Holding this golden, crispy prop donut in hand, with the word "Tiramisu" written on the blackboard behind me, I instantly stepped fully into Bready's baker state. As a character in Goddess of Victory: NIKKE closely linked to baking, I had been looking forward to this Ver.01 photoshoot for a long time, so I scheduled my slot early and came to the Qimihuanjing Studio to create this set.
Bready's outfit design focuses heavily on blending everyday practicality with a neat, capable feel. The white midriff-baring long-sleeved shirt on top uses soft, stretchy fabric, which not only fits the arm line closely when worn, but also ensures free body movement. The dark brown ribbon tie at the neckline and two matching stripe decorations on the cuffs serve as the most fundamental tech-inspired accents of this costume. Meanwhile, the pink emblem patch on the left sleeve breaks away from the steady black, white, and brown palette, adding a lively visual focus to the overall ensemble.
The lower body outfit combination is the true soul of the entire look. A dark brown pleated skirt adorned with gold stripes, paired with a white short apron, creates distinct layers without looking bulky. The apron straps need to sit right at the waistline, which, combined with the cropped upper top, showcases a portion of the waist and midriff curves—a very popular design point in anime costumes. The over-the-knee black thigh-highs visually separate the leg skin tone from the outfit; in the clash between the skirt hem and long stockings, it maintains a sweet visual effect while bringing out a playful and cute vibe.
Headwear and wig styling also took quite a bit of effort. The light golden-beige twin-tail wig was carefully volumized before shooting, creating natural micro-waves at the ends so that even with the white round chef hat, the hairstyle wouldn't look stiff. The hat needed to be secured at a suitable spot on top of the head using small hairpin clips, avoiding flattening the crown of the wig while ensuring the curve of the brim looked complete and aesthetically pleasing from both the front and side.
Regarding the shooting process, the pure white backdrop at Qimihuanjing Studio was extremely clean, highlighting the subject's status much better than complex real scenes. The photographer used a large area of soft light sources, a lighting style that smoothly removes harsh facial shadows and makes skin tones appear brighter. When texture contrast was needed, the photographer switched to harder light, making the chalk drawing textures on the blackboard and the baked surface texture of the donut clearly visible—this lighting shift better highlighted the three-dimensional feel of the props.
The blackboard prop used in this shoot was specially prepared, featuring hand-drawn cake slices and squiggly "Tiramisu" lettering in chalk, filling the entire set with the cozy ambiance of a handmade bakery and perfectly matching the baking traits associated with Bready in the game. "Eating everything will only harm you" might just be a playful joke, but holding this realistically textured donut made me feel genuinely hungry. However, holding it for poses required careful force control: while the prop had a baked coloration on its surface, it was made of hard foam underneath, easily leaving finger impressions if not careful.
Throughout the shoot, I needed to constantly pay attention to the folds of the clothes and the flow of the wig. After all, over-the-knee stockings tend to slide down, and the cropped waist-revealing top shifts slightly with body movements, requiring frequent reminders from the assistant and photographer to capture natural, well-positioned candid moments.
I really love the light and shadow texture of the finished photos, which carry a simple and bright overall style. Without using overly heavy filters, the natural flesh tones brought out by the lighting clearly present the character's silhouette, maxing out the overall atmosphere alongside Bready's adorable baking-exclusive character setting. This is the charm of Cosplay photography: re-conceptualizing the character's visual traits with real-world clothes and props, and then, through studio setup and coordination, pulling her step by step from behind the 2D dimension wall right before us.