The location chosen for this shoot was a real yacht wheelhouse. Wearing this Marie Rose costume from Dead or Alive, shooting in such an environment actually posed many challenges to overcome. The upper part of the costume is made of glossy black material, which reflects light intensely in front of the lens, requiring the photographer to strictly control the lighting angles to avoid creating harsh dark blotches. Meanwhile, the large red bow tie and white ruffled collar at the neckline took up considerable space in the cramped wheelhouse, easily brushing against the cabin doors or console whenever I turned around.
In the first photo, I leaned halfway against the steering wheel, resting my hand on the iron helm shaft. The yacht's control console was packed with dense red buttons and digital display screens; during the shoot, I had to be extremely careful not to put actual weight on these buttons, lest I accidentally trigger some emergency mechanism and start the yacht early. Standing barefoot on the cabin floor looked light and effortless, but maintaining stability in my center of gravity required continuous exertion from my thighs and waist. That pose of turning my body and looking back was designed to complement visual perspective extension, making the overall posture appear more stretched and graceful.
The pose in Photo 2 tested core strength even further. Sitting on that brown leather seat, lifting both legs and keeping the toes pointed helped flatter the leg lines tremendously, but also made it easy to lose balance backward. I had to control muscle tension mid-air while managing facial expressions. The leg ring served as an excellent visual anchor, focusing attention on the leg contours; combined with the red, blue, black, and white color palette of the collar and outfit, the overall color contrast was striking.
In truth, the entire shooting process wasn't as effortless as the final images suggest. Space inside the yacht wheelhouse was limited, making it difficult for the photographer's lens to find wide angles, forcing us to search for optimal lighting within confined quarters. Outside the yacht were riverways and shoreline greenery; natural light pouring through the glass windows created sharp contrasts of light and shadow. Under such strong light, the glossy fabric required constant posture adjustments to avoid overexposure. Furthermore, because I was barefoot, it was easy to step on the edge of the white ruffled hem while moving around, requiring constant attention so the skirt wouldn't get caught in the seat.
Because we were on the water, the yacht swayed gently, making holding onto the handrail even more essential. Finding the most comfortable angles for this Yacht photography set took considerable time and effort. During the shoot, the photographer joked that if I kept hogging the helm like that, we would crash into the rocks; in reality, while holding the wheel, I was constantly vigilant not to let my fingers touch any raised buttons on the control panel. My biggest takeaway from this 2D photography experience was that while the character is designed to be nimble and airy, maintaining steady poses among real-world props as a model is a genuine test of physical body control.