…Ramona
Hello everybody, today I’m with Ramona. How are you?
Hello, I’m fine. Thank you for asking. :)
Can you introduce yourself to TICW readers?
Yes, of course. I’m a 23 years old girl from Germany. My two biggest hobbies are cosplay and Lolita fashion and I have a big interest in Japan and it’s culture. I’m a big dreamer and sometimes I have my head to high in the sky. ;) Haha, and I love playing video games in my free time.
And at the moment I’m just a normal student.
Did you study in any art school?
This year I began my studies at an art school in Braunschweig (Germany). I’m studying media science and I hope it will be great and interesting. Well, I think it will be interesting, because I decided to study it.
Do you think Germany and your hometown are suitable places for creatives like you?
Oh yes! I really like Germany. My hometown has a lovely ‘old city’ and a pretty park. I saw lots of places where you can make photos. But I haven’t found the time to visit all the creative places here.
I found many lovely places in Germany during my trips to other cities. Germany has a sea, mountains, cities, big nature places and much more. The only thing I don’t like is that summer is to short here, I really like hot days.
Since cosplay is getting more popular in Germany, it’s a great place for cosplayers, too. We have a lot of conventions and meet ups during a year, more than other countries.
When and how did you get passionate with photography and cosplay?
My passion for photography came with my passion for cosplay. I started in 2007 with my first more bad than good cosplays and I used a normal digital camera. Some of my friends started cosplaying and I just followed them into this hobby. I visited my first conventions and I was so impressed that I started sewing my first costumes. Then I improved myself from year to year and today I’m also using a good camera, I have a CANON EOS 450D and I like it a lot.
What are your main visual influences?
At first my main influences where my friends, because they lead me into this hobby. And when I got to know more cosplayers, I found some… well, I would say idols. Like K-A-N-A, or Marino, both are well known in Germany and I think around the world. They make very good costumes and good cosplayers are always a big inspiration and influence for me. I also look a pictures of other cosplayers from other countries like Japan or the USA. I love getting new ideas by looking how others made their costumes or finding new ways by overthinking an idea.
And of course Anime, Manga, Videogames and more… because this is where I chose my costumes from.
What can you tell us about this work? Where did you were?
This picture was taken in Düsseldorf in 2011 during the DoKoMi, which is one of the conventions in Germany. It was a hot day, but I had much fun doing the photos and I really like how it came out. This is one of my all time favorite photos. :D The picture was taken by a friend of mine, who is a very good photographer. When I look at this photo, I’m always remebering a nice and funny convention day.
What about this one?
This was taken this year during the bookfair in Leipzig. Not a convention, but a big fair with a part for anime/manga and more. I wore a Sailor Lolita outfit and a friend of mine found some time to make photos of me. I was very happy about that, because I really like his photos. The idea behind this photo was looking like I’m during a trip on a ship, because of my Sailor outfit.
What do you like most about cosplay?
I don’t know, if I can describe it. I like the feeling… wearing a cosplay, being the character and looking totally different. It’s fun to walk around as someone you like. Because most of the time I cosplayed my favorite characters. And cosplay is fun! Sometimes it is a way to leave hard days behind and forget about reality, just for a weekend or a day. :) When I started I never thought that cosplay would become such a big part of my life.
Would you like to work as a pro photographer?
I like photography, but most of the time I’m not satisfied with the photos I took. I would like to work as a pro photographer, but for that I need waaaaay more skills.
What are you working on these days?
As I already said, I began my studies this october. Before I worked as an office clerk, but that was not a very creative job and so I was not happy with it. That’s why I began studying and I hope I can work in a more creative job some day. Because besides cosplay and photography I really like drawing and painting. I would say, I have many creative sides. ;D
What about your plans for the future?
My next big goal is finishing my studies, but this will be a long and hard way, I think. I’ll give my best! :) I’m always dreaming of visiting Japan, so I hope this dream will come true in the nearer future and of course, I have some new cosplays planned.
Thank you! Is there anything else would you like to say to our readers?
Yes, especially for all the cosplayers: Cosplay is about giving your best not being the best! Every hobby should be fun, I had to learn this too. :)
Thank you for reading this interview! I hope you like my costumes. If you have any questions feel free to ask me on Tumblr or DeviantArt.
Best wishes!
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