In April, I collaborated with photographer Aki at Garden No. 12 Selfie Studio to shoot this Touhou Project Flandre Scarlet Cosplay set. We chose this studio primarily because its vintage sofa, hanging colored crystals, European-style clocks, and dark-toned backdrop aligned perfectly with my vision for a Dark Gothic Retro studio photoshoot.
Preparing this outfit was quite intricate: the red dress features countless layers of lace, ruffles, and ribbon bows, paired with a voluminous skirt and a massive headdress, making dressing and adjusting quite laborious. The headdress in particular needed to be secured firmly with hairpins, or else it would shift when turning or tilting my head. For footwear, I paired white over-the-knee stockings (White stockings) with red high heels—this classic white, red, and black color palette maximized the doll-like aesthetic of the character.
During pre-shoot discussions with the photographer, our main focus was emphasizing the use of red lighting. Thus, the ambient light on set was kept deeply dim, while spotlights cast down to create a stark light-and-shadow contrast between the red dress and White stockings. During the shoot, we explored many varied angles, including lying on my side, overhead high-angles, and diagonal compositions. When posing in a voluminous skirt, adjusting body posture is crucial; while sitting or lying down, one must carefully arrange the tiered layers of the skirt. With White stockings in dim lighting, dialing in the leg extension angle is particularly essential to make the lines look slender and elongated.
For props, poses like holding a red apple or cradling a teddy bear were improvised on the spot to match the character's dark fairy-tale aura. Meanwhile, the rainbow crystals arranged in the background reflected beautiful specks of light in the dim environment, adding a touch of psychedelic mystique to the frame.
The entire shoot went very smoothly, with the photographer skillfully capturing both composition and lighting. This photo set preserved rich, dark retro tones, avoiding excessive extraneous editing in post-processing to maintain that original mysterious and subtly imposing atmosphere. The contrast between red and black paired with White stockings packed a powerful visual punch, making this a deeply satisfying photoshoot experience that faithfully recreated the character's aura.