When shooting this Komeiji Koishi photo set, the overall creative approach revolved around the character's core concept of being \"unconscious.\" Given how unique character settings are in Touhou Project, bringing a retro, Gothic-infused atmosphere to life visually required investing extra effort into props and garments.
For this studio shoot, I opted for a pure black backdrop, aiming to use stark lighting contrast to completely pop the subject out of the frame, concentrating all visual focus onto the character and meticulously prepared accessories. Speaking specifically of the outfit, the main body was constructed with black velvet paneled against golden-brown vintage jacquard lantern sleeves. The velvet fabric produced a soft sheen under strong lighting, while the jacquard offered a crisp, textured feel—the combination creating distinct visual depth.
The hat served as a major focal point for this look; its wide black brim was trimmed with blue wave motifs, accented atop with pastel-toned flowers and an orange ribbon bow. Though used sparingly, these colors brightened up the pitch-black environment. The blue tasseled straps wrapped around the cuffs were deliberately selected to form a clever color connection with the blue vintage telephone handset in hand.
In terms of makeup design, I intentionally omitted overly heavy contouring, as a black background can easily flatten facial depth, and heavy shading risks making features look muddy. Instead, I focused on blending eye makeup seamlessly with the base, pairing light green contact lenses so my iris tone resonated with the wig. While trimming the emerald green wig, special emphasis was placed on framing the curvature of side bangs to ensure it didn't look flattened or disheveled under the broad hat.
As for prop selection, the blue retro telephone handset was undeniably the finishing touch of the image. To find a natural yet lively holding angle, we fine-tuned the grip over a dozen times on set. My fingers couldn't grip too tightly, which would look like lifting weights, nor could they relax too much and risk slipping. The distance between handset and cheek demanded precise control to avoid obscuring my chin or cheekbones. The greatest challenge stemmed from the wide-brimmed hat—while providing strong decorative flare, it easily cast massive shadows across my face, requiring me to constantly adjust positions alongside the photographer's lighting to find optimal side-backlighting angles.
During shooting, we employed a dual-flash setup paired with a black velvet background curtain. This studio technique yields extremely high image contrast, making light rendered across the garment's jacquard weave remarkably crisp. However, coordinating aperture and shutter speed demanded meticulous care; a minor slip could blow out highlight areas and lose fabric texture. Fortunately, the photography team was exceptionally professional, verifying exposure immediately after every shutter click.
Truthfully, prior to shooting this Touhou Project look, I reflected extensively on Komeiji Koishi's character traits—how to convey that ethereal, detached wanderlust rather than a simple stereotypical portrayal. During the shoot, I consciously slowed down my movement pace, avoiding overly sharp facial alertness and opting for a more relaxed, subtly dreamy gaze into the lens. Combined with the phone prop in hand and an unbothered expression, it unexpectedly generated a fascinating gap-charm contrast unique to her identity.
The final images from this Komeiji Koishi cosplay are among my favorite works recently. Though pre-production preparation was tedious—from wig styling to ironing costume creases—seeing the final shots under studio lights made all the hard work thoroughly rewarding. For a Gothic style outfit adorned with intricate details in Anime-style photography, learning how to balance \"exquisiteness\" with \"harmony\" within the frame was my greatest takeaway from this studio photoshoot share.