This time, I collaborated with friends from the photography group to plan a campus-style photo shoot. To capture that authentic sense of suffocating pressure, we deliberately picked an empty classroom and prepared a massive heap of discarded exam papers, scratch paper, and merit certificates in advance.
Stepping into the room, the visual impact was truly overwhelming. The walls, ceiling, and even the floor were densely plastered with sheets of paper. Inside, I wore a basic white-and-blue sailor uniform cosplay tied with a red neckerchief, paired with short hair with black-rimmed glasses and blunt bangs. To match that slightly exhausted yet unyielding state of mind, the makeup was kept clean and understated, with a very muted lip color.
Sitting on the wooden desk for the first shot, light streamed in directly from the window behind me. With severe backlighting, I constantly micro-adjusted the angle of my chin to keep the glasses from catching massive glare. Holding a pen and notebook, I turned my torso slightly to glance back toward the camera, letting my legs dangle naturally crossed. This process severely tested my facial expressions—it couldn't look too dull, yet needed to convey that dazed bewilderment of someone suddenly called upon after hours of doing practice problems.
Later, to enrich the visual layers, we shifted the desk by the windowsill or had me sit directly on the floor surrounded by crumpled paper balls. Leaning against the wall turning pages, the rustle of paper and the dry scent of chalk dust in the air made it remarkably easy to immerse into high-pressure exam prep. The shot where I lay among piles of test sheets was taken from an overhead perspective by the photographer. Balancing my posture while reaching out toward a fallen pen felt slightly awkward, yet through the lens, it delivered a poignant sense of helplessness—as if being swallowed by paper. Red banners and striking certificates hung on the walls created a harsh warm-cool color contrast, intensifying this oppressive mood.
The entire shoot was quite exhausting, demanding constant repositioning of scattered papers and desks while maintaining an unbroken emotional thread. Still, seeing the final images confirmed that merging environmental atmosphere with raw emotional states powerfully communicated the core theme of this JK uniform portrait. Relying on no elaborate props, this set built its emotional narrative purely through the exaggerated pile of exam papers and evocative lighting. It was only through meticulous deliberation of light and details with the photo team that we brought these story-rich frames to life.