Cosplay & Photography Shoot-Out at Fan Expo Boston 2022

Hobbits and Jedi and elves, oh my!

The photographers and cosplayers at Fan Expo Boston 2022 came to the Shoot-Out ready to make some visual magic. It was incredible to see so many people ready to team up and create great images together. I was joined on stage by two amazingly talented and experienced panelists: Abby of Human Sushi Cosplay and Redfield of Alternative_Couture.

As a quick recap of how the Shoot-Out works: we randomly pair up two cosplayers with a photographer create up to 10 teams. We give the teams a theme and a short time (25 minutes in this case) to make an image that best tells the story of the theme. The panelists select the team photo they think best represents that theme, and the audience picks their choice for a prize by loudest applause.

Six photographers signed up, so we had six teams rather than the usual 10. So many cosplayers put their names in the hat that, to give as many people a chance to join a team as possible, we put three cosplayers on each team. It gave each team more creative voices as well as a bit more of a challenge when staging their shots. And as we see every time we run this panel, everyone came up with clever, creative, compelling photos that made great use of the available time and location.

When we pick a theme for the teams, we try to go with something that fits the show. And with the four Hobbits actors headlining the convention, the perfect theme was obvious: A Long-Expected Party, from chapter 1 of Fellowship of the Ring. The teams had 25 minutes to make a photo that captured their vision of a long-expected party. And every team delivered, with great photos and creative storytelling.

The photo below is from the winning team. And they are…drum roll, please (or perhaps a drum solo?) – Team 2! Vere Hale (photographer); Esther, Mylo, and Maria (cosplayers). The panelists all felt that Team 2 created a compelling story centered on the ‘long-expected party’ theme, of three people traveling to…well, the viewer gets to decide what party they are expected at. The diagonal lines of the escalator handrail created a sense of dynamic tension and expectation.

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The audience vote was incredibly close and came down to the narrowest of margins among three great teams. But after a head-to-head audience applause-off, the award went to Team #5 – Aidan Duncan (photographer) and Marley, Time & Jordan (cosplayers). Their image is titled “A Funeral Is a Long-Expected Party,” showing just how creative teams get with their interpretation of the theme. Dragging a body down the long hall, with the converging lines conveying distance and motion, was a brilliant approach to the theme and made use of all three cosplayers and the location.

Team 1
Photographer: Constantine Mills
Cosplayers: Keywi; Seraphina; David Estrada

Team 3
Photographer: Benji Hatsune
Cosplayers: Jack Marrinson; Alexis; Samantha Perry

Team 4 
Photographer: Eve Dearborn
Cosplayers: Eddie; Clayton Smith; Annabelle

Team 7
Photographer: Archer
Cosplayers: Mia Nault; Olive; Arsenal Toby Guest