The Cosplay photoshoot for Chen is finally curated and ready! On the day of the shoot, the sunlight was exceptionally abundant—bright to the point of being a bit glaring—which turned out to make the red prints on the dress pop with vibrant brilliance. The primary red fabric with golden motifs boasts wonderful texture, paired with white ruffled off-shoulder sleeves, tiered lace petticoats, a cat-ear headband at the crown, and a plush black-and-white long tail behind me, rendering all of Chen's iconic Cat girl traits with complete fidelity in this Touhou Project set.
We chose a park with a large fountain for our Fountain outdoor location. Two classical Roman pillars formed a natural framing arch, while the water surface and surrounding lush greenery lent rich color depth to the scene. Photographer A-Yu captured incredibly vivid, dynamic angles this time, avoiding rigid static poses in favor of authentic in-motion snapshots. For example, the one-legged balancing leap by the fountain—with the skirt hem and cat tail fluttering in the golden light—seamlessly aligned with Chen's energetic youkai feline persona. In the shots seated atop the large boulder, dappled light filtered through tree leaves, matching my yawning and hands-on-hips expressions to convey that signature lazy, content cat demeanor. I feel these candid moments brought the core essence of the character to life.
Because of the blazing sun, my eyes occasionally squinted slightly, which serendipitously accentuated that tsundere, languid feline charm. I love the retro, bright palette created by the red-and-white attire against the park's waterscape. The intricate patterns on the dress—especially the colorful patterned fabric at the waist trimmed with red and white beads—looked exquisitely detailed under outdoor lighting. The black plush cat tail was wonderfully fluffy, serving as a dynamic visual accent whether walking or seated.
This photo set documents Chen across diverse moods: from the spirited glance back while waving beside the fountain, to shyly shielding my face on the stone steps, to close-up shots clenching fists in a defensive animal-like posture—each adding expressive range before the camera. The joy of cosplay lies largely in immersing oneself in the character's universe to channel their distinct aura, and this outdoor natural light shoot provided a truly unique experience. Although we constantly adjusted camera angles due to the intense sun, seeing the final photos made all the effort worthwhile. Huge thanks to A-Yu for the hard work in capturing these lively, spirited moments.