---

Spiros Kakouris ( SpirosK Photography ), the oldest active top Greek Cosplay Photographer, talks to us about Cosplay, photography and his work!

---

CAPTURING THE MOMENT !

---

Nearly 11 whole years and he goes on! One of the most famous Cosplay photographers in Greece, and the oldest of the few who remain active in the scene! We meet him mainly in Athens, sometimes in Thessaloniki, but also abroad! Most likely you’ve already met him! Spiros Kakouris, also known as SpirosK Photography!

Starting his activities in the Cosplay scene on September 12, 2009 at the Akai Panda Anime Cosplay Party, in mid-2013, he leaves behind the extensive coverage of Cosplay events, focusing almost exclusively on personal Cosplays photoshoots ( and not only, since he’s not limiting himself to Cosplay only )! Being a frequent visitor of large conventions and specialized Cosplay photoshoot events abroad, he doesn’t limit his work to Greece only! Occasionally you’ll find him even today at some events shooting videos of various Cosplayers, while at the same time continuing his work as an official photographer of Comicdom Con Athens‘ Cosplay Contest in Athens!

His actions include several firsts in the Cosplay scene!

  Co-organizing the first outdoor mass Cosplay photoshoot, before a Cosplay event in Athens in 2009!

  The first solo outdoor Cosplay photoshoot in Athens ( and Greece ) in 2010!

  The first Cosplay Photobooth at a Cosplay event in Athens, but also in Thessaloniki in 2011!

  Organizing the first independent outdoor mass Cosplay photoshoot in Athens ( and Greece ), in 2011!

  The first Cosplay Photobooth at a convention in Athens in 2013!

  The first Cosplay photography exhibition in Athens ( and Greece ) in 2015!

  The first outdoor Cosplays photoshoot at a pool in 2015!

  Τhe video series of Cosplay photo editing guides in Photoshop, “PhEdiBits“!

Formerly, he was also a member of Cosplayers//GR‘s team and administrator of our Facebook Group, co-organizing with us 3 outdoor mass Cosplay photoshoots in Athens and Thessaloniki! Organizing events is not limited only to outdoor photoshoot on his side, since he was also previously the co-organizer of 3 Cosplay events in Athens and Thessaloniki!

Having covered 66 events with Cosplays and a total of over 1970 Cosplays in Greece ( but also over 2750 Cosplays outside Greece ), he also holds the 5th place in terms of quantity of work in Greece! Expanding this total are 77 outdoor Cosplay photoshoots in Greece, plus dozens more at his studio and abroad!

He’s currently one of the 9 remaining active Cosplay photographers in Greece who continue to photograph Cosplays, either at events or in photoshoots.

His involvement with photography is not only limited to Cosplay! Let’s talk to him in detail about everything!

Find SpirosK Photography and his work on the following media!
Page - Youtube - Twitter - Flickr

Check out his photographer profile and his covered events list on our website, HERE!

Check out his organizer profile and his events and mass outdoor photoshoots list on our website, HERE!

A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS !

---

1) Tell us a few words about yourself! What do we need to know about you?

I’m SpirosK Photography, also known as Spiros Kakouris. I spent time with photography as a profession ( including taxation etc. ) for two years, but it did not win me over, so I’m remaining in the IT crowd and are present in the photography scene only for art.

Ailiroy as Kaileena from Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

2) When and how did you start your engagement with photography? How did you acquire your knowledge on photography and what kind of photography do you do?

I started in 1998, with my first camera ( an automatic one with film ), but that was mostly playing around with the camera. I started much more seriously in 2009, with my first DSLR.

To learn, I read a lot of books and took private group lessons for a few years. I also shot in manual mode ALL THE TIME and almost exclusively. I find it impossible to keep shooting in manual mode all the time and not learn.

My non-cosplay themes are fantasy, dark fantasy, conceptual artistic nude and pinup. If you mean, by type, say natural, etc, I do fully edited, strobe light, photography. Because that’s what I like.

Hikari & Lorian Cosplay & Crafts as Link from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

3) Do you consider your engagement with photography to be a hobby or something more serious? How does this determine the way you photograph?

