Finding Cosplay Photoshoot Locations

Want to do cosplay photoshoots but don't know how to find that perfect place to shoot? This tutorial covers how to brainstorm a location for your shoot, logistical and cost concerns with shoot locations, and how to actually find your dream location.

This tutorial can be applied to shoots of all types, including but not limited to self shoots, shoots with friends, and shoots with hired photographers. Self shooting or shooting with friends only requires a camera (a phone works!) and possibly a tripod.

Location Types

​Coming up with the general type of location you want requires some brainstorming about what you want from the shoot. Think about your specific goals and types of photos you want and how certain types of locations would work for your goal. Remember you can always do multiple shoots for the same costume with different concepts!

For example, if you want big, sweeping shots, you will need a location that allows for wider framing and still looks good, while if you are primarily after shots with closer framing, you can go with a location with only a small usable portion. If you are looking to primarily showcase the costume itself or your posing, a flatter and simpler background works better than a busy background, but if you want cinematic shots or shots where you are existing in the environment as the character, somewhere that can show off the location itself as well as how you exist in it would work better.

Types of Locations

​There are three main types of locations for cosplay shoots in relation to the cosplay itself. Of course, you can combine these types and there is a lot of overlap, but thinking of these three location types will help you conceptualize your shoot.

The first type is locations that are similar to something in the series, or an exact location from the series. My cover image is an example of this, where I took photos at the location of the climactic battle of the manga. Most fictional locations don't exist in real life so exactly, however, so think of locations that look similar to where this character might be found. The example on this slide shows a cosplay at a nature preserve with grassy fields and oak trees, which is similar to the locations the character traverses several times throughout the game she is from. This category can also include locations with similar vibes, such as a studio made up to look like a fancy European castle for a character from a series about European royalty, or a shoji screen backdrop for a character who lives in a Japanese-style house.

The second location type is locations with symbolic meaning. These locations showcase something about the themes or character arcs present in the series, and this can be accomplished with anything from specific props and setpieces to the entire background. One shoot I'd love to do with this concept is of Lady Blackpearl staring into a mirror -- this would symbolize her dual personality nature -- or of Lady Oscar wrapped in thorns, with the rose thorns symbolizing her glorious but fragile life. I chose to represent this location type with Ultimecia, a sorceress who wants to compress time so she is the only one who can live in the combined past/present/future, set among ruins. The ruins aren't accurate to the game, but show her crumbling reign marked by the passage of time.

​The third location type is locations chosen for pure aesthetics. Obviously all locations are chosen for aesthetics, but these are locations with no deeper meaning and may not represent anything from the series at all. These can range from a simple colored wall backdrop to a sweeping landscape that simply looks good with the colors of the costume. Some examples are the Yasuho Hirose ocean shoot on the slide, where it doesn't represent a particular scene or location in the series but simply looks good with the cut and colors of the costume and the sailor theming, or my Princess White Rose milk bath photoshoot, where again the character never takes a milk bath, but a bathtub full of milk and roses shows off the detail of her floral hat and showcases the opulent nature of a rose-themed princess.

Requirements of your Shoot

Once you have a general concept, think of what is required to fit that concept. This can be as general as specific backgrounds or types of backgrounds to as specific as particular items at the location or particular lighting setups. Some shoots might need specific props, such as furniture to sit or lounge on, and props that won't work in a public location, such as realistic weapons that may cause panic or worse. Also keep in mind any accessibility needs, whether it is an accessible location in general to accommodate a disability or a need that is caused by the costume itself. Check not just the specific area you want to shoot, but how to get there from the parking lot or transit stop. Finally, keep in mind that unsecured outdoor locations, such as a park or beach, are locations where you can't change things about the location and you may encounter other people. Discussion of how to be respectful of such locations is in part 5.

Discovering Locations

​Now that you have a shoot concept in mind, it's time to find the location itself. If you don't already have a location in mind, you will need to do some searching to find one.

