As I depart my home state for the start of this year's secondary convention season, organizing bookings with out-of-state cosplayers and cleaning up my work from Icon Photo Festival 2023, I find myself noticing more and more my community leaning strongly into a subject-first culture. Perhaps as a result of the growth in popularity of the cosplay influencer archetype, perhaps due to the predisposition of social media algorithms pushing subject-first media, or perhaps it has always been there- The value in art is not measured in structure or quality, but simply who is featured in it. The cosplayers, not the cosplay, seems to have become the focus of the community for a long time now; and although this is not an inherently good or bad state, it certainly does make greater difficulty for those behind the lens.

What do I mean by subject-first?

Across social media, galleries my work has hung in, magazines I've featured in- the focus has always gone not to my artistic input and work creating the piece, but instead who or what is in it. A piece of art is not good simply because it features your favourite character, choices and input from the artist have created composition, colour, style and mood. To show a character is to represent them- to create unique fanart is to interpret. Technical and artistic choices in photography hold just as much weight within a piece as the subject- Take notice of the empty space left, how the subject is framed. How they are lit, or what colours have been accentuated or pulled back. Where is attention drawn? Why?

Photography is curation, every choice the artist makes contributes to the piece.

I have been a cosplayer for many years, far longer than I have been a photographer. I have swore and cried putting together garments, I have endured liquid eyeliner spilling under my contacts, I have pried my heeled shoes from my blistered feet after a long convention day. I have faced the comments, the backlash, the sexualisation and my own share of being trophied around by 'friends'. When I speak of cosplay, I speak from very almost a decade of experiencing the best and worst of this community. 

Cosplay is hard, and those who squeeze and shift themselves into these metamorphic artistic pieces deserve great praise and applause. 

But- and here comes the 'but' that was being very clearly led up to- it is very rare for a cosplayer to produce everything alone. Prints, promotional material, banners, even social posts- chances are, somebody else put their own share into artistically displaying the cosplayer's work. 

Without naming any names- as the cosplayer involved is actually a wonderful person to work with and has done everything right in this situation, so I do not wish for any backlash her way– I have a rather recent example of the costs subject-first culture can have on unseen artistic labourers. Some months ago, I happily collaborated with a wonderful cosplayer to create some images during a convention. The images turned out fantastic, in fact one of my favourite sets I've produced. Not long after, the cosplayer was invited to be a featured guest cosplayer at a significantly large convention, and asked me for my permission to use my image of her as her feature image. Of course I agreed, and was happy to!

The issue comes with the convention's approach to such. My image was taken from her and placed across websites and signage by the convention, with no acknowledgement of the legal copywrite owner of the image (Me). I've had my photography used without my knowledge in far worse ways, enough that I would normally be desensitised to such- but at one of the country's largest conventions, missing out on that kind of exposure for my small business is huge. The small text credit somewhere on the page, anywhere in the vicinity, could be the difference between breaking even or not on my next convention round.

On social media, comments on my posts will be addressed to the cosplayer. Some of my favourite work goes unnoticed in favour of those containing popular or generally attractive models. Almost every new or younger cosplayer I work with insist to me that they are not good enough to photograph- not because of the cosplay's quality, but because of their smaller online status or percieved appearance. 

I should not be having to reassure children that they are allowed to celebrate their craftsmanship and skill no matter how popular they are online. I should not have to reassure children that they can contribute to art meaningfully no matter how they are told they look. 

Art should not be measured solely on accessibility to 'popular cosplayers', or amazing locations, or expensive gear. True photography is created through curation, artistic merit deriving from utiliting what is before you to uplift a subject into a final work. Insisting a photograph holds merit only because the subject is conventionally attractive leaves the same sour taste as being told your sewing machine and fabric made a great cosplay, or that your eyeshadow applied itself wonderfully.
It disregards the input of the artist, reducing their work to representation rather than interpretation- the enemy of artistic merit in photography. 

The trend does not stop with the cosplay community nor photography as a whole, instead extending universally into most media we consume. Light choreography at the concert of your favourite band, the DoP of your favourite actor's best movie, the designer of the dress your cool friend is wearing. We are surrounded by art we take for granted, and it is my own personal goal to unlearn the subject-first mindset instilled in me to acknowledge the hidden labour behind what we are shown. 

Perhaps others would like to join me.