This Marisa Kirisame cosplay costume series was shot in the woods, and having just received the raw photos from the photographer yesterday, I'm sharing some details behind the shooting process. Looking at the costume and prop preparation, pairing a multi-tiered black skirt with a white lace apron created rich dimension. To support the skirt's shape, I wore two fluffy petticoats underneath. The lace trim on the hat was stiffened so it wouldn't deform easily during movement. The classic combination of short white socks and brown leather shoes, paired with long blonde hair, looked exceptionally lively in the sunlight. The broomstick prop was treated to have an optimal weight for easy swinging, and the withered twigs at the tail end were weathered for a vintage look.
The lighting on the day of the shoot was fantastic; around 3:00 PM, sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating dappled light and shadow across the forest. We chose a side-backlit angle to capture the texture of the light. The broom-riding pose required pressing my body's center of gravity onto the broom while maintaining a sense of hovering mid-air, which was quite a test of core and waist strength. Holding the hat brim with one hand and gripping the broomstick with the other while tightening my leg lines was essential—the slightest miscalculated angle would make it look like I was awkwardly stuck in mid-air. The subsequent standing spell-casting pose required holding the broom horizontally across my chest, carefully managing grip pressure and finding the right angle to keep the wooden shaft perfectly level. To capture a dynamic sense of motion, we repeated the poses numerous times, expending considerable stamina. Throughout the shoot, I also had to constantly watch that the skirt hem didn't get snagged on tree branches, requiring continuous adjustments to my footing.
Regarding the environment and post-processing approach for this Forest retro photo shoot and Anime-style photography, the fallen leaves on the ground created a striking contrast with the black-and-white color palette of the outfit. The photography assistant held a soft reflector nearby, brightening facial details under the backlight. In post-processing, we preserved the forest's original deep green tones, enhanced contrast, and utilized shallow depth of field to blur the background, keeping the focal point squarely on the subject. Deepening the shadow tones made the white collar and lace trims stand out even more, naturally accentuating the textures of the wooden handle and broom bristles. The entire shoot went very smoothly, faithfully capturing the magician's free-spirited nature under natural light. Every posture adjustment and subtle eye nuance aimed to embody the character's state. Although finding the perfect lighting angle took a long time, the feeling captured in front of the lens closely matched my original vision. These are a few takeaways from this photoshoot experience.