Today I took this Genshin Impact Klee cosplay outdoors, which took about a week of preparation from hair and makeup to final delivery. This outfit has an immense amount of detail; the lace trim along the blouse and the pleats of the red flared skirt both required careful steaming in advance. The wig features a pink-to-white gradient; to achieve that fluffy yet softly curled bounce, I used a curling iron section by section in multiple layers and locked it in with hairspray. The hat is quite large and heavy, requiring plenty of bobby pins to secure it so it wouldn't topple forward whenever I tilted my head.
For the first set of shots, I chose to sit on the grass, where the sunlight filtering through the canopy cast gorgeous dappled patterns. The red prop backpack served as a styling accent; when sitting on the lawn, I had to be careful not to let dried twigs snag the fabric. The second setup involved peeking out from behind a tree trunk, a pose that heavily depended on precise angles. The photographer guided me to angle my body slightly sideways, keeping my gaze lively while catching the natural catchlights in my eyes. The biggest challenge with outdoor locations is the wind mussing up the skirt hem or stepping on your hosiery, so I kept the skirt gently gathered while moving.
The red ribbon bows adorning the tops of the white Stockings are adorable, but require extra caution against snags, so I brought a backup pair. The gloves are black leather; shooting outdoors in summer makes them stifling, so I took them off between takes to let my hands breathe. Makeup accentuated reddish eyeshadow along with cute face markings, while keeping highlighters restrained for a clean, natural camera presence. To ensure canon costume proportions, I also calibrated the shoulder strap lengths carefully.
Shooting in a forest is deeply tied to weather conditions. We deliberately scheduled the shoot around 3 PM, when the sunlight softens, preventing harsh facial shadows while preserving rich depth across the grass and foliage. Pairing white Stockings with black dress shoes made walking on grassy slopes quite slippery, requiring assistance when sitting down and standing up.
To mirror the character's energetic spirit, I explored various expressions and poses, from playing with props seated to peeking playfully behind trees, constantly fine-tuning my mood and micro-expressions throughout. This shoot was not only a test of physical stamina, but also a thorough check of costume fidelity. The fitted black leather gloves matched with gold wrist bangles carried beautiful texture in the sun. The red prop backpack, while compact, provided a solid visual focal point.
Wrapping this shoot was exhausting, but seeing the final frames made every bit of preparation worthwhile, giving me a true sense of accomplishment in recreating these details. I hope everyone enjoys these light-and-shadow forest shots.