[Marin Kitagawa cosplay] My Dress-Up Darling: A Refreshing Summer by the Pool

This set for Marin Kitagawa's summer-themed shoot primarily adopted a lively and energetic pool theme. Before going, I wondered how creating a 3D beach and pool scene in an indoor studio would require props and lighting to fill in many details, but the resulting final photos indeed had much more of a vacation vibe than expected.

Let's talk about the styling first. For this wig, I chose a light blonde design with a slight hint of pink. In regular lighting, this shade of blonde is actually very picky with skin tones. My natural complexion is a warm, fair yellow tone, but against the harsh studio lights and white sand background, it did appear a bit dull and yellowish. I previously saw comments saying "blonde really makes you look darker," and I completely agree—it truly does. That's why many summer-themed makeup looks have very strict requirements for face highlighting and base tone. During the shoot, I intentionally added two layers of highlighter to brighten the center of my face, hoping to neutralize the shadow reflections cast by the wig.

Going back to that self-deprecating topic of "the left face is so-so, and the right face is so-so too"—when shooting a cosplay with Japanese cute items attributes that requires capturing the character's energetic vibe, finding the right angles to avoid the flatness caused by low facial folding is truly technical work. The photographer had me try more head turns and downward-looking gestures because without angular styling, a straight-on front profile can look a bit bland under certain lights. In the final photos you see here, I was consciously adjusting the position of my jawline in almost every shot so the light source could create reflections along the edges of my cheeks, making the facial contours look tighter and significantly improving how it translated on camera.

Regarding the outfit, to fit the pool and Poolside swimsuit theme, I chose a white lightweight off-the-shoulder knit top paired with denim shorts. This loose-top-tight-bottom pairing, along with the tied-up hem exposing the midriff, is perfect for showing off that casual yet slightly sexy summer vibe. The frayed edges of the shorts, accented with the thin black cord at the waist, fit the carefree maiden aesthetic of Japanese cute items in its details. However, striking poses while holding the surfboard was quite exhausting; the prop board was sizable, and holding it without obstructing my face or collarbones required absolute tension and poise in my posture to achieve a natural, relaxed look on camera.

I felt the team put great thought into the scene design. Besides standard items like beach chairs and sun umbrellas, they added wooden fruit crates and a blue-and-white cooler box. The colors of green grapes, oranges, and watermelons enriched the composition immensely, breaking the monotony of the plain white backdrop and blue props to make the overall tone much fresher and more translucent. Especially in the first photo, sitting on the cooler box looking back over my shoulder gave a candid capture feel that looked far more natural than a rigid standing pose.

Finally, about the photo by the indoor pool. The blue and white mosaic tiles not only fit the Poolside swimsuit theme, but also brought a natural visual cooling effect. Kneeling by the poolside is actually quite a test for leg lines and center of gravity. To avoid making my legs look short, I leaned my upper body slightly forward, using the surfboard as a vertical leading line. Even though it was a simulated indoor set, I feel the refreshing vibe captured was conveyed well to everyone.

In post-production, we didn't apply drastic color temperature filters; we mainly restored this bright, transparent Japanese aesthetic. Overall, I personally love the bright yet non-glaring atmosphere of this Cosplay photography set, which fits the character's premise of playing by the seaside perfectly.