The choice of location for this shoot was actually quite impromptu. Wanting an indoor space with a strong sense of perspective, we settled on this long corridor featuring strip lighting. The cold white hard light combined with dark gray floor tiles creates a robust modern industrial vibe, forming a striking visual clash with this traditional, flowing attire. The costume's materials consist largely of lightweight chiffon and reflective fabrics, which yield a gorgeous translucent quality under cool lighting. Because the outer skirt features an exceptionally high slit, to facilitate various crouching and sitting poses during the shoot, I deliberately wore a pair of light-colored, fitted flat briefs underneath. This prevented wardrobe malfunctions while avoiding the unsightly creasing lines that standard leggings might leave behind.
Hair and makeup required considerable effort. The straight black wig needed not only to be silky smooth, but also possessed a voluminous, structured crown. The placement and size of the hair bun were carefully adjusted, complemented by blue floral and black ring-shaped hair accessories, along with white ribbons draped beside the ears that swayed gently with movement. To emphasize the character's traits, the eye makeup utilized a broad wash of reddish eyeshadow, with the eyeliner deliberately winged and elongated at the outer corners, paired with circle lenses to cultivate a slightly aggressive, cool, and stunning allure. The lips were finished in a classic vibrant red, providing a strong visual anchor for the facial features.
In terms of shooting equipment, we primarily used the Sony A7R3 paired with the 24-70mm GM2 lens. Within this expansive space, the 24mm wide end proved immensely useful, effortlessly capturing the deep perspective of the corridor while leveraging wide-angle edge distortion to make standing leg lines appear even more slender and elongated. The 70mm end was utilized for half-body close-ups, delivering a soft, creamy background bokeh that allowed the subject to pop distinctly from the complex surroundings.
The prop was a blue-and-white patterned paper umbrella; while aesthetically striking, it carried a noticeable weight, making arm muscles tense up quickly when held high with one hand. To capture flattering postures, I had to fine-tune my wrist angles to ensure the umbrella ribs presented a radial, geometric beauty. Since the location featured hard concrete flooring, standing for extended periods in clear chunky-heeled sandals left my soles and calves quite sore. Consequently, we interleaved numerous seated shots; while sitting on a chair, leveraging the high-slit skirt hem to cross or extend my legs forward, paired with the golden ankle chains, successfully drew visual focus directly toward the leg lines.
Throughout the entire shoot, managing the garment's drape, tidying rogue strands of the wig, and overcoming the fatigue induced by high heels constituted the primary tasks. Yet, seeing those interlacing moments of light and shadow captured in the camera made all the preparation and hardship completely worthwhile.