Our deep-sea themed photoshoot for Dolia cosplay from Honor of Kings has finally arrived! Before committing to this concept, we spent extensive time discussing the underwater environment and post-production compositing plans. The poetic quote, 'Waves are the laughter of the sea, while stars are the dreams of the sky,' resonated deeply with my mindset while preparing for this role.
Opening your eyes underwater is something that demands overcoming sheer human instinct, and wearing such an intricate, layered tulle gown made it dangerously easy for the fabric to tangle around my body. To capture the graceful, organic drifting of the skirt train, I had to continuously adjust my posture submerged in water while keeping my facial muscles completely relaxed—avoiding grimaces to preserve the ethereal, melancholy aura of the Mermaid Princess. Underwater buoyancy and hydrodynamic resistance are entirely different from dry land; every slight motion required pushing through the drag of the water. This was especially true for the hair: to ensure it floated naturally without obscuring my face, we soaked in the pool for an entire afternoon, diving repeatedly. My eyes grew stinging and dry from hours submerged in water, but to achieve stunning Underwater photography, every bit of discomfort was worth enduring.
For styling, to complement the deep-sea aesthetic, I chose long, light-blue wavy curls crowned with a dark metallic tiara, accented on the sides of my ears by semi-translucent fin-shaped ornaments. Layered pearl necklaces draped across my collarbones, meeting a chest ornament composed of red starfish and seashells. In hand, I cradled a conch shell prop with an iridescent rainbow sheen. Controlling light reflections off these props underwater proved exceptionally tricky; ripples often deflected highlights away from my face, forcing us to restart takes again and again. To master my center of gravity submerged, I strapped diving weights around my waist, which barely allowed my suspended floating posture to look expansive and effortless.
I especially want to highlight our post-production compositing. Given the physical limits of pool depth and available lighting, we utilized extensive creative compositing. The live Underwater photography captured my bodily poses and authentic underwater buoyancy, but the hazy ocean shadows, rising bubbles, penetrating Tyndall light beams from the surface, and the distant silhouette of a sunken palace were all meticulously composited in post. To ensure the composite felt seamless, I preserved the subtle blue ambient light fringing the hair during keying rather than cutting it out cleanly, retaining that soft underwater light-scattering effect. The coral reefs, seabed sands, and schooling blue fish swimming around were added step by step, precisely matched for perspective and color palette. Unifying light and shadow was paramount: lighting angles on the subject had to align perfectly with the surrounding scene, complemented by realistic caustic ripple reflections dancing across my skin. It was an enormous undertaking, but seeing the final images confirmed every ounce of effort was worthwhile.
As for Dolia in Honor of Kings, while she embodies the regal elegance of a Mermaid Princess, it is her profound solitude in the abyssal depths and mythological mystique that make her truly captivating. For makeup, I deepened the blue eyeshadow and wore pale lenses, ensuring my gaze could pierce through dim aquatic depths, with specialized waterproof setting products securing the entire look. The photoshoot was not only a grueling test of endurance, but an intense trial of facial composure, as the slightest strain underwater distorts one's features. The second full-body weightless suspension shot is my personal favorite: to evoke true zero-gