The midsummer sunlight in Sanya brought a distinct burning sensation directly on the skin, but it was precisely this high-intensity natural light that made Robin • Summeretto's blue-and-white outfit look exceptionally crystal-clear. To shoot this exterior set well, we woke up and started preparing a little after six in the morning. The wig is long hair in silver-gray with a light purple gradient, which is very prone to reflection or frizz under strong outdoor light. I carefully handled the hair direction with wig smoothing spray and styling wax, and put a lot of thought into fixing the metal halo hair accessory on top of the head, using bobby pins to clamp it tightly onto the wig net and inner net to ensure it wouldn't fall off or shift when the sea breeze blew.
In terms of makeup, to echo the Summer cosplay theme, I deliberately wore turquoise-green contact lenses. The eye makeup used a large area of orange-pink as a base, with sequins dotted at the outer corners of the eyes and on the cheeks. The wind is strong by the sea, so the base makeup needs to be as lightweight as possible, otherwise it is prone to patchiness. Therefore, I chose a foundation with strong staying power but good breathability, paired with the baking setting method, to ensure the makeup remains clean even after shooting for several hours under the blazing sun.
The layering of the costume is actually quite rich. The blue-and-white striped bikini top decorated with star sequins has a very solid texture. The huge artificial sunflower at the waist is the visual center of the entire styling, and during photoshoots, I needed to constantly adjust its orientation to avoid it being blocked by the wide blue tulle skirt. This semi-transparent tulle skirt is actually very difficult to control on the beach; when a gust of sea breeze blows over, the fabric patches heavily onto the legs, looking visually dragging. To capture the flowing dynamic feel of the skirt, I ran back and forth across the beach more than a dozen times, controlling my facial expressions while running to ensure my hair wouldn't be blown across my facial features by the wind, while the photographer turned on high-speed continuous shooting to capture the moments.
The microphone staff prop held in hand looks lightweight, but its center of gravity actually leans forward, so holding it for a long time tests wrist and arm strength. To present a relaxed and natural state in the photos, I usually adopted a method of supporting the bottom with one hand and loosely holding with the other, and flexed my wrists at any time during shooting breaks. The scene in Figure 2 of carrying shoes by the poolside was because the sand temperature was too high at the time, and the soles of my feet couldn't quite handle stepping on it, so I simply took off my shoes and walked barefoot. That shoe-carrying action was actually captured candidly while we were resting during a scene change, and it turned out surprisingly natural. Shooting exterior photos is really physically demanding, especially in the reflective environment by the sea, where eyes are often blinded by the shimmering water surface. Every time the shutter was pressed, we quickly hurried to the shadow to reapply sunscreen and drink a few sips of ice water to cool down.
This costume has quite a few details—the dark blue ribbon straps on the arms, the neck choker, and the thin chains around the waist all needed to be straightened before shooting to avoid tangling together. The most important thing for Seaside cosplay and exterior shooting is to reasonably plan the time, avoiding the harshest midday sun and utilizing the soft light of early morning and evening to produce great pictures. The air quality in Sanya is very good, and the distant horizon where the sea meets the sky is extremely clear, which saved a lot of trouble for post-processing color grading. Going out for exterior shoots is not only a test of physical strength, but also a challenge of patience and detail control, from checking the firmness of accessories to adjusting the center of gravity of props. Every step needed to be rehearsed in the brain in advance to ensure the best results could be presented within the limited shooting time. Looking back at these finished photos now, the saltiness of the seawater and the touch of sunscreen mixed with sweat seem to still be on my skin.