The Detective Work

Whether you have a type of location in mind or not, you can poke around online to find the ideal place. If you have a type of location in mind, Google Maps or similar can help you find locations if you search for your location type, such as "beach." If you don't have a location type in mind, you can look around at websites like Atlas Obscura or at your local parks district websites. If looking to rent a location or use an indoor location, Peerspace is a site where you can rent photography studios and event spaces, often with equipment of their own for you to borrow, and you can usually shoot in hotel rooms or Airbnbs if that suits your character. If you are out of ideas, look around at what other people in your area use. Other cosplayers are a great resource, but I also recommend looking for engagement photos or graduation photos in your area for ideas on where non-cosplay photographers shoot. Finally, there's a tool called Cos-Map that contains user-submitted locations and detailed discovery tools; it doesn't have a lot of use yet because it is still in beta, so if you have locations to submit, please do so and help other cosplayers!

Cos-Map link: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/556b7aba7e984c94b7054c405d640635/

Brainstorming

​When brainstorming your location types, think of all aspects of the character, series, and your shoot goals and try to match these aspects to real-life locations. I've also worked backwards a few times and chosen one character over another on my list of possible cosplays because I had a shoot location already in mind! Knowing who the character is, what genre of series and shoot you want, and where the series takes place can help you to find somewhere that your character looks good in.

I also have here a list of location types that you may find helpful, and hopefully it includes types of locations you hadn't thought of. This isn't exhaustive, and not all these location types exist in all areas, but this is to give you a jumping off point for thinking of your cosplay shoot locations. Locations like studio shoots, a beach, or a forest may seem obvious, but also look at places like local tourist attractions, areas with graffiti on the walls,  and keep an eye out for any selfie museums in your area or touring pop-up museums for unique cosplay shoot locations.

As always, check the rules of anywhere you shoot, and be sure to get permission to shoot there. Part 4 covers this process in more depth.

​Getting Creative

If you really can't find a location that suits your character, get creative! You can do anything from a printed backdrop or solid color drape shoot in your own home to a shoot against a cool-looking wall. Often, tighter framing works best with this type of shoot, as you only want to showcase the area directly around you and not the full area that may not be suitable. A wall or some hedges work well for medium shot distance portraits, and some ground or a piece of furniture work well for reclining shots. You may only be able to get a few photos with this type of background, depending on what the background and cosplay are, but if you want to show off a costume now and get a different type of photoshoot later, you can.

Indoor vs Outdoor Locations

​When choosing a location, you will have to make a decision: do you want an outdoor shoot or an indoor shoot? Both locations have their pros and cons and can produce different effects, so let's look at the difference.

Private vs Public, Indoor vs Outdoor

Indoor shoots are usually going to be either an indoor location you rented (such as a studio or a hotel room) or your own home or the home or property of someone you know who gave you permission. Rarely will indoor shoots be in a public location, as even areas open to the public are usually still considered private property and may not allow you to do a cosplay photoshoot there. Outdoor shoots, on the other hand, are almost always going to be in public unless it is a fenced area of private property (such as your own backyard or a courtyard you have control over). One borderline case is wilderness, where you are unlikely to run into other people, but this may end up being a safety hazard depending on how remote the location is. I recommend not going anywhere too remote and sticking near paths and roads if possible, since getting lost in the wilderness or getting injured will be a lot worse in cosplay and with photography equipment than it would be if you were kitted for survival. 

​Controlled Location?

When shooting indoors, you will usually have a fairly controlled location. This means that you can choose who enters the area, can stop the shoot easily when you need to, and have control over the lighting and elements in the room. When shooting outdoors you will be in public to varying degrees, and thus have little control over who or what is in the area. You also won't have control over the weather or the position of the sun, and would likely need battery-powered lights if you want to add to the natural lighting.

Shooting in a private, controlled area gives you more freedom to do shoots with NSFW or violent elements such as fake blood or realistic weapons, as there won't be anyone around to be alarmed, offended, or frightened, and you won't run up against public decency laws. You can also use messy substances, such as confetti, scattered flower petals, or liquids, as you can clean up the location after far easier than you would be able to outdoors.

When shooting in a public location, also make sure that everything you wear and do is appropriate for the public. Very skimpy outfits might not be suitable, depending on the culture of your area and the exact location, and should be kept to areas where they are more expected if you live in an area that's conservative enough to cause a problem. As mentioned above, also keep realistic fake gore and violence out of public shoots, and be sure that anything you bring to an outdoor location is brought back with you.

