The Cross Princess look for Chii cosplay from Chobits has always been something I planned to shoot with a clear, translucent, and fragile atmosphere. To recreate this feeling, I specifically chose Erhai Lake in Dali for this Outdoor cosplay location. The weather on the shooting day was extremely clear, with blue skies and lake waters nearly merging as one. Although intense natural sunlight added some difficulty to the shoot, it also served as the ultimate light source for expressing the concept of an "electronic butterfly."
This costume features many detailed design elements. The hair accessory isn't merely decorative; it's a three-dimensional white-and-pink piece with a subtle sheen that reflects lovely glossy highlights under sunlight. For the wig, I specifically selected a soft cream-gold shade with a straighter finish, which, combined with blunt bangs and long twin side-pigtails, creates a more docile, doll-like visual appearance. The small pink hair ties at the ends are crucial details—they form a beautiful color harmony with the pink cross on the outfit, the pink waist tie, and the pink ribbon bows on the skirt hem. This low-saturation white-and-pink color palette doesn't feel overly sweet; instead, it enhances an ethereal, fairy-like aura.
For makeup, I deliberately enlarged eye contours using rounded eyeliner and light-colored contacts to simulate the non-human iris texture of an android character. Pronounced blush beneath the eyes and at the outer corners added a sense of fragility and vitality to the otherwise pale base makeup. Throughout shooting, we tried many attempts to capture the light, fluffy state of the skirt. Sitting on a transparent acrylic chair in the third photo was a carefully considered choice: the transparent material provided a seating anchor without ruining the clean blue-and-white main color scheme with its own color.
The wind was an essential collaborator during this Dali travel photography session. In the second photo, when the skirt blew up in the wind, it perfectly displayed both the inner lace trimming and outer sheer gauze structure. This natural dynamic felt far more vivid than artificially staging the skirt. Against a background of blue skies and white clouds, white fabric easily overexposes, so during light and shadow post-processing, we specifically preserved highlight layers to ensure lace textures and translucent sleeve gauze sheer transparency remained clearly visible without turning into flat dead-white.
The essence of the Cross Princess design lies in the paradoxical contrast between apparent fragility and hidden inner strength. Standing between open blue skies and water surfaces naturally evokes a feeling of standing isolated outside the world, which deeply aligns with the soul of this character. In the story, her very existence is something purely fundamental. While shooting this set, I repeatedly adjusted postures and gaze directions, hoping to capture a look that felt both innocent and gently affectionate. Though outdoor location shooting brought uncontrollable factors—like fluctuating wind and passing pedestrians—this authentic outdoor environment gave these photos a texture completely distinct from studio shoots.
I'm very satisfied with the final result. Whether capturing the fluttering skirt or freezing the quiet moment sitting on the clear chair, everything recorded the lightness and dreamlike quality unique to androids during this Dali travel photography journey.