This photo set was shot in the woods around Tokyo before moving abroad; we spent over two hours just waiting for the right lighting. We scouted this spot specifically for the sunlight filtering through the foliage. The photographer intentionally used artificial smoke combined with side-backlighting to produce divine light beams radiating downward from above. The surrounding cool bluish-purple ambient light formed a vivid warm-cold contrast against the red-and-white shrine maiden outfit, giving the image exceptional clarity and depth.
We did a lot of preparation before shooting, mainly focusing on faithfully recreating Reimu Hakurei's costume from Touhou Project. The large red ribbon bow is an essential visual centerpiece; combined with the ruffled sleeves, White tights cosplay, and shoes, every subtle gesture easily translated into great visuals. We experimented with many angles during the shoot and finally settled on a wide-angle low shot to elongate the silhouette. In particular, holding the paper streamer prop and swaying with it added a dynamic sense of wind. Because the lighting effect was fleeting, all movements had to be choreographed in advance. Balancing my center of gravity on the slippery grass while maintaining form meant the photographer had to use continuous burst shooting to capture the action. I almost tripped over tree roots several times and faced awkward moments where the wind died down or the smoke dissipated, shifting the light, but fortunately, we captured the ideal frames in the end.
I really love the pose in the second photo where I turn sideways with raised arms, which makes the legs look exceptionally slender. After the shoot, post-processing took quite a long time, mainly to soften the overly harsh branches and refine the sacred cool light into something purer. Looking back on those days when we all dedicated ourselves to anime and cosplay creation, we would travel great distances for a prime Forest photography spot and redo poses over and over just to get the perfect shot. Back then, we even went to fabric markets in advance to pick materials and sew costume details by hand. Though our fingers were pricked often, crowding together around the camera monitor and bursting into laughter upon seeing a great shot made everything worthwhile. Now that I'm abroad, these vintage photos are all I have to reminisce about that shared passion. Both the shooting experience and the final results brought immense satisfaction, serving as a truly precious keepsake.