[Houraisan Kaguya Cosplay] Eternal Night and Clear Dreams Beneath the Moonlight

The core inspiration for this set of photos comes from a serene moment before Kaguya-hime returns to the Lunar Palace in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Deciding to do this outdoor shoot based on Houraisan Kaguya from Touhou Project actually took a long time to prepare. It was not only out of love for the character's temperament but also the hope of recreating that half-real, half-illusion atmosphere of Gensokyo in a real-life setting.

Regarding the outfit matching, this time I chose this light pink wide-sleeved top made of lightweight and breathable chiffon and composite silk. The neckline and shoulders are specially designed with layered pleats, which beautifully flatter the shoulder and neck lines. The golden sun, moon, and auspicious cloud patterns on the cuffs and hem are heavy embroidery, which gives off a delicate luster under illumination. Paired with a deep reddish-brown embroidered long skirt, it looks visually steady yet dynamic. The butterfly tassel hair accessory on the side of the head is also a highlight of the styling. To match Kaguya-hime's cold yet slightly noble trait, I selected relatively clear-textured tassel pendants, which sway subtly during movement.

The withered branch color-ball prop held in my hand was one of the most dedicated parts during the shoot. Instead of ordinary fake flower branches, I intentionally picked a naturally shaped, curved withered tree branch and adorned its tips with gold, blue, red, and green colored glass balls. This prop has both the desolate sense of natural phenomena and a hint of sparkling magical aura. It can refract enchanting halos under backlighting, perfectly echoing Houraisan Kaguya's slightly surreal blend of technology and classicism intertwined within Eientei.

The real-life location this time was chosen in a very detailed, artificial Japanese-style garden. Bamboo fences, primitive stone lanterns, wooden sliding doors, along with moss and white pebbles covering the ground, all perfectly recreated a tranquil atmosphere. Coupled with the flourishing snow-like pink flower trees, deliberately scattered fallen petals on the ground, and that soft, low-saturation lighting, it created a beautiful artistic conception of drifting petals. Especially the large area of faded soft light effect and purple misted light leak in the fifth picture, giving people and the environment a misty sense of detachment from reality.

To capture this sense of naturalness, the photographer @Ankhol雨宫 and I collaborated with great synergy. He is highly skilled at capturing these soft, backlit moments, using a large aperture and shallow depth of field to create double blurring of the foreground and background. In composition, he often used the wooden frame of the door or blurred flower branches in the foreground as a shield, making the character look as if she were in a secret garden being peeked at. We used a lot of candid snapshot techniques during the shoot, never forcing rigid poses, but rather capturing the laziness of the profile or that slightly cold and detached gaze when looking down at the flowers. In post-processing, there were no overly exaggerated colors, preserving this texture intertwined with purple-grey and pink-white, coupled with some local light leaks and halos, giving the entire set of photos an airy feel. I hope through these details to perfectly recreate the image of the princess in Eientei, filled with the endless coldness of moonlight.