July 15, 2017, at the Guangzhou Firefly ACG Expo—I still remember how humid and stifling that day was. Wearing a heavy wig and layers upon layers of clothing while walking through the crowded exhibition hall, my makeup was practically melting off my face. That was one of the few times back then when I put serious, earnest preparation into doing a cosplay. The orange and black corset dress in the photos, along with the ruffled headband—I had sewn parts of the lace and bows by hand myself. We happened to run into each other near a window in the hall. You were holding a Pentax KS2 paired with a DA* 55mm lens. Years ago, this combination wasn't particularly flashy at conventions, but I knew the DA* 55mm was an exceptional lens. With a full-frame equivalent focal length of around 82.5mm, it was ideally suited for half-length portraits. The lighting inside the venue was actually quite terrible, with the overhead lights being the usual yellow thermal light sources found at exhibitions, but right by the window, some decent natural light managed to filter through. You said, 'Let's skip the fill light and shoot directly with natural light.' To be honest, hearing that we were going to use natural light for half-length close-ups made me feel a little nervous at the time. Natural light severely tests the transition of light and shadow as well as the model's facial contours. We found a few corners by the windows, and you kept searching for angles, asking me to turn my head, tilt it up, and adjust the placement of my gaze. When these photos were finally printed out later, I discovered that the skin texture looked remarkably realistic, especially the light and shadow around the eyes and the layering of the wig. The in-focus area of the DA* 55mm lens was razor-sharp, while the bokeh melted away like cream. Combined with Pentax's signature color science, the orange in photo 1 appeared extraordinarily vibrant, and the red and white plaid in photo 2 didn't look flat or dried-out at all.
During the shoot, I changed into a few different looks. Photo 1 is a straight-on facial close-up, where the orange satin ribbons and black lace on the outfit have fantastic texture; photo 2 switched to a more casual straw hat and red-and-white plaid skirt, and I even brought a small woven rattan bag; photo 3 features twin golden ponytails paired with a short black jacket and a burgundy long skirt, along with a spiked choker around my neck, giving off a slightly dark style; photo 4 is a white dress maid outfit. Back then, I was probably feeling a bit shy, so I kept looking back over my shoulder at the camera while my hands unconsciously gripped the hem of my skirt. All of these are half-length close-ups, with almost no full-body shots. You once said that close-up portraits capture a person's emotions far better, and the sheer realism of natural light striking the face at that moment is something studio shooting or flash strobes can almost never fully replicate.
How time flies—in the blink of an eye, nine years have passed. Over these nine years, the anime and cosplay community has undergone massive changes, and I've transformed from a student who could pull all-nighters making props just to complete a single cosplay into an ordinary person who now only occasionally visits conventions to browse. The camera from back then has likely long since been upgraded and replaced, and I wonder if you ever switched to full-frame later on, or if you're still persisting with natural light photography. Recently, I happened to stumble across your post by chance, where you wrote that if the cosplayer in these photos is still around in the community after nine years, to reach out to you so you could shoot a separate set for them. At that exact moment, I suddenly felt a wave of emotion. Over these past nine years, I had almost completely forgotten about taking this set of photos at that convention, right up until I saw these pictures and the words you wrote: 'The meaning of photography lies in the fact that the years can be looked back upon.' In truth, for those of us who cosplay, photographs are not merely a medium to showcase costumes and characters; they are a record of our former selves who gave everything out of pure love and passion. Nine years ago, your first camera captured my youthful, inexperienced appearance; nine years from now—or if we can reunite—I hope to approach working with you again with a much more poised and relaxed state of mind.