[Protagonist group cosplay] Touhou Project's Stone Steps and Western-style outfit, a Summer Outing with My Partner

This set of photos was taken not long ago with my partner in a Japanese garden. The weather that day was actually better than expected, with no harsh direct sunlight. The soft light brought by the cloudy skies was perfect for this kind of Outdoor photography record, preserving the detailed layers and textures of the costumes beautifully without overexposing the white dress.

Once again, we troubled our photographer @R-Bing-Ruidu-Bugou to take the wheel. He is excellent at capturing natural light sources and leaves ample foreground space, so the overall color tone of the final images is comfortable and durable, without that overly gaudy or maxed-out saturation feeling, exuding a very natural sense of transparency.

The two of us chose a contrasting combination of red-and-white and black-and-white for our Western-style outfit coordination this time. On my side, it's a deep red large bowtie paired with a layered ruffle Western-style dress, holding a prop with white zigzag paper charms. To match the outdoor wooden structure scene, I specially paired it with twin tails to increase the lively vibe. My partner wore a black-and-white patterned dress with a wide black corset, paired with high knee-black leather boots and white socks on the lower body, topped with a substantial wide-brimmed hat. Especially that black-and-white spiral-striped broom prop—the ribbon decoration on the handle has a lot of details, and its texture looks great under outdoor light.

During the shoot, we mainly concentrated on two spots: the stone steps and the wooden corridor. The stone steps are the easiest place to yield great photos; sitting close together with legs naturally extending one in front of the other balances the composition instantly. The photo in Figure 3, taken through the wooden frame while sitting inside the window sill, actually carries a strong sense of spatial depth. At that time, the glass reflected the green trees and silhouettes in the courtyard, making the integration of the characters and the background exceptionally high, creating a very quiet and lazy atmosphere. The solo shot, on the other hand, was the most natural emotion caught in the live snapshots. There happened to be a gentle breeze at that moment; my partner shielded the brim of her hat with one hand and used the broom for support with the other, standing tall on the rock. The pairing of high boots and white socks made the visual focus fall right on the legs, making the composition both stretched out and slightly playful.

Going for an outdoor photoshoot always comes with some unexpected little episodes. The vegetation in the garden was very lush, and the grass grew densely. After finishing the whole process, my legs were bitten several times by mosquitoes, and quite a few grass seeds and mud clung to the white silk stockings and the hem of the dress. I had to spend a long time cleaning them with a brush and a lint roller after returning. Transporting props also thoroughly tested our chemistry; the long paper charms and the broom always accidentally caught on tree branches and the lace edges of the skirt hems. During shooting intervals, we were basically helping each other smooth out wigs and tidy up props.

In fact, the lining of this dress has several layers. Although it looks fluffy and beautiful on camera, it's very easy to trip over the skirt hem when moving around, so we had to be extremely careful when going up and down the steps, intentionally shifting our center of gravity backward a bit. My partner's thick-soled long boots were stuffed outdoors for a whole morning. It wasn't until she took them off midway to let them breathe that I realized she suffered much more than I did, yet she could still maintain an excellent state in front of the lens—truly admirable.

Cooperating with my partner during the shooting process didn't actually involve too many deliberately posed commands. It was more about the two of us chatting, and then the photographer snapshotting our natural states while gossiping or adjusting hair accessories. The entire set basically lacks that highly stiff, posed feeling. Although this working style requires sufficient dynamic range from the equipment, it is indeed more effective at capturing the soul of the frame.

This Outdoor photography session overall managed to properly record the atmospheric feel of this early summer node. When reviewing the photos after returning, I found that the moss on the stone steps, the wood grain of the wooden railings, and the grey tiled roof blended quite harmoniously with the ruffled clothing and the paper charm props in hand, without a heavy post-processing filter feel. I look forward to similar low-light outdoor photoshoot opportunities in the future to capture a different flavor.