Kay Bell

I'm Kay Bell.

I am a San Francisco, California based photographer, cosplayer, pro wrestling trainee, and Animal Crossing enthusiast. I graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy in 2014, classically trained in music, art, writing, and theatre. I attended Radford University for one year, studying live production technology in hopes to be a tour manager, and worked in augmented reality mobile gaming with another classmate for my undergraduate research.

I started shooting at local conventions in 2015 in Peoria, Illinois, about an hour from where I grew up. When I moved in North Carolina that fall, I began shooting professionally at conventions, weddings, events, and concerts. I enjoy shooting high concept pieces and cosplay. Recently, I relocated to California.

I've been published in multiple magazines, including O-Rama Federation, the Women of Cosplay Calendar, Hot Topic, and a few other things here and there. I have been lucky enough to work with Rhett and Link, Dope, Static-X, PIG, Julien-K, Killing Joke, and hundreds of cosplayers. In 2020, I was able to guest and hold panels on the business and safety of cosplay photography as an queer, autistic person at the very first WebCon event, an entirely online convention. In 2021, I was a photo judge at Queen City Anime Convention.

My work is ever growing and changing, and I like to collaborate with clients, creators, and photographers to create something new each time. With each shoot, I like to try something new-- even if it presents itself as a struggle.

Beyond photography, I am a pet parent of two corgis, and work in the gaming industry - credited on Fortnite, Minecraft, WWE2k22/23 and currently working on new games!