Cos Culture Magazine - November 2015 by Cos Culture Magazine

cos culture magazine NOVEMBER 2015

C O S P L AY ONLINE:

Lovi na Yavari

of geekxgirls.com + the faces behind:

SHARE MY COSPLAY TUTORIAL: H O W T O C R E AT E A ' FA U X W O O D ' F I N I S H O N YO U R C O S P L AY

S H O T BY A D A M

C O S P L AY P H ONOVEMBER T O G R 2015 A P H 1Y

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S 4.

16.

28.

40.

cosplay online: featuring share my cosplay.com

cosplay online: featuring lovina yavari of geekxgirls.com

tutorial: how to achieve a wood grain finish in cosplay

shot by adam : superhero photography feature

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Cos Culture Magazine is owned and operated by NH Creative Inc. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/ CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Nikko Marie FRONT Cover image: Lovina Yavari as Tank Girl Photography by FireMate Photographic

back cover image:

Harley Quinn Photography by Adam Sternberg of Shot by Adam

ISSN 2368-2582 Disclaimer:

Copyrights of all included text, photos and other material used in this edition of Cos Culture Magazine are the property of their respective owners, and have been graciously provided to us for use in this magazine by the legal owner of each work. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at info@ cosculturemagazine.com.

CONTACT: info@cosculturemagazine.com www.cosculturemagazine.com FB: cosculturemagazine Twitter: @cosculturemag PUBLISHER:

NH Creative Inc. Ottawa, ON Canada November, 2015 info@nhcreative.ca www.nhcreative.ca

Lovina Yavari as Tank Girl Photo by FireMate Photographic NOVEMBER 2015

SHARE MY COSPLAY O T TAW A , C A N A D A

fr ea kx - ow n er CC Mag: What is Share My Cosplay? SMC: Share My Cosplay is something I started for every cosplayer out there. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fun safe place, where cosplayers who spend so much time creating such amazing costuming feats, can have their work shared for the world to enjoy. There are a lot of sites out there similar to ours, howver the One thing that we feel sets us apart from others is that we pride ourselves

Sean H. aka FreakX with Jessica Nigri, Cosplayer 4

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in making sure that we do our very best in providing full credit to the cosplayers and the photographers. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also purposely grown our team over the last year so we can provide extensive content to our readers. Our extended team is made up of cosplayers & photograpehrs, and we send them to all the major fandom conventions out there to see cosplay up close and document them for our readers and fans to enjoy.

Snapshot of www.sharemycosplay.com website home screen NOVEMBER 2015

Snapshot of www.sharemycosplay.com cosplay feature page 6

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CC Mag: How long have you been running this site? SMC: The site has been up for over three years now. It has grown from a small hand made site, where I did the entries manually, to a fully fledge website is backed an ever growing network of social media pages. I’ve spent many late nights making sure content is ready and up for the next day. It certainly keeps me busy. The site provides a number of types of content for people to enjoy. We do Daily Posts, and include other entries such as cosplay interviews, cosplayers spotlights, sponsored giveaways and convention coverage. We’ve also tried a few new things like doing interviews with cosplay photographers. CC Mag: How/when did you come up with the idea for this site? Tell us a bit about how it got started. SMC: I can still remember the day that I came up with the idea that would eventually lead to the creation of Share My Cosplay. A few friends and I were having a lunch time discussion about cosplayers, and for some reason it just hit me, it would be cool to have a site that was part of the cosplay community. The site debuted in 2012 with a slightly different focus than it has now and under a different name. However several months into the endeavor, it was quite clear what we were doing. Cosplayers were freely sending us their creations and then we would take them and “Share” them for others to see. I always made a point of including the cosplayersè names and links to their sites, so people could check out more of their work. It was clear people thought this was a good idea as our Twitter page was steadily gaining followers. Then one afternoon when showing a close friend of mine what I had been up to the last few months with the site, he simply came up with the idea of calling the site “Share My Cosplay”. The sites name, web addresss, twitter and facebook pages were all changed a couple of weeks later when this idea really hit home and I realized how perfectly it fit with what I was doing. The rest as they say is history.

