This Zenless Zone Zero Cosplay photoshoot set was taken in the botanical garden at the end of March, right when the spring scenery was at its finest. From planning to actual shooting and then to post-production photo editing, the process spanned two months, and I just happened to sort out the entire photoset over the past few days.
The weather on the shooting day actually varied quite a lot; it was completely sunny in the morning, but a sudden gust of wind picked up in the afternoon. However, the blooming season in the botanical garden was just perfect—the tulips and cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and the massive color blocks in the background provided an excellent atmospheric backdrop for the entire photoset. Since this costume itself is already highly rich in color—with the clashing orange and navy blue vest being extremely eye-catching, plus the black inner lining—I intentionally avoided overly chaotic flower cluster backgrounds when composing the shots. I tried to choose frames with more negative space or maintain a certain foreground-background distance between the model and the flowers to highlight the layering of the main subject.
I feel the biggest highlight of this styling is still that 'N'-shaped little hairpin. Although it's bright orange, it brings a lot of energy to the deep blue short hair. In terms of accessories, the metal necklace, gloves, and the tiny plush charm on the waist bag all enrich the look's street style and add a touch of cute attribute in the details. This time, I specially did an asymmetrical leg styling: one side features black over-the-knee socks, while the other side combines frilly short socks with thick-soled sneakers. This irregular coordination beautifully elongates the body shape and prevents the movements from looking too dull when they get larger.
That gray-and-white plush bag that I carried with me at all times was also the soulful prop of the entire styling. I personally preferred letting it appear directly in the frame. Whether it was the shot where it was raised above my head on the bench, or the pose crouching in the flower clusters holding it by my face while looking down at it, it vastly enhanced the narrative feel and vividness of the frames. Some of the quiet, leisurely states were actually easier to capture because, with the plush prop around, my hands didn't feel awkward or out of place, making the overall relaxation much easier to handle.
The photo editing process actually took quite a lot of thought. The light on the shooting day carried some harsh color temperature deviations. To keep the makeup clean and preserve the original orange and blue color scheme of the costume, I intentionally compressed the contrast of the dark areas during post-processing, lifting the shadows slightly to preserve the natural texture of the hair strands and costume fabric. For the skin treatment, I tried to maintain the original texture as much as possible without over-smoothing. I believe that while a finished cosplay photoshoot pursues a 2D sense of refinement, outdoor photography should still retain a bit of real skin details to carry a natural sense of breathing.
From shooting in March to editing in April, and finally posting it officially now in May, although the cycle dragged on a bit long, seeing the final finished product makes me feel the process was entirely worth it. Every gamble against the location and weather, and every expression adjustment before the shutter clicked, ultimately lands within these few pages of the photoset. This botanical garden exterior theme can also be considered an excellent practice for replacing studio work with natural light. Compared to studio shoots, the gentle atmosphere brought by outdoor environmental light is indeed very difficult to replicate. The snapshots and staged poses in this set interweave quite naturally, and I hope the final presented images allow everyone to feel the pleasant comfort of that spring afternoon.