Slipping into this blue-and-white sailor-style dress and standing on the historic deck of the Royal Yacht Britannia, the sea breeze gently lifted the skirt hem and the ribbons of my headpiece. Preparing for this on-location Cheshire Cosplay shoot from Azur Lane took quite a long time—not only in fine-tuning the costume repeatedly, but also in scouting a shooting environment that harmonized flawlessly with the character's temperament.
Regarding costume details: to recreate Cheshire's aristocratic yet lively, adorable essence, I chose a structured white jacquard fabric as the base, paired with a pleated dark navy skirt hem and White stockings. The white lace and gold trimming at the neckline required precise stitching; even a slight misalignment would detract from the overall delicacy. The ruffled shoulder cuffs and black ribbons throughout the outfit were designed to create rich dynamic layering when walking or when caught in the sea breeze. For the wig, I selected a muted light blue with grayish undertones and gradient teal highlights at the tips, achieving a more translucent visual effect under the sun. For footwear, I paired black criss-cross platform shoes with White stockings, echoing the black accents of the costume while beautifully elongating leg lines.
Choosing the Royal Yacht Britannia as the shooting location was truly a unique experience for this Nautical photography project. Having carried countless historic voyages, standing beneath that large brass ship bell inscribed with "1953" evoked a wondrous illusion of time and space intertwining. In the photo backgrounds, you can spot the iconic massive funnel and hanging lifeboats, and the deck consists entirely of authentic wood parquet flooring. Photographing a soft, cute 2D anime character aboard such a hardcore naval vessel steeped in rich history created an extraordinary gap-moe contrast. The weather on shoot day was fantastic; blue skies and white clouds combined with shimmering sea reflections made the photo tones remarkably vibrant.
In Photo 4, the picture with the gentleman wearing a plaid suit and badges was actually a chance encounter on board. He seemed to be a retired naval veteran associated with the ship, knowing its history inside and out. Seeing me taking photos, he warmly walked over, greeted us with a cheerful "Ni Hao" in Chinese, and asked what we were shooting. After my brief explanation, he smiled and remarked how well my outfit suited the ship's atmosphere, which led to this deeply memorable commemorative photo.
Throughout the shoot, I continuously strived to capture Cheshire's feeling of welcoming the Commander back home. While striking playful poses aboard a historic naval ship was a bit challenging, once fully in character, I became completely immersed. Whether resting my hand on the ship's bell in Photo 1 or sitting on the deck bench in Photo 3, I worked hard to convey the character's composed yet intimate warmth. During retouching, I took special care to preserve the natural ambient lighting, allowing the authentic textures of the sea breeze and sunlight to shine through without exaggerated post-processing. I am extremely satisfied with the final results—balancing the translucency of naval attire with the character's playful charm, finally allowing me to warmly say: Commander, welcome back to port in Azur Lane!