Cosplay has exploded over the last few years with many cosplayers becoming international stars. One aspect of cosplay that is often overlooked is the photography. Comix Asylum recently had the chance to chat with Hasan Ali, co-founder of HJFilmWorld to discuss how his company is helping to make cosplay photography into an art form.
CA: Tell us a little bit about HJFilmWorld.
HA: HJFILMWORLD is a film and photography production company created by myself, Hasan Ali, and my film partner, Jeremy Baker.
CA: When did you first decide that you wanted to pursue a career in photography?
HA: Originally our focus was strictly filmmaking. About a year ago, I asked a Crossfit friend if she was interested in participating in a Supergirl photo shoot. We aimed for the shoot to have a cool cinematic and gritty style as if it was an actual shot from a DC film. Once she accepted our proposal, Jeremy and I put together our own Supergirl costume and scouted cool locations. After the shoot received positive feedback we set up our next photo shoot, which was Wonder Woman Vs. Supergirl followed by Ultimate Spiderman. Since then we just keep coming up with more and more fun characters to shoot. Honestly, it’s become quite addictive.
CA: Describe how you go about setting up a cosplay inspired photoshoot.
HA: There are times where we will just be chilling out conversing over classic comic book storylines or watching superhero films and I will throw out a character to Jeremy that I feel we totally can bring to life on camera. Considering we are both visually creative individuals, we plan camera shots inspired by iconic moments in comic books and film. We use locations that compliment the character and tone of the cosplay photo shoots. Surprisingly, getting people to model for our cosplay is always the easy part. Who doesn’t want to be a cool ass superhero for a day? Once we decide on the character and model, we craft the style of the outfits so they will “pop” on camera.
Jeremy and I are truly a collaborative team on set. We approach the cosplay photo shoots the same way we would approach a film production. During our cosplay shoots my focus is shooting the photography and directing the models, while Jeremy focuses on the choreography, i.e., making sure the models can physically execute the poses and shots. You would be surprised how physically demanding our cosplay photo shoots can be at times. For example, we paid a cab driver to allow my 13-year-old nephew get on top of a taxi cab in New York City while he posed as Ultimate Spiderman. It truly is always a creative blast.
CA: What tools do you use to create your photos and what makes them the “right tools” for you?
HA: Pure imagination is our greatest tool. We always make sure to apply as much imagination to each shoot concept. Next, we share our vision with our models so that they can see and feel it for themselves. As a result, everyone has fun while shooting. The more fun we have on set, the higher the quality of our pictures.
CA: Where do you find your models?
HA: Typically, I connect with a lot of models through social media for our cosplay photo shoots. It has been a blessing. Models are usually interested once they have seen our previous cosplay photo shoots on our website, HJFILMWORLD.COM. Aside from social media, I will reach out to family members or high school friends. It’s always cool to see their excitement being involved in our shoots.
CA: What has been the most rewarding project in your professional career – in or out of cosplay photography – and why?
HA: Over the course of 2015, our cosplay photo shoots have been next level fun. The most rewarding aspect of the photo shoots has been manifesting imagination to reality. It has been a blessing collaborating with a different creative personality for each shoot and seeing their positive response to being a super hero for a few hours. Having this much fun and meeting new people in the process of bringing superheroes to life is equivalent to being a kid all over again.
CA: What advice do you have for anyone looking to get into photographing cosplay models?
HA: The best advice for anyone looking to get into photography and cosplay is be creative, have fun, and collaborate with people who enjoy having fun.
CA: Where can fans see more of your work?
HA: You can see more of our work on our site @ www.HJFilmworld.com. You may also follow me on Instagram @directorhasanali where I post updates of our upcoming shoots. Our hashtag is #HJFilmworld.
CA: Time to get philosophical: What’s the most important “big idea” that you’ve learned in life – in or out of photography – and why is it important?
HA: Everything we create always stems from a positive place. The more we embrace positive energy the greater our ideas become. That helps us to create whatever we set out to do.
CA: What can we expect from you in 2015 and beyond?
HA: We have some pretty awesome photo shoots on the way. We also have a fan film in development based around some pretty cool characters. We can’t let the cat out of the bag just yet so you’re going to have to stay tuned.
