[Kanade Tachibana Cosplay] Angel Beats! Serene Piano Time in the Concert Hall

Renting out the entire concert hall to shoot this set of Kanade Tachibana was a dream. The pairing of the piano and white chairs truly fits the character's atmosphere. Preparing for this photo set actually took quite a bit of effort, from the trimming of the wig to the restoration of uniform details, especially that ruby pendant at the neckline, which was repeatedly adjusted several times to achieve the desired drape.

The shooting day was chosen at this concert hall equipped with a grand piano, where the lighting conditions were exceptionally suited for capturing that cold and clean feel. For the first few angles standing in front of the piano, I specially asked the photographer to utilize the reflection on the piano lid to do some mirror composition; that black lacquer surface reflected the structure of the strings, which paired with my tilted head angle to produce a highly translucent effect. Later, changing to the scene of sitting on the white chairs—which was actually a whole row of chairs—I carried a black leather briefcase, instantly bringing out that student vibe.

Regarding the makeup, the focus of the eye makeup this time was on highlighting the amber pupils, using a warm gold to smudge the lower eyelids, giving the gaze a feeling of seeming calm yet carrying a hint of glimmer. The wig used high-smoothness silver-purple hair fibers; to maintain the natural curve of the bangs, I didn't dare make any large movements during the shooting intervals. The cream-yellow and purple patchwork of the uniform jacket presents a soft transition under warm lights, while appearing sharper under cold lights, so for the entire photo set we mixed light sources of two color temperatures, trying our best to restore the character's temperament in different scenes.

Honestly, renting out the entire concert hall by oneself felt amazing; without any interference, I could repeatedly practice standing postures and hand gestures. When shooting the close-up of the piano keys, my fingers hovered above the black and white keys, and although I didn't actually press down, that sense of breathing was captured by the lens. However, the biggest challenge this time was actually maintaining the stability of my expression—Kanade Tachibana's setting inherently carries a "无口" (expressionless) coldness, so I barely smiled throughout the entire process, merely nodding slightly or looking straight into the lens. This sense of restraint ironically gave the photos more narrative depth.

In terms of post-processing, I insisted on retaining the real texture of the skin without over-smoothing, mainly adjusting the color balance of the frame, allowing the black of the piano and the yellow-purple of the uniform to form a sophisticated color-blocked contrast. The original composition of this photo set actually had a few tilted shots, but as final cuts go, the last chosen images still maintain a horizontal perspective, which aligns better with a quiet browsing viewing experience. The white chairs served as great reflectors, allowing even light distribution across the face, and the hollowed-out patterns of the chairs added depth to the image layers without making it look monotonous.

For this shoot, both the clothing and props were prepared by myself, including that black briefcase, which took quite a while to find in a size that was appropriate and with exquisite details. There was actually quite a lot of dust in the piano room, but for the sake of the output, we specially cleaned the piano lid and keys before shooting to ensure every single reflection was clean and sharp. Midway through the shoot, I also adjusted the position of the wig once because wearing the wig cap for a long time gets a bit tight, but for the final cut, these minor details must all be executed flawlessly.

The feeling presented overall by this set of photos is quiet and pure, without any extra clamor, just like only the piano music is left echoing in the concert hall. If everyone likes this clean and bright tone, I will continue to share more attempts in different scenes in the future. The shoot was quite satisfying this time; though my body is tired, my heart is deeply fulfilled, and it feels like every time I treat a character with earnestness, I can find a new way of expression from it.