Lighting 

Shooting indoors vs outdoors has a trade off when it comes to lighting: shooting indoors almost always requires an artificial light source (unless you are able to get adequate natural light from windows, in which case you are tied to the areas that the light can reach), but it allows you almost total control of that lighting. This allows you to use specialized lighting effects and to choose the direction, intensity, and color of your lighting. Outdoor locations, on the other hand, have the strongest light source available to us on earth already built in: the sun. The sun can provide anything from diffuse, even light to harsh, strong light, depending on the time of day and weather. A good rule of thumb is that lighting is best close to sunrise and sunset and harshest closest to solar noon, and that sunny days have harsher lighting than cloudy ones (clouds are nature's softbox), but if you want a particular effect, you can manipulate the lighting with external lights and reflectors. I highly recommend using reflectors on outdoor shoots to bring more light to the face and to fill in harsh shadows. Discuss this with your photographer if you are hiring one.

Location Permissions and Costs

​Before doing a photoshoot, make sure you have permission to do a photoshoot in that location! This process will be different for different location types, and may vary depending on region. Anecdotally, West Coast US, for example, tends to be fairly lax about shoots in public locations, but East Coast US tends to have stricter regulations. This guide is largely USA-centric, since that's where I'm mostly familiar with, so check your own country's rules, regulations, and culture, especially if planning to shoot in a foreign country.

Public Locations

Most of my cosplay photoshoots are in public locations such as parks and public beaches. Many publicly-owned parks allow for non-commercial photoshoots on the property without a permit or payment. Be sure to check the website of the specific park you are looking to shoot at for any special rules they may have and if you need a permit or not. Keep in mind that some places classify a photoshoot with a paid photographer to be a commercial shoot and some only classify photos taken for commercial purposes. The location website would also have the application itself and list any fees you would need to pay, as well as qualifications for different fee tier levels. The vast majority of cosplay shoots would be in the lowest tier if permits and fees are required, as they have few people and little in the way of equipment.

Respect your location and avoid certain types of locations, even if they are technically public. Religious buildings may disallow photography on their property, government buildings (especially during business hours) might find your shoot distracting or disrespectful to government business, and locations like war memorials may be in poor taste. 

​Private Locations

If you rent a location such as a studio, you already have permission to shoot there. The same goes for your own property or where you live, and if you ask a friend or family member to shoot on their property or in their home. If you want to shoot at a private business, such as a bar or restaurant, be sure to ask permission ahead of time, offer to pay for the use of the location, and purchase goods or services (such as food or drinks) from the business as thanks. Ask ahead of time what kind of equipment you can bring, what times would be good (usually off times for the business), and be sure to tag them on social media posts of the photos later to help advertise their business. You may also want to look into having a location release form, which grants you written permission for the shoot and waives liability for the location, which can help give them peace of mind. Being kind and courteous can go a long way.

If you really want an indoor location such as a bar but can't get a local business to agree, try shooting at a hotel that is hosting a con while the con is going on. Be courteous, ask permission, and don't photograph other guests. Often, there are out of the way areas of fancy hotel lobbies that you can take photos in during a con without having to pay for a permit. If you get creative, you can get some stunning shots in these locations!

Sometimes other private businesses or locations will host events that allow you to wear a costume and take photographs. This might be a Halloween party at a local aquarium, a pop-up museum where they encourage people to take photos for social media, or other types of events. Be sure to check the rules for this type of event in advance. Some locations may ban specific costume elements -- full face masks, props, trailing elements, and skin coverage are common restrictions -- and some may ban certain types of equipment, with DSLRs, lighting equipment, and tripods or monopods commonly banned. For example, when I shot at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Halloween member night, I added opaque tights and a skirt to a leotard costume, kept my prop put away, and couldn't use any external lighting or tripods, as it would lighting is dangerous to the fish and other equipment would impede other guests. 

