Taking advantage of the weekend, I compiled these teaser shots from my previous Selen Tatsuki cosplay photoshoot. When first brainstorming the concept, I wanted to leverage night streets and neon lights to maximize this purple-toned atmospheric depth. During the shoot, we specifically chose this location—the red taxi behind me and the glowing green traffic light created an unexpectedly striking color contrast through the lens, which, combined with the primary purple lighting, instantly brought out a cyberpunk street photography feel.
Costume, makeup, and props actually took quite a bit of effort. This purple wig with twin pigtails truly tested the stylist's patience—not only did it need voluminous layering, but the side braids and hair rings had to be secured firmly because of the frequent head turns during the shoot. The pointed ear props were prosthetic stick-ons; blending their color seamlessly with my skin tone without looking jarring required extensive concealer touch-ups.
The clothing overall consists of an oversized techwear outfit jacket; its black, white, and purple color scheme displayed sharp detailed textures under the purple glow. The white technical fabric panel across the chest, the line of English text, plus the lanyard and pink charm enhanced the overall collage aesthetic. I have always loved this style blending tactical elements with relaxed comfort—it was very windy on the day of the shoot, making the heavy jacket surprisingly windproof.
The most eye-catching element was definitely the black claw gloves. Although they looked great in photos, full-fingered gloves ending in three-dimensional claws were hardly flexible when holding a beverage can or performing gestures. To strike natural poses during the shoot, I had to find ways to keep hand gestures expressive without appearing rigid. For instance, the scene leaning against the red car with a can was designed specifically to soften the aggressiveness of the hand props, conveying a relaxed vibe of wandering through city streets.
Under the night sky, the cluttered background streetscapes transformed into beautiful bokeh light spots through a wide aperture. The purple neon reflecting off the purple wig created a remarkably translucent texture. This styling is actually quite challenging to pull off—it can easily look overly heavy in makeup or messy in lighting—but the synergy between the photographer and post-processing editor this time was seamless, capturing a genuinely natural state.
Walking down the street in this outfit felt as though I had truly stepped right out of a 2D anime world. Although the process was tough—repeatedly tweaking poses to hit the ideal angle while dodging urban traffic—the moment I saw the final shots, everything felt entirely worth it. I rarely write such long posts, but there were so many details in this photoshoot I wanted to share. I might try exploring other expressions and poses in this series soon, as different facial nuances bring out unique character atmospheres.