In what ways can cosphotography be understood as a form of ‘fan capital’?
Photography has played a significant role in contemporary cosplay as well as costuming in the 20th century. Over the decades, fan conventions have progressed the development of different styles of cosphotography, and photography and videos have not only been used as memorable pieces of media but also acts as shaping agents for how cosplay is performed (Mountfort et al., 2018).
As creating a cosplay requires a lot of skill and effort, cosplayers also hope to seek some form of capital in return. Photography and videos helped provide cosplayers with tokens of private value, as well as fan capital that has the opportunity to circulate to a wider, online community that engages in the cosplay community. However, as long as these photographs and videos are not invasive of the cosplayer’s privacy. In addition, the specific photographs that are taken are considered a token of ‘subcultural or fan capital’ or trendiness, which heightens the popularity of the cosplayer and cosphotography and can guarantee some fame.
Some issues also arise within cosphotography as there can be tensions between fan-directed and commercial cosplay-spheres. For example, the heterotopian and hegemonic control of certain cosplaying spaces, as well as supportive or exploitative audiences. There is a fair amount of discourse regarding vicious body-shaming and flaming of cosplayers in the community, and can create a negative space.
Furthermore, there are many online galleries dedicated to the visual discourse of cosphotography, as well as books, prints, ‘coscards’, and many newer forms of moving image media like cosplay music videos, indie documentaries, and even reality television programs. This helps expedite the emergence of cosplayer’s fan capital as their photographs can be accessed throughout many forms of media.
The concept of cosphotography is a rather newer phenomenon, however, photographing people who are engaged in costumed play of media characters has existed for many years. Dating back to older fan conventions in the 20th century, or even earlier when the public would dress up as outlandish characters. With these costuming acts, they were different from current cosplay as the outfits were crafted from imaginative projections of potential future fashion trends, instead of media references like today. Cosphotography along with costuming can be impressionable on the public, for example, Morojo’s futuristic costumes were a turning point for many costume trends and women costumers. This enabled her to appear in different sci-fi fanzines through the 1940’s and 50’s. In fact, early Worldcon costuming supported important models that the cosplay community would come to accept universally, with their costumes being presented in both formal and informal convention settings.
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