1.) You get to take photos of characters from your favorite series
2.) You get to improve your photography skills
3.) It's easy (somewhat) to get people willing to have shoots.
4.) It's a great way to get to know more people and expand your circle of friends.
Before we continue, some might want to ask, "What is cosplay photography, anyway?" People sometimes put it in line with fashion, while some associate it with something else.
I dunno where it's supposed to be, but in my opinion, it's taking pictures of cosplayers, and actually a bit more. I believe it's, comparable to cosplay, about staying true to the character and attempting to bring it to life, albeit through one's photo.
I believe that if I were to just point my camera and leave everything to basic poses and whatnot, then I, as a photographer and fan, am not giving the due respect to both the cosplayer and the character.
I've been taking pictures of cosplayers for over 2 years now, and honestly speaking, I've yet to think of myself as someone who's grasped mastery in this field. I'm proud to say that I've been seeing improvement in my pictures, but I've to admit that I still have a long way to go.
I've talked to some of the local community's great cosplay photographers and was even fortunate enough to be taught a few tricks of their trade. I've learned to apply them and have gradually adapted my own style (sort of XP)
I'll use an acronym (just like the rakenrol) so that it'd be easier to remember fufufuu~~ hmm... let's see~~ *thinking of a good word*
AH!!! let's call it the H.A.P.P.Y. method! (ahehehe ^^;;; is it lame? XP)
H - have a good amount of knowledge of the character/series you're shooting.
(it's hard to think of a good "story" in your picture if you don't know anything about the character/series)