Today at the shooting site of the World Line comic convention in Chengdu, the lighting conditions of the entire venue were actually quite complex. To capture the ideal picture, we spent quite a bit of time finding angles and testing the lighting. For this Keqing portrayal, a lot of effort was indeed put into the costume and props beforehand. The animal-ear hair ornament with mechanical earphones on top actually has quite a bit of weight after wearing it for a long time. That part is relatively large and easily bumps into the surrounding hair when slightly lowering or tilting the head, so the head posture needed to be constantly adjusted during the shoot. The wig was chosen as light purple long curly hair. To make the hair strands present a natural drape and glossiness in front of the camera, careful grooming and styling were done before leaving home, spraying a lot of hairspray.
Regarding the clothing, this short dress interwoven with black and blue has a relatively close-fitting material and cut, which can well outline body lines. The matching black stockings and black high heels with blue bows visually elongate the leg proportions, which is also an important consideration in photographic composition. When posing on the white fluffy blanket, it's actually hard to maintain elegance because you have to balance the direction of the skirt hem, the relaxed state of the leg muscles, and the display angle of the shoes. The toes must be naturally straightened, and the legs must not look stiff. The photographer was constantly adjusting the camera positions on the side, utilizing the dense array of lights at the top of the venue as background light sources to create an open picture with a sense of depth.
Shooting in a crowded and noisy place like a comic convention, maintaining the coherence of emotions and state is a challenge. The character Keqing, in the 2D context, carries a trait of being capable yet slightly playful. To capture this expression, I would intentionally make the movements look more relaxed and confident during posing. The focal point of the gaze also needed repeated adjustment—not too rigid, but with a bit of laziness and composure. The photographers collaborating this time worked with great tacit understanding; everyone would communicate about the coordination of movements and light and shadow during breaks. Since the venue mostly consists of hard ground and glass curtain walls, the reflection problem was quite serious. Through adjusting the lighting angle, we tried our best to avoid strange shadows appearing on the face.
The layout of the equipment on site was also quite extensive. We utilized photography light stands for fill light, trying to make the character's facial contours more three-dimensional. When choosing shooting angles, high-angle shots and low-angle positions were used alternately. Low-angle positions made it easier to showcase the line beauty of the legs, while a slightly eye-level angle could better express the character's expression. For the texture of the black stockings, the photographer made minor adjustments in the post-processing tones, making the matte texture of the black contrast with the skin, and the highlight parts did not look stiff. Comic convention shooting often requires quick reactions because passersby might enter the frame or lighting changes at any time, and you often have to confirm whether the background is clean the second before the shutter clicks. Therefore, being able to capture these photos with complete composition and layered light and shadow in limited gaps feels quite rewarding. Thanks to the hard-working teachers who ran around on-site, adjusted various details, and gave me a lot of suggestions from lighting to composition, which finally presented the visual effect.