To restore Tsukiyuki Miyako's seaside scene, I specifically ran to the seaside bathing beach today to shoot this Standard swimsuit matching. Although the morning weather was sunny, the ultraviolet rays by the sea were very strong. To avoid sunburn and patchy makeup, I applied a thick layer of sunscreen before going out and sprayed the wig with sunscreen spray as well. The clothing chosen this time is a black one-piece swimsuit, paired with a white off-the-shoulder ruffled cover-up on the outside, and a black thin string bow tied at the chest. The wig is a silver-white long straight style, and to add details, a black hairband was also used to tie up a portion of the hair. Blue contact lenses matched with the seaside environment fit the character's settings visually. The prop is a blue inflatable swimming ring, and it took a lot of effort to inflate it.
The official shooting started around three in the afternoon. The light by the sea was very harsh; if standing directly under the sun, heavy shadows would appear on the face. We found a beach with weak shelter to let the light pass through the clouds and become softer. The sea breeze is the biggest challenge of seaside shooting. The silver-white long hair was very ethereal in the wind, but at the same time, it easily stuck to the face or exposed the wig seams. When shooting side-profile glances back, I had to keep using my hand to brush away stray hairs blown in front of my eyes. The makeup artist had to come over every once in a while to help me touch up loose powder on the sides of my nose and forehead to prevent seawater splashing on the face and causing makeup to melt.
The action of standing on one foot while holding the swimming ring was requested by the photographer. To showcase the leg lines, I needed to put my weight on one leg while bending the other leg backward, presenting a brisk and lively dynamic. The rise and fall of seawater made the sand under my feet constantly wash away, and to stand firmly, my toes needed to forcefully grip the sand. This action was shot dozens of times back and forth; although the body was very tired, to maintain the lightness of the frame, I kept adjusting my breathing and tried my best to make my facial expression look relaxed and natural. The white cover-up became somewhat translucent after getting stained with seawater and clung to the skin; in front of the lens, extra attention needed to be paid to lighting and angles to avoid overexposure, and the photographer adjusted the aperture multiple times here.
During the shooting break, I sat next to the reef to tidy up the wig blown messy by the wind. Tsukiyuki Miyako's hairstyle looks simple, but the thickness of the bangs and sideburns needs strict control, and once flattened by the wind, it will look very unnatural. In maintaining the character's expression management, I tried my best to restrain the big laughter I usually got used to, instead using a relatively introverted, faint gaze to look at the lens. Since this time it was a Standard swimsuit without complex armor or robes, body language and eye contact became the focus. I tried to lift the swimming ring to cover half my face, or look at the distant waves, letting the photographer capture these naturally flowing moments.
As the sun set, the sea surface shimmered with golden light, and the light became extremely soft. This is also the best time for taking pictures. We seized the time to shoot the final set of backlit lenses. The black swimsuit outlined the body contours under the backlight, and the edges of the silver hair were illuminated by the sunlight, presenting a very good texture. Wet sand stuck to the lower legs and ankles, bringing a real summer atmosphere. After the shoot finished, I washed away the sand on my feet and the seawater stained on my legs in a simple rinsing area. Removing makeup and taking apart the wig took a long time because the hair strands were full of the saltiness of the sea breeze.
Reviewing this shoot, although the seaside environment posed a great test to makeup and physical strength, the natural light and the sense of reality brought by the environment cannot be replicated indoors. As long as preparations are sufficient in advance, including applying sunscreen, using waterproof cosmetics, and bringing tools to comb the wig, you can shoot pictures that meet expectations. After cleaning up the garbage and props on the ground and carrying my bag away from the beach, the seaside wind was still very strong, but this Tsukiyuki Miyako swimsuit outdoor shoot was successfully concluded.