What makes for great cosplay pictures? It’s when an amazing costume is photographed in an interesting and unique location. However, most of the time cosplayers and photographers can only meet up at conventions. While cons are great for seeing friends and buying things, they are not always the best locations for cosplay photo shoots. Concrete walls at crowded convention centers are not satisfying backgrounds for the costumes cosplayers have worked so hard on. There are conventions that have tried to use backdrops but they often result in pictures that look flat, as if they were taken at a mall. Some people have been able to afford to host kickstarters to allow them to do on locations shoots, but wouldn’t it be great if more people had access to such an opportunity?

The solution? Meraki Expo! Meraki will be a one-day photo shoot and cosplay expo at the Art Factory event space in New Jersey.  Meraki Expo will allow cosplayers and photographers to come together and shoot in a unique environment. Although there have been similar events held in public parks, we want to offer something truly special. The location is a space dedicated to professional photography and video shoots, with over 200,000 square feet of diverse spaces ranging from sprawling galleries to cavernous vaults that will fit many different costume styles. We believe this is a perfect location to capture the creativity and dedication cosplayers put into their craft. This is not an event on for a select group of cosplayers and photographers. This event will be open to anyone.<

Hosting an event like Meraki Expo will require a significant amount of funding for the venue alone. Nearly 80% of our planned budget will be dedicated to renting out the entire Art Factory location. As you can see from the pictures that Art Factory has many unique locations for a variety of photo shoots.

This is where you come in.