Having full attendance at the World Line Anime Convention this time, the biggest challenge for indoor photography was the lighting. The glass corridor at Western China International Expo City is indeed a great spot for taking photos, but the natural light is often uneven, and with the interference of stray lights inside the venue, it's easy to end up with a dull, gray look if you don't control the light. So this time, I specially coordinated a 4-light plan with the photographer: the main light defines the front silhouette, the fill light compensates for the shadows, and two side-backlights outline the hair strands and edges. Paired with the diffused light reflected from the glass, the overall translucency instantly improved.
The props for this look in the photos are actually very heavy, especially that large radio and the backpack. Moving around and positioning in the corridor for the whole day made my knees go completely numb from squatting. But seeing that sparkling texture in the final photos made it feel totally worth it. Many fellow fans on-site asked me how to shoot dark clothing so cleanly. In fact, the key is darkening the background and brightening the subject, utilizing the depth of the corridor as a natural backdrop. Plus, with the stable power supply inside the venue, the light positions could be fixed securely.
During this shoot, we also tried dynamic candid shots. For instance, for that moment of throwing the ball, we actually took over a dozen photos before picking one with the right focus. The reflection in glass corridor photography is very subtle and can form double images, but it can easily ruin the illusion if not handled properly, so the intensity of the reflection points was slightly retouched in post-processing. Overall, the venue of the World Line Anime Convention is really suitable for this kind of styling with a bit of a sci-fi or techwear vibe. With its large space and numerous structures, as long as the lights are arranged reasonably, the convention photos can achieve a studio-like feel. Finally, thanks to the support team for helping sort out stray hair and props, and thanks to the photographer for their patient scheduling. Next time, I will challenge a more complex night scene theme.