CC Mag: How many people are involved in SMC? SMC: Share My Cosplay started as a one man show, and while I still do most of the website and social media content, we have grown immensely over the last two years. As of answering these questions we now have 20 team members spread across the world, including people in Canada, USA, UK, Germany and Australia. The extended teams main focus is to cover fandom conventions from around the world. Which we turn into content for our sites such as facebook albums with 100’s of pictures, youtube interviews, and convention post for the site. Normally at least one team member from Share My Cosplay is at every major convention during the convention season (facebook.com/sharemycosplay/ events). 2015 has been a break out year for us, with representatives from Share My Cosplay attending over 50 conventions, including all the big ones like SDCC, NYCC, MCM London, and Fan Expo and even smaller ones like Shockpop Comiccon, MotorCity Comiccon, Toronto’s Atomic Lollipop and everything in between. CC Mag: Do you have a favourite memory from working on SMC? SMC: Since starting the site, we’ve had a number of milestones. I think hitting 10,000 followers on Twitter really made me realize that people like what we are doing and gave me the drive to keep moving forward with the work we were doing. Also meeting Jessica Nigri and actually having her do an interview for the site was pretty cool. Here is understandably one of the most popular cosplayers in the world, taking time out of her schedule to do an interview for our site. I was amazed, and will forever be a fan of hers. A new addition to this list is seeing our biggest project to date is about to debut. We gathered some of the top cosplayers in Canada and made a cosplay calender, in effort to create a cross promotional item that could help support the site. It’s been a lot of work but totally worth it, I’m so proud to be a part of it along side our graphic designer Dex Morgan. The calender should hopefully be on sale upon publishing of this interview, if not sometime in November (2015). .

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CC Mag: What first drew you toward the cosplay community? SMC: This is an easy question to answer. I consider myself a hardcore gamer, and this is what drew me to the cosplay community, along with my love of comic books. Both of these fandoms have such awesome characters, that often you can’t help but feel like they are a part of your life. Seeing such characters come to life by a cosplayer for the first time, is something truly magical. When a cosplayer is able to totally nail a character perfectly, there is just something so cool about that, and helps draw you into the characters adventures even more than you ever originally thought. With some many talented cosplayer out there do this ever day, I just new I had to find my own way into the cosplay community. CC Mag: What is your favourite part about the cosplay community? SMC: Two things stand out about the cosplay community to me. The first being how friendly everyone is. People meet you for the first time, and it’s so easy to talk to them. The common interested is so strong, it’s like you’ve been friends forever. Cosplayer are so willing to let “strangers” take their pictures or do an interview, simply because you have such an awesome common interest. It’s really amazing. The second thing that stands out is the share amount of creativity people are able to unleash with their costumes. I am personally always amazed what people can do with Worbla. Blizzcon is one of our favourite conventions simple because of the armored cosplays people debut there, they are simply so epic. The friendliness and creativity of cosplayers make it impossible to choose just one, so it’s a tie. CC Mag: Do you notice a difference in the cosplay community from when you first started to today? SMC: While cosplay was already huge before I started Share My Cosplay, I have indeed noticed a difference. It seems it has simply gotten bigger in every way. It’s so cool to see cosplayers as featured guests at conventions around the country. It seems over the last few years, cosplayers have just found new awesome and very impressive ways to make their costumes even more stunning. It seems with today’s materials and know8

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how technically any character is now possible (i.e. Hulk Buster Iron Man SDCC 2015). We can only imagine what cosplay will be like in the coming years. CC Mag: What have been some of your favourite cosplays that you guys have shared on your site? SMC: This is a hard question to answer. Since starting the site, we’ve shared 1000’s of pictures (http:// sharemycosplay.tumblr.com/archive). That being said we do have a number of favourite cosplays. Zombie Bit Me’s Cyrign / Elf, Bad Kitty Cosplay’s Lady Deadpool (it’s been my ipad background for a couple of years), Riddle’s print with her as Princess Leia. We’re always impressed with Jessica Nigri, take for example her Pokemon Evolutions, how she is able to find the perfect balance between sex appeal and just being totally epic. SMC receives submissions from all over the world every week,and every week we are continually amazed at what people are able to bring to life. I don’t think I’ll ever stop being impressed. CC Mag: Where can people find you online? www.sharemycosplay.com www.twitter.com/sharemycosplay sharemycosplay.tumblr.com www.facebook.com/sharemycosplay www. instagram.com/sharemycosplay www.youtube.com/sharemycosplay The following photographs of the SMC Staff are from: Theorem Productions www.facebook.com/theoremproductions cospix.net/theoremproductions Corey Graham www.facebook.com/CSGPhotog instagram.com/graham.corey

