[Alice Cosplay] Touhou Project: Forest Light and Shadow Chronicles

Sharing a set of Touhou Project Alice Cosplay photos shot in an open-air outdoor venue. This set primarily utilized a wide-angle lens; thanks to the lens's strong perspective paired with natural light filtering through the trees, it created a visual atmosphere full of mystery and dramatic tension. Huge thanks to Master Yabuki Tsubasa for shooting and guiding the post-processing—his precise grasp of lighting allowed us to fully experience the beauty of dappled forest light and backlighting.

From the preparation stage, immense care was put into the costume—such as the white apron with alternating red-and-white lace trim, the red bowtie and arm warmers, and the deep blue skirt hem. During movements, the white lining under the skirt and the thin red cords added great dynamic flow. The prop grimoire box held in hand also had great texture.

We also made many attempts in mastering poses and expressions. The second single-leg balance photo, due to the pairing of the Long boots outfit and the short skirt, placed high demands on balance and leg lines, but turned out stunning as a candid capture. The third composition, raising a hand to block the light, utilized intense light piercing through leaf gaps to cast vivid partial shadows across the face. The fourth was a crouching pose paired with the prop box on the ground, carrying a more introverted and natural mood. The use of the wide-angle lens gave the entire set a cinematic Outdoor wide-angle portrait quality.

To match the character styling, I specifically chose breathable yet crisp, structured fabric for the costume, as shooting outdoors easily leads to sweating. Shooting in the woods is actually quite intricate: one must avoid cluttered backgrounds while relying on foliage bokeh to make the subject pop. Because a wide-angle lens was used, during perspective distortion, camera positioning and the model's stance had to align perfectly to avoid wide-angle distortion making the legs look shortened or the frame warped. This truly tested the photographer's footwork and positioning.

We relied on natural light during the shoot, and evening light shifts rapidly, making candid dynamic captures especially crucial. This time, we focused on utilizing the Tyndall effect from leaf gaps to capture that half-shaded facial effect in Photo 3; combined with glancing to one side and wide-angle composition, it felt exceptionally fitting for the character's state in this environment. The long boots on my feet were the key to the styling: they flattered the leg shape, resonated with the subtly classical aesthetic, and provided excellent visual elongation during dynamic candid shots.

These are some of the insights and notes from this shoot. Thanks to everyone involved, which allowed me to truly enjoy the fun of this forest-themed Anime-style photography project.