The sunshine outside on Bilibili World Day 2 was absolutely perfect for releasing this set of photos. This cosplay outfit is Ellen Joe from Zenless Zone Zero, and I chose a school uniform style casual look to match the environment of this anime convention. Since it was a daytime outdoor shoot, the light was relatively harsh, so I tried my best to find spots without direct sunlight.
First, let's talk about the makeup, hair, and props. The wig didn't undergo overly exaggerated styling, preserving that smooth-haired lazy feel, and I intentionally did a purplish-pink highlight at the hair ends to handle the details. This kind of trimming with varying layer lengths requires a bit of patience, letting the bangs scatter naturally above the eyebrows without blocking the red colored contacts. The position and angle of the black geometric hairpins on the side were tried several times before being secured, ensuring consistency with the original design. The red colored contacts are the focus of the entire face; paired with a tear mole just below the eye, the gaze needs to exude a carefree, completely unbothered sense of relaxation. The lollipop is the soul prop; whether held in hand or bit in the mouth, it can beautifully showcase that cool, slightly rebellious temperament.
In terms of clothing, it features a basic white short-sleeved shirt with the collar slightly open. A choker is worn around the neck with a small pendant underneath; this detail coordination requires care not to block the collarbone lines. The black pleated skirt is just the right length, and the two white stripes on the hem are highly important details that increase the layers of the uniform. Black tights paired with brown loafer shoes, plus that blue-and-gray color-blocked sporty backpack—this combination is very convenient for walking outdoors and fits perfectly with the character's setting of usually liking to browse convenience stores when nothing is going on, carrying a deep life atmosphere as part of this cosplay outfit.
The shooting location was the plaza area of Bilibili World. Right next to it were massive pink and blue inflatable mascots, as well as the sign for Hall 8, which immediately shows a dense convention atmosphere. This open outdoor environment provided excellent natural light, and I chose to frame shots in front of the steps, plaza tiles, and some modern architectural backdrops for this anime-style street photography project. A few shots were taken while sitting on a white storage box with one leg naturally resting over the other; the texture of the black tights and the leg lines looked very natural under front lighting. There were also a few shots utilizing the shadows of nearby buildings for half-body close-ups to make the facial light and shadow more three-dimensional.
The state during the shoot was relatively relaxed without deliberately making too many sharp movements. For instance, in the close-up holding the lollipop, my whole body leans forward slightly, using the stick of the lollipop to block the chin a bit, keeping a naturally cold expression without any trace of deliberately smiling. There's also that full-body photo with a hand placed on top of the head making a V-sign, which was just a casual snapshot intended to give the body a natural curve. This character does not emphasize combat tension but values daily comfort more, so maintaining a confident presence of "I look great just by casually standing around" in front of the lens is enough.
The light on the day of Bilibili World was very bright, allowing the photos to beautifully restore the white of the clothes and the black of the hair. During composition, the close-ups mainly captured the gaze and lip details, while the medium shots adjusted the proportions of the school bag and the white shirt well. The composition of sitting down while holding the box was relatively stable, counting as one of the more satisfying sets of expressions from that day. In the full-body photos, the shoulder straps of the backpack needed to be adjusted to a suitable length to prevent slipping during movements; the blue-and-gray color-blocked backpack stood out clearly against the white shirt.
The overall shooting atmosphere was very relaxed. After all, finding a suitable camera position in such a crowded place like an anime convention is not easy, and the photographer and I cooperated several times. It was essentially capturing a few daily slices of the character inside the convention. During photo processing, we tried our best to avoid strong filters, preserving the original skin tone texture and clothing wrinkles so that the daytime natural light feel and crisp lines could be maintained.
The makeup didn't melt or smudge at all even when sweating heavily, probably due to my use of strong setting spray. For those few shots sitting on the steps, the tights and shoes could easily get dirty, but for the sake of the photo effects, I couldn't care less. When wearing this kind of JK style skirt, one must be careful to avoid wardrobe malfunctions when striking poses, especially in a sitting posture. After finishing this set, the physical energy consumption was actually quite massive, but seeing the final photo production results made me feel that all the day's fatigue was worth it. This skirt carries great dynamic motion when the wind is strong, and a few snapshots that weren't included turned out quite well too.