[Reimu Hakurei Cosplay] Touhou Project Crimson Dream: On-site Restoration of the Red and White Shrine Maiden

The detailed treatment of this red and white shrine maiden outfit filled me with anticipation even before the shoot started. The bright red headpiece ribbon used a thick fabric with a bit of crispness, which holds its three-dimensional shape beautifully after being tied into the iconic giant bow, rather than collapsing flat against the scalp. For the upper body shrine maiden uniform, I chose a red fabric with a delicate touch, with layers of white ruffled lace around the collar and cuffs. The inner white pleated skirt also used fabric with sufficient stiffness so that the hem can spread into a beautiful umbrella shape during large movements. On my feet, I chose white over-the-knee socks paired with black geta (wooden clogs); the red straps of the geta were also intentionally matched with the main body of the costume, preventing the visual color of the lower body from looking too abrupt.
The environment for this shoot was actually inside a large convention center, with intricate steel structure trusses and lighting overhead, and polished highly reflective grey floor tiles on the ground. Although these elements are far removed from our scenes in Gensokyo, the photographer Fengjian Muyue cleverly utilized the vastness of this space, combining it with the on-site crimson torii gate and stone lanterns on both sides, giving the overall picture both the cool-toned light and shadow of a modern exhibition hall and a rich Shinto atmosphere.
In terms of action design, we specifically chose a single-leg jumping posture that requires a sense of balance. To present that gravity-defying, lightweight, and ethereal feeling of not touching the ground in the photos, I tried repeatedly over a dozen times. The hardest part of this pose was maintaining balance while straightening the toes of the jumping leg and waving the shide (paper streamers) held in my right hand. Shide is a prayer prop commonly used in Japanese Shintoism; although the paper strips are light, they are easily affected by ambient airflow and flutter wildly. Fortunately, the photographer and I cooperated with good tacit understanding, capturing the exact moment when the paper strips and sleeves flew high up together.
As a cosplayer who has been active in convention photography and photo studios for many years, I actually love characters with certain traditional Japanese-style photoshoot elements. Reimu Hakurei's seemingly simple red and white pairing actually heavily tests fabric texture and tailoring proportions. Especially the combination of the big red bow and straight blunt bangs wig can easily make the face look wide or the head look big if one is not careful. Therefore, I made many fine adjustments to the wearing angle of the headpiece, which, paired with the low-angle shot during filming, made the character's demeanor look more confident.
As for the reflections on the ground, they were a complete surprise. On the grey-and-white-toned floor tiles, the black geta and white stockings formed a sharp contrast of light and dark. In post-processing, the background was specifically desaturated to isolate the red and white colors from the gloomy environment. Although this color-isolation technique is not new, it truly maximizes the visual impact of the main subject. We didn't intentionally copy any classic official illustration from the game; instead, based on the on-site conditions, we captured an anime-style photography work of our own understanding. The moment I got the final prints and saw the flying angle of the skirt hem and the graceful arc of the shide, I felt that all the previous repetitive jumping and adjustment movements were not in vain.