Wellington Cosplay Photo Fest (WCPF) aims to bring together cosplay and photography communities in Wellington to create incredible artwork together, and foster new working relationships between artists.
As a photographer attending WCPF 2023 you will be assigned a minimum of two shoots with cosplayers selected at random. Please be aware that not every assigned shoot partner may be your first choice, however the aim of this event is to forge new connections and opportunities – think of it as a good opportunity to step outside your comfort zone!Â
THIS IS A MANDATORY MINIMUM REQUIREMENT – you can organise as many other shoots as you like beyond these assignments, but you must complete these first.Â
If there is a participant you absolutely cannot work with for any reason, please let the organisers know.
Please see the Event Info page for more general information about the event.
Some things to remember…
- Read the event rules carefully before sending in your application to the event – we hold all participants to these rules and consequences can include not being allowed to participate in the event in future; or having registration revoked in cases of extreme misconduct prior to the event taking place.
- Not everyone you work with at the event will be highly experienced. Please be patient with newcomers and treat everyone with respect and patience.
- Shooting cosplayers is a little different than shooting fashion or glamour – it’s very character driven, and getting an idea of the character before the shoot is a must. Models, remember to communicate clearly to your photographer what mood/personality you are conveying.
- All participants are encouraged to put their own safety first and foremost – bring a chaperone or friend to a shoot if you like (this goes for both models and photographers), just give the other party a heads up! Especially if they’re driving you somewhere.
- If you have realistic military gear or prop weapons, do not hold your photoshoot in a public place. WCPF takes no responsibility for any mishaps involving members of the public mistaking prop weapons for real ones – there’s no reason you can’t get amazing photos with this kind of gear, but it must be in private with no chance of members of the public being alarmed.
- COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR SHOOT PARTNER. Do not ghost your model or photographer and expect them to be okay with it. Be courteous and if you’re having trouble with scheduling or logistics, let your partner know.
- Assigned shoots take priority, and those who neglect their assignments will not be invited to participate in future events. However, if you don’t contact your assigned partners promptly to organise your shoots, it’s unreasonable to expect them to delay arranging anything else in the meantime – sort these out first.
- Although the organisers are facilitating shoot partners as a starting point, it is literally not possible for us to organise everything for you. You will have to contact your partners and schedule your own shoots/find your own locations, we strongly recommend contacting people early if you have any restrictions or specific requirements!
- Wellington is a relatively small city that’s really poorly laid out – if you have to travel a lot between shoots, make sure you have enough time.
- No means no. If a shoot partner declines a location or shoot concept, don’t push. The point of this event is to work with new people, and if they’re uncomfortable before the shoot even starts it’s likely not going to end well.
- Beyond any registration fee and/or afterparty cover charge (not applicable for every WCPF event), you are not expected to pay anything to take part in the event – however if you wish to hire a shoot location, go for it! Just remember to consult your shoot partner before you spring a bill on them.
- This is a collaborative event, with both photographer and model expected to provide input – please don’t view it as just a “free shoot” and railroad your partner into your own creative vision without consultation.
- There are studio spaces in Wellington available for hire, however many photographers operate out of whatever space they can find. If a photographer you don’t know invites you to shoot at their house, don’t freak out! Sometimes it’s just the most convenient space to set up a backdrop and lighting gear. Be smart, but shooting at home isn’t necessarily a red flag on its own.
- Although the organisers take as much care as they can to avoid other events in the region during Photo Fest, there may be other things going on at the same time – be careful when planning your schedule, especially in the summer tourist season in the capital.
- With Covid-19 looming large in the world, masks will be mandatory for photographers and all participants not being photographed at the time. This includes assistants, helpers, makeup artists, etc.
Wellington Cosplay Photo Fest is a small event that is run by and for the kiwi cosplay community, and we ask that all images posted to social media after the event use the #cosplayphotofest hashtag so that we can share your images and promote the event and the artists who participate. We also ask that participants submit their photos for sharing on our website and social media platforms – this means that we can promote the event and our participants online throughout the year.