Indecent exposure: Cosplay photographer controversy

By Jordan Brown

There has been a lot of strife in the cosplay community as of late, with many issues being raised about ethical practices when it comes to the art of costuming. One thing heavily looked over without much consideration is the act of cosplay photography. This issue is now much more prominent after many cosplayers came out in regards to the behaviour and actions of one photographer, Richard T. Bui.

Mr. Bui, a well-known photographer within the community, has been reaching out to women offering to do private lingerie and swimsuit shoots. The problem began when he began requesting fully nude photos in order to perform his task as a photographer. In some instances, the girls coerced into performing these acts were underage. He spoke of wanting to see how committed and trusting these girls were with the idea of him photographing them, as seen in these images below.

The girl in this image, at the time of his request, was also underage and did, in fact, sent him images of herself.

Over time, his messages became more uniform where he created a copy/paste-like message stating beforehand what his intentions were.

After the original post on Facebook went viral, currently having over nearly 2,000 shares, many other girls came out and spoke on their own personal interactions with him. Claims of his misbehaviour publically started in a private group back in May when another cosplayer came forward but was unheard. As of today, one of the two most vocal cosplayers has stated that they have reported him to the authorities.

His exposure has created distrust in the community, with anger and disappointment running rampant.

To anyone who messages you as a cosplayer, if at any point you feel uncomfortable or says anything off color like that to you, collect all of that information and bring it to light. It doesn’t just protect you, it protects every other person in the community.

We have reached out to Mr. Bui for comment.