Abby Sorrell Photography www.facebook.com/AbbySorrellPhotography Sci Fi Elements www.facebook.com/scifielements1

www. sha r e mycosplay. com

CONTRIBUTORS

N EEKO C O S P LAY Recently I decided to combine my experience as a photographer and cosplayer together with graphic design to create images for other cosplayers. In the past I have created animated movies, comic strips, created cosplays but now my entire year is comprised of taking photos at conventions and editing during the weeks I am not traveling. It is exhausting, but so much fun. I am very grateful for this period of my life. Favourite SMC Memory: Running the posts on the Facebook page while Sean was on vacation. It was basically cosplay roulette for 2 weeks.

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Ba n d i t S p u rs I’m a Canadian cosplayer based out of Montreal, Quebec! My cosplay journey started in the fall of 2013 with a Twilight Princess version of Princess Zelda, since then I’ve completed over 10 costumes. I think I can safely say that the hobby has fully rooted itself into my life! I’ve been a contributing member of the ShareMyCosplay team since late 2014, coincidentally my anniversary event coming up shortly in November, Pop Expo was my first time hitting the halls to cover cosplay! As a cosplayer I tend to gravitate towards video games as my main source for cosplay inspiration (especially RPG games), but I’ve also pulled from Animes and Movies! I think my primary drive in cosplay is the crafting aspect of the hobby; I love to sew, make

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strange things, and learning new crafting skills keeps me going! Usually cosplay for the love of the character or series, but when I see a gorgeous and challenging design, no matter what the source, I can’t help but feel really tempted to make it myself. I have had the great honour of interviewing a handful of very admirable cosplayers; two interviews which thrilled me most took place this summer at Montreal Comic Con! Like any other media loving cosplayer, I sat through a season and a half of Heroes of Cosplay; sometimes happily, sometimes with my finger clawing at my eyelids, but at MCC 2015 I finally got to meet Monica Lee and Riddle in person and interview them both. Both ladies were extremely open and very personable, they are definitely positive pillars of the community- despite what triksy editing tried to do to them!

Bandit Spurs as Queen Zelda Photo by Theorem Productions NOVEMBER 2015

i zzy b o o m c o s p lay Bio: I’m a British Cosplayer who lives, works and studies in London. I’ve been cosplaying for almost five years and have no intention to stop any time soon. I’m an English Literature student and an aspiring writer. When I discovered SMC it just seemed a perfect way for me to blend my two hobbies into one, to have the opportunity to attend events that I would not usually have the chance to attend and to gain experience this way was too good an opportunity to ignore. Favourite SMC Memory: Publishing my first article. Not only the experience of actually having my work published but also the reaction of our audience. I received quite a few e-mails and messages from people who agreed with my points and a few more were swayed by my article. The reaction from the team was amazing as well. I never thought I’d have support all across the world and in such a supportive group as well. IzzyBoom Cosplay Photo by Abby Sorrell Photography

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n er d g i r l b r i tt Bio: My name is Brittany Stapleton but in the cosplay community I go by Nerd Girl Britt. I started cosplaying in 2005, which was my very first year attending San Diego Comic Con. I was completely amazed at how intricate and complex costumes could be. I have always been a fan of costumes with Halloween being my favourite holiday. As a kid, I spent a great deal of time watching Star Trek and Superhero Cartoons with my Dad. Being a nerd was something that I was always proud of and showing up the boys with my knowledge of technology and video games has always been a passion of mine. I know work as a website designer for Interactive Design Solutions www.

interactivedesignsolutions.com and in my free time I make geekie glittery accessories for my company Accessories by Nerd Girl Britt www.etsy.com/shop/ NerdGirlBritt. As a cosplayer I have had so many opportunities with the most recent one being meeting the amazing Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes at The Geekie Awards. I was able to interact with them on stage and it was truly a dream come true. Favourite SMC Memory: Working with Share My Cosplay has been a dream. My absolute favourite memory has to be interviewing Michael Rowe (Deadshot on Arrow) and discussing his onset costume. It was just an amazing discussion on the power that costumes have.

