[Higuchi Kaede Kigurumi] Early Spring Outing Shoot Log at Suzhou Egret Park

Early spring in March at Suzhou Egret Park. Today I scheduled an outdoor Kigurumi shoot cosplaying Higuchi Kaede. The temperature was pleasantly mild, and the greenery and blossoms were flourishing just right.

For this shoot, I wore a classic JK uniform paired with a thick off-white scarf and a purple-grey plaid necktie, matched on the bottom with a dark pleated skirt and White stockings. Wearing a Kigurumi mask can be quite stifling with limited visibility, and walking around requires guiding the mask's expressive angle with tiny chin movements. Especially today, to match the shoot, I performed numerous poses like making finger hearts and pointing to the eyes, each requiring repeated angle checks. With thick gloves on my hands, posing demanded extra effort to make every gesture look effortless and natural.

Special thanks to my girlfriend for helping me shoot throughout the day—carrying gear and walking around the park with me was genuinely hard work. We primarily used two camera setups: the Fujifilm GFX100S paired with the 80mm f/1.7, where the medium format wide aperture delivered incredibly organic bokeh and smooth skin transitions; and the X-H2S paired with the 300mm f/5.6 for distant architecture and water surfaces, whose telephoto compression brought the reed beds and the church cross of Suzhou Egret Park up close against an exceptionally clean background. We strolled more than halfway around the lake, finding brick walls, wooden boardwalks, and waterside reed clusters as our backdrops. The architecture of the park is truly distinctive, and the distant church spire reflecting on the water was perfect for compressing space with telephoto framing.

The charm of Kigurumi lies in breaking the fourth wall. As I smoothed the silver wig, put on the oversized white bow, and saw myself in the lens looking like an exquisite doll, every bit of effort felt entirely worthwhile. Despite the cumbersome wear and limited breathability, giving it my all for today's final shots was totally worth it. During breaks, I found shaded spots to catch my breath and hydrate.

During shooting intervals, a gentle breeze rippled across the water, and light filtered through tree branches, playing over the mask and hair. Under backlit angles, my silhouette became remarkably soft. We waited until the afternoon when the light was at its gentlest to capture a satisfying backlit profile. The wind by the water was fairly strong; capturing that dynamic instant as it rustled the scarf and wig took several repeated attempts.

Prepping for an outdoor shoot involves very meticulous details: inspecting the mask's makeup beforehand, untangling the wig, and making sure all pairs of gloves are packed. On site, we had to continually adjust positions relative to the light. The park's landscaping is lush, so we steered clear of crowds and picked less frequented angles. The fresh green hues of early spring harmonized effortlessly with this academic styling.

Standing by the lakeside watching the shimmering ripples made all recent busyness fade away. Throughout the shoot, I bounced many ideas off my girlfriend—from framing angles and lighting direction to pauses in movement, she offered so much valuable advice. An outdoor photoshoot is not just about producing pictures, but also about enjoying a spring day together. It was a thoroughly delightful spring outing shoot, blending the ease of the season with creative fulfillment. Next up is sorting out the raw files to begin color grading.