Standing in the real-scene Japanese-style room wearing this modified Japanese-style attire in shades of deep blue and moon white, and coordinating with the theme of the "Great White Fox" as a Japanese-style fox spirit, I hoped to present the aesthetic beauty of the "Dream of the Ghostly Butterfly." The texture of this costume is very exquisite; the deep blue base fabric carries delicate hidden patterns, while the white cuffs and arm guards use stiff fabrics to support the silhouette. Combined with gold piping and specific geometric patterns, it adds a touch of cool aloofness amidst the softness.
What tested my patience the most was actually the fur accessories on my body. This pair of fluffy fox ears and the giant fluffy tails behind me featured a silver-white gradient color transition, which easily got tangled during handling. To maintain the fluffy shape of the tails midway through the shoot, my assistant and I had to frequently comb the fur with a comb and very carefully adjust its placement angle to ensure that it presented the most plump and tension-packed silhouette under the lens.
The shooting location was an exquisitely decorated indoor Japanese-style studio in Meizhou. The wooden-framed shoji doors, tatami platform, along with the Japanese-style folding screen painted with giant waves and red flowers in the backdrop, instantly pushed the atmospheric feel to the max. This time, we intentionally utilized real-scene props dominated by oil-paper umbrellas, paper lanterns, and bionic cherry blossom branches for this Ancient style photoshoot. Especially this white lantern printed with a pink cherry blossom pattern was not only the core visual element but also played a massive role during the actual shoot. We treated the lantern as a mobile light source. In the dim indoor environment, the warm orange glow it emitted illuminated the facial contours of the character, generating a strong warm-and-cool contrast with the surrounding dark and cool-toned ambient colors, casting a serene and ethereal filter over the entire photo set.
Regarding photography, the photographer experimented with several different camera positions to unlock the possibilities of the scene. For example, low-angle wide-angle shooting could maximize the volume of the tails, forging that magnificent momentum of being surrounded by fluffiness; while the high-angle view and lower-side backlighting could perfectly capture the naturally spreading folds of the skirt hemline and leg lines. The blurred treatment of those faintly visible pink flower branches in the foreground also gave the frame an excellent sense of spatial depth.
The theme of the entire set of Anime-style photography, "Dream of the Ghostly Butterfly," is not a presentation of a combat state, but rather focuses on a lazy, dreamlike static beauty. Stepping on the tatami while carrying the lantern, or sitting on the wooden steps, feeling the quiet light and shadow in the Japanese-style room. Although this costume, makeup, and props are tedious in details, through the cooperation of lighting and lens language, they ultimately beautifully replicated the noble yet mysterious traits of this "Great White Fox." Special thanks to the "Anime Vision Plan" and "Meizhou photoshoot booking" for providing this precious opportunity, and thanks to the photographer and makeup stylist for their company all the way. The final photo production effect is indeed the feeling I wanted in my heart.