Tuesday, February 4, 2014
I've noticed that a lot of cosplayers who do professional or friendly shoots tend to be super somber about them. They not only tend to not enjoy themselves in a shoot by being goofy or just plain stupid, they also hide those photos that are so to speak "unflattering". Although for some character archetypes this might be the best idea. I find that the shoots that have just as much foolhardy to deliberate ratio not only produce better pictures, but they also are far more memorable.
Why are derp photos so good for photo shoots?
- They loosen you up and make you feel more comfortable as a person in front of the camera, let alone a character.
- It gives you a moment to break out of character and just be BLAH for a few seconds so you can get back in focus, and can really help if you’re stuck on what to do as related to poses.
- It helps you relax with the other cosplayers who are photographing with you, be them close friends or people you may have just met or just started photographing with.
- Sometimes, the derp photos you make are better than the more serious ones.
- They’re just plain fun.
Not only is it good to take derpy photos at shoots, it’s also good to share those memories with other cosplayers. There are lots of really good photographs of cosplayers doing amazing things, but I’m pretty sure there aren’t that many people making props into mustaches and what not. These moments are memorable specifically to you and your groups of friends. Yet beyond that, sharing these kind of photos allow people to get to know you as you, instead of you as a particular cosplayer. Sometimes I just laugh like a child when something goes wonky. There were times I just had to make stupid motions or faces just to say "Yeah, I’m malfunctioning."
