[Touhou Project] A 10-Year Nostalgic Vibe Group Photoshoot Captured by Our Crew

The photos taken by our crew turned out exceptionally well, completely capturing the classic Touhou Project group photoshoot vibe from a decade ago. Preparation started early in the morning for this shoot; the costumes had extensive details—heavy lace, bows, and skirts—so everyone spent quite some time helping each other adjust everything after getting dressed. Our outfits mainly featured red, blue, black, and white, which stood out brilliantly in the autumn forest. The shooting location was a woodland area in the suburbs covered in thick fallen leaves, right when the foliage turned vibrant red. The sunlight beamed down diagonally, casting a rich texture on the long skirts, which was likely the key to capturing that nostalgic decade-old flavor. To find proper Retro style camera angles, the photographer squatted in the dirt and even lay flat on the stone-paved path. He mentioned that classic vintage photos often used these low angles to elongate body proportions while immersing the viewer in the environmental ambiance. Although the camera captured a six-person group photoshoot, the process was quite demanding: we shuttled across multiple scenes—walking across grassy fields, stone paths, and beneath red maple trees—and had to reset poses repeatedly whenever prop placements were slightly off. Toward the end, everyone was exhausted, but luckily the on-set mood remained joyful. As a cosplayer, what I enjoyed most during this Outdoor cosplay was posing under natural light; surrounded by fallen leaves and dry grass, you genuinely feel an authentic atmosphere. Post-processing didn't involve heavy editing, preserving natural textures so the final images look much more organic. While these costumes are gorgeous, walking in them was cumbersome, and mountain gusts kept blowing our skirts around. To coordinate with the camera, everyone pressed down on their skirts while maintaining their smiles. The crew member also snapped candid behind-the-scenes moments, and those unposed instants often looked the most captivating. After a whole day of shooting, despite the fatigue, seeing the raw photos made every effort worthwhile. We also gathered valuable insights: to recreate that classic old-photo aesthetic during a Forest photoshoot, beyond the retro feel of the costumes themselves, one should choose woods with fallen leaves and aim for warm side-backlighting, which strongly defines subject contours, while ensuring a clean background to keep all focus on the characters. This was a truly enjoyable attempt, and collaborating with everyone on this project was pure joy.