[Kochiya Sanae Cosplay] The Wind and Reeds of Xinyang, Bringing a Sense of Fantasy

In the reed marshes of Xinyang, the wind is the true master of the field. This set of photos records the state of being enveloped by the wind; in the vast open wild, we happened to encounter a sustained gust. Since it is outdoor photography, one must always borrow some power from nature, and this time the wind truly helped immensely. As a showcase for this outfit, we stayed in the reeds for an entire afternoon, only wrapping up when the warm light of the setting sun began to wash over the boundless grassland.

Regarding this costume, it features a very special fabric patchwork. The outer layer utilizes a soft light-green material, while the inner lining is a vintage deep-blue floral print. Coupled with a large amount of ruffles and lace decorations, it boasts a rich sense of layering visually. In practice, these layered fabrics inevitably gather some dust when walking in the wild, but for the sake of the final cuts' flowy aesthetic, these preparations and accommodations were entirely necessary. The headpieces and hair accessories maintain an ultimate unified color tone with the costume, specifically choosing floral decorations with small animal elements. Against the backdrop of the blue sky and white clouds, the collision of green and blue appears exceptionally refreshing.

During outdoor photography, the wind is a double-edged sword. The great part is that it can effortlessly blow the hair and skirt hem into the exact arcs I imagined, without requiring too much deliberate arrangement. The photographer Wakaba was exceptionally patient at capturing dynamic movement; we were almost walking against the wind, turning around, raising the props in my hands, and letting the long sleeves and ribbons twirl around me. Those props were custom-made too, with the metal fittings and bead strings clashing against each other in the wind to make subtle rustling sounds, which conversely added a bit of authentic immersion during the shoot. The grass here is very tall, sometimes blocking the line of sight, but it also perfectly allowed us to utilize foreground blurring, making the depth of field across the entire frame look highly dreamy for this reeds photography session.

In terms of makeup, to adapt to this bright natural light, we experimented with a relatively translucent base makeup, and the eye makeup intentionally deepened the contours. Because the patterns of the wig and outfit are complex, if the three-dimensional quality of the facial features is not emphasized, it is easy to appear washed out under strong light. I adjusted the lip color a few times, finally choosing a natural orange-pink tone, which doesn't steal the show while preserving the makeup's texture. Tidying the wig was a highly time-consuming task; when the wind was too strong, it often blew the bangs into a mess. Yet these subtle little accidents conversely endowed the photos with a vivid, living human touch, rather than feeling like cold, rigid staged poses.

The environment for this shoot was exceptionally open, with mountains and clouds behind, and a golden reed marsh in the foreground. In an environment like this, there is no need to deliberately think about poses; as long as you immerse yourself in the present moment with the wind, the body will naturally sway along with the wind's momentum. I raised the prop high and used my wrist to drive the rotation of the ribbon, which easily created a continuous sense of visual flow. When the photographer said "We got this one," it was often the exact moment when my movement locked perfectly with the fiercest gust of wind—skirt flying, eyes steady. Looking back at these photos, I find that I captured a highly relaxed state; even wrapped in complex apparel, I could find a tacit understanding with my body's own rhythm.

When initially conceiving this set of images, we wanted to combine natural elements with the original dream-like quality of the costume, which is why we chose the late autumn reed fields rather than the city. This kind of wild shooting presents great challenges, requiring us not only to overcome the inconveniences of the site but also to respond at any moment to the suddenly changing wind directions. Fortunately, the final images all match the colors and atmosphere we anticipated. I love this kind of windy outdoor photography; it allows cosplay to not merely be limited to a flat showcase, but rather transform into a dialogue with the environment. When taking off this outfit, the flying catkins of the reeds were still left inside the layers of lace. Giving them a light pat, those are all the souvenirs brought back by this set of photos.