[Shinonome Akito & Aoyagi Toya Cosplay] Project Sekai, An Autumn Frozen Frame Under the Ginkgo Forest

When the ginkgo leaves dye the entire forest yellow, it is indeed the best time to produce this autumn/winter themed photoshoot. The school uniform sets for Shinonome Akito and Aoyagi Toya took a lot of thought in the early preparation stage; the dark blue suit jackets needed to be ironed crisp, and considering the folded pant length and the narrowing at the ankles, the details of the cuffs and collar couldn't go wrong. The blue-gray and orange wigs also needed extra care when trimming the layers; after all, for this kind of daily look, being slightly frizzy would look forced. The angles of the front bangs and the length of the sidelocks were repeatedly adjusted based on the character design charts, and they could only maintain that natural airy feel after blow-drying and setting.

For this outdoor location, we chose an exceptionally open Autumn ginkgo forest, where the fallen leaves on the ground were thickly spread, rustling when stepped on. The light filtered down through the tree branches, naturally carrying a warm yellow filter, forming a very comfortable color contrast with the dark shades of the school uniform jackets. During the shoot, my two partners Heshie and Mingdeng coordinated very smoothly; while snapping candid shots of the ginkgo leaves drifting down, we also experimented with various standing positions and interactive poses. When guiding us, the photographer specially emphasized relaxing our bodies and not letting the standing postures look like military training, because for this daily-vibe setting, a relaxed state can better convey that unspoken rapport between the two that doesn't need too many words.

There were actually quite a few minor situations during the shoot. For example, the thick layer of dead leaves all over the ground made leather shoes slip easily, and sometimes to find a good camera position or light and shadow, we needed to walk back and forth in the piles of fallen leaves. After coming out, our socks and pant legs were covered with broken leaves, and we didn't even have time to clean them off, because daylight hours in autumn and winter are very short and the light changes incredibly fast, so we had to seize that golden window from noon to afternoon.

The post-processing layout and color grading also took some effort; I wanted to tone down the overly bright yellow in the frame to make the overall color tone look more grounded and stable, while preserving the unique translucent quality of the ginkgo. Previously, photo editing might focus more on making the characters' skin flawless, but this time I intentionally preserved some of the skin's texture, mainly to make the photos' atmosphere closer to the autumn air feel. After consecutive days of retouching and typesetting, the final results restored that autumn serenity we had anticipated.

Outdoor shooting indeed consumes much more physical strength and energy than studio shooting, but every time I see the luster of sunlight piercing through the treetops and hitting the characters in the finished photos, I feel all the busyness was worth it. This time, we blended the personality contrast and small daily interaction details between the two into the lens, hoping those who watch the photoset can also feel that slightly chilly yet highly warm sense of story in autumn.