Nerd Girl Britt as Black Canary Photo by Sci Fi Elements NOVEMBER 2015

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t en d er c o s p lay Bio: I started cosplaying when I was 13. My mother is a seamstress and loved dressing me up. It’s always been arts and crafts at my house. Card Captors Sakura was my first Cosplay. Slowly but surely I’ve been doing more challenging costumes. Videogames, comic book heroes to anime characters. I’m all over for my cosplays. I just do anything I love. Mostly attending conventions in the Ottawa area, but I’d love to branch out. Sharemycosplay.com has let me do that and go to more Ontario conventions. It’s amazing to be able to just run around a con and take beautiful photos of everyone. I love seeing how excited other cosplayers get when I ask them for a picture because I know just how much work went into their cosplay.

Tender Cosplay as Black Widow Photo by Corey Graham

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Lovina Yavari as Tank Girl Photo by FireMate Photographic NOVEMBER 2015

Lovina Yavari as Tank Girl Photo by FireMate Photographic 18

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LOVINA YAVARI TORONTO, CANADA

CC Mag: Tell us a bit about yourself! Lovina: I’m an artist, actress, and model based in Toronto, ON. I’m a video personality for a gaming magazine CGM (www.cgmagonline.com). I’m also a host for a Japanese escape room company in Toronto (www.realescapegame.ca), and I’m a voice actor for the animated series Injection (www.facebook.com/ InjectionFilm). CC Mag: Can you tell us a bit about the GeekxGirls website? Lovina: Geek Girls is a pop culture website run by a group of ladies scattered across the lands. We have girls all over Canada and US. A lot of the ladies write articles covering games, comics, movies, and anime. We also post a ton of beautiful cosplay fan submissions. CC Mag: What is your involvement with the website? Lovina: I submit content and represent Geek Girls at local conventions. CC Mag: How did you come to be a part of it? Lovina: I came across the group about 5 years ago. I met the owner (Dana) at a mini Star Wars convention. I liked what the website stood for and joined shortly after. It’s insane how much it’s grown since then. From 5k followers when I first joined, to now over 300k. There’s over 40 official Geek Girls, and they’re girls from all over Canada and the US. We’ve created a badass community of strong ladies.

CC Mag: You’ve got quite the resume. Tell us about some of your other projects! Lovina: I’m a host for Comics and Gaming Magazine. We film segments on upcoming game news. You can find them all on CGMagonline.com I emcee for an Escape Room in Toronto called Real Escape Game. I’m usually located at the Time Travel Lab as a mad scientist. There’s been a ton popping up recently. Our game is the original one and was created in Japan in 2007. For those of you unaware of escape games, you get locked in a themed room for 60mins and have to find clues and solve puzzles in order to find the key to unlock the door to your freedom. I also model. I’m sponsored by several clothing companies and Pinky Paradise contact lens. I design concepts for my shoots, style wigs, and build props to compliment the wardrobe. My work is usually sci fi or fantasy themed. I pull inspiration from a lot of movies, comic books, and anime series I follow. Lastly, Im a union actress. I’ve been fortunate to be a part of really sweet sci fi and horror projects. My goal is to specifically play characters under prosthetics. I plan to have a career similar to Doug Jones. One of my favourite actors. He’s the guy that played Abe Sapien in Hellboy, Lead gentlemen in Buffy, the faun in Pans Labyrinth, etc. You can see some of my work on my youtube page, my channel name is Lovina Yavari. I also post behind the scene photos on my instagram @ dreamingofzi0n. NOVEMBER 2015

c h a r act er: ta n k g i r l Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been a fan of Jamie Hewletts work for many years. His style was what drew me to Tank Girl. For this costume I decided to do my own design. What if Tank Girl was a Manga series instead? I think this is what sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d look like. My friend Derek (photographer) got us the insane hookups at the Tank Museum. We were aiming to capture movie still style photos.

