[Ellen Joe Cosplay] A Glimpse into Daily Life in New Eridu

Attempting to recreate this character's daily look, the focus really fell on wig trimming and prop usage.

For the wig, I selected short black layered hair on top. The most time-consuming part was the red hair highlight at the ends, which needed to blend naturally into the black strands while maintaining an outward flipped, fluffy texture. The silver-white geometric hair clips on both sides required attention to angle when worn; wearing them too straight looks rigid, while staggering them slightly better frames the cheek contours.

This white shirt is a conventional everyday style, but I intentionally chose a satin material with a subtle sheen. Under the studio's white reflector, the shirt's folds and texture appear more 3D, fitting the original character's design feel much better than an ordinary cotton shirt. Unbuttoning the top two buttons, combined with the thick black choker and metal pendant, visually elongates the neck line while harmonizing the overall black, white, and red color palette.

For the eye makeup and red eyes, I chose an earth-tone shadow base and lightly lined the outer corners with eyeliner; since red contacts are quite eye-catching on their own, heavy eye makeup would look cluttered instead. The diameter of the red contacts isn't overly large, capturing the cool detachment in the character's gaze upon wearing without making the eyes look jarringly unnatural.

The red lollipop serving as a prop was actually crucial—it broke the cold, hard vibe brought by the white shirt and black choker, adding a touch of story or daily feel. I tried several angles during the shoot; holding the lollipop requires a relaxed hand posture to prevent the prop from stealing focus from the face.

The lighting conditions on site were relatively simple, relying primarily on a softbox for direct key light to keep facial contours smooth and wig strands crisp. The advantage of a white background is how it highlights outfit color contrasts, making the choker, hair clips, and red highlights pop against the pure white backdrop.

I picked the second photo for display because, in that seated selfie angle, the hairstyle, hair accessories, props, choker, and white shirt tailoring are all visible simultaneously. The black belt and skirt hem also transition naturally at the bottom of the frame, making the overall composition rich. When shooting white shirts, overexposure or loss of detail can easily happen, so I deliberately lowered the highlights in camera parameters to preserve fabric texture and button details.

Regarding overall styling, I personally believe cosplaying a character doesn't always require the strict seriousness of a studio shoot; recreating casual, relaxed movements brings more vitality. For instance, rather than adopting a super cool expression this time, I maintained a calm, relaxed state, paired with the candy in hand—looking just like the Ellen shark girl grabbing a quick snack while out on the street. During actual shooting, finding the right focus point for the red eyes is essential so the selfie doesn't look vacant, which is a detail many cosplayers overlook when taking selfies.

In summary, this shoot was a lightweight costume trial without complex effects or scenes, relying mainly on the fabric texture and details of the Anime-style fashion to support the character's style. I hope everyone can feel my dedication to recreating the character styling when viewing these photos, and enjoy this simple, clean, daily-oriented shooting style.