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REPORT: TWINCITY COSPLAY PHOTOSHOOT IN ISLAMABAD
The star of the occasion was German photographer Manolo Ty.
BY KHAYA AHMED
Resilient; the one word I can use to describe Islamabad’s cosplay community. The word kept popping into my head as I wiped away sweat and trekked through the prickly grass of Fatima Jinnah Park on a hot, muggy Sunday and made my way to the rendezvous point of the highly anticipated TwinCity Cosplay Photoshoot.
I quickly spotted the cosplayers, magically undeterred by the heat and having a ball as they posed for pictures on a nearby stone bridge and the lush green of the park serving as the perfect ambiance, seemingly oblivious to the heat.
With the organizing team of TwinCon and the pioneers of cosplaying in Islamabad and Rawalpindi at the helm of the event, it wasn’t surprising to see some familiar faces from the community. Sameen Rahat in her signature Harley Quinn outfit, Arij Malik as Samurai Jack complete with the bare feet (ouch!) and Maryam Ansari as her original character certainly stood out amongst the rest.
However, it was interesting to see a variety of fandoms come together, from Professor Oak to a gender-bent Superman, and even Jeff the Killer (yes, that guy from Creepypasta) to a slew of original characters or interesting takes on popular ones; an older Sora from Kingdom Hearts and a gender bent Raven being two of them.
The star of the occasion, German photographer Manolo Ty, was smack in the middle of the cosplayers, arranging them in different positions to get that perfect shot while the cosplayers themselves brought their own unique twist to the pose. A man who is no stranger to Pakistan, Manolo has quickly become someone who not only captures the culture of Pakistan but does so in a way that doesn’t take away from the real beauty of the country; seeing him in action and how passionate he was about the project through his lens, I wasn’t surprised.
The turnout was small yet the cosplayers’ zeal more than made up for the small amount in attendance. Each person came up to me and thanked me for being a part of the event, reminding me of just how inclusive the community can be, and funny to boot, as I often found myself laughing at some of their antics; Samurai Jack wearing Peshawari Chappal being one of them of course!
Saad Bin Khalid, one of the leading organizers of TwinCon and an equally generous host stood next to the bubbly vlogger Seresha (from the Diary of Seresha fame) and told me about his reasons for putting the event together, “I’d met Manolo a few times before and talked about our cosplaying events and even though he was interested, his schedule unfortunately never coincided with the events. Which is why I decided to put together this event when he was in town. The only downside being the heat!” He laughed and was quick to notice my feelings about the scheduling of the event though the occasional breeze thankfully took care of that problem.
What was interesting to see however, was how so many plain clothed people were there to enjoy the event as Saad explained to me that most of them were friends of the cosplayers, here to help with their makeup, props, or just to offer moral support! The involvement coming from each side was fun to see with both the organizers and the supporters cheering each other on and making sure there was no room for discomfort; the best part of it all? The event was free for anyone and everyone to attend!
As the cosplay shoot hit a funny bump in the form of having to share the bridge with a bridal shoot (one of many I spotted that day!), I snagged my chance to talk to Manolo who had nothing but praise for those who came; having sampled the thriving community in Germany, “I’m grateful for shooting the event and to be able to promote this newly growing yet positive culture of Pakistan. I hope that this event can inspire people and that organizations like Twincon can continue to promote this culture and make it even bigger!”
With the sun beginning to set, the attendees gathered for one commemorative group shot before moving on to individual portraits; judging by the amount of hard work both photographer and attendees put into it, I personally can’t wait to see the final product in Monolo’s upcoming volume of Pakistan Now.
(All pics courtesy TwinCon)
http://pk.ign.com/ign-pakistan/15015/feature/report-twincity-cosplay-photoshoot-in-islamabad
The star of the occasion was German photographer Manolo Ty.
BY KHAYA AHMED
Resilient; the one word I can use to describe Islamabad’s cosplay community. The word kept popping into my head as I wiped away sweat and trekked through the prickly grass of Fatima Jinnah Park on a hot, muggy Sunday and made my way to the rendezvous point of the highly anticipated TwinCity Cosplay Photoshoot.
I quickly spotted the cosplayers, magically undeterred by the heat and having a ball as they posed for pictures on a nearby stone bridge and the lush green of the park serving as the perfect ambiance, seemingly oblivious to the heat.
With the organizing team of TwinCon and the pioneers of cosplaying in Islamabad and Rawalpindi at the helm of the event, it wasn’t surprising to see some familiar faces from the community. Sameen Rahat in her signature Harley Quinn outfit, Arij Malik as Samurai Jack complete with the bare feet (ouch!) and Maryam Ansari as her original character certainly stood out amongst the rest.
However, it was interesting to see a variety of fandoms come together, from Professor Oak to a gender-bent Superman, and even Jeff the Killer (yes, that guy from Creepypasta) to a slew of original characters or interesting takes on popular ones; an older Sora from Kingdom Hearts and a gender bent Raven being two of them.
The star of the occasion, German photographer Manolo Ty, was smack in the middle of the cosplayers, arranging them in different positions to get that perfect shot while the cosplayers themselves brought their own unique twist to the pose. A man who is no stranger to Pakistan, Manolo has quickly become someone who not only captures the culture of Pakistan but does so in a way that doesn’t take away from the real beauty of the country; seeing him in action and how passionate he was about the project through his lens, I wasn’t surprised.
The turnout was small yet the cosplayers’ zeal more than made up for the small amount in attendance. Each person came up to me and thanked me for being a part of the event, reminding me of just how inclusive the community can be, and funny to boot, as I often found myself laughing at some of their antics; Samurai Jack wearing Peshawari Chappal being one of them of course!
Saad Bin Khalid, one of the leading organizers of TwinCon and an equally generous host stood next to the bubbly vlogger Seresha (from the Diary of Seresha fame) and told me about his reasons for putting the event together, “I’d met Manolo a few times before and talked about our cosplaying events and even though he was interested, his schedule unfortunately never coincided with the events. Which is why I decided to put together this event when he was in town. The only downside being the heat!” He laughed and was quick to notice my feelings about the scheduling of the event though the occasional breeze thankfully took care of that problem.
What was interesting to see however, was how so many plain clothed people were there to enjoy the event as Saad explained to me that most of them were friends of the cosplayers, here to help with their makeup, props, or just to offer moral support! The involvement coming from each side was fun to see with both the organizers and the supporters cheering each other on and making sure there was no room for discomfort; the best part of it all? The event was free for anyone and everyone to attend!
As the cosplay shoot hit a funny bump in the form of having to share the bridge with a bridal shoot (one of many I spotted that day!), I snagged my chance to talk to Manolo who had nothing but praise for those who came; having sampled the thriving community in Germany, “I’m grateful for shooting the event and to be able to promote this newly growing yet positive culture of Pakistan. I hope that this event can inspire people and that organizations like Twincon can continue to promote this culture and make it even bigger!”
With the sun beginning to set, the attendees gathered for one commemorative group shot before moving on to individual portraits; judging by the amount of hard work both photographer and attendees put into it, I personally can’t wait to see the final product in Monolo’s upcoming volume of Pakistan Now.
(All pics courtesy TwinCon)
http://pk.ign.com/ign-pakistan/15015/feature/report-twincity-cosplay-photoshoot-in-islamabad
