Over the last ten years I’ve been to some pretty crazy photoshoots. From all-night rally stages where I’ve been driven in a shoddy car at twice the legal speed limit to rubbing shoulders with the world’s top football stars.

However, one of my most recent shoots really spun me out. The venue was London Excel and the event was the MCM Comic Con – basically a gathering of sci-fi fans, but also…much, much more.

The participants are a portrait photographer’s dream. The boys and girls spend months working on their costumes, which range from quite crappy to truly epic.

The place is packed, so I tried to take a more reportage spin on my images and shoot with juxtaposition between the fantasy world these kids would love to live in and the world they are currently stuck in.

I shot mostly with natural light, or with an off-camera flashgun. The halls provide little light, but there was a bright atrium and I also ventured outside to grab some shots. Usually at events, people are taken aback when you ask to take their picture, but these kids are ready and waiting with a pout and a pose.

If you get the opportunity to visit this event, go and put preconceptions to one side. Yes, the halls are full of geeks, but haven’t you heard the news? Geeks are cool.