Lovina Yavari as Tank Girl Photo by FireMate Photographic 20

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Lovina Yavari as Tank Girl Photo by FireMate Photographic 22

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CC Mag: When did you first get into modelling? Lovina: I was scouted in a mall when I was 5 years old. I professionally modelled for a few years, but my mom pulled me out when I started getting offered commercials. She didn’t want me to miss school any more or end up as a child actor. I picked it up again when I was 19, while attending a makeup school. A few of my classmates used me for their photo shoots. When I graduated I ended up with a makeup and modelling portfolio, so I decided to try it again. It’s been 5 years now and I haven’t stopped since. CC Mag: What are some of your favourite fandoms? Lovina: Oh man, theres way too many. So I’ll narrow it down to TV shows. Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Star Trek: Next Gen, Babylon 5, Xena, Buffy, and Firefly! CC Mag: Tell us about your cosplays. If you could cosplay one character, who would it be? Lovina: I tend to do more original concepts than existing characters. I love the creative freedom and satisfaction of bringing your own idea to life. Plus it’s awesome when people think my costumes are from an actual series. It’s the biggest compliment. I have

2 costumes I plan to do next. Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop and Cybersix. They’ve both been on my list for too long. CC Mag: Tell us about some of your cosplays. Any advice for people starting out? Lovina: For existing characters, I pick both male and female characters that I loved growing up. I don’t sew 100% of the costume, unless I have to. I prefer finding pieces I can alter. This cuts the cost for me insanely so I’m able to produce more work in a short time frame. My advice, cut corners! Save money and be patient. I have a handful of outfits I started 2 years ago, but haven’t completed because I’m waiting for specific items to go on sale.

You can find more of Lovina’s work here: www.facebook.com/LovinaYavari Instagram: @dreamingofzi0n Twitter: @dreamingofzi0n Photography by: Derek Cutting of FireMate Photographic www.firemate.ca

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c h a r act er: R ei aya n a m i Lovina: I’ve wanted to do an Eva shoot for many years. Rei’s naturally my favourite character. I’ve always loved my robo chicks, but Motoko is my number 1 lady. Anyways, I’m so happy I finally checked this off my list. My friend Christian did the beautiful body paint... I figured a plugsuit would translate well for a bodypaint shoot. My good friend Derek set up the locations and backdrops. We also hunted for the perfect images online. I wanted to create live action movie stills. Hope it worked. Lovina as Rei Ayanami, Evangelion Photo by FireMate Photographic Bodypaint by Christian Carrizo NOVEMBER 2015

Lovina as Rei Ayanami, Evangelion Photos by FireMate Photographic Bodypaint by Christian Carrizo 26

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TUTORIAL

HOW TO ACHIEVE A WOOD-GRAIN FINISH ON WORBLA by Ellebasi Cosplay www.facebook.com/ellebasicosplay

NOVEMBER 2015

I N ST RU CT I O N S 1.

Cut out desired pattern shape from craft foam (foam thickness will depend on your preference. Usually 2mm works well).

Referring to a reference photo, sketch out a rough wood grain pattern on the craft foam using a pencil or marker.

Use a dremel turned sideways on a 45 degree angle from the foam to score along the wood grain lines drawn in the previous step. Be careful not to cut all the way through the foam. Use varying degrees of pressure with the dremel to achieve a natural wood grain look. Once the desired texture is achieved, trace over the carved lined again using a dark pen or marker. This will allow you to see the lines through the Worbla once you complete the next step.

Depending on whether the back of the finished piece will be visible in the final cosplay, follow steps A or B.

so that the edges of the Worbla overlap on all sides. If necessary rehead the edges of the Worbla with the heat gun and press around the perimeter of the foam to seal the Worbla together. The excess Worbla around the edges can then be trimmed, but be careful to leave a small amount of sealed Worbla around the edge to maintain the bond between the Worbla sheets around the foam.

If the back of the piece will NOT be visible, you can save Worbla by only using one sheet. Cut a piece of Worbla approximately 2cm bigger around the edge than the craft foam. Gently heat the Worbla sheet with a heat gun, and lay flat over the textured craft foam, centring the foam in the middle of the Worbla so that the excess Worbla can be seen around the edge. Fold the excess Worbla around the edge of the craft foam, shaping the edges along the shape of the pre-cut craft foam.

