Lilo & Stitch franchise.
Stitch, also known as Experiment 626, is a fictional character from the Disney animated film “Lilo & Stitch” and its franchise. He is a small, blue, alien creature created by the mad scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba. Stitch was designed to be mischievous, destructive, and highly intelligent, with the ability to cause chaos and destruction wherever he goes.
Stitch has become a popular character in the Disney franchise, appearing in various sequels, spin-offs, and television series, including “Stitch! The Movie,” “Lilo & Stitch: The Series,” and “Stitch!.” He is known for his unique appearance, with six limbs, sharp teeth, and large, round eyes. Despite his initial destructive nature, Stitch eventually becomes a beloved member of Lilo’s family and learns to use his abilities for good.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ember Wolf (@theemberwolf)
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If you weren’t featured in this round don’t worry! These are just the pictures that came across our feed this time around. If you would like to be featured in the future just message us and send us your image!
Disclaimer: All images and videos used, do not belong to FnC and belong to their respective owners.
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Cosplay by Twisted Sisters Cosplay
Taken at MCM Comic Con Birmingham 22
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With comic-con London just finished I feel the need to write this article as I’ll know a few cosplayers who don’t know or realise what to do when cosplayers receive your photos back from photographers. I’m hoping this will help both cosplayers and photographers.
First of all, for the love that is all holy to the cosplay gods, do not edit the photos that you didn’t take yourself or add an Instagram filter over them. You have no idea what it feels like to pour time into a photo making into the style and look they think brings out the best in the photographer as well as the cosplayer, for someone to make changes that go against the initial vision. If there is something about the photo you don’t like or want to change, don’t ask as the cosplayer can make the changes but ask if the photographer is willing to make the changes first. That way, you give the photographer a chance to rectify the photo as the photographer might not know or notice initially.
Don’t forget to credit people involved when posting photos. Everyone wants to be credited for the hard work they put into the photo. Also, it helps drive exposure to others who might want to work with the cosplayer, photographer, prop maker, cosplay seamstress, etc. I know it’s not possible to credit all involved but do your best.
If you liked the photos you got back or enjoyed working with a cosplayer, do consider following them on social media, let them know you enjoyed your time working with each other. Don’t be afraid to ask if they are attending another comic con and see about booking their time for her next event. Everyone will have different comfort levels so if they aren’t being too responsive or don’t respond, don’t take it as negative feedback, you don’t know if they are busy and get lots of responses to get through or other situations which prevent them from responding back.
Maybe you’re in a position that you have got your photos back from a photographer, first of all not all photographers work at the same rate as others. Do first give a photographer time to go through the photos and process and edit photos. Personally, if you haven’t seen any photos from a photographer for over a month, just drop a courtesy message inquiring if they’ve had a chance to edit the photos. Many comic con photographers have day jobs so do all edits within their own personal time.
I hope some of these points have been insightful. If there are some I have missed out on, please feel free to comment below any tips you have.
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Cosplay by Twisted Sisters Cosplay
Taken at MCM Comic Con Birmingham 22
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