This set of Kochiya Sanae cosplay photos was taken at the seaside in the evening. To capture the ideal light and shadow effects, our entire team soaked in the water for nearly two hours. Backlighting by the water is actually very difficult to control; the sun's angle was low, and the water surface reflections were extremely intense. During early discussions, we established that we wanted a shimmering, ethereal, and translucent image. In actual shooting, the photographer constantly searched for the optimal backlighting angle, avoiding blown-out white highlights from direct light into the lens as much as possible, while using the water's reflection as a natural fill light.
The physical environment during the shoot was quite complex. In shallow areas, there were sand and waterweeds, making it difficult to keep balance when walking barefoot, and the skirt became extremely heavy once soaked in water, requiring considerable effort for every single step. To capture the natural feel of walking while glancing back, I walked back and forth along that short stretch nearly ten times. Fixing the white snake prop and the headwear also took a lot of effort; to maintain their shape in the wind, we used several fixing methods while taking care not to let glue damage the wig. The banner prop in hand had very exquisite pattern embroidery along its edges, looking rich in texture under the evening light, which was also an important detail in restoring the character setting.
For the outdoor shoot, we specifically chose a time when there were no crowds so the background remained clean. During shooting, we tried both full-body wide shots and close-ups. The full-body wide shots mainly utilized backlighting to create a silhouette effect, blending the figure seamlessly into the water surface; the close-ups were meant to showcase the blue-and-white textures of the costume, the neckline details, and the translucent quality of the wig under the light. The post-processing color grading approach focused on pulling down highlights and lifting shadows to ensure the shimmering texture of the water surface, while adjusting the color temperature by adding a cool green hue to echo the wig color, striving to match the atmospheric cool elegance and lively charm inherent to Kochiya Sanae herself. Although the shooting process was exhausting—getting completely drenched and constantly monitoring the wind direction to keep props from fluttering wildly—seeing the natural water light, shadows, and sheer translucency in the final results made all the effort feel completely worthwhile.