Now that the Worbla is sealed around the craft foam, gently reheat the flat surface of the Worbla that lies directly over the textured craft foam. Using a blunt knife of sculpting tools, If the back of the piece WILL be gently press into the Worbla along the a. visible, you will want to create a pen lines, recreating the pattern created Worbla sandwich around your craft by the dremel. Once the desired texture foam piece. To do this, cut two sheets of is achieved, the overall piece can then be Worbla approximately 1cm wider around bent into shape, if required. the edge than the craft foam. Gently heat the Worbla sheets with a heat gun, and place the Worbla sheets on either side of the foam, centring the foam in the middle

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1. 3.

4. b

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Ellebasi Cosplay Photo by Yves Tennevin of Esby.Photo www.fb.com/esby.photo NOVEMBER 2015

TUTORIAL 34

HOW TO ACHIEVE A WOOD-GRAIN FINISH ON EVA FOAM by Craft Alchemist Cosplay

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NOVEaMBER 2015

I N ST RU CT I O N S 1.

Cut EVA foam roughly in the shape you will want for your final piece, using an exacto knife or a pair of sharp scissors. This will ensure you don’t spend extra time detailing pieces that won’t be used. EVA foam piece can then be trimmed into exact shape following detailing.

Using a sharpie, sketch out a rough wood grain pattern on the smooth surface of your EVA foam. Different trees have different detailing on their bark, so use reference photos when possible. Use sweeping motions with your pen to create organic shapes in varying sizes.

Use a dremel turned sideways on a 45 degree angle from the EVA foam to score along the wood grain lines drawn in the previous step. Be careful not to cut all the way through the foam. Use varying degrees of pressure with the dremel to achieve a natural wood grain look. Large, longer lines can be cut wider and deeper, and the spaced in between should be cut with soft, light lines to add extra detail. Repeat this step until your piece is detailed in a manner that you are happy with. It is always better to start lighter, as you can add depth and width to the grooves easily after your first pass. Once you dremel too deep, however, it is more difficult to fix your mistake. You can now cut the piece into its final shape, prior to moving on to the next step.

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With quick, steady stokes, pass a heat gun over your work at about one to two feed away from the foam. This will close the cells on the foam so you can prepare for painting. Be careful not to hold the heat gun in one spot too long as the foam may burn. You should notice the foam getting slightly shinny after the heat passes over it. This indicates the foam is adequately sealed with the heat.

The EVA foam is now ready to prime with a rubberized coating. This will allow your paint not to crack in the event of inevitable flex, and will create a smoother and glossier surface for you to paint on. It will also help seal the remaining open cells of the EVA foam that weren’t initially sealed by the heat gun.

Your piece is now ready to paint. Apply a base coat of dark brown paint, and slowly add more depth and detail with varying tones of black and grey. To achieve depth in your painting, try only covering the raised parts with the base paint. This can be done by using a sponge or cloth, and gently apply the paint in sweeping motion over the top of the EVA foam, careful to avoid the cracks. Darker shades can then be painted in and around the crevices, and lighter tones can be used to highlight the edges. We suggest referencing a photo to more accurately recreate the type of wood you are hoping to achieve. Dry brush techniques work well when replicating wood texture.

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SHOT BY ADAM C O S P L AY P H O T O G R A P H Y by adam st e r nb e r g

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NOVEMBER 2015

SUITING UP WITH

Adam Sternberg Photography L A S V E G A S , N E VA D A

CC Mag: Tell us a bit about yourself. Adam: I was born and raised in Las Vegas which and took to photography at an early age. With Sin City as my canvas, I loved to take photos around the crazy city that I lived in. My father was an amateur photographer and taught me the basics about shutter speed, aperture settings, etc. As I got older I started reading every photography book I could get my hands on and eventually started shooting professionally almost 20 years ago, shooting shows on the Las Vegas Strip and even into the corporate world, shooting events, seminars, etc. I always had a philosophy that no matter what kind of shoot I was on, I would always find some way of coming up with a new way of shooting something and I still keep this philosophy on all my shoots. Today, I’m still a professional photographer in Las Vegas and have traveled the world with my camera having done shoots on six different continents. CC Mag: When did you get into photography? How about cosplay photography? Adam: My father was my first influence. He was an amateur photographer and taught me about shutter speed, aperture settings, etc. Keep in mind, this was back in the film days so when you composed a shot, there was no chimping to see if you got the shot right. You actually metered for light, got the settings