​Budgeting

When making your shoot budget, the location itself isn't the only cost! Factor in travel time and costs, parking costs, any incidentals that may arise such as food or emergency costs, and also plan to budget these things for your photographer. If your photographer is yourself or a photo trade with another cosplayer, these costs will be lower, but if you are hiring a photographer, you will need to pay for their travel as well. Also decide how far you are willing to travel for a particular location. Most of my shoots are local within an hour drive, but if I'm already going to be in an area that has a nice location and also have room in my luggage to pack a suitable cosplay, I will take the opportunity. I've done this in places as far as Rome!

If you are looking to reduce costs, you can split a shoot with other cosplayers. While the costs might be higher when adding more cosplayers, such as paying more for a photographer's time or paying for a longer time at a studio, the additional cost usually won't outstrip the savings when splitting the cost evenly between all the cosplayers. This can be a cosplay group all shooting together, or separate cosplays doing separate shoots at the same location. Make sure the location can accommodate the number of cosplayers attending, and make sure you don't tip over into being a large enough gathering to tip over into needing a permit or a higher tier of permit because it legally becomes an event.

Location Logistics and Behavior

​Cosplay is often uncomfortable and cumbersome, and needs extra care when going to a location. You also want to make sure you look the best in your photos. This means that you need to take some extra planning into consideration when planning a photoshoot.

​What to Bring

I always bring a small kit with me with necessary or potentially necessary items so I can keep myself and my costume in proper shape. This kit always includes a small makeup touchup kit, which usually has the items most likely to need touching up at the location: eyelashes and lash glue (I put on the lashes once I'm at the shoot), lip products, face glue for my wig, and any cosplay-specific items like nail glue or face paint. This kit also includes wig touchup items such as a comb and bobby pins. I also recommend a small repair kit with items such as safety pins, tape, and a quick-setting glue so you can do any quick repairs on your costume. 

Bring a cover-up item or change of clothes. If you are planning on anything that might be messy, especially dirty, or wet, you may need a full change of clothes (and a place to put these on), but even if not, bring a coverup item such as a skirt or robe in case your costume is on the skimpy side, or something to convert your costume into normal-ish clothes if you need to stop anywhere on the way there or back.

In addition to items for cosmetic repairs, you also will need a few safety items, especially when shooting outdoors and not in a studio space. If your costume has difficult shoes, bring a change of shoes if you need to cross difficult terrain or if the ground is especially dirty or dusty and would ruin the look of your cosplay shoes to walk through. Snacks and water are also always a good item to bring, as well as any medication or items you may need for medical conditions. If the costume is not suitable for your location's weather, you will need to bring items to mitigate the weather: a coat or jacket, handwarmers, hot or cold beverages, hand or battery operated fans, and stick-on cooling patches often sold for headaches, depending on the situation. 

​Planning Ahead

I always check the weather leading up to a shoot, and sometimes, you want very specific weather. In these cases, such as wanting a photoshoot in the snow or on a sunny beach when you live somewhere those conditions happen but aren't especially common, keeping a cosplay on hand to take advantage of the weather when it does happen can help you get that dream shoot.

When planning for travel to your shoot location, be sure to plan for all aspects of travel: what mode of transportation, how you will get from your main transportation to the shoot itself, and how the photographer will get there if they are not coming with you. I highly recommend driving or carpooling if at all possible, since you don't want the hassle of taking public transit in cosplay, and a car can hold more and larger items like props and wings. I also recommend putting the finishing touches on your cosplay at the location -- wigs, false eyelashes, accessories, etc. -- so you don't have to worry about these items getting damaged or being uncomfortable in transit. Also get to know the parking for your shoot ahead of time. I like SpotAngels.com for parking information, since it tells you where parking is, how long the time limits are, when no parking times such as street sweeping are, and how much the parking costs. Know the cost of parking and how far it is from the shoot location itself -- I'd personally rather pay a little more for closer parking while in cosplay, but that's up to your own comfort and ability. 

Also get to know the location ahead of time. Look at user-submitted photos and street views on Google Maps and similar sites, and if possible, visit the location ahead of time. There may be hazards like uneven ground, rocks, stairs, or water that you would not otherwise be aware of. Since some costumes would be difficult at best and dangerous at worst to wear in some locations, such as very high heels when scrambling over rocks or a trailing gown with deep water or thorny underbrush, be sure to bring that change of clothes and shoes for such situations and only wear the final look at the actual place the photos are being taken.

