Insane ‘Aquaman 2’ Cosplay and Photography - Move over Jason Momoa If you've been on social media today you've probably noticed headlines like, Jason Momoa enjoyed a $12 million pay rise for reprising his role in the second Aquaman movie, while Amber Heard's $2 million paycheck for the role of Mera stayed the same for the sequel. or The president of DC Films testified Tuesday that the studio considered replacing Amber Heard for “Aquaman 2” out of concern that she lacked chemistry with star Jason Momoa. or Amber Heard witness may have accidentally dropped Aquaman 2 spoilers at Johnny Depp trial. or Jason Momoa and James Wan reportedly blocked efforts to cut Amber Heard out of Aquaman 2. While Aquaman is trending I thought now would be a great time to share my photoshoot with Billy Dunston. Billys Aquaman Costume is so good that the last photo shoot we did was featured in numerous articles with headlines like: This Cosplayer Looks Just Like Jason Momoa's Aquaman | You May Also Like: Cosplay Tips For Beginners Before I photographed Billy as Aquaman I photographed him as Adam Hunter from the classic video game Streets of Rage 4 and we broke the internet with that shoot as well with headlines like: This Streets of Rage 4 Cosplayer Absolutely Nails Adam Hunter. Billy is not only a very talented model in Portland but also an actor and all around badass. It's always a pleasure shooting with him. Now, while you patiently wait for Chris Hemsworth, & Christian Bale in Thor: Love and Thunder I hope you enjoy these Aquaman Cosplay Photos. Makeup by: @trystaleekelleymua. Let us know what you think in the comments below and connect with me on Instagram HERE. All Photos owned by Lance Reis, feel free to use any of these photos in your articles but please link to my website or Instagram. | You May Also Like: Portland Photographer transforms kids into iconic movie characters. | You May Also Like: The 10 best websites for Cosplay Costumes & Props
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Cosplay For Beginners 11 Tips Good cosplay tips for beginners are hard to come by these days. So as an experienced cosplay photographer in Portland I'm going to give away my best advice for those of you wanting to dip your toes into the cosplay world. I've been shooting cosplay for years and have been featured in multiple publications, articles, and even on the news. Every Comic-Con I've been to I always see beginner cosplayers. I can always tell the level of cosplay experience from someone by how worried they are about how they look. Some look great, others look..... awful if we're being honest. Ever wonder why some look amazing, while others look...... less than great? In this article I break down how you can avoid common cosplay mistakes so you don't come off as a newb, look your best, and actually enjoy con to the max! Make sure to connect with me on Instagram HERE 1. Don't get Intimidated If you're only getting your inspiration from major cosplay sites or curated Instagram accounts like badasscosplay, it's easy to get intimidated by the amazing "Hollywood Quality" costumes people make especially when prosthetics are involved as shown below. With many professional cosplayers, costumers end up helping them make those costumes via free collabs. Not everyone has the money, time, or skill to create massive works of art. Now granted I don't typically photograph people in cheap Halloween costumes they got from Spirit Halloween but if you need a simple low budget costume to wear to Con, Spirit or Amazon works great, you'll still have a blast, and you'll still get compliments and photos taken :) However, if you want to spend a little bit more to get a better quality costume like the one shown below plus many more options I made a list of my top ten websites to get cosplay costumes and props. 2. Ask Questions Whether you go to con as a participant or just a spectator never be afraid to talk to others at conventions. If you see someone who made an epic costume it's okay to approach them, compliment them, and ask them how they made it. I've been to many cons and never seen anyone that wasn't thrilled to talk about their costume, especially if they made it them selves. Most cosplayers are pumped to share some guidance. Take Downen Creative Studios for example. Beverly is always sharing tips on how she creates her epic costumes (as seen below) on her Instagram. Like I said before, cosplay is without a doubt one of the most welcoming communities you can join. 3. Do it for the right reasons "Professional" Cosplayers are few and far between. Meaning, those who make a living from their cosplay. But they're out there. It's absolutely possible. Just look at cosplayers like, Myrtle Sarrosa, Marie-Claude Bourbonnais, Meagan Marie, Alodia Gosiengfiao, Linda Le, D-Piddy, Lisa Lou Who, Spiral Cats, or Yaya Han. Just keep in mind Professional cosplay is very competitive, and it's a community that takes its craft very seriously. There's a lot of drama involving cosplayers these days, primarily because there are a lot of people who get into cosplay because they want to get rich, have millions of fans, and get endless attention. Like Jessica Nigri for example who has over 4 million followers on Instagram alone. The "business" of cosplay can get dirty. So never start cosplay with any goal other than having fun and expressing yourself. Otherwise, you're setting yourself up for failure. People can always tell if you're not dressing as characters you actually like and only doing it for the money. 