[Shu cosplay] Arknights Somniloquium Serenum, first experience with white studio set design

The white studio set design I was looking forward to turned out to be far more troublesome than imagined once I arrived on set. This was also my first time attempting to build a pure real-life set inside a white studio. I had repeatedly deduced several versions of the layout beforehand, but when the tools and materials were piled up in front of me, I still had to rely on on-site adjustments. The setup process basically involved repeatedly moving moss and rocks, as well as spreading out that heavy white robe and the ultra-long snake tail on the floor to find the most fitting visual landing point. The background was originally planned to use hanging fabric to add layers; we tried several angles but ultimately gave up because the reflections and wrinkles were too obvious, which was a bit of a pity, so we had to concentrate the visual focus more on the foreground tea set and props. Although there were minor hiccups in my heart, being able to bring a concept to life in a clean space was a very happy attempt in itself.

This time my partner was Mr. Lanqiao Shendeng. From the very beginning of our communication, we decided not to use too rigid studio photography techniques, but rather hoped to capture a bit of a natural and spontaneous feeling. The equipment used was the Sony A7CM2. This camera's high-ISO image quality in low light is indeed extremely comfortable, especially when paired with the warm light sources on set, preserving excellent texture and environmental reality. Because the backing scenery had rich textures of moss and stones, paired with the purple and beige oil-paper umbrellas placed on the floor, the frame achieved a dense and slightly mysterious texture. The original white studio background was completely hidden, and the sense of depth in this real set was much more authentic than a simple studio backdrop board. To capture the tension of that light green snake tail, we tried several extreme high-angle and low-angle camera positions on set. The photographer was basically holding the camera close to the ground or standing very high up to shoot. Seeing the arc coiled by the tail in the final photos due to perspective, along with the echo of the tea set in hand, the atmospheric feel was instantly maxed out. It is a perfect reference for anyone considering a Beijing photoshoot.

Speaking of costumes and props, from the outer robe with golden embroidery to the orange-red painted patterns with blue textures on the arms, and then to the necklace composed of huge wooden blocks and pearl strands—these details were caught very accurately by the light in front of the lens. Especially that group of upside-down shots holding a sunflower, where the sunlight pierced through the hair strands onto the back of the head, forming a very natural ring of rim lighting. Watching the flow of light and shadow in the frame, there was absolutely no awkwardness from a first attempt at set design. The biggest challenge of white studio set design actually lies in the fact that all objects need to be built by oneself to form a sense of space, unlike real-scene studios that inherently have walls or pillars for assistance. Although this set of photos is a novice's first try, the sense of achievement from slowly bringing the imagined tea, tree, and stone into the viewfinder with my companion was actually more satisfying than the result itself. Archiving this photoshoot now; once I gather more experience next time, I'll challenge more complex background layers. Just this first attempt alone has already taught me a lot of布光 and composition lessons for my future Somniloquium Serenum cosplay works.