This photoshoot was actually in preparation for quite a while, centered on recreating that trending online dating first meetup meme. Although the caption concept was borrowed from online trends, the photoshoot concept and set design were entirely original. I communicated extensively with the photographer early on, deciding to adopt a first-person perspective narrative style so fans viewing the pictures would feel a much stronger sense of immersion.
Cosplaying Chino from Is the Order a Rabbit?, I put a lot of effort into the makeup and wig styling to faithfully capture the character's sweet and soft charm. The wig is light blue, with bangs trimmed to just graze the eyebrows and sideburns styled with a natural curve. The signature X-shaped hair clips had to be fastened on both sides of the bangs—neither too high nor too low. The floral wreath headpiece was handmade by combining blue-and-white artificial roses and light blue hydrangeas; to align with the blue-and-white palette of the whole set, I reinforced the bottom clips to ensure it wouldn't slide off during shooting.
For the outfit, I chose a sleeveless dress with a white base and blue trim, tied at the waist with a slender blue ribbon. Since the character concept is on the adorable side, I paired it with white lace-trimmed socks and brown leather shoes, keeping the overall tones crisp and light. The plush white cat held in my arms was also prepared beforehand to enrich the layering of the composition. To match the ambiance of an online dating meetup, the chat log on the phone in the first picture was specially arranged: greenscreen compositing paired with chat interface typography, and even the cat meme stickers were drawn by myself. The chibi avatar illustration was commissioned from an artist friend.
The shooting set was dressed with an abundance of blue floral arrangements, with a custom-built flower wall in the background and two massive light-blue paper butterflies suspended on either side. When shooting the hand-holding photo, I stood in front of the flower wall while the photographer extended a hand in first-person perspective to hold mine. The camera was positioned roughly slightly above chest level, using perspective distortion to make the frame look like the exact moment of meeting. To keep the background from looking cluttered, the aperture was opened wide to blur the leaves and blossoms behind, ensuring the focal point stayed on the character and the clasped hands.
The head-patting shot switched to a high-angle overhead view. During shooting, I slightly lowered my head to look down at the plush white cat in my arms, conveying an obedient and meek expression. The photographer stood higher up, gently placing a hand on the crown of my head. Attention had to be paid to the camera angle here: it shouldn't shoot straight down, but rather at a slight diagonal tilt to better showcase the structure of the headpiece and the dress's silhouette. Throughout taking these interactive photos, I constantly adjusted my facial expressions, striving to maintain a natural yet slightly naive state that resonated with the interactive feel of the first-person perspective.
The premise of meeting an online date only to discover it's your favorite character is genuinely amusing, so we discussed storyboards while shooting and wrapped up the photo set smoothly. Though it was simply playing along with a meme and posing, being able to express a beloved character in such a playful way was already a thoroughly successful endeavor for me.