This shoot brought together Misu, Mizi, and Sua from ALIEN STAGE. Although the final photo shared here focuses on the embrace between two characters, the entire photo set actually covers different positionings and emotional beats of all three. From the moment this project began, I knew accurate costumes and props were essential. The black sleeveless dress and the white pleated top were custom-tailored piece by piece; we specifically chose fabrics with a graceful drape and subtle sheen so they could ground the composition under soft lighting without sacrificing texture. What took the most effort was the pair of white feathered wings and the black wing silhouettes—the white wings used three layers of feathers with varying lengths, transitioning from rigid bases to soft tips, all glued by hand. Weighing over a kilogram per wing, the shoulder straps had to be pulled extremely tight to keep them fanned out naturally during the shoot, but seeing the soft halo of light fringing the feathers in the final photos made everything completely worthwhile.
For the wigs, the short black hair was styled by direct cutting, with the bangs adjusted three times to achieve that low-hanging fringe covering the eyes; the pink short hair was made of high-temperature synthetic fiber, and the black headband/eyepatch on top was a custom matte-finished leather piece to prevent distracting reflections. Given the deep bond between the characters, we tested numerous embrace poses before finally choosing this composition with overlapping profiles and intertwined hands—showcasing the full contour of the wings while conveying a sense of mutual reliance through tangled arms. The background was set before a pure gradient backdrop, illuminated by two softboxes and a reflector to diffuse the light broadly, letting the blue-purple gradient spread like mist to create an ethereal, melancholic tone alongside a slight reduction in contrast in post-production.
The hardest part of this shoot wasn't technical, but rather emotional immersion. ALIEN STAGE possesses a heavy world-building framework and profound character bonds. Before shooting, my partner and I spent nearly two hours discussing character backstories and their interconnected relationship lines, even practicing gazes and palm pressure in front of a mirror. This immersive prep made me almost forget I was role-playing the moment the shutter snapped, feeling more like recreating a real conversation that once occurred. The photographer's candid captures were spot-on: rather than shouting rigid directions, he let us flow freely while standing slightly off to the front, using a medium-telephoto lens to seize the most natural moments.
During post-production retouching, I avoided aggressive reshaping, focusing primarily on unifying the color palette while preserving natural skin textures. I balanced the purple-blue backdrop with the black, white, and pink tones of the figures, finishing with a delicate soft-focus glow that created subtle light diffusion across the feather edges and hair strands. As for typography, I initially debated whether to include text, but 'My God, my universe' resonated so deeply with this sense of mutual grounding that I placed it subtly in the negative space at the top without stealing the visual focus.
From planning to final delivery, the entire project took about a month and a half. Every stage—from pattern-making and fitting to the official shoot—brought unexpected minor hiccups: a few feathers fell off during transit and were fixed on site with hot glue; the straps on the black dress kept slipping and had to be temporarily secured with double-sided tape. Yet these authentic interludes gave this Angels and Demons themed shoot extra warmth and cherished memories. I always believe that great character portrayal isn't just about surface resemblance, but whether you're willing to invest the time to understand why a character smiles or weeps in their story. This photo captures the very essence of that moment in our hearts.