[Hinako Shimizu cosplay] Finding the true self in the dark ruins

The shooting scene for this set of photos was chosen in a very dim and dilapidated abandoned building. To fit Hinako Shimizu's depressed and struggling psychological state, we made a lot of subtractions in ambient light, mainly relying on the light penetrating through the gaps on the side to create a sense of claustrophobia. In terms of clothing, the classic sailor uniform paired with black stockings, plus red spider lily props scattered around the skirt hem and the ground, has a very strong visual impact. During the shoot, I squatted in the corner holding my head the whole time, trying to experience the character's state of being devoured by internal fear and extremely resisting external sounds. To restore that moment of psychological collapse, I repeatedly adjusted the force of my hands covering my ears and the angle of lowering my head, hoping to present a self-closed defense mechanism in front of the lens.

What attracts me most about the character Hinako Shimizu is her inner contradiction and sense of fragmentation. The lines in the post description, such as not wanting to become like her mother, and the question of who I am, all demonstrate her extreme fear of a certain destiny or the shadow of her family of origin. During the shooting process, to express this spiritual torture, I not only had to maintain a curled defensive posture physically, but my eyes also had to reveal a hollow feeling without focus. The repeated red and white text flooding the screen is actually me trying to materialize the endlessly screaming voice in her head, that unstoppable noise like auditory hallucinations. When doing my makeup, I also deliberately lowered the saturation of the makeup to make my face look paler and more morbid, to fit that trance-like feeling of being drained of strength.

The theme of this set of photos is freedom and bondage, a very wonderful contradiction. Although she wears a clearly black-and-white uniform, she is unable to move as if tied by invisible threads. I like this kind of setting with psychological horror color, which is not just showing good-looking outfits, but more about telling stories through pictures. Through the curling of limbs and the control of facial expressions, the despair of being deeply trapped in the trauma of the family of origin is conveyed to those who see the photos. During post-processing layout, I deliberately added a lot of disordered and overlapping text, just wanting the audience to feel that overwhelming sense of spiritual oppression at the very first glance of the pictures. After shooting that day, I actually felt quite exhausted because I had been immersed in relatively negative emotions all along, but seeing the final presented light-and-shadow texture and atmosphere, I felt that the early conception, prop preparation, and waiting in the dark to constantly adjust postures were all worth it. Characters with such heavy background stories always require some time to pull myself out of that dark world after every performance.