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I started studying at BNU 3 years ago, 2023 being my final year. All graduating Art and Design students have the opportunity to take part in an end of year show, where they get to display a piece of work for members of the public and industry-guests. This is called the Final Major Project. For photography you create your final major project and a photobook to go with it, which acts as a portfolio once in industry.

Over the last 3 years, I was able to explore a range of areas within photography before I decided where I wanted to specialise. In my 1st year I loved shooting still life and street photography.

In my 2^nd year I started to experiment with other photography such as portraiture and with that, I started working with a cosplayer and started photographing cosplay. I'd always been a fan of anime, so when it came to coming up with ideas for my Final Major Project, it was clear to me what I wanted to do.

‘Rise of the Cosplayers’ was a project based on how cosplayers explored their identities through the art of cosplay, as well as trying to share the notion that cosplay is for everyone and talk about the discrimination that's happening within the cosplay community at this moment in time.

So how did I do it?

First Step: Background Research

The first step in any project, that happens in any degree project is Research, you need to have some sort of theory behind your FMP and my research was looking at:

• What is Cosplay?
• History of Cosplay and its connections with performance
• Theory: Gender bending

Second Step: Photographic Research and Photobook Research

The second step was to look at all the photographic research that was related to the project, I wanted to create an interactive project that I would work with other cosplayers on. Photoshoots were not just for me and my project but also for them to share with their followers and friends.

Third Step: Ethic Forms

Before starting a project for your FMP, you have to sign and fill in Ethic Forms for the University, so you don't do anything unethical and you can't start any participant data until you do so.

Fourth Step: Participant Data

When your Ethics forms are approved, when doing a project that involves a questionnaire and interview you need to find participants. Luckily, I found five cosplayers willing to help with the project, I sent out a questionnaire to interested cosplayers and from these answers I was able to create interview questions.

Fifth Step: Test shoots

I set up test shoots with every cosplayer, some I knew and some I didn't. I did a mix of studio and location based photoshoots. This is how I got on...

Sixth Step: Photobook Designing

Using my test shoot images, I started to design my photobook using in InDesign.

Working on a new idea, that my project was an editorial project where I'd create a photobook and design as a magazine, where I would have an interview page and this is why I researched other cosplay magazines to get an idea on how to structure the pages.

Seventh Step: Exhibition Research

Before shooting my final images, I had to think about my exhibition, and so I did research on my exhibition and researched other exhibitions to get a better idea on what I wanted to do and how I’d present my work.

Eighth Step: Final Shoots

When it came to the final shoots, adjustments were made to equipment and the cosplayer and I had to step up my game as there wasn't much time left, getting these images done were my top priority due to getting the photobook done and printed, this is how my one of my final shoots went...

Ninth Step: Finishing the Photobook and getting it printed.

When I had collated all of my final images, I edited them and then I started to finish my photo book ready for it to be printed, this is how it turned out...

Final Step: Printing my Images

Right near the end of the project, for my exhibition I only decided to print two final images as it was discussed with my peers it was better for quality rather than quantity, so I ended up printing two final images which I exhibited at the 2023 BNU Art and Design Show.