4. Choose the right character for your build One of the most common questions from beginners is "who should I be?" I always tell them to choose a character/costume that would naturally complement their looks and build and obviously a character they connect with and like. Luckily, the nerd universe is filled with characters of every shape and size. For example, someone who has a thin build would make a great spider man or black panther. As shown below. Where as someone with a bulkier more muscular build would be better off as Batman, Thor, a Spartan, or Adam Hunter as shown below. 5. Know your skill level When it comes to a custom costume, know your skill level. If you don't have the time or money to make props and accessories I suggest a full body suit like spider man. That's as easy as it gets. On the other hand, bigger, bulkier cosplay costumes can easily get torn, crushed, or dirty in transit. So, if you have a lot of gear, make sure that it can be packed easily.. Once again, this is why fully body spandex and cat suites are so popular among beginners as seen below. 6. Keep transit in mind When making a custom costume keep transit to con in mind. How do you plan on getting to con? Uber, bus, walk, plane, or driving yourself? Larger or bulky pieces might need to be foldable or reduced in size in order to make it work. Armor, for example, should be able to be pulled apart into pieces so that it doesn't end up getting broken while in transit to your next con. Example below. Many newbies have learned this the hard way so please heed my warning. 7. Keep the season in mind Some of my favorite cosplay costumes I've ever seen were massive creations involving bulky materials or thick costume material. At first I was envious until I learned they wanted to pass out from heat stroke after a few hours at con. Conventions tend to be very warm, you don't want to be the person who makes the mistake of wearing a thick heavy non breathable cosplay costume in the middle of summer. I don't care how epic it is, you'll hate wearing it. 8. Use the right face and body paint Alot of cosplayers use face and body paint to complete their look and although it can look really good when they show up, I've seen far too many look like crap after a few hours in a warm convention center. When buying makeup for your face and body make sure it wont run or get streaky when you sweat. A great hack you can use to get out of full body paint is by using painted nylon stockings or a full body spandex suit as a base for your body, then all you have to do is paint your hands and face to match as seen below. 9. Don't be a creep Obviously every con is full of beautiful people, some in more reveling costumes than others. But just because someone is showing more skin that doesn't give you or anyone the right to be inappropriate. Show everyone at con the same level of respect you'd show your family. You can admire and compliment but never touch a cosplayer unless requested to. Never cat call and if you have a photo taken with a cosplayer you should still avoid touching them. 10. Ask before taking photos look, there are countless opportunities to take photos at con but it's always best practice to ask before taking a photo that way the cosplayer can strike a pose before you take the photo. There's nothing cosplayers hate more than random shitty photos online of themselves half dressed in costume on a break shoveling food in their face. As long as you ask they will always be happy and willing to strike a pose or take a photo with you. 11. Know your limits If you are at a con in costume and someone snaps a photo of you half dressed on a break or you simply weren't ready for a photo don't hesitate to say "hey man, I'm glad you like the costume but I wasn't ready, can we retake it and I'll put the rest of my costume on and pose for you?" And if someone is being inappropriate don't hesitate to say something to them and or security. The best advice I can give you is stop worrying about what others think, Cons are extremely welcoming to all nerds at every level, just show your true self and have fun with it. :)