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as best you could, and saw the results later when in the darkroom. I don’t have a huge nostalgia for film though. I love working with digital imagery and in Photoshop to manipulate an image the way I want it. For me, that’s half the fun of doing Cosplay shoots. I was a huge fan of the Christopher Reeve Superman films when I was young. I remember seeing the Man of Steel when I was 8 years old in the theater and that changed everything for me. As I got older, I loved the thought of being able to translate my passion for comic books into photography and that’s when I realized that shooting Cosplay was my favourite creative outlet. Now I’m expanding into Steampunk, Manga, and other related genres as well. So now when I’m not shooting for conventions and corporate events, I make time to setup a good cosplay shoot. CC Mag: Would you say you have any particular ‘style’? Adam: I like to shoot a scene rather than just shoot a model. When I get an idea for a cosplay shoot, I tend to work in reverse, thinking about what character I’m going to shoot and how I can translate that into something bigger. I scout out interesting locations, work on costuming, create the props, etc. So in my mind I know exactly what the photo is going to look like before I ever pick up the camera. I tend to gravitate to high contrast images with lots of color to make the photo jump off the page or out of the monitor.

CC Mag: How many superheroes have you shot? What draws you to this theme? Adam: Tons. I’ve shot many superheroes and supervillains as well. I was an avid comic book reader when I was a kid and the thought of being able to put together a superhero themed photo shoot just brings me back to my youth.

CC Mag: Tell us about some of your favourite experiences when shooting cosplay! Adam: My favourite cosplay photo of mine I shot for client of mine (and now she is a very close friend), Lisa Lopez. It was back in 2011 and I was starting to dabble a bit into cosplay photography. I was contacted by someone who had this amazing, custom-made Harley Quinn outfit and she wanted to be photographed in it. We setup the shoot at a studio and we shot hundreds of amazing photos over the course of two hours.

The suit is extremely hot to wear, so we had to take breaks during the shoot for her to cool off. As I was changing cards in my camera, she touched up her makeup and said this had to be the final session as she was overheating badly. I had my back to her while we were talking and asked if she had any last ideas for a pose and she said, “How about this?”. I turned around to see Lisa twisted up like a pretzel on the ground AND SHE LOOKED AMAZING! I grabbed the camera and fired off five photos before she collapsed in exhaustion. I now have one of those photos framed in the office and to this day, it’s one of my favourite cosplay shots.

Photo by Adam Sternberg NOVEMBER 2015

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CC Mag: If you could photography anybody in the world, who would it be? Tell us about your dream shoot! Adam: This is a tough one. I’d have to say Harrison Ford. Some might think because of his portrayal of Han Solo, especially with the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie coming out soon. As much as I am into Star Wars, I’m an even bigger Indiana Jones fan. Doing a photo shoot with Harrison donning the fedora would be my dream shoot.

CC Mag: Have you ever cosplayed? Adam: Oddly enough, not much. This year though was my first, putting together a somewhat elaborate steampunk outfit. I’d certainly like to do more though but my love for cosplay is behind the camera, not so much in front of it.

NOVEMBER 2015

COS CULTURE MAGAZINE

NOVEMBER 2015

CC Mag: Any advice for people wanting to break into cosplay photography? Adam: THINK BIG! Never be afraid to setup something more elaborate than you think you are capable of. Never be afraid to ask the owner or manager of a cool location near you if you can do a photo shoot there, you’d be shocked at how often you will hear them say yes if you ask nicely and explain exactly what you’re planning on doing. If your Photoshop or retouching skills are not that great yet, find someone to help you! There are many people I’ve networked with who are not the greatest photographers but do amazing post-production work...seek those people out. Also, find the right model for the shoot, not just

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the first one that comes along. It helps a lot if they are into cosplay themselves as they will bring a unique energy to the shoot when they get into character and the camera will certainly pick up on that. Most of all though, HAVE FUN. You’re doing it because you love it, so take the time to make all the element of your shoot come together for a great result you can be proud of. Where can we find more of your work? Adam: You can find me on my website at www.shotbyadam.com and on facebook at www.facebook.com/shotbyadam

NOVEMBER 2015

COS CULTURE MAGAZINE

NOVEMBER 2015

COS CULTURE MAGAZINE

NOVEMBER 2015

NOVEMBER 2015 C O S C U LT U R E M A G A Z I N E

COS CULTURE MAGAZINE