This shoot features the Hanafuda skin of Mai Shiranui from Honor of Kings. This specific styling actually blends many Japanese-style elements in its setting. Since the studio's set arrangement is quite fitting today, I rushed over to record it. During the early preparation phase, styling the wig was the top priority. White hair inherently looks prone to frizzing, and with the red highlight sections on top of the head, making it look flowing yet layered required immense patience to comb and style clump by clump. The headpiece part was also quite challenging; the golden crown on top combined with the red feather-shaped ornaments offers a strong sense of styling, but the center of gravity is hard to secure. If the movements during the shoot were too large, it would tilt to one side, so I had to constantly monitor its state during the shoot, rather than just focusing on posing.
The structure of the costume is crafted very richly, closely fitting the character's combat attributes. The main body consists of a short white and purple top with an off-shoulder design on the shoulders to visually make the posture look more upright. Encircling the exterior is a pair of oversized red wide sleeves, which is a major highlight of the Hanafuda look. During the shoot, to give the sleeves a floating feel, the photographer specifically used a fan blowing from the side-rear; as long as the arms were slightly tilted, the sleeves could form a very beautiful arc. The waistband has multiple layers, with a wide purple cloth belt paired with golden knots and cascading tassels, making the waistline look visually very compact. The lower body design is also an eye-catching part of this look, featuring white bindings with geometric patterns on the thighs, plus leg guards and high heels, entirely modifying the leg proportions.
The studio set for this shoot provided a giant moon backdrop, next to which Japanese-style wooden floor lamps and several oil-paper umbrellas of different colors were placed, while the lighting adopted a purplish-pink neon ambient light. This lighting method actually tests the restoration of skin tone and the original clothing colors heavily, but fortunately, the photographer controlled it well, preserving the dreamlike quality of the environment without letting the face look overly grey. The fan held in hand is a highly critical visual feature of the character, printed with vivid character illustrations. When holding the fan, it must display the character's cool boldness while ensuring the fan face doesn't completely block the body or face, requiring repeated fine-tuning of the angles.
Among these four finished photos, the one I personally recommend most for the cover is the second one, featuring the one-knee kneeling pose. This posture fits the character's dynamics perfectly, reminiscent of pre-battle or settlement screens in the game. It beautifully combines the upright posture of the upper body, the curves of the lower body, and the flowing sleeves. Coupled with the knee guards and thick-soled long boots, it looks full of power. With the figure centered, the composition is also very full, leaving almost no edge cropping issues across the entire image, focusing the visual center heavily. The third photo in a sitting posture leans more towards displaying the static beauty of the skin, the first low-angle shot highlights an overbearing aura, and the fourth half-body close-up primarily displays makeup and hand movement details. From fabric selection to accessory embellishments, the overall texture of this look is quite heavy-duty. Although swinging the relatively thick sleeves during the shoot required a certain amount of arm strength, the resulting effects were still quite satisfying. The entire shooting process saw smooth coordination from makeup/styling to lighting and the final finished photos, serving as a wonderful record for my casual cosplay.