[Sangonomiya Kokomi cosplay] Summer Limited Swimsuit: Refreshing Maiden of Watatsumi Island

This test shoot for Genshin Impact Sangonomiya Kokomi's summer limited swimsuit was set at a sunny outdoor swimming pool. Preparing this photoset happened right in the scorching summer. Shooting in a water environment is a double test of physical strength and endurance for cosplayers, but the moment I put on this swimsuit, I felt the summer heat drop significantly.

The outfit design has high accuracy, with the light blue and white splicing looking very refreshing. Ruffles around the shoulders and neckline add a touch of youthful girliness, while crossed side waist straps and a back cutout give the overall look a lively feel. To adapt to the water environment, the fabric selected is quite lightweight, avoiding absorbing excessive water and becoming heavy after going into the pool. This helped immensely during the actual shoot, preventing soaked clothes from affecting fluent movements.

As for the wig, with its light white to pale blue gradient color, I intentionally tied a half-up apple bun at the back to gather stray hairs. This hairstyle is extremely practical for outdoor water scene photography, preventing hair from blocking the view while avoiding sweaty discomfort from stray hair clinging to the back of the neck. Before shooting, I specifically applied waterproof styling to the hair strands to prevent losing shape after entering the water. Although it couldn't stay as fluffy as on land, keeping the general silhouette in the water was no problem.

For makeup, I used a clear, natural base paired with soft pink eyeshadow and eyeliner to create a gentle expression. Highlighting was focused on cheekbones and the bridge of the nose, which, combined with natural light reflecting off the pool surface, naturally showcased summer skin texture. Since it was outdoors with water contact, I specially selected water-resistant cosmetics—eyeliner, mascara, and eyebrow setting gel all underwent waterproof testing, otherwise entering the water three times would turn me into a panda.

As for the pose, it's the one you see here. I chose to lay semi-prone on an inflatable pool float in the shallow area, with my legs naturally curled up behind me. Although static, this posture nicely displays the back cutout of the outfit and leg contours, while firmly anchoring weight on the float, giving the photographer enough time to capture my gaze toward the camera. Tile reflections at an outdoor pool can be intense; controlling highlights by slightly stopping down exposure during shooting leaves ample color headroom in post to restore consistent pool water and outfit tones.

Actually, the environment on the day wasn't completely static. Pools in summer have many people with background foot traffic; this focal length and depth of field allowed us to use a wide aperture to blur out background buildings and passersby, concentrating visual focus entirely on the foreground subject and float. To find the optimal shooting position, I shifted across several water areas—from deep pool edges down to the shallow end, precisely because reflections here nicely caught my legs' reflection in the water.

This was an official adult Anime cosplay shoot. In the pool, besides maintaining poses, I had to stay constantly aware of surrounding safety. However, seeing the final images with that crisp, clear atmosphere where water blue and light white merge, all the fatigue from water bloat and the hassle of reapplying sunscreen proved totally worth it. Compared to indoor studio shoots, I genuinely prefer creating in real outdoor environments—the light is natural, the surroundings are vibrant, and even the water ripple textures carry summer's touch. This is probably the charm of cosplay: using real costumes to recreate a character's state in a specific setting, bringing two-dimensional game worlds and three-dimensional reality into connection at the shutter click.