When shooting this set of Ch'en the Holungday Ch'en cosplay photos, it was essential to capture the core refreshing feel and summer atmosphere.
In terms of advance preparation, I chose a darker blue wig so that it wouldn't look too jarring under natural light, while also creating a better cool-and-warm contrast with the mint green hat. The black horns were custom-made with special materials and needed to be securely fixed to the hat, as any wind blowing during the shoot could affect the overall aesthetics.
For the costume, the black-and-white base layer and shorts form the foundation of this look. To better showcase body proportions, I specifically chose high-heeled sandals, which effectively elongate the leg lines in full-body shots. That long, dark tail was a key prop for the photoshoot; it has a leather-like texture with great luster, but it is not light, requiring it to be fixed in a proper position to avoid making movements look stiff. The water gun prop was also specially sourced to match the original, featuring a color block of cyan-green and orange, carrying substantial weight in hand. Because I had to frequently raise my arms, my arms got sore easily during the shoot, so a short rest was needed after every set of poses to reset my condition.
This shoot took place on a wooden boardwalk by the lake in the evening. When the wind picked up, I had to ensure the stability of both the wig and props. For that low-angle upward shot, to match the perspective relationship, I had to deliberately adjust the angle of lowering my head while keeping my eyes on the camera, demanding high facial expression control. Another full-body photo used a fairly standard centered standing composition, allowing the light to evenly illuminate the legs and whole body, requiring only minor adjustments to ambient colors during photo retouching.
Regarding post-production, the focus was on preserving skin texture. The overall color tone leaned cool, increasing the blue transparency of the sky to let the blue lines of the water and sky echo the blue wig. At the same time, shadow contrast was moderately enhanced to make the black of the tail and clothing look more solid. The difficulty of shooting this styling lay in action expressiveness: capturing the casual, easygoing nature of a water-attribute character while maintaining a cool and aloof aura.
Throughout this shoot, communication with the photographer was very smooth. We took a few test shots beforehand to find the most suitable low-angle perspective and standing posture. After changing poses several times, we finally selected the photos that best matched the summer atmosphere and character setting. The pacing of the photoshoot was well-managed, and the final results achieved the expected effect.