I just did some quick preliminary adjustments, and the retouching progress bar is at about 40%. While the excitement is still fresh, I'm sharing a few sneak-peek photos from yesterday's shoot.
Standing at only 155 cm, composing these shots was actually quite a challenge. Because I wanted a casual yet elegant vibe, I chose a Chinese garden as the shooting location. The outfit features a semi-sheer orange tulle skirt made of exceptionally lightweight fabric that billows naturally with the slightest breeze. Due to the off-the-shoulder cut and asymmetrical hemline, sitting down can easily compress my height visually. After extensive communication with the photographer, we decided to take advantage of the elevation difference of the stone railing: I sat on it, stretched my legs forward, and turned slightly to the side, which visually elongated my proportions without looking cramped.
The Staff prop in my hand is about half a person's height. The black shaft is topped with a yellow auspicious cloud motif, with a blue-and-yellow patterned sphere and red tassels dangling below, while my other hand holds a glowing blue orb. The staff actually has some weight to it, so finding the right fulcrum while holding it was crucial. At first, I held it too far away, which looked very stiff; holding it too close made it look like I was leaning on a walking stick. It took several tries to find that sweet spot—applying gentle strength through my arm to keep the line natural yet strong. The sphere and tassels created inertia as I moved, which added wonderful dynamic motion to the shots.
The wig features brown braided styling with twin braids along the sides and two small buns on top, decorated with the character's hair accessories. For makeup, I used an earth-tone base blended with a hint of warm orange hues to complement the dress, paired with a dewy, glossy lip tint. On my feet, I wore golden anklets and clear-strap sandals; these subtle details truly enhanced the overall delicacy in full-body shots.
The weather on the shooting day was fantastic, with abundant sunshine. The tree in the courtyard was lush with foliage, hung with several woven bamboo lanterns. The light and shadow that day was my favorite part: sunlight filtered through leaves and lanterns onto the white wall, where dappled tree shadows formed a natural backdrop. To work with this lighting, I tried to face the sun while posing; however, because the sunlight was quite bright, I often tilted my head down slightly or shielded the glare with my hand, which unexpectedly produced a relaxed, effortless mood in the photos.
As for post-processing and retouching, it's currently only about 40% completed. Since the original lighting foundation was solid, I mainly focused on basic color balancing and liquefying. The orange tulle skirt tends to blow out highlights under direct sunlight, so I pulled down the highlights slightly in color grading to preserve the fabric's airy translucency while giving the skin a warm tone. Due to my height, I slightly shifted the visual center upward during liquefying and cropping to make the leg lines appear longer. I avoided excessive skin smoothing, preserving natural skin textures so it looks more authentic.
Shooting this set was honestly quite tiring—walking around the courtyard in a long gown while posing with the staff prop. But seeing the interplay of light, shadow, and color in the resulting images made it all feel worthwhile. Especially the atmosphere of the Chinese garden, white walls, and bamboo lanterns, which matched this outfit seamlessly.
For now, only these few shots are edited; I'll take my time finishing the rest.