Founding Your Own Cosplay Group

What will your group do?

You'll want to be clear in where your group will be meeting, and what your group will be doing. Are you a cosplay-focused group that will only be meeting for photoshoots, or will you also have events like movie or crafting nights? Will you have an online aspect, like a Discord or Facebook group?

Before starting, see if you can sum your idea up in a few paragraphs. For example, here's Western PA Cosplay Shoot's short bio:

This group is to plan photoshoot events for cosplayers in and around Western PA, mostly located within two hours of the greater Pittsburgh area.

Events are free and open to all cosplayers & photographers to participate, regardless of skill level. Anyone under 16 must attend with a guardian. Some future locations may require a fee, or have limited spots available.

Please note that this is NOT a general anime/comic meet up or discussion group. Events are planned specifically for taking cosplay photos.

We state the location, the cost (free!), who is welcome to attend, and that it is not a general meet up group.

Environment

Before starting any public group, think about what kind of environment you want to foster, and how you will go about creating that. An ideal cosplay community is inclusive for all ages, genders, appearances and skill levels; and does not tolerate any kind of harassment, bullying, or bigotry.

There are plenty of resources for creating a safe space. Uplift has a guide for writing a great code of conduct, and Captain Awkward's Missing Stair and  The Nazi Bar Analogy are excellent guides to the kind of problems that often arise in nerd spaces. It is so important to define what kind of behavior will not be tolerated. While it might be tempting to simplify it down to the popular catchphrase, "Cosplay is Not Consent," that isn't sufficient to prevent or address problems (you can read more about the issues with this phrase here.) State what behavior is not okay, what the consequences will be (will there be a warning? will they be removed from the group?), and who to contact about it.

Choosing a Shoot Location

Your county and state will both have websites on different parks that are available. Most do not charge an entrance fee or a shooting cost. These are usually open sunup to sundown, and may have specific attractions that serve as good meeting spots.

There are some parks that also double as wedding, concert, or event venues. You’ll want to be careful to not schedule at the same time one of those is happening! There’s usually an event calendar for state parks available online.

Some cities have unique spots that are available to rent, it’s all relative. Searching ‘where in _ can I take my engagement photos’ tends to bring up a lot of unique areas!

At Events

1 Gathering stage

Choose a meeting spot at your location to begin gathering. This process can take up to an hour as people often arrive late. Be clear online if you are heading to a second location, when you will be leaving and where you will be going. Example, “We will be meeting at the Kildoo parking lot beginning at 1pm and heading down to the Mill at 2.”

2 The Mugshots

These can be taken while you are gathering people. This is a photo (usually taken on a phone for ease of upload) of the cosplayer holding a small erasable white board with their information on it--name, pronouns, social media, the character and source they are cosplaying from. This is so incredibly useful for photographers to credit later, rather than posting and hoping the cosplayers tag themselves.

While no information asked is personal and all but name and costume is optional, it is still best to keep these in an album that is private to the group. Some people may not want their workplaces or families to know about their cosplay hobby or the gender they feel safe expressing in these groups.

3 Introductions

Form a circle just like it’s elementary school, and introduce yourself by name/pronouns if comfortable. No need to get into who you are, or one fun fact, just a name to match the face is fine!

4 Shooting

Photographers each pick a particular, separate spot they’re taking photos at, and cosplayers line up and are shot one at a time at each spot with each photographer. This way, photographers aren’t getting the same shot, or in each other’s way.  After everyone has been shot by each photographer, moving to a new location and picking separate spots there is good!

This can get messier with larger locations and larger attendance, so do your best to be sure everyone is included!

5 Leaving

Most events last about two hours, and then people are off.

Post Shoot

1 The Mugshots

Post the mugshots in a Google Drive, Facebook album, or any other free hosting site with privacy settings as soon as you can. Some photographers are really REALLY fast at posting, and it’s easier to post with the information than to go back and add it all in later!

2 The Photos

Because these are free photos, expect that each photographer will work at their own pace for editing and posting. Gently discourage any nagging unless things have been delayed for months. On the whole, most photographers have completed galleries in just one month.

3 The Credits

Please be sure your cosplayers are always crediting their photographers. While it seems a ‘common sense’ part of online cosplay culture, some are unaware that it is incredibly rude to not do so. Make sure the photographers state how they prefer to be credited. Some will want links to their website over Instagram or Facebook, for example.

And that's it! If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact Feytaline for advice and she'll be happy to assist!