Taking advantage of Shanghai's rare beautiful weather, I scheduled this shoot with the photographer inside a greenhouse hosting the Americas Flora Exhibition. The environment here is truly distinctive, featuring an assortment of cacti, agaves, and towering painted totem poles. Sunlight streaming through the transparent glass skylights onto these exotic plants created an inherent sense of mystery, perfectly complementing the visual design of the Rain God.
For styling preparation, I deliberately selected a long curly wig with a black-and-blue split color palette, trimming blunt bangs to pair with a matching blue-green beret and gold metal rings. The most striking element of the makeup is the bold red gradient beneath the eyes, making the gaze appear lively yet tinged with a unique touch of wildness. The sheer black halter neck underlayer with its gold pendant echoes the character theme, while the outer white shawl collar merges with the lake-blue jacket, complete with a center zipper and long red tassels. The overall outfit possesses rich visual depth, commanding the visual focus on camera.
We dedicated substantial effort to the garment details as well. Beyond the gold buttons on the jacket shoulders and gold stripes on the cuffs, the multiple metal D-rings at the waist and the premium texture of the black shorts were all carefully chosen to recreate the design's refinement. The thickness and smooth color gradient of the wig ensured ample volume on camera, working with the hat to sharpen the 3D silhouette. I even paired it with black-and-blue platform shoes, giving every standing pose a grounded, crisp presence.
On the day of the shoot, photographer Vetashi worked with remarkable capture efficiency and truly understood the desired vibe. From full-body shots striking playful poses while crouching on wooden stumps to half-body close-ups holding sunglasses, she keenly caught my most natural and relaxed moments. Inside a greenhouse with dynamic lighting, where sunlight filtering through the glass ceiling shifted with moving clouds, we constantly adapted our angles and fill light. Yet this adaptability brought dynamic life to the lighting of the final shots—side-backlighting delicately gilded the edges of my hair with golden light, flawlessly highlighting the textures of both hair strands and garments.
The round sunglasses prepared for this shoot were not only practical but also served as a fantastic prop. Wearing them added an air of mystery, while holding and fidgeting with them instantly fostered diverse moods and narrative depth. During dynamic motion captures, the striking long red tassel often traced a vivid arc with my movements, injecting chromatic tension into static compositions. We even took advantage of the breeze during shooting to let the tassels and hair strands flutter naturally, capturing dynamic motion so perfectly that even the photographer praised the cleverness of this detail.
We traversed different zones within the greenhouse, each corner offering a unique vista. In front of the colossal carved stone head, the coarse texture of the rock formed a stark visual contrast with the character styling; beside the matrix of towering cacti, the character's colors complemented the lush green background seamlessly. Vetashi always skillfully leveraged these environmental elements to cultivate an engaging narrative. Although the costume was designed to be breathable, moving around inside the greenhouse still felt warm, but thankfully we adjusted our pace promptly to keep our state optimal for every shot.
I particularly loved the backlit shots in the glass corridor. While the camera monitor preview had the feel of digital display overlays, the final processed output was far more transparent and ethereal in lighting, creating a sense of space that resonated with the character's mysterious presence. We moved between multiple scenic backdrops to maximize pose variety—from cool, commanding stances to playful side crouches—fully bringing out the multifaceted nature of the character.
The atmosphere throughout the entire shoot was relaxed and comfortable, which is always the prerequisite for great photos. Without overly forced poses, candid interactions naturally yielded high-quality moments. The raw ecological backdrop of the Americas Flora Exhibition, combined with this thoughtfully crafted styling, stripped away the artificial feel of studio shoots in favor of vibrant, organic vitality.
When you truly immerse yourself, the environment ceases to be a mere static backdrop. 'Vitality, trends, economy—no matter which one you choose, it will be my victory... right?' Uttering this line against the rugged cacti ambiance allowed me to genuinely feel the character's uninhibited confidence. This harmonious alignment of timing, location, and teamwork maximized all our preparations—lighting, setting, costume, and photography resonated on the exact same wavelength. The delightful surprise of the final images continues to inspire my enduring passion for character cosplay in Fate/Grand Order.