[Tamamo no Mae cosplay] Looking Back at My Fate/Grand Order Journey in a Sea of Sunflowers from Half a Year Ago

While sorting through my hard drive, I stumbled upon this set of Tamamo no Mae photos from half a year ago; time truly flies. Looking back at that night shoot in the Sunflower field, the process was actually full of challenges. There were so many mosquitoes that day, constantly biting me as I crouched in the grass, and the nighttime temperature was quite low. Photographer Wen Hao set up a very professional lighting rig, placing the key light behind to cast a strong beam onto the Sunflowers and the back of the subject. This lighting setup maximized backlighting, creating a gorgeous, fluffy rim-light translucency along the edges of the plush beast ears and long pink hair. The cool-white ambient light paired with the warm yellow rim light established a mysterious and aesthetic tone for the photos. The costume for this shoot was a cutout lace dress with a white base and blue trim, paired with White stockings and translucent gloves. To perfectly showcase the character's lively temperament from Fate/Grand Order, the hair and makeup took a considerable amount of time. The most meticulous detail was the pair of golden colored contacts, which, paired with a specialized eyeliner technique, made the gaze look incredibly piercing under the lights. The long pink wig required careful combing and styling to ensure it maintained a flawless curve when crouching or turning around. To bring out as many photographic details as possible, we experimented with various angles. For example, when kneeling on the grass, I had to mind the layering of the skirt hem so there were no unwanted wrinkles; when standing, pointing the toes made the White stockings appear glossier under the light reflection; and for the gesture of pulling back the veil, we repeatedly checked the texture and light opacity of the translucent fabric, taking over a dozen shots before picking the best one. For the photo looking up at the sky, a gust of wind happened to blow by, making the fluttering hair look just right, so we captured it on the fly. As an in-depth cosplay experience, I gained a deeper appreciation for night lighting. I used to worry about the face being too dark, but using backlighting to outline the silhouette combined with a touch of frontal fill light to brighten the face produced much better depth and layering than a pure studio shoot. Sorting through these photos from half a year ago, looking at my dedicated performance back then and remembering Teacher Wen Hao guiding my poses through the viewfinder, leaves me with truly precious visual memories. Although this set of works is just a captured moment from that time, the original passion to present the character perfectly remains intact. Every cosplay is a reinterpretation of a character and a way to hone my craft. Looking forward to doing even better next time.