[Kazami Yuuka cosplay] Nature and calmness in the sunflower field of Touhou Project

Shooting the location photos of Kazami Yuuka this time can be said to have been planned for a long time. The characters in Touhou Project have always been very charismatic, especially Yuuka, a powerful youkai who carries a bit of majesty yet loves nature. To get closer to the character's temperament, I put a lot of thought into the matching of costumes and props. From the early preparation work to the actual shooting on site, every step was deliberated repeatedly.

The details of this outfit are extremely rich. The red-and-white plaid corset vest paired with a white puff-sleeve inner top, plus a layered lace apron, retains the exquisite feeling of a dress while also bringing some pastoral everyday vibe, which is quite suitable for the setting of strolling in a flower sea. The wig chose mint green blunt-bangs short hair, slightly styled with slight waves, trimmed to a contour that hugs the face closely. In terms of makeup, I wore orange-red colored contact lenses, and the eye makeup emphasized the lower eyelid expansion. The overall tone is very bright, appearing very translucent under the sunlight, forming a great visual contrast with the green hair.

The shooting location was chosen in a vast sea of sunflowers, which is the most matching scene for Yuuka. The lighting conditions on that day were excellent; we specially chose the time slot towards late afternoon. The light at this time is soft and not dazzling, and it comes with a backlighting effect. Everyone can carefully look at that circle of golden rim light around the edges of the hair in the photos, which utilizes the technique of side-backlighting to make the character stand out from the complicated sunflower field background. To make the frame more layered, I also prepared a white lace parasol as a prop. Several of the photos used sunflowers in the foreground as an occlusion, cooperating with the camera's large aperture blur, to capture that breathable effect as if looking through the flower bushes.

Regarding the presentation of actions and expressions, because Yuuka gives people a feeling of being calm and confident, I didn't do too many exaggerated body movements. Most of the time was just standing quietly, or gently holding a bouquet of sunflowers, looking naturally towards the camera with my eyes. Holding the sunflowers in my hands, feeling the sunlight and breeze, the shooting process was actually a state that I enjoyed very much myself. Sometimes the wind blew the skirt hem up, and the moments captured candidly were often more vivid than posed ones.

Location shooting really tests physical strength and state, especially wearing a dress that is slightly thick with many layers, and constantly adjusting postures and finding angles in the mud and low flower bushes. But seeing the final finished photos, the light and shadow, colors, and the character's state are all very well-executed, making all the early hardships and sweat completely worthwhile. The bright yellow of the green hair and sunflowers formed a sharp contrast, very lively in the frame, and the overall atmosphere is full of vitality.