Going to shoot Shinonome Ena Lingering Flowers in September genuinely left me feeling helpless. Since flowers could hardly be found outside right now, we had to make a last-minute change and move the outdoor shoot into a cafe.
To match the mood of Lingering Flowers, plenty of effort went into the makeup this time. The wig was chosen in a cool-toned brown, styled with subtle wavy curls. The floral hair ornament atop my head was something I improvised using green leaves and small white flowers; though simple in materials, it complemented the brown hair quite nicely on camera. For makeup, the focus rested squarely on the eyes. To replicate that character's fragile, delicate quality, I blended pinkish-brown eyeshadow across the eye sockets, especially emphasizing the under-eye blush, paired with dark, large-diameter contact lenses to give the gaze more narrative depth. The lips were kept sheer without heavy pigmentation, held in a naturally parted, subtle state. For the outfit, I chose a pale blue-green satin dress with puff sleeves, featuring delicate lace and pearl buttons at the collar, accented by a slender white choker for a clean, translucent overall palette.
Since there were no natural blooms outdoors, I picked a cafe I frequent as the shoot location. To make use of the ambient setting, I specifically ordered a light-toned milk tea as a prop. Holding the glass with both hands near my mouth not only gave my hands a natural placement, but made the scene feel authentic and grounded in everyday life. During the shoot, to prevent the indoor frames from looking monotonous, I stayed near the window as much as possible, combining natural daylight with the cafe's warm lights to illuminate my face. Because the indoor background was somewhat cluttered, we shot wide open throughout to blur the background and keep the focus on the subject.
Regarding emotional expression, the vibe of the Lingering Flowers concept is rather unique and doesn't call for exaggerated sweet smiles. Therefore, throughout the shoot, I maintained slightly pursed lips, gazing straight into the camera, adjusting line of sight with subtle tilts of the head. The moment of raising the cup to sip milk tea or quietly observing the lens were my favorite captured moments.
Shooting indoors actually places high demands on lighting; the cafe's color temperature was quite mixed, so in post-processing I tweaked the white balance, nudging the overall tones slightly cooler to build a subtle warm-and-cool contrast against the warm yellow interior. For retouching, I preserved skin texture as much as possible without over-smoothing, giving this photo set the organic naturalism of lifestyle photography while retaining the signature aesthetic of a Project Sekai cosplay. Although the season deprived us of outdoor blooms, the cafe's interior mood combined with this dress unexpectedly yielded an urban everyday realism tinged with melancholy. If anyone wants to cosplay this outfit in a similar indoor location, bringing a small fill light for facial illumination will make a huge difference. This covers my entire journey for this shoot—documenting it as a personal retrospective.