As I mentioned in the first question, I do it for my art by now. I want to produce works of art and participate in / ( co- ) organize exhibitions. I’m not looking to make money from it, I have the job I studied to cover that part for me.

Yosuii Cosplay as Kamael from Lineage 2 ( abroad )
Stunt-Sheep as Bayonetta from Bayonetta 2 ( abroad )

4) What was the reason that pushed you to specifically get into Cosplays photography? What was your first contact with the subject? How do you think it differs from other photography subjects?

Being an old, traditional, otaku ( according to my database I’ve seen around 160 anime series regardless of seasons, if say for example we consider Naruto as a single series, besides OVAs and movies, and I’ve read a total of 220 manga series ), it was somewhat inevitable.

I first saw a cosplay up close in 2006 in Austria, where I was doing Erasmus and since then “cosplay photography” clicked inside me, as it combined my love for photography with my love for manga / games and my love for fantasy.

Regarding the second part of the question, it makes absolutely no difference. It’s classic portrait photography, unless, like me, you want to do full photoshopping. Then, it is a classic fantasy photogshoot / graphic design work. Again, it has nothing special, besides the theme.

Athena’s Planeshift as Senua from Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

5) What kind of characters, sources or types of photography do you prefer in Cosplay photography? Are these choices based on personal interests, and if so, when did you get in contact with each of them? What are your favorite Cosplay characters you’ve shoot so far?

Either characters that I know well and like ( this is where most of the anime / games characters I photograph “apply” ), or characters that I like visually ( this is where League of Legends characters fall into for example), or ( when I’m lucky ) characters I’m a fanboy of.

I’m always open to offers of course. And I always do research before I take pictures if I don’t know the character ( I watch for example anime episodes if I haven’t seen a series or short gameplay videos if it’s from a game, and other cosplay shoots, if there are any ).

As for when I took up my interests, I’ve been active in gaming since 1987, and anime and manga since 1998.

Finally, regardless of characters, my favorite photos are part of exhibitions I do, so you can see them there! There will be one surely once humanity defeats coronavirus!

League of Legends School Days Photoshoot

6) What equipment do you use per occasion when shooting Cosplays and how important is it in the end result? How important do you think is the corresponding knowledge on photo editing in the end result?

I use the equipment I have at that moment. I’m not really rich to own multiple cameras and lenses. I have a camera for shoots at all times during my life, with one or two lenses, plus external speed flashes, for when I shoot outside my home studio. If you are interested in brands, I recently dropped Nikon after 11 years and turned to Sony, since it offers more of what I’m looking for at the moment. In 10 years ( impossible in less, due to financial issues ) I may switch over again to another company if Sony doesn’t “hold up”.

It plays a role in the end result, only just because I feel comfortable with my equipment and know how to handle it better. I’ve also seen superb photos shot with a mobile, it doesn’t mean much otherwise ( it does though if you want to print them and exhibit them, that’s another story ).

Finally, for me, who wants to produce fantasy images and not just take a photo in the etymological sense of the term, editing is everything. This doesn’t mean of course that I underestimate “natural” photographers. I just don’t want to do that.

Kirke Cosplay as Mera from Aquaman
Highness Cosplay as Meiko Shiraki from Prison School

7) How did you end up covering Cosplay events regularly and what experiences did you get from it after all that time?

As I mentioned above, I loved photographing cosplays and there was no better place during 2009-2013 than events and parties. It was the only way to see cosplayers in their costumes, photograph them and arrange photoshoots with those whose costumes / characters you liked. I was also much younger then, there were cosplayers / party goers close to my age, so I liked the whole party vibe. Now, I don’t think I would go to a cosplay party to take photos, even if there were any.

Also, we now live in the age of Instagram ( whether I like it or not, it’s a reality ) both in photography and cosplay. However, I got great memories and two big photobooks I have in my library as to not forget ( I think a copy of one of them was won by someone in an old giveaway )!

Cassiopi Cosplay as Poison Ivy from DC

8) In addition to photography, you are also involved in videoshooting at events and photoshoots. What shooting pattern do you follow in your videos and what content do they include?