Behavior Towards the Location

Finally, when shooting on location, treat the location itself and anyone at it with the utmost respect. With private locations, such as a rented studio, be sure to treat the property well, and with public locations, be sure to treat both the property and anyone at it well, as you won't have a private, cordoned-off area. Treat your location better than you would treat your own property. This is both for the sake of other people so you do not disturb them or force people to clean up after you, but also for your own sake so you don't get in trouble and also can continue shooting in that location. Studios and other rented locations will give you their rules on their website or when you book, and most public locations will have their rules and regulations on their website or alongside any permits you purchase. If you are in doubt about something, always email to get permission first. This will not only ensure that you actually have permission to do what it is you want, but will also put you in the good graces of whoever is in charge of the location and they will be more likely to welcome you and other cosplayers back.

Always follow the "carry in, carry out" principle. With very few exceptions for properly disposed of small trash items (think snack wrappers, not entire props), everything you bring with you into a location needs to come back out of the location with you. This is most important for outdoor locations, as anything left behind can become an ecological issue, but also in private indoor locations, especially if you are using messy substances like fake blood or confetti. Be sure to clean up any props you use and any trash you generate. If renting a location, be sure to leave extra time to strike the set at the end. This involves cleaning up and removing anything you brought in yourself as well as moving anything that belongs to the location back to its proper place. Many studios have lighting equipment, furniture, and other items you can use, but require you to leave the location how you found it and these items where they belong. 

​Don't make any permanent or potentially permanent changes to your location. This includes digging in outdoor locations, littering, staking items into the ground, or affixing items to walls or other environmental items such as rocks or furniture, even if you use temporary methods such as tape, as these can still damage the location. Also be careful of trespassing into areas that are closed to the public, especially in outdoor locations where these areas are typically closed due to either danger or ecological sensitivity, and stick to public pathways and roads as much as possible. Don't trample plants or pick flowers or otherwise damage the environment. Grassy fields and such are usually okay unless specifically blocked off or closed, but areas like flower fields or otherwise cultivated gardens are generally not. Also be sure to not use dangerous substances or props, especially in outdoor locations. You don't want to release dangerous chemicals in the environment or cause panic over a possible fire with smoke machines, or, worst case, actually start a fire.

​Behavior Towards Others

Perhaps one of the most important things to keep in mind is to treat anyone you encounter with respect. Staying humble and being an unobtrusive as possible will go a long way. Don't take up a lot of space for a long time, especially in popular areas. This goes for blocking pathways, camping in popular features so others can't enjoy them, blocking doorways, and otherwise diminishing other people's enjoyment and also creating an accessibility hazard. Move aside if you see people coming or if you are shooting in a particular spot for an extended time, and then return to it.

Do your best to not get strangers in your photos. While most wouldn't want that anyway because it would ruin the shot, be sure you aren't shooting in a way that could accidentally get people in your photos more easily by angling yourself differently or using different lenses and depth of field, but also make sure it doesn't look like you are photographing strangers. Generally it's obvious what you are doing, especially with a photographer and not self shooting, but it's something to be aware of. 

You might get questions when shooting in a public place, so do your best to answer them kindly. I often don't want to explain the whole ordeal to people, and people generally understand when you say phrases like "art project" and "fashion shoot," but if you get people asking more in-depth questions than that, answer truthfully and kindly. You don't want people who had never heard of cosplay to have their first exposure to the hobby be negative, and most people are simply curious and interested in what cool thing you are doing. Use the opportunity to share that interest! In all my time shooting in public places, I have never gotten a rude comment, but if you do, deescalate the situation as much as possible and walk away if you need to. If you are more comfortable with a friend with you to help deflect, bring one.

Finally, keep yourself safe in interacting with others. Don't brandish weapon-like props in ways that can look like an attack, and I would advise leaving anything that looks realistic for private locations where you won't be putting yourself at risk if anyone mistakes the prop for being real. Even if a prop looks like a fantasy weapon, be careful not to brandish it in a potentially threatening manner. Also, if someone in a position of authority asks you to leave for any reason, cut the shoot short and do so immediately.

Thank you for reading! Enjoy your shoot :]