Dana Paige/Grace Soulfire, billing analyst
New York-based photographer Corey Hayes has captured eye-opening, before-and-after portraits of cosplayers for his series ‘Alter Ego’.
According to Hayes, he was fascinated by the cosplayers he saw during his first ComicCon visit in 2009.
“The characters and the colors are just so outside of what you see in regular life. [...] Most of these cosplayers probably went unnoticed in their daily lives, but once they are dressed up at these conventions, they become rockstars,” he said in his project description.
His subjects are depicted in their normal everyday attire next to photographs of them in their cosplay get-ups.
Shooting the cosplayers was an enriching experience for Hayes, who saw first-hand the difference the costumes made to their personalities and body language.
Check out some of his portraits below and view the series at his website.
Al Vasquez/Batman, news video editor/producer
Diana Lin/Harley Quinn, illustrator and children’s wear
designer
Colen P./Green Lantern, security guard
Jennifer Rose/Retro Catwoman, seamstress/administrative assistant
Kyle Stark/Arrow, CNC machinist
[via BuzzFeed, images via Corey Hayes]