[Cirno cosplay] Spring 2026 Log of the Forest Ice Crystal Fairy

This photoset was shot at Shanghai Gongqing Forest Park on March 15, 2026. Since there was ample light that day, and the woods and stream inherently had a very pristine feel, I quickly settled on this forest stroll shooting concept with the photographer, Teacher Andao. It has been quite a few years since I first came across this character from Touhou Project. Putting on this outfit again, I still find those iconic prism props and the lightweight skirt design highly memorable.

During the early prop-making stage, to ensure the prisms could refract beautiful flare patterns in the sunlight, I intentionally adjusted the reflective angles of the material. Seeing the iridescent colors refracted in the lens during the shoot was a wonderful surprise. To present a relatively natural and relaxed state that day, we didn't deliberately strike many standard standing poses. Instead, we utilized fallen logs, pebbles, and tree trunks to design some interactions like sitting, lying down, or peeking out. The horizontal dead branch in the picture was incredibly useful; when sitting on it, the subject stands out prominently in the frame.

The post-processing mindset was mainly to complement the light, trying our best to restore the deep, slightly warm tone of the forest itself. The layers of the skirt hem and ruffles also remained relatively three-dimensional under natural light. In truth, during an outdoor photoshoot, the biggest fear is props failing in the environment. Fortunately, the wind wasn't strong that day, and the scattered ice crystal prisms didn't let us down, remaining securely fixed around the area. In the set of images by the stream, the water reflection happened to illuminate parts of the shoes, socks, and the underside of the skirt, enriching the color layers of the frame significantly.

Gongqing Forest Park has indeed become the top choice for many people to take photos in recent years. However, finding a spot that is truly free from passerby interference with perfectly matching light still takes some time. We also walked through several paths that day before finding this spot. The gaps in the trees allowed the exact sun flecks we wanted to filter through, making the overall atmosphere highly fitting. Actually, as long as you choose the right time and environment, the texture achieved from Anime-style photography outdoors is entirely different from studio shoots—it feels much more vivid. When picking out the photos after the shoot, I felt it was highly rewarding. Although I did walk ten thousand steps that day, looking back at the final cuts makes it all worthwhile.