Today I arrived in Bolívar, this coastal city-state, for an Arknights Ch'en the Holungday cosplay Seaside location shoot. The artificial sea of Dossoles truly carries a unique vacation ambiance, but to capture the character's sharpness hidden beneath the bustle, we put plenty of thought into location scouting and pose design.
Let's start with this much-anticipated outfit. The outer layer is a black glossy jacket with a material that catches brilliant reflections under the blazing sun, layered over a white tank top and gradient raw-hem denim shorts. To highlight the character's design, the headgear features a peaked cap equipped with goggles and a pair of pointed black horns. Although this leather jacket is quite sweltering for summer outdoor shoots, keeping the zipper open to let the sea breeze blow through not only avoids visual stiffness, but also gives the silhouette an effortless, clean-cut look. For footwear, I wore black strappy high-heeled sandals, requiring constant balance control while standing on the rocky revetment to prevent poses from distorting.
In terms of props, the brightly colored toy water gun served as a wonderful visual accent, truly capturing the spirit of a water gun girl. Whether holding it up with one hand or letting it hang naturally at my side like in photo four, the prop gave my body language far more expressive room. What demanded the most effort was the long finned tail behind me: it had to be secured to my leg using concealed straps. As walking and turning easily caused awkward swinging, I had to meticulously adjust its angle before every shot to ensure it maintained a natural dynamic in the frame.
The sunlight was exceptionally clear on the day of the shoot, with distinct cloud layers in the sky, while the distant city skyline and shimmering water formed a natural backdrop. As a cosplayer, stepping in front of the lens requires channeling the character's mindset. Ch'en the Holungday embodies both relaxation and sharp capability, so for facial expressions, I deliberately dialed back overly sweet smiles, leaning into calm, confident nuances to accompany each pose. For example, in photo three, lightly touching the cap brim with one hand while letting the other rest naturally, paired with a slight tilt of my gaze, perfectly conveyed that poised, unflappable aura.
Working with the photographer, to overcome the challenge of glossy fabric being prone to blown-out highlights under intense sun, we repeatedly verified the angles of light refraction in the viewfinder and adjusted camera positions to preserve garment textures. We avoided overly heavy filters, striving to showcase the authentic seaside lighting. The entire shooting process was very much an attempt to materialize our understanding of the character. From outfit adjustments and securing the tail prop to maintaining balance in heels outdoors, every single detail required patient refinement. When seeing the final shots where the blue sky, azure sea, and overall styling blended seamlessly, all the sweat in preparation turned into a worthwhile memory.
Although Dossoles Holiday is full of clamor and bustle, the moments captured by the lens hold a stillness and tension unique to the character. That's all for this log, looking forward to bringing more diverse stylistic interpretations next time.