For this shoot, we specifically selected an ancient-style teahouse, where wooden window lattices and warm yellow paper lanterns beautifully set off Hu Tao's plum-red outfit. I adjusted the garment details back and forth many times, especially the layered red collar and the cloud motif on the chest, which created ideal light reflections under the lens. The combination of white thigh-highs and shorts was indeed much lighter for moving around without worrying about stepping on a long skirt hem, but to execute various snapshot movements, I extra reinforced the waist frog buttons and tassels to prevent them from falling off when running.
For props, that glowing \"little ghost\" was actually a rigid acrylic light board that I specifically gave a soft light diffusion treatment, so its expression appeared silly and cute from any camera angle. The staff's metallic texture felt quite heavy; holding it single-handedly required adjusting my center of gravity to avoid wrist soreness. To capture the character's lively agility during the shoot, I attempted standing, sitting, and one-legged standing poses. The one-legged pose in Photo 2 was the hardest for balance, yet it's my favorite shot because it perfectly showcased leg contours along with the dynamic folds of the outfit.
My personal take on this character is that she's lively and quirky yet carries a hint of mystery, so in my facial expressions, I intentionally lowered my brow line while keeping the corners of my mouth slightly raised—neither too fierce nor too silly. The ambient light on shoot day was rather complex. To prevent the red eye color from being washed out, we used cool fill light to suppress warm background tones, giving her gaze a translucent clarity. For makeup, I tried a slightly finer wing eyeliner paired with bang length to partially veil the eyes, adding a touch of lazy charm. Black polish on nails and rings on fingers were final detail touches that echoed the outfit's metallic buckles.
The costume fabric was quite structured; if unattended during seated poses, it could crease awkwardly. Thus, in the seated shot (Photo 5), I specifically adjusted the waist junction between top and shorts to keep the waistline looking sharp. Additionally, wide sleeve cuffs exposed the forearms when raising arms, requiring soft finger gestures to prevent looking stiff. The entire shoot took around three to four hours; though the outfit felt slightly heavy, the yield rate was high, with each frame exuding a unique mood.
This attempt combined traditional Chinese elements with fantasy settings—not just aiming for external resemblance, but capturing that feeling of strolling down the streets of Liyue Harbor, teasing people while humming a little tune. In post-processing, I preserved original Xuan paper textures and lantern halos without over-smoothing skin, hoping to present realistic skin textures. It's fair to say this capture caught both Hu Tao's vivacity and aura. A complete Genshin Impact cosplay work requires careful polishing at every step—from makeup to props to environmental staging—to ultimately deliver this natural yet dramatic visual effect.