According to Mountfort et al. (2018), what are the three main genres of cosphotography, and how did they historically develop?
Cosphotography could be simply defined as the videoing and photography of those participating in cosplay. However, this is a simple definition for a large subject. This concept dates back to over a century ago, in 1908, where a man dressed as a character from a cartoon strip at a masquerade ball. Since this humble beginning cosphotography has expanded extensively, moving from cartoon strips to more common medias of the 21st century, such as film and anime. Mountford (2020) says that “photography plays a crucial role in contemporary cosplay”. As time has gone on, cosphotography has split into three main genres, which will be my main subject in this blog.
The most traditional genre of cosphotography is official costume competitions, or fashion shows of cosphotography (Mountford, 2020). In these competitions, cosplayers would model, act and show off their cosplay skills in front of crowds of people. In these crowds there were photographers and videographers, who would record these performances. Usually, there would be prizes and rewards for these competitions. This genre of cosphotography originates back to the early 1900s, where many masquerades had formal costume competitions. Another genre of competition influenced by masquerade competitions would be pageants, which involve outfits, performances and rewards.
The second genre, and perhaps the least official would be hallway cosphotography. This genre is more casual and perhaps the most common in the modern age, where these simple shots can be taken and posted on social media sources, such as Facebook or Instagram. This genre is often seen at conventions, when a cosplayer will dress up and have photos taken of them, usually without permission. However, if it is a shot with another fan, there is always opportunities for a cosplayer to gain fans, or even capital. Mountford (2018) says that “Cosplayers see it as a compliment when fans do want to have a photo taken with them”. Historically, these shots originated from the first cosplay conventions, in the 80s.
The final genre of cosphotography is the studio portrait. Unlike the other two genres, this one is not usually done in front of large groups of people, and it is not done in a public setting. Cosplayers are in a private location, getting photos and videos taken pre-arranged by the cosplayer and photographer/videographer. Full consent is given to share these photos and videos themselves, and the rewards from these photos are purely their own. Historically, this genre dates back to the 70s, when polaroid’s and instant cameras were in their prime. However, these beginnings were in convention settings, instead of private studios as we see nowadays.
References
Mountfort, P. (2018). Cosplay as Citation. In P. Mountfort, A. Peirson-Smith, & A. Geczy, Planet Cosplay. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
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