Cosplayer Of Color Profile: Insomniac’s Dream Productions

To celebrate Black History Month, we take a moment to highlight seven cosplayers of color whose contributions to geek culture and the greater cosplay community go well beyond their costumes. Sixth up:

Jonathan Modest — Insomniac’s Dream Productions

Jonathan Modest has been hooked on the fun of costuming and the portraying his favorite characters since his elementary school days. Not just a cosplayer, Jonathan is also a renowned photographer. He started young with photography, too, 10 years ago at the age of 16. He’s already quite the successful professional photographer. As Insomniac’s Dream Productions, he’s worked with more than 100 models and been published in dozens of print magazines and online media. Well known for his work in pin-up, fashion, beauty, and glamour, Jonathan began shooting cosplay in 2010. Always looking for his next creative fix, Jonathan strives to make something from fantasy into reality every chance he gets.

Insomniac’s Dream Productions came into focus again recently when several well-known New York City-based cosplayers booked him not for cosplay, but for swimsuit, lingerie, and boudoir shoots.

There’s a vulnerability to boudoir photography, an implicit trust that the model places in the photographer. Clothing, like costumes and heavy makeup, can be a person’s armor. Taking all that off to bare an expanse of skin can be more especially daunting. That trust is amply placed in Jonathan, who works photo magic to make cosplayers of all body types, ethnicities, and skill levels look and feel their very best.

Jonathan is kept busy, and is most often behind the lens. But sometimes he’s able to be both cosplayer and photographer, such as in series of stunning self-portraits he took as Kylo Ren (with assistance from fellow cosplayer of color Cin’ Von Quinzel).

To bring out the best in his cosplay subjects, Jonathan looks to capture poses and expressions that bring the cosplayed characters to life. He loves prepping for shoots by looking for new poses, interactions, and scenes from the characters’ stories that can be recreated. For more of Insomniac’s Dream Productions extensive photography credits, check out the Model Mayhem page. For gorgeous pictures of beautiful people in and out of cosplay, head to the Insomniac’s Dream Productions Facebook page.

For more incredible cosplayers of color, find and follow the #29DaysofBlackCosplay hashtag on Twitter and Instagram. And find Gogo Incognito at http://Facebook.com/GogoIncognito and http://Instagram.com/geekchicsuperfreak.

Feature photo by Insomniac’s Dream Productions, assistant Cin’ Von Quinzel.