[Ellen Joe cosplay] Poolside back at hometown, a black-and-white Summer Special

The Zenless Zone Zero Summer Special photoshoot project landed at an outdoor swimming pool back in my hometown. Cosplaying Ellen Joe this time, my swimwear concept didn't strictly copy the setting illustrations; instead, based on the environment and my understanding of the character, I opted for a Custom-matched swimsuit solution. The main body of the swimsuit features a black-and-white color block: a white design across the chest adorned with a black bow, along with ruffles on the shoulder straps and leg openings. This minimalist black-and-white pairing delivers great visual purity within an environment dominated by blue and white. The custom jagged hair accessory on the head and the mechanical-style wrist guards serve as the core elements for character recognition. For auxiliary props, I experimented with three combinations: swim rings, iced drinks, and a water gun. The transparent blue-and-white swim ring echoed the water body in color, the iced drink added a vacation lifestyle touch of summer, while the water gun aligned with Ellen Joe's combat aura in Zenless Zone Zero.

During shooting, to balance allure with the character's aloof coolness, I primarily expressed it through stretched, natural body language. In Photo 2, leaning against the metal pool railing with legs naturally crossed while holding the water gun elongated my body proportions while projecting an effortless, confident demeanor. Photo 4 adopted a diagonal seated pose with one hand supporting on the ground and the other lightly brushing my hair; the leg lines appeared clean and sharp under the sunlight. These actions did not deliberately aim for extreme coyness, prioritizing the character's ease and harmony with the environment instead. The shoot had abundant sunlight, with the water surface reflecting vast blue highlights. In post-processing, I deliberately preserved this crisp, luminous feel, allowing realistic details like water ripples and water stains on tile surfaces to show through.

As a cosplayer, the greatest challenge of a Custom-matched swimsuit lies in ensuring 2D anime elements don't lose recognizability when switching to 3D swimwear. This black-and-white swimsuit paired with red pupils and pink accents on the hair tips embodies both a shark-like sharpness and poolside freshness in this Swimsuit cosplay. Choosing to do 2D cosplay in my hometown was simple in terms of environment, but excelled in natural beauty. The distant mountains and ocean horizon served as a real-life backdrop that required no construction. Compared to jostling through crowds at conventions, this solo outdoor shoot allowed me to focus much more on expressing the character's charm.

Before shooting, I carefully checked the stability of the hair accessories and arm guards since movements near the water were relatively large. The hair accessories were made of lightweight materials, ensuring they didn't feel heavy even after shooting under the sun for an extended period. In post-processing, I minimized heavy filter stacking. The essence of cosplay photography is documentation; excessive post-processing actually spoils the authentic texture of shimmering water by the pool. When shooting this set, I deliberately avoided smiling, maintaining the character's cool and slightly pouting expression to let viewers feel Ellen Joe's gap-moe contrast of exuding a commanding presence even while simply swimming. Although this swimsuit is a one-piece, its tailoring emphasizes waist cinching, making it very comfortable to wear and move around freely in the water. From the casual swim ring in Photo 1, to the handsome gun-holding in Photo 2, the seated postures in Photos 3 and 4, and the side-lying pose in Photo 5, every pose transition relied on the photographer's timely captures. Participating in the Zenless Zone Zero Creator Incentive Program and RED Anime Convention Tour Season, bringing the character Ellen Joe into real-world scenes through a Custom-matched swimsuit within a limited space was a bit of work, but immensely enjoyable throughout.