[Takanashi Hoshino cosplay] A Refreshing Moment by the Sea in Blue Archive

This shoot chose this sun-drenched beach as the outdoor location. The sea breeze was very strong, and the waves crashing on the white sand brought a very translucent sense of light. Regarding the props, this huge blue inflatable whale pillow was the core element. During the preparation stage, I specifically tested its inflation volume and stability. Holding it in my arms or placing it on the beach, combined with the chibi facial expression, perfectly broke the monotony of pure portrait shoots and gave the frames more storytelling feel. For the clothing selection, I used a white camisole top as a base with a short skirt, covered by a light blue-green sun-protection long cardigan. This outfit echoed the sea-and-sky backdrop as well as the blue props in terms of color palette, visually delivering a sense of coolness and lightness. The pink concentric circle hair accessory on top of my head and the sunglasses perched on my forehead were detailed highlights, adding to the layering of the overall look.

To shoot photos with different vibes, I tried multiple poses. For instance, sitting on a picnic mat giving a casual greeting to the camera; or standing on one leg in the shallow waters during low tide while hugging the animal prop to simulate a relaxed, swaying rhythm; and also bending over slightly while holding my sunglasses at the edge of the waves. Every movement required coordination with the photographer to catch the perfect snapshot, especially when timing the crashing waves during high tide.

In this shoot, we also focused heavily on utilizing light and shadow. Around noon, the sunlight was quite harsh, so shooting slightly backlit could outline the edge light of the hair strands; when the light softened, the sea surface reflected the blue of the sky like a mirror, and shooting from a front-lit position at this time made the character's skin tone and clothing textures exceptionally clear. To maintain my condition, I adjusted the angles of the sunglasses and hair accessories at any time to prevent the sea breeze from blowing the wig into a mess. Although the shooting process was a bit tiring—for example, the props became heavy after getting sand and seawater on them, and my shoes and socks were always soaked through—seeing the refreshing summer vibe in the final photos made it completely worth it. The seaside sunshine and breeze throughout the set of images have been frozen in time; this is exactly the final texture that Outdoor photography aims to present.