The New Year Firefly Anime Convention in Guangzhou was much warmer inside the venue than outside. This time I cosplayed Ayanami's New Year outfit from Azur Lane, which perfectly matches the atmosphere of having the New Year's Eve dinner in the Eastern Radiance faction from the post. When I previously looked at the game's story, I thought this design combining Japanese style with New Year elements was very characteristic, so taking advantage of the holiday, I decided to do a live shoot.
The costume is mainly based on white, with the skirt hem spliced with dark and red fabrics printed with plant patterns, and the train is very long when walking. Because there is quite a lot of fabric, to prevent the skirt hem from tangling, I wore White stockings inside paired with platform geta with red straps. The top features an off-the-shoulder design, with a circle of white plush shawl around it, and red, yellow, and purple bows with golden tassels on the chest. To get closer to the character, I wore a light pinkish-white long straight wig. The white mechanical-style horns on top of the head and the black hair ornaments with red edges were fixed in advance to prevent them from falling off when walking around crowded convention areas. Red contact lenses and warm-toned eye makeup are also the focus of this makeup look.
In terms of props, a red candy apple was prepared, which is also an element echoing the New Year atmosphere described in the post. During the shooting, the photographer suggested doing some interaction through the candy apple. For example, during half-body close-ups, holding it closer or lifting it slightly higher, coordinated with the action of pulling the collar of the clothes—Pictures 3 and 7 are probably conceived this way. The sitting posture on the ground required some effort to adjust the direction of the skirt hem, letting the red and black alternate fabrics contrast with the White stockings. I personally like the low-angle shot in Picture 9; it can not only visually lengthen the leg lines, but also showcase the layered feeling of the long skirt hem when spread out.
The temperature on the day of the convention was not high, but wearing this set along with the plush shawl was actually quite wind-resistant. The more troublesome part was that walking in geta for a long time makes the soles of the feet tired, so when finding an open space to sit and rest in the venue, it happened to match Ayanami's relatively quiet state. I met many fellow fans at the scene, everyone was very enthusiastic, and other photographers also came to communicate shooting angles. During the communication, we also talked about how to reflect the New Year atmosphere through movements, not just posing, but also integrating into the emotion of the scene.
This shooting went relatively smoothly overall. From the initial clothing matching to prop preparation, to the live light usage and composition adjustment, everything was designed around the character's own traits. Although the process of doing cosplay requires a lot of energy and physical strength, being able to implement the pictures in my mind step by step still feels very fulfilling.