Live Magazine February Issue February 2014 | Page 111

“PHOENIX IS ACTUALLY A HOT SPOT FOR
COSPLAYERS SO I FEEL REALLY FORTUNATE
TO BE LIVING HERE WITH SO MANY GREAT
OPPORTUNITIES.”
WWW.RYANLEASURE.COM
Left & above model: KatyBear | www.facebook.com/katybear1031

Song Ja Park | www.facebook.com/LoveSongJaPark

How do you choose locations for
these shoots? Do you discuss
with the model/Cosplayer beforehand or is that all up to you?
My photo shoots are completely
planned and thought out. I never go
into a photo shoot and just “wing it”.
I try to plan my shoots a couple of
weeks in advance so me and the
cosplayer can come up with a game
plan. The first thing obviously is to
figure out what character the model
wants to do. Then we start brainstorming on what a good location
would be for that character. Afterwards, I go and shoot that location
by myself to get a good background
that would match perfectly with that
character. For example, in my Lady
Punisher composite, I knew that
I wanted the scene to be dark and
grungy. I went and explored and
found these random old grungy pillars in a rock field, and went from
there. I love exploring new scenes
and finding unique places that really
catch my eye.

Elizabeth Wither | www.facebook.com/ElizabethWitherCosplay

What gear do you use for a shoot?
I use a cannon 5d, Canon 24-85mm
f/3.5-4.5 Lens, Alien Bee Lights, and
Westcott umbrellas. But I can’t stress
this enough! IT IS NOT ABOUT
THE GEAR YOU HAVE OR DON’T
HAVE! Just use what you have, buy
what you can afford, and then do the
best possible job you can with what
you have. Don’t let the gear stop you
from creating beautiful work.
Where do you find these Cosplayers to photograph, at Cosplay events, through social media, friends?
When I first started out I would just
message Cosplayers through Facebook telling them “hey, I would love
to work with you, here is a link to
my portfolio, let me know what you
think.” Phoenix is actually a hot spot
for Cosplayers so I feel really fortunate to be living here with so many
great opportunities. I actually have
never been to a Cosplay event but I

am going to my first one at Amazing
Arizona Comic Con in Phoenix on
January 24th!
Do you have any new projects
coming up?
Yes I do! In 2014, I plan on creating
another epic fight scene like I did
with the Justice League. I also plan
on doing some free online photography/Photoshop tutorials to help other
photographers learn and improve
their skills.
And finally, where can we go to
see more of your work?
People can find my work at:

www.ryanleasure.com
or my Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/
RyanLeasurePhotography