Masks & Armor

Masks & Armor is a portrait series shot at Vienna Comic Con 2022. Between convention halls and parking lots, I photographed cosplayers whose handmade costumes deserved more than a quick snapshot. The project had two parts: capturing the characters on site, then pushing selected shots further in post until they looked like they had stepped out of their own worlds.

Before and after. The original was shot in front of a plain convention wall. In post, the scene moved to a sunlit desert canyon, with matched lighting, a shallow depth of field and a warm-teal grade that makes the patched, weathered costume feel at home.

Most of the series stays close to the real location but strips it down. Neutral facades and grey skies serve as a clean backdrop, while a muted, slightly faded grade lets the gear speak: helmets, gas masks, patches and the countless details the cosplayers built by hand.

The second transformation goes the other way. The busy convention background with passing visitors disappears into a dark, moody teal backdrop, and the armored figure turns from a con snapshot into a cinematic character portrait.

Every portrait is framed to hide the person and show the character. Masks, visors and helmets turn each subject into an anonymous figure, and the series becomes less about who is wearing the costume and more about the worlds they bring to life.