10 Creative Portraits of Cosplayers Captured in an Editorial Style by a Fashion Photographer

Thurstan Redding is a photographer who primarily worked as a fashion photographer before he had two memorable experiences with cosplayers in the wild. Interestingly, for the very first time, people wearing costumes of various characters from pop culture appeared on his radar.

He was aware of the training ahead of time but had never fully engaged in it. He told My Modern Met that he "first became interested in cosplay after bumping into a cosplayer in Los Angeles while I was on assignment there, and then again on the DLR [train] in London—up until that point, I had been aware of cosplay but hadn’t ever fully engaged with it."

This changed as he continued to work on his project for three years, titled Kids of Cosplay, which is intended to be a book. Kids of Cosplay takes a different approach to the hobby we are accustomed to.

Cosplay outfits are typically reserved for comic conventions, which are often where many cosplayers begin. However, Redding chose to change the setting in which we see these individuals.

Their creativity is respected beyond convention halls and in our everyday world. For instance, the Harley Quinn character from the Batman universe is seen staring out of a kitchen window, while a gathering of C-3POs from the Star Wars franchise is spotted on the side of the road near an empty field.

Harley Quinn from the Batman universe is seen staring out of a kitchen window

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And here, we have Spider-Man

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The choice to photograph the cosplayers in unassuming areas adds an intriguing layer to the work. This is because we don’t expect to see individuals wearing full costumes in their regular daily lives.

It also serves as a way to honor the extraordinary costumes.

A group of Wonder Women in an empty field

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A group of C-3POs from the Star Wars franchise posing on the roadside next to an empty field

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According to the photographer, he has always known that he wanted to work on a book ever since he started photography. "I also knew that I wasn’t particularly interested in creating a retrospective of my earlier work, as I really wanted to use the opportunity of working on a book to do something very focused and specific to a community," he added.

The portraits of different cosplayers in everyday settings

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Here's another brilliant piece

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Redding chose the cosplayers for their wonderful outfits and required that the effort they put into their costumes matched the scenarios he placed them in. The outcome tells a story while putting the cosplay front and center.

I'm staring right at you...

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Oh, this is really creative

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I look to the stars...

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This is an amazing piece

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These portraits are undoubtedly creative and outstanding. As non-cosplayers, the photographer reminds us that "we are never too old to still be having fun."

So let’s do what we’re good at: appreciate those who bring forth their creative art for our entertainment and just have fun in general. Do share with your loved ones and check out Thurstan Redding on his Website and on Instagram.