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With a quiet display of intimacy, Steve Schofield has revealed to us the faces—occasionally obscured by a few pounds of make-up, a flight helmet, or colored muslin cloth—of cosplay, the costume culture. We see not only the textile fruits of taxing labors of love but also poses honed by a thousand hours spent in front of a mirror or screen—studied expressions of menace, calm, wisdom, nobility, and bravery. Here is the woodwork, the private homes and bedrooms that house the costume enthusiasts, ready to flock to local role-playing games or international comic book conventions. The emphasis here, though, is not on the genre but on the individuals: successful neighbors, co-workers, friends, perhaps even family, who have chosen to physically identify themselves with the characters they aspire to be.

Steve Schofield is a UK photographer. In 2007, the Times named him as one of five artists to watch. His website is here.