Portland Photographer empowers kids by transforming them into iconic movie characters. Must See! Hello my friends, my name is Lance and I am that photographer based in Portland Oregon. Because I am known for my cinematic cosplay & horror photography I wanted to share some of my fan favorites I've done with kids. Some of these projects have even been shared on local and international news. From a very young age I always loved Halloween and scary movies. My goal is to become a big Hollywood Photographer someday. I think my favorite thing about being a photographer is that I get to pretend it's Halloween 365 days a year. I love my clients because they share that love for Halloween & so do their kids. Do not be fooled, some of the photos below may look scary but I promise you the kids are always having a blast. That's my number 1 rule. The family is always there and I always make sure everyone is comfortable. All photos below were taken by me on my SonyA7iii and couldn't have happened without an amazing team around me. I work with amazing designers for custom made outfits and as you'll see insanely talented makeup artists like Taelorfx & Jordan DuPont. Let me know your favorite set in the comments below and Connect with me on Instagram HERE or get a quote HERE. Disclaimer!! All blood is obviously fake. I use "Vampire blood" I get on Amazon. Works great! 1. Edward Scissorhands 2. Wolverine / X23 3. Zombies 4. Sweeney Todd 5. Ghost 6. Trick 'r Treat 7. Georgie / IT 8. The Joker 9. Peter Pan and Wendy 10. Cinderella 11. The Omen 12. Alice in Wonderland 13. Ghost As you'll see below sometimes the kids aren't always playing a specific iconic character but rather having fun playing a part as a side character in a themed photoshoot. Slender Man The Tooth Fairy Hocus Pocus Krampus Viking
The 10 best websites for Cosplay Costumes & Props. Hey guys and gals! As you know I photograph many different things but I'm most well known for my cinematic cosplay photography. I'm constantly asked where do I or my clients get their costumes and props. So I thought I would put together this list of the 10 best places to buy cosplay costumes and props for all ages year round. Now selling NFTs of my work! Find a collection of all my latest NFTs for sale on OpenSea HERE I really hate to say this but the most reliable websites for costumes and props are the huge retailers. Without question They have the biggest selections and best prices because of the massive volume they do. Just keep in mind Inexpensive costumes are made cheaply in mass numbers, regardless of whether the site brands itself as a Halloween store, a costume store, or a Cosplay store. Fact is better made costumes cost more money. Customized costumes and props made by costumers who sell their work through sites like Etsy, ebay, and Instagram are the highest quality, the most expensive, and you sure as F aint getting it in three days. The Cosplayers I know understandably want costumes that are more durable because they plan to wear them to multiple events, where Halloween partiers are happy with something they will only wear once, not to say I haven't seen people spend nearly an entire year to create Halloween costumes to compete in Costume contest. Halloween retailers like Spirit Halloween tend to cater to cheaper costumes and Cosplay retailers tend towards more obscure characters and better costumes but that's not to say I haven't seen total crap for premium prices because they do much smaller volume of sales than the giants like Amazon. But the plus side of big retailers is they often offer cheap shipping or free shipping and returns or exchanges are often easy. 7 key elements to a viral Cosplay photo In my opinion Etsy is probably the best place to go as far as getting that hand-crafted look for your cosplay costume. There are a ton of very talented prop makers and costume designers on the site. See: Cosplay Etsy below. You could piece together a very good and convincing cosplay costume just from Etsy vendors but you will pay premium dollars for this and you may have to wait months to receive your final costume or props but in my opinion it's worth it because quality is king in my book. Last thing I want you to keep in mind when shopping online for costumes is not to be shy about buying from over seas. Some of the sites I've listed below are in China and the UK. They are still a great option but just keep in mind most importantly a size 10 in the US may be different than a size 10 in China or the UK. So pay close attention to sizing charts when ordering and be prepared to wait a little longer for shipping. Also don't forget to read reviews! I've listed my top 10 sites for costumes and props below with the most obvious such as Amazon, eBay, and Etsy last. 2 of the 10 are local to Portland Oregon. Just click the image and it will take you to the website. Hope this article helps you on your next adventure into cosplay. Let me know in the comments below and connect with me on Instagram HERE 1. XCOOS 2. EZCosplay 3. Hello Cosplay 4. Mic Costumes 5. Buy Costumes 6. Costume Avenue - Beaverton 7. Avant Garden Vintage - Portland 8. Cosplay Etsy 9. eBay 10. Amazon Bonus! Mill End is the best option for custom fabrics in Portland. DIY
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