I’m very new in videoshooting and am still learning. As for the final result, I would like to do something like the old ones by Lost Link ( before he turned to gravure videos and lost his touch, my personal opinion ). I also want to make epic group action videos with cosplay characters. Unfortunately, I have tried three times so far to organize something like that without us being able to meet all together … 🙁

Ailiroy as Kaileena from Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

9) You have shoot Cosplays in Athens, as well as Thessaloniki, Greece. Was there any difference that made an impression on you between the two cities related to Cosplays and related events?

I’ve been avoiding being a lot “into  things” related to cosplay for many years, so I don’t know / won’t answer. I didn’t notice any great differences though.

Galini Lin as D.Va from Overwatch
Doriana Blanka as Morrigan Aensland from Darkstalkers

10) Was the theme and size of an event ever affected your decision to cover it? What would you say were your favorite events so far?

Clearly, if you want to see a lot of cosplayers and see stunning costumes that you might want to photograph, a big ( in attendance ) event is the only way. But that was until around 2018. Now, as I mentioned above, we live in the Instagram age, so sooner or later the cosplayer will appear on your feed and you will arrange a shoot, if you agree to the terms of a cooperation.

I only have favorite events abroad. Experiences like the ones we had with Cassiel Cosplay Photography in France and Germany or with Ailiroy  in Poland, I think I will hardly experience again, and definitely not in Greece.

Kawaii Demon Cosplays as Mary Saotome from Kakegurui

11) Occasionally you collaborated with various event organizers to run a Cosplay Photobooth within an event. What shooting pattern do you follow in this case? Which case stood out the most for you?

My main collaboration is with Comicdom Con Athens, for the voluntary photoshoot of the contestants. There, I try to experiment with something new every year, trying not to leave the result stagnant ( once with natural light, once with flash, once with colored flashes, with changing environments, etc ). 

Dazzling Yvaine & Ailiroy as Kindred from League of Legends

12) What led you to drop the ongoing coverage of Cosplays events in the end?

First, cosplay events in form of parties, gatherings etc stopped happening, as you know too, where you might not have had a nice environment for shooting but at least had good vibes going on ( I still remember the epic Akai Panda Anime Cosfail Party, these things no longer happen unfortunately ). I don’t like conventions for shoots because it’s almost impossible to take a photo with a nice background ( except at cons in Germany ). So, personal cosplay photoshoots are the only way by now.

Dazzling Yvaine as Velma Dinkley from Scooby-Doo
Germia as Caitlyn from League of Legends ( abroad )

13) What result do you strive for during your outdoor Cosplay photoshoots and what determines the choice of their location and time?

Obviously I seek the best, in my opinion, result! The location is always related to the story ( lore ) and the visual representation of the character and the time frame has to do with the optimal light present for a nice photo ( there isn’t only the golden hour, it also depends on the location and what time you will go there to get a good result ).

The Witcher – FotoCon 2017 ( abroad )

14) What’s the difference between outdoor Cosplay photoshoots and ones you shoot in a studio environment and why is the latter part of your repertoire?

The main difference is in the equipment and how little photoshopping I have to do if the outdoor space already exists and there’s no need to create it from scratch in Photoshop.

As for the second part, studio photos aren’t affected by weather, cold / heat and they support props better. Each has its pros and cons basically. The important thing is for both to be available as options and the best / most convenient per case to be chosen.

Piece οf Cake Cosplay as Sister οf Battle from Warhammer 40,000 ( abroad )

15) You’ve also held some Cosplay photo exhibitions as part of various events. What were the visitors’ impressions and what experiences did you gain from it?

I want to believe that people liked them. I’m a big fan of big sizes in a photography exhibition in general. One can also see photos in small sizes on social media too. A large print reveals the details of the costumes, the depth of processing and the technical perfection of the final result. I try each of my exhibitions to be better in one way or another.

Ailiroy as Jaina Proudmoore from World of Warcraft
Ailiroy as Yennefer from The Witcher

16) Are you generally satisfied with the the people’s response to your work during all these years?

I’m doing what I enjoy and whoever likes it. I don’t expect a response from social media, because that’s where “social” reigns and “photographers” who network more and make more “friends” have the most likes. It pleases me more to create than network.

