[Junko cosplay] An endless hatred under the moon, a red and black Touhou Project interpretation

This Junko cosplay shoot took quite a long time for us from makeup conception to the final photo editing. The classical color scheme of red, black, and gold, combined with the concrete moon gate and real-scene wooden couch, gives the entire scene rich layers visually. Because it was shot in the Xiamen Dimension Wall studio, the coordination of lighting and props, along with the texture of the final photos, was indeed much more brilliant than a pure color background studio.

Speaking of the headpiece, that crown is really heavy and has a relatively sharp structure. It wasn't easy to maintain the head's center of gravity and posture after putting it on. To match this outfit carrying a rich Touhou cosplay flavor, I had to pay attention to the alignment and pleats of the golden tassels on the brim and the complex gold thread embroidery details at all times during the shoot, because if the body movements were too large, the silhouette of the clothing would fall apart. The photographer, Ningmengyu, also perfectly knows how to catch these ethereal and slightly story-filled moments.

In terms of costume design, what enamored me most was this style with an off-the-shoulder cut and ultra-wide sleeves. The golden totem embroidery on the chest, combined with the deep red flocked fabric, shows luxury without being overly heavy. Draped inside, the ultra-large black fluffy mesh skirt hem extended the visual area amidst the smoke, giving the entire lower body a feeling as if floating in the clouds. Stepping barefoot on the dark wooden floor also helped immerse into this secret realm-like scenario. While switching to black lace-up high heels and sitting on the soft couch offered a completely different kind of reserved elegance.

Post-processing mainly targeted the rendering of the smoke atmosphere and balancing the brightness of the artificial moon background. Since the lanterns and candles on site were already warm-toned light sources, the cool blue moonlight required the photographer to use light positions on site to hit the rim lights. When I got the raw photos, most of the light and shadow were basically in place; a few subtle post-processing adjustments were mainly to highlight the metallic texture of the gold threads. The workflow in the studio is often very tight. Just to balance the perspective relationship between the "moon gate" and the figure, we repeatedly adjusted several sets of camera positions.

These few photos everyone sees represent side profiles of Junko under different emotions, including lazy lying postures, a gentle touch on the headpiece as if gazing into the distance, and those moments of sitting barefoot on the wooden floor or elegantly displaying leg lines. Of course, this costume is relatively revealing. To showcase the collarbone, neck, and shoulder lines, quite a bit of tape was used to secure the neckline. Staying in the studio for most of the day, having to smile and strike poses, left me with full-body muscle soreness afterward, which is normal, but seeing such a stunning final result makes all the effort feel completely worth it. Especially for the lying posture, it required both letting the skirt hem spread naturally without blocking the moon behind, placing high demands on the coordination between control, equipment, and the venue.

The hardest thing to control for this set of photos was actually the layers of the clothing. Because the sleeves are exceptionally wide, if the arm strength isn't controlled well when raising hands or making movements, the cuffs can easily collapse. Therefore, during the shoot, I would intentionally use the inside of my forearm to prop up the cuff to preserve the flying sleeve shape. For this kind of photo based primarily on temperament and atmosphere, the dynamic details of the clothing can sometimes convey the character's aura better than facial expressions.

Huge thanks to teacher Ningmengyu C for the patience, and Xiamen Dimension Wall for providing such restored Chinese-style furniture and props. The final selected photos at least make me feel that presenting this complex and exhausting roleplay project was completely worth it.