The indoor area on the second floor of Nanping is indeed very suitable for being converted into a beach scene. This time, taking advantage of this summer-flavored outfit, I stacked up suitcases to create a sense of an upcoming vacation journey. I cosplayed the swimsuit version of Shirasu Azusa from Blue Archive, which everyone commonly calls "Sui-Azusa".
There are many small, clever details in the styling. First is this highly recognizable long white hair; the hair texture was managed smoothly, showing very translucent rim hair strands under backlighting. The pink floral knot accessory on the head, paired with the small wing decorations that have a floral pattern texture, doesn't look overly cluttered visually. The large bow at the chest and the layered ruffles give this swimsuit both the vibrancy of a 2D setting and the playfulness of a young girl. Especially the translucent mesh sleeves on the arms, paired with the layered pink and blue skirt, easily catch the breeze when walking, making me feel much lighter.
The shooting location was selected indoors on the second floor of Nanping. To create a beach texture on-site, a dedicated dry and wet sand landscape was laid out, with water sprinkled around to perfectly simulate the delicate, slightly damp feel of a waterfront. We arranged a faux palm tree with fresh green leaves nearby, forming a stark visual contrast with the high-rise building background behind it. A few suitcases were casually stacked into temporary seats; the little yellow duck sticker on the blue suitcase happened to echo the plush duck toy on the ground, adding a bit of childlike fun.
A major difficulty in this shoot was controlling the light. To make the layer of water droplets and sweat on the skin look natural, the makeup artist and photographer adjusted the settings back and forth many times. Because we were positioned in front of huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the afternoon light was exceptionally clear. Shooting with backlighting makes it easy to overexpose, requiring a precise grasp of the character's highlight edges. The floating rainbow-colored bubbles and the refracted halos in the photos were also atmospheric elements captured in the backlit environment, giving the entire image a dreamlike breath of life.
Cooling down during the shoot was indeed an issue. Although the second floor of Nanping has air conditioning, maintaining a poised stance under spotlights for a long time, combined with the revealing fabric of the swimsuit itself, can easily cause energy to deplete quickly. Fortunately, the atmosphere on set was always great. As the shutter clicked, the final results were quite surprising. This wet skin texture combined with the light and shadow captured the unique sweetness and liveliness of summer. When I sat on the suitcase, the water droplets on my legs were actually sprayed on right there; combined with the slightly rippling water waves, it looked much more vivid than a dry shoot.
Participating in the 2D Vision Project was actually because I wanted to try more creative scene transitions. The second floor here at Nanping has plenty of ceiling height and a spacious layout, making it perfect for large-scale landscaping. Although carrying these heavy suitcases and props around to change sets each time is tiring, the various mishaps and discussions along the way make cosplay feel warmer and more meaningful. Next time I take a taxi to continue, I plan to explore old factories or open rooftops over in Beibei to see if I can get some even crisper shots. Being able to transform more real-world locations into the atmosphere of a fictional setting would be an incredibly rewarding endeavor.