You’ve probably heard the joke: if you want to get news out fast, tell a cosplayer to keep it private. So it makes sense that the community’s worst kept secret in recent years has been Secretcon – no one can stop talking about it!
Secretcon – or, ‘Not So Secret-con’, as it has become dubbed by regulars – is a brand-new type of photography event, run by established members of the cosplay and photography community at unique locations across the country. Unlike traditional conventions, there is no dealers’ hall, no panels, and no special guests. The venue is privately hired for the day, and every single attendee is a verified cosplayer or photographer, so the focus is strictly on not-for-profit collaborative content creation.
The name arose from their first event, where the location (spoilers: Gloucester Prison) was kept under wraps to everyone except attendees who bought a ticket. The newer events have made it a little easier to guess and plan costumes in advance, with the most recent event taking place at Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham.
For Guild members TheSparkOfRevolution (Tabby) and Ceresel (Mariam), it was their second Secretcon event; their first was at Keele Hall, a banqueting venue in Staffordshire.
“Last year we went ham with costumes,” Tabby says. “We brought two options each and shot from opening until closing, with an hour’s break for lunch. Although we wanted to approach Magna with the same gusto, health didn’t really allow it, but we were determined to go. We shot with three photographers over a few hours, and, despite our health worries, we had a fantastic time!”
Although the application process can look daunting to a beginner photographer or cosplayer, it’s really just a verification check, to ensure applicants are actually a member of our unique (and sometimes misunderstood) community, and to add you to a Facebook group to meet other attendees before the event. Secretcon welcomes members of the community of all levels and experience to hang out and take the time to really get creative.
“At conventions, you normally get stopped for a photo, you pose, you might swap contacts, and you find the shot online later. That’s the entire interaction,” Tabby’s cosplay partner Mariam explains. “With events like Secretcon, it’s not about just getting a photo, it’s having the time to play around with it, like recreating a famous scene, or leaning into a particular aesthetic.”
Shooting with Granettalia and Naxsnaps, the duo caught some amazing shots during the day. Wearing costumes containing LEDs ensured that they could shoot in the darkest, dingiest spots possible, experimenting with a long aperture and lots of movement to spread the light across the entire image. The fire pavilion, with its huge fire tornado, was an absolute necessity. Their Promare cosplays look incredible against the kind of background you’d never find at a traditional convention!
UK Guild Director HazelTheWriter attended Secretcon with the goal to partner with both new and familiar photographers in a distinctive, dedicated setting. “At other conventions, collaboration opportunities between cosplayers and photographers are limited by the venue,” she explains, “but, at Secretcon, the unique location enhanced those interactions. The electric ambiance felt meticulously crafted by the organisers, and the passion on display from everyone really helped us create some amazing shots that I can’t wait to see.”
Thomas of TMargs Photography had an “awe-inspiring” first experience of Secretcon. “It was definitely far above my expectations! Everything seemed well-organised, and everyone I met was so friendly and welcoming. It was great to be in an environment purely for creating images together.”
“The emphasis on collaboration, not to mention the appreciation each side have of working with each other, makes cosplay photography so rewarding,” agrees Dan of CosplayWithFear one of the Guild’s photographers, who has been a cosplay photographer since February 2022. “But it comes with its own challenges. At my last Secretcon I sat on my bed for an hour after getting home, just trying to process it all and go out for food!”
While the cosplayers’ work happens before the event, much of it happens for the photographers afterwards and, for Dan, it’s the people who really make the shoots. “I’m enjoying shooting less and feeling less overwhelmed at events going forward, where I can focus on the person instead the costume they’re wearing,” he says. “I’m looking to create complex, technical photos, or dynamic, emotional storytelling, and my motivation and drive are multiplied by a massive factor when I love working with an individual, or I love the event that we’re at.”
Thomas admits he’s fairly new to posed shoots. “I can also be introverted at events, so it really helped knowing everyone was up for a shoot, and having people ask me to shoot was a great help to get started. Tagging along to a Star Wars meet I didn’t even know was on led to me shooting some of my favourite photos, and I managed to use my experience of shooting in low light to pair perfectly with all the lightsabers. I even got to recreate a meme!”
Cosplay has become a staple at pop culture conventions almost by accident; it’s never the most comfortable feeling to get all dressed up and be surrounded by ‘normies’ and members of the public gawking at you all day, but, until now, it’s been the only real place we can go. By comparison, Secretcon feels like a breath of fresh air: a dedicated, private space, full of like-minded creatives, all working towards the goal of creating art together.
Tabby sums it up beautifully: “In a hobby increasingly becoming about pumping out content, an event solely for creating is a really nice break from social media pressure!”
With a fire tornado, smoke and rain machines, mist pavilion, and a mechanical show spitting real sparks into the sky, some of the photos from the most recent event truly must be seen to be believed. Follow their Instagram to see tagged photos from the 700+ attendees shared in their stories, or their hashtag #secretcon2023 for highlights, and let us know your thoughts if you were there too.
We can’t wait to be in on the secret when the next location is revealed!
