Historical Costuming Couple, Rose Hill Manor Park, Frederick Maryland: Gloria and Mike

These beautiful historical costumes in Rose Hill Manor Park are brought to you by the powerhouse couple behind In The Long Run Designs. Gloria and Mike do historical costuming, cosplay, and photography. They also have a charming Etsy Store featuring historical jewelry from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Critical Role Cosplay

On a chilly day in January, a beautiful Belle told me she was working on a Yasha Cosplay. I patiently waited for the cosplay to be done. And, of course, while we were making plans to meetup at a D.C. Cosplay group event with other Critical Role fans COVID happened and ruined everyones life.

Viking LARP Couple Photos, Harpers Ferry

Viking LARP couple photos? Count me IN! I am here to make cosplay couples, historical couples, themed couples, offbeat couples (whatever you want to call them) the next “trend” in photography. When Piper mentioned that she and her husband have Viking live action role playing costumes, I basically made them come take photos with me.

Violet Evergarden Cosplay Photoshoot

Click, click, click. I was doing what we all do when we scroll through Netflix, looking at the images attached to the show to see if I wanted to *actually* watch any of them. When it comes to TV, I tend to judge a show by its cover.

Violet Evergarden stopped me mid-scroll, which is hard to accomplish. I was immediately drawn in by the wind-swept dress, letters, and artfully drawn light. I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into because I never read the synopsis. The story and the beautiful sun drenched scenes were totally bingeable.

Cosplay Photography: Blue Valley Vineyard Edition

There’s a great group in the D.C. Metro Area for photographers and cosplayers called D.C. Cosplay Photo Shoots. Every month they host a meetup, at a different location, for photographers and cosplayers to connect. It’s always so much fun!

This year, my New Years’ Resolution was to attend every monthly meeting. So, I kicked off January with a bang. Blue Valley Vineyard was a gorgeous backdrop for all the awesome cosplays that day. The perfect blue sky with white fluffy clouds (add wind for dramatic flair) made for some amazing photos.

Harry Potter cosplay with a historical costuming twist

I’m always looking to photograph me some cosplay. I met Jennifer (aka @thenext.jeneration on all things social) after putting out a call for help when my cosplay calendar was empty. She delivered with a beautiful Princess Margaret Cosplay from the The Crown during cherry blossom season (swoon).

BUT, that’s not what this is about. This is about Harry Potter, Gryffindor, and Jen’s amazing costuming skills. We met on a chilly fall morning at Manassas National Battlefield Park. I had done some google map stalking and the little house on the property seemed perfect.

Cosplay Photography: Rockledge Mansion

In an effort to push my introverted self out of my comfort zone, and to get better posing people quickly, I went to a D.C. Cosplay Photo Shoots meeting at Rockledge Mansion in Occoquan, Virginia. It’s a beautiful historical mansion right in downtown Occoquan. If you’re looking for a historical venue to throw a kickass historical costumed themed wedding, check this place out! And then call me to be your photographer.

Cosplay Photography: Katsucon 2019

It seems my blog is getting full of cosplay photography. I’m ok with that.

Katsucon is the second convention I have gone to, and I always leave with a great impression of the cosplay community. Everyone is so nice and welcoming. When someone bumps into you, they turn around and apologize. Weird, right? I’ve been to plenty of concerts where that does not happen.

Cosplay Photography: Chantilly, Virginia

This weekend is Katsucon! I am pretty excited to be going again this year. Seeing all the incredible cosplays is by far the best part of going to any convention. The work and artistry that is involved in the making of props, clothing, and accessories is always inspiring for me.

Cosplay Photography: Leesburg, Virginia

I’ve always loved fantasy novels, games, art, anything really. I’m obsessed with Brandon Sanderson novels, Zelda, and mythology. I found out about the world of cosplay after watching a short-lived show on the SyFy network called “Heroes of Cosplay.” I think they brought something similar back recently, but I haven’t watched it.

Anyways, I was amazed by the level of skill and artistry that went into these pieces of art people created. I love that they are everyday people who work normal jobs and then transform themselves into characters from beloved series, movies, and games. I started fantasizing about all the things I could create. It was part of the reason why I wanted to learn to sew. (I still haven’t gotten very far with that endeavor.)