Misato Katsuragi Cosplay — Casual Riverside Town, Photo 5

The tightest crop in the set, running from the top of the head to the chest. Misato Katsuragi leans toward the camera with her shoulders pushed a little forward, one palm pressed flat to her chest and the other arm lowered, and breaks into a wide smile, teeth showing and her eyes laughing.

Nothing competes with the face here. Greenery, a pale path and the faint verticals of a fence are blurred so far that they turn into soft patches of green and light. Daylight falls from the front and slightly above, even across the skin, with bright catchlights in the eyes, and the camera looks down just a little. Below the face, the long purple waves fall over the mustard-yellow top.

Of the ten frames, this is the only one where the setting drops out almost entirely and only the expression is left.