The 2024 CICF Day2 convention venue happened to coincide with a massive peak in foot traffic.
Today, I walked around the entire day rocking this blue-green double-braided style, and the camera shutters and passersby's gazes never stopped. Since these are event photos and convention photos, there wasn't too much fussing over perfect setups; it's all about authenticity and naturalness.
The twintails wig I customized this time was genuinely long, with the two braided strands hanging well below my waist, so I had to walk carefully to avoid sweeping into people nearby. However, many fellow fans at the venue lit up when they saw this hairstyle, praising the wig's massive volume and its beautiful smoothness.
For the outfit, I picked this black short-sleeve and lake-green tie uniform styling match, adding a color-coordinated waistband and a mini crossbody bag to make the overall layers exceptionally rich. Paired with non-sheer black tights and platform leather shoes, it ensured that my feet wouldn't get too tired after a whole day of convention brawling, while visually elongating the leg proportions. The photographer brought over a wide-angle lens to snap some candid captures, and that long-leg effect carrying a touch of perspective distortion was genuinely awesome.
Looking back at the camera frames after the shoot, this kind of wide-angle low-angle or high-angle shot frequently brings a highly unique tension to the character. The composition reaching out a hand in the first image was tried from several angles on-site; it felt exactly like trying to break straight through the screen to touch you, and I heavily love this kind of highly interactive frame.
The lighting on-site was relatively complex with many overhead hall lights, but the photographer found an excellent camera position, distributing the facial lighting exceptionally evenly to make the features look clean and multi-dimensional. For my makeup, I chose a clear, translucent base paired with blue-green colored contacts matching the hair color, skipping heavy contouring because clean and crisp is instead the best expression for such a bright-colored look.
Another minor detail that left a deep impression on me was the shot holding the megaphone. On the exhibition day, many organizers distributed mini megaphones to booths or patrolling staff; I casually grabbed one as a prop to strike a pose, and it felt heavily embedded with on-site immersion.
As a cosplayer, what I care about most during every exhibition is whether the costume details can hold up against high-definition lenses. Today, the neckline, buttons, and belt buckles of this outfit were all proper, genuine accessories with a highly solid tactile texture, so there was no fear of flaws even in half-body close-ups. The live atmosphere was highly passionate, everyone was very warm, and I also took a lot of favorite photos.
The fun of wandering around a convention lies in the fact that you might be waiting in line one second, and the next second, a photographer you happen to bump into can snap an instant filled with narrative depth. Without deliberately staged factory-line poses, convention photos like today's record the most relaxed state at the present moment.
Although the braids are very long and take some effort to organize, the final output effect exceeded expectations. Because the venue was heavily crowded, many poses and movements were improvised randomly, which instead made it look vivid. The edge-stretching characteristic of the wide-angle lens generated a highly interesting chemical reaction cooperating with this line-heavy outfit.
This multi-day, back-to-back convention schedule was honestly quite draining physically, but seeing these raw, unedited moments straight out of the album makes everything feel completely worth it. Putting aside the crowding and mugginess inside the hall, this pure aura of gathering together out of sheer love is something you can probably only experience at a place like a convention.
That's all for the ramblings. I'll leave a few favorite photos as a live record of this year's CICF; looking back at them in the future will surely make for a great memory.