Event - Fantasy fair photography etiquette

This was the reaction of the barbarian faun to the notification that Castlefest 2021 has been cancelled.
We can only hope the best for Elftopia, now that Trolls-et-Legendes has postponed it's fair to 2022. 

Actually.. such events have been so long that I don't even remember which kind words I should use to convince the beautifully costumed creatures from the fantasy fairs into posing for my camera.
Should I Zoom or Facetime them? "Hi, you on the other side of the path.. would you mind if I took a picture of your gorgeous creation?"
My fear is that I'm not the only one with these questions rushing through the head and while I will try to talk to the costumed humans, some other photographers might resort to sniping from afar with 200mm to 600mm telelenses and refuel that silly <Cosplayer/Photog> feud because some not-cleary-thinking photogs caught some cosplayers unaware .. or even worse: snapped them while taking a huge bite of a sandwich. Not the most elegant pose admittedly.  

 

That brings us to the question in the title of this post: 

What is Fantasy fair/ Renaissance fair / Cosplay fair photography etiquette?

 
Honestly? Isn't common sense the most logical?

• Be polite & show some respect. 
• Ask or gesture a costumed person whether it's ok to take a picture. 
• Accept no as no. 
• Accept "later" as "ask again next time we bump into each other".
• Don't try to touch strangers uninvitedly.. that goes for all model's photography BTW.
  
• Try to avoid moments of eating, chatting or adjusting their pants. Use your common sense (a Hobbit you might perfectly shoot with a load of food in their hands or hamster-like cheeks.) 
  
• Show your gratitude with a smile if the cosplayer proposes a special pose or spot to make the picture. 
• Ask about the idea behind the costume or the series of the cosplay if you both have the time. 
• Don't hesitate to give a genuine compliment on what you like about the costume because many have put a lot of work in them.Be a force of positivity!
  
• Exchange business cards so the cosplayer can look for the pictures & you can credit the cosplayer. Personally I use a QR-code the models can scan.
  
• Warn them if you're a slow editer & uploader (like myself) to prevent mails on the same evening requesting where they can download their photo.
• If you spot the same cosplayer later-on during the event at an even more interesting spot, don't hesitate to ask for another shot. 
• If you have a very special idea for a picture: talk to the cosplayer about it (and don't automatically assume it will be accepted.. sometimes the costume will technically not allow for certain poses/ideas)
• Don't be a horde of flies rushing in as soon as some photog is making a shot of a cosplayer. First of all you should get consent from that cosplayer yourself instead of just clicking away. Secondly, some of those flies then get in the way of the photog who was making the shot in the first place. Véry annoying!
  
• If you see a great candid moment & you are a trained street photographer.. then you will click before thinking.. but do make at least eye-contact with the cosplayer afterwards to acknowledge the shot. It will save you loads of bad comments. #Don'tBeThatSniper
  
  Evidently the same goes for the costumed people towards photographers. 
• Don't go around refusing pictures from all unknown photographers and only pose for the photogs of reknown (or your personal photoslave). Give everyone a chance if you have the time. 
• Be polite & repectful when refusing. 
• Gently wave, smile or talk to a photog if you'd like your picture taken. (Offering food or drinks always gets my attention)
• Never eat unless you're a hobbit (just kidding). 
• Propose your ideas of poses & locations if you feel the photog might be up to it. 
• Stop putting those snapchatty filters over every already-edited-picture when re-posting it and then claim "Edited by me all alone". 
• Don't cut the photogs credits from the image when reposting it. 
• Credit the photog when posting their work on your socials.
  
• Contact the photog before monetizing the images on your Patreon/Only Fans.
  

Do you have even more ideas or topics that should be on a list like this? It's all pure common sense, yet I always seem to forget that common sense is no longer that common.

And some legal remarks about portait rights & copyrights: 

• In Belgium making a picture/video of anyone is perfectly legal.
  
• If you're walking in the street and you're simply part of the streetscene that's being shot it's perfectly legal. (If the entire shot is just about you, that's a different story unless the 2 points below)
• If you're a public persononality (a star, politician, reality show survivor, TikTok influencer,..) your image is considered public domain and you may be sniped.
  
• If you participate at any event you're considered part of the event and not a private person. This implicates that you are considered to know that you can end up on a photo/video/magazine cover as a sample of the event. A decent photog will always ask or make contact so you'll have the opportunity to say no and on events where all cameras are forbidden (except those from the organisation) you should be pretty safe too.
• Copyrights of an image always belong to the maker of said image ( ergo the photographer or videographer) not to the subject of the image.
  

 

Original post + other shots from this series are on Flickr

Sword forged by Caderyn Smithing in Aalst (BE). Order one or more swords for yourself & help this blacksmith getting started.
Barbarian: Wild B.