[Altria cosplay] Sailor Suit and Cherry Blossoms: Rainy Day Shooting Diary

For this shoot, I selected the Altria Sailor suit look that I've always wanted to try. I planned this concept for a long time, combining everyday school style with elements from the original Fate work, ultimately settling on this outfit featuring a navy blue Sailor suit, White stockings, and loafers.

The coordination of the hat and wig was repeatedly adjusted before shooting. The blonde updo needed to balance sporty dynamics with the character's iconic ahoge detail, while ensuring the collar of the Sailor suit didn't look bulky around the neck. The red ribbon at the collar and the white lines of the Sailor suit went through several comparison versions; ultimately, matte fabric was chosen to avoid strong reflections and distortion on a rainy day.

Two sets of prop solutions were prepared for the photos. One was a long blue fabric bag tied with a red cord, giving the vibe of the character going out with her sword; the other was a transparent long-handled umbrella, which turned out to be the ultimate artifact for this rainy day shoot. The weather on the shoot day wasn't very friendly, with fine spring rain falling, but capturing back shots through the transparent umbrella where water droplets adhered to the surface actually added a cool, moody atmosphere to the frame. Photo 2 caught this subtle wet texture perfectly.

From a photography perspective, although diffuse light on rainy days is dark, it is extremely soft with almost no harsh shadows, making it ideal for capturing skin texture and clothing details. However, this weather poses high demands on equipment and operation, as lenses can easily fog up if not careful. During shooting, we tried to rely on stone paths and surrounding white flower trees as foreground or background, using a wide aperture to slightly blur the background cherry blossom branches so the character could stand out from the busy environment.

Regarding the choice for the cover photo, I ultimately leaned toward using the first looking-back shot. On one hand, although the second photo holding an umbrella from behind has a great atmospheric feel, as a social avatar, the first photo offers a richer frame, the standing pose carries dynamic motion, and looking back creates visual communication with the lens. Moreover, during shooting, a slightly stepping posture was intentionally chosen, where the skirt hem and White stockings created a long visual line guidance, showcasing both the character's long legs and fitting the youthful vibe of school uniforms.

When I posted this earlier, I wrote an OOC apology in the caption. Indeed, Altria as a classic Knight King character leans toward being serious and dignified in temperament, so a Sailor suit with youthful, lively attributes feels somewhat out of place. My original intention wasn't to fully restore that high-spirited king, but rather to present what the character might look like in an alternate everyday life. Thus, when shooting expressions, I deliberately restrained overly sweet smiles, striving to keep my gaze clear and cool.

In post-processing, I didn't make overly exaggerated color grading changes. I mainly unified the white balance to make the contrast between white flowers and the navy blue school uniform cleaner, slightly brightened skin luminosity, and restored the cool-toned atmosphere unique to rainy days. The entire shooting process took about two hours. Many petals fell on the ground and gradually got wet over time; we finished this photo set in that space interlocked with stone steps and branches. I hope this attempt at the character's everyday sense lets everyone see a different side of her.