Live Magazine September 2014 Volume 9/2014 | Page 173

AYLIVE
2.

IT’S OKAY TO SAY NO TO A PHOTO.

Experience as a cosplayer and organiser of cosplayers has taught me
that cosplayers are some of the most
good-natured and accommodating
people on this here Earth. The other
lesson is that cosplayers love to be
seen, after all it’s a chance to show
off your talent and passion.
However, there is no social contract
requiring a cosplayer to stop what
they’re doing and pose for everyone
who requests it. An example I see
too often is a cosplayer, in a hurry to
get to a panel/screening/workshop/
bathroom when they’re stopped and
asked for a photo. Naturally, the cosplayer says yes and poses in one of
two poses they’d learnt before the
con. Yet, the asker pulls out their
phone and fumbles with the settings
for a couple of minutes before they
take a photo, before realising the
flash setting wasn’t at their desired
selection and the process begins
again. While this may not seem like
a big deal, it is an inconvenience that
when multiplied many several times
over impacts heavily on a cosplayer’s ability to keep a schedule, espe-

cially if that schedule includes appointed
panels and organisation.
At the end of the day, it’s a two way street.
Cosplayers have prior planned their pose,
ready for a photo and the photographer
has prior planned their camera phone setting ready for a quick snap.