This shoot features the Takao-class heavy cruiser Atago from Azur Lane. The main piece of the costume is a white double-breasted Military uniform jacket. Its gold buttons, sleeve trims, and shoulder epaulette chains were tailored to closely match the original setting, with a tri-color metal badge added on the chest as a visual highlight. Black beast ears on top and a white ribbon tied to the side add a touch of playfulness to the look. Getting my hands on it, I felt the tailoring fit very comfortably, and the sharp look of the short white jacket created a fantastic color contrast with the black lace-trimmed garter stockings.
Before shooting, I communicated with the photographer, Pulao, about the direction I wanted. Rather than pushing for a complex studio setup, we chose an indoor venue with dark glass doors. Using top light and a front-side flash to illuminate the subject separated the silhouette cleanly from the dim background, making the ambient lighting feel natural while beautifully displaying the garment's texture. We also needed to manage the light sheen on the Black tights outfit under the flash; if the light was too intense, it would overexpose into harsh white, but if off-angle, it would look dull. After trying several angles, the lighting position hit just right to bring out the leg line contours and lace edging details.
The main color scheme of black, white, and gold carries an inherently premium uniform feel. Paired with those white high heels, it visually stretches the leg proportions gracefully. For a prop, I brought a long black katana with a white cloth strip tied to the pommel, adjusting the blade angle during posing to balance the visual weight across the frame. Action-wise, we captured several distinct states: seated poses preserved the full view of the garter stocking edges and high-heel curves, while standing poses aimed for a relaxed, composed stance holding the blade. During the shoot, we deliberately avoided harsh dynamic movements, mainly to fit Atago's effortlessly poised big-sister demeanor.
White military uniforms like this really test exposure control on set, as pure white easily gets blown out. Thus, post-processing didn't artificially crank up the brightness, opting instead to retain slightly warm tone details so the uniform layering looked more comfortable. The stocking fabric also showed a nice snug fit in the final shots, and paired with crossed-leg poses, an elegant aura flowed naturally. I was careful not to let the katana block badge details on the coat, so I kept my grip relaxed and shoulders naturally down to avoid looking stiff. Across several lens passes, eye contact and expressions came naturally without forced faces—a slight, subtle smile conveyed total composure.
This collaboration went smoothly; Pulao's framing style and lighting habits paired together seamlessly, making it easy to find suitable camera angles and focal lengths quickly. Since shooting a character like this emphasizes her commanding aura and the crispness of the Military uniform, we kept clutter in the frame to a minimum, using only a black tall stool as an auxiliary prop—never stealing the spotlight while providing a clean support point. Constantly tweaking leg angles between sitting and standing, I hoped to maximize the contrast effect between the Black tights outfit and white high heels. The final set is clean and sharp, accurately capturing Atago's easy elegance and uniform aesthetics. The results met expectations and reached a deeply satisfying level of completion.