The response in the field of photographers and artistic creators, which I am interested in, was satisfactory. I need to improve myself even more of course …

But in the end, when Cosplayers come to you from both Greece and other countries and tell you that they would like you to photograph them because they saw your work and appreciated it, this is GOOD.

Clair de Lune Cosplay & Design as WonderWoman from DC ( abroad )

17) Do you think that Cosplay will continue to be a part of your photography as a subject for a long time? If so, what plans do you have on that for the future, that you have not yet been able to realize? Is there a long term goal or personal dream that you want to achieve in this regard?

I reduced it in recent years, as I move on to more conceptual projects and focus on fantasy ( one can say that this is also a form of mythological Cosplay and it wouldn’t be wrong ). But there’s always room for Cosplay photoshoots, just more selectively and more targeted than before.

Narga-chan Cosplay as Asuka Langley Sohryu from Neon Genesis Evangelion ( abroad )

18) What is your opinion, in proportion to the size of Greece, in terms of the number and level of Greek Cosplays, as well as the level of events where they appear? What is the evolution that you have noticed over the years on that regard?

I think that, whatever I say, Cosplayers//GR with their records and statistics is the best source for such conclusions and comparisons. Also, in recent years I abstain from visiting events etc as a Cosplay photographer, so I can’t comment.

I’ll only speak about their level, stating that high level Cosplays has nothing to be jealous of compared to their foreign counterparts.

David’s Cosplay as Lumiere από Beauty and the Beast ( abroad )
Leobane Cosplay from Kratos από God οf War ( abroad )

19) What is your experience from Cosplay events outside Greece and what’s your opinion about them compared to Greek Cosplay events? What’s your opinion about the quality of the Cosplays you came across in them? Which event do you remember the most and why?

I have the best experiences from conventions like Fotocon / Pixelmania / Volta, where only photographers and Cosplayers go and arrange personal photoshoots in beautiful places ( indoors and outdoors ). It’s really worth going to one of those, the experience is AMAZING and catalytic ( unless you only go for socializing, which is the wrong approach in my opinion ).

Clearly the best experience was my first Fotocon ( now called Pixelmania ).

Final Fantasy XIV – FotoCon 2017 ( abroad )

20) Do you think that the provided Cosplay activities during various events are satisfactory or is there something you would still like to see in them regarding Cosplay?

Like I said, in recent years I abstain from visiting events etc as a Cosplay photographer, so I can’t comment.

Lucia Sky & Taryn Cosplay as Kassandra & Alexios from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey ( abroad )

21) Is there anything else you would like to see happen in general in regarding Cosplay in Greece?

Something like Fotocon / Volta, but it is impossible with the bureaucracy and conservatism in this country.

Luce Cosplay & Co as Alucard & Dracula from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night ( abroad )
Adames as Xena from Xena: Warrior Princess ( abroad )

22) Is there an important or funny experience from your engagement with Cosplay that you’ll never forget?

Not just one. I have no complaints from the experiences I have gained.

Marzia Dell’Orso as Reika Shimohira from Gantz ( abroad )

23) What is the first thing you would say to someone who wants to seriously get into Cosplays photography?

Just start doing it. And respect Cosplayers, no matter how few clothes they wear and even if their Cosplay isn’t perfect. From the moment you choose to photograph them, treat it with seriousness and “professionalism” ( even if you are not a professional ) until the end.

Yume Cosplay & Stunt-Sheep as Max Caulfield & Chloe Price from Life is Strange ( abroad )

24) Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Try to put toxicity, cliques and social justice wars aside and you will have a good time. It’s a wonderful and very creative hobby that has a lot to offer, whether you are a cosplayer or a photographer.

Nirel Cosplay as Medhiv from World of Warcraft ( abroad )
MaD’S – SupeR HerO’S ArmorY as Predator from Predator ( abroad )

Video of selected Cosplay Photos 2013-2021 – Video by SpirosK Photography

Video of Cosplay Party Photos 2009-2010 – Video by SpirosK Photography

Follow us on social media and share:

• 
• 
• 
• 
•