[Youmu Konpaku Cosplay] Touhou Project, A Scene of Serenity Shot in a Rainstorm

The continuous rainy season gave me the perfect excuse to dig my long-prepared Youmu Konpaku look out of the wardrobe. The weather forecast that day said it would be showers, but right after we arrived at the location with bags big and small, a torrential downpour suddenly poured over our heads. The camera bag in the photographer's hand and this blue Japanese umbrella in mine became our only solid line of defense in the wind and rain.

The shooting process can be described as "chaotic." The rain in the mountains came fast and dense. Wearing this black-and-green clashing Japanese-style Western dress, I not only had to constantly adjust the skirt hem blown messy by the wild wind, but also carefully guard my wig to avoid rainwater washing directly over it and causing the strands to clump together. This costume actually condensed a ton of effort in its details: the black choker around the neck, the playful ruffles on the shoulders, and those complex, multi-layered folds and fabric patterns on the skirt hem actually presented a very unique, tranquil texture in the humid air. To fit Youmu Konpaku's character personality, which balances elegance with resolute combat power, the prop team equipped me with a long sword and a short sword, the dark green details on the scabbards echoing the clothes. Drawing and sheathing the swords in the downpour—although the movements were practiced countless times indoors—every step on the slippery, mottled stone steps had to be placed extremely stably. That kind of authentic texture is something a studio can't simulate at all.

The photographer @蛇蛇子 was truly desperately hardworking throughout the entire process. To capture the shot of me holding the umbrella and looking back on the stone steps, he was almost half-kneeling in the mud-filled ground while evading water droplets dripping from the leaves. The natural light that day was very gloomy, with absolutely no direct sunlight, yet it unexpectedly created a cinematic, high-end cool-toned atmosphere. I have always been deeply fond of scenes under natural light where rain gathers along the umbrella ribs and slides down one by one along the edge, and now I finally integrated myself into this scene. The stone path washed by the rain gleamed with a dark luster, and the green forest in the distance was blurred in the rain and mist, enveloped in a film-like texture, which perfectly matched the cool, aloof, and resolute vibe that this character originally possesses.

To tell the truth, a massive rainstorm is an extreme test for both equipment and the human body. After the photographer and I shot the last picture, the clothes, backpacks, and even my inner wear were completely soaked, and the edges of the wig became heavy from absorbing water, turning directly into an extremely heavy burden. Returning to the car, we looked at each other and couldn't help but smile helplessly; that feeling was genuinely being "burnt out." But when we looked at the raw shots in the camera playback, capturing those tiny splashes triggered by raindrops hitting the umbrella surface and the dynamic flare of the skirt hem in the wind, we felt all the mud and embarrassment just now were worth it.

I especially like the visual effect of these photos. The white over-knee stockings form a strong contrast of light and dark against the dark background and woods, looking exceptionally conspicuous, and the drawstrings and straps at the skirt hem also add visual layering to the costume. Pairing cold weapon swords with a gorgeous exotic-style Western dress is a very classic combination in anime aesthetics. This shoot also gave me completely new practical experience in outdoor rainy day photography, such as always installing a waterproof cover on the lens in advance and preparing enough dry tissues to wipe rain droplets off the lens.

Perhaps the greatest joy of doing this line of cosplay photography is that you never know what kind of surprise nature will prepare for you at any time. Although we both ended up looking like drowned rats in the end, looking at this set of frames, I truly feel it is one of the most immersive and atmospheric works I have shot recently. The rain, mixed with the fragrance of mountain soil and vegetation, paired with this character, seamlessly integrated that cool, serene, yet stubbornly sorrowful aura into every detail of the photos. This is probably the unique resonance bumped out by the collision of rain and the character's soul.