Photographing Girls of Cosplay Fantasy

Virtually all creatures that have been the subjects of fairy tales, fantasy stories and the entire realm of sci-fi have been portrayed in sexy or rather sensual situations and with sensual costumes or have been shown as creatures to be admired by people all over the world at some point or another.

"The identifying traits of fantasy are the inclusion of fantastic elements in a self-coherent (internally consistent) setting, where inspiration from mythology and folklore remains a consistent theme.^[2] Within such a structure, any location of the fantastical element is possible: it may be hidden in, or leak into the apparently real world setting, it may draw the characters into a world with such elements, or it may occur entirely in a fantasy world setting, where such elements are part of the world.^[3] Essentially, fantasy follows rules of its own making, allowing magic and other fantastic devices to be used and still be internally cohesive.^{[4]"Wikipedia}

Now that you more of less have a clear idea of what constitutes fantasy you can start to research some popular fantasy themes and choose how you will capture he fantasy element or theme in your photographs.

Remember that you have a lot of artistic freedom but you should strive to make your images appear as "real" as possible; make your images seem like this could be possible even thought we all know that it remains an impossibility.

Although this project entails fantasy girls, it can be applied towards many subjects both male and female, funny or serious. It can even be applied to special events such as parties.

This particular project is one that has a demand which does not seem to wane over time. You have probably seen images or characterizations of most of the fantasy creatures, even from those featured in the many Disney animated films portrayed as "grown ups" and done so in very suggestive poses and situations.

The good thing about this subject theme is that besides having the assistance of very attractive models you really don't need much other than story or theme appropriate costumes but much more revealing and suggestive, some props such as wigs, hair extensions, colored contact lenses and some pointy prosthetic ears.

For more surrealism in your shots consider using a full body paint scheme with unnatural colors such as neon blue or green.

You will probably need to add some digital backgrounds to create a complete scenario since some thematic scenes are almost impossible to recreate without going digital.

You should also use concentrated lights such as those created by a photographic snoot to highlight your subject and not much else.

Keep in mind that for your model to be sensual and fantasy like at the same time, you will more than likely need to use a good makeup technique and that not all photos need to be full body. Often a sensual smile, good makeup, nicely done hair and some other small details as well as strategically placed hands will achieve the purpose better than shooting a model in a full body pose.

Once you are done with your images then if you are so inclined, start to research the publications and photographic stock houses that do use these images.

Make sure to closely examine each shot for small imperfections or details such as dust particles that may not be readily visible at plain sight.

A good idea is to show them to some of your friends and relatives and evaluate their reactions to them as well as listening to their interpretations and suggestions.

If they feel that your images simply look too fake or "childish" then a better option would be to do the project all over again.

They may also be used in fine art galleries but this will be largely dependent on your style. Sensuality is better than nudity, at least for this project.

Other sources of potential clients are most photography publications, fantasy publications, as well as gaming (video) publications.

Do not concentrate on just one style. In other words not all you images need to be of creatures with wings or fairies.

There are many other styles and creatures. Just choose those themes that you feel confident you will be able to closely recreate and although the tile suggest to focus on fantasy women you can add others for effect.

Expand you thinking and create themes which feature any being that appears to be a creation of your imagination. just do so with taste.