Elliott Towne

This time, I wanted to explore Alyonushka, a character associated with the Russian fairy tale Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka.
Initially, I planned to recreate the mood of Viktor Vasnetsov's famous painting Alyonushka: a lonely girl sitting by dark water, surrounded by a quiet, melancholic landscape. I wanted the photos to feel gloomy, dreamy, and a little unsettling.
But while collecting references, I realized I didn't want to limit the project to just one fairy tale. Instead, I decided to create a whole dark folklore-inspired photoshoot, incorporating elements of traditional fortune-telling, folk rituals, old beliefs, and eerie fairy-tale imagery.
We shot everything outdoors in September, on the banks of the Belaya River. It was around 16°C (61°F), and the overcast weather turned out to be perfect for the atmosphere I had in mind. The dark water and muted colors made everything feel almost otherworldly.
I also made some of the props myself, including the little straw dolls. We actually learned how to make these at school during craft lessons when I was a child, so it was nice to bring back that old skill for this project.
One of the last shots was supposed to look like I was becoming a mermaid, with me lying in the water. I eventually went in up to my waist instead. It started raining, and we had to wrap up the shoot earlier than planned. Thankfully, we saved the water shots for the very end, so we had already captured everything else. I didn't get sick, and I'm really happy with how the photos turned out!
For me, cosplay is about more than just a costume. I love creating a believable character, finding the right location, making props, and telling a little story through the final images.
I create new looks and organize photoshoots every month, so if you enjoy my approach to cosplay and my interpretations of different characters, feel free to follow me. I'd love to have you along for the next project!

A little story behind my Frieren cosplay photoshoot in a cave near Ufa, Russia.

First, I already know someone will say that my figure isn’t very canon. There was actually a reason for that. I had a small joke planned: Frieren was supposed to have drunk a “breast enlargement potion,” and I wanted to include a little bottle in the first photos to explain the difference.

Unfortunately, I didn’t want to make the shoot too silly while we were actually inside the cave, so my photographer and I completely forgot about the bottle afterwards. We only remembered it while driving back. We stopped in a field and tried to take a few extra photos with it, but the wind, expressions and everything else went wrong, so none of those photos worked.

We started by putting on helmets and going down into the cave. We had to descend about four stories down using a very steep staircase — two sections at roughly a 60° angle and another two that were almost completely vertical, around 90°. After that, we spent hours climbing over slippery rocks, finding places to sit and pose, and trying to use every interesting corner of the location.
The whole trip took about 6 hours there and back, while the actual photoshoot lasted around 3–4 hours. We photographed inside the cave among huge rock formations, moss, plants and very slippery stones. I climbed and sat pretty much everywhere I could to make the most of the location, including going almost all the way down to the water for some shots.

Afterwards, we also took photos outside, with beautiful views of the surrounding fields and forests.

was my first time doing a photoshoot in a place like this, and I think that’s what I love most about these photos. They’re not just cosplay pictures — there was a whole little adventure behind them.

I’m also adding one unedited photo from the shoot.

This summer I really wanted to do something fun and lighthearted, so I finally decided to cosplay Fiona from Shrek.

And honestly, the first Shrek is probably still my favorite one. So instead of coming up with a completely new story for the photoshoot, I wanted to recreate some of the funny and memorable moments from the first movie.

We shot everything in a botanical garden, surrounded by greenery, and it turned into a really fun little photoshoot.

And don't worry — no birds were harmed during the making of these photos! 🐦

I hope at least one of the photos makes you smile. I had a lot of fun with this cosplay, and I'm really happy I could make something a little silly and nostalgic this summer.
Thanks for looking!

I've wanted to cosplay Yennefer ever since I first played The Witcher. She quickly became one of my favorite characters, and I knew that one day I wanted to recreate her.
I actually cosplayed Yennefer years ago, but back then I bought the costume. This time I challenged myself to make everything from scratch. I've only been sewing for a short time, so this is by far the most difficult costume I've ever made. I also styled the wig and did the makeup myself.
I wanted the photos to feel like Yennefer was really in her own little home, surrounded by herbs and potions. I found the cabin, but everything you see on the table was brought by me. Books, bottles, candles, fabrics, dried herbs... I prepared and arranged all of it myself for the shoot.
I also added a few behind-the-scenes photos, including some unedited shots and photos of the costume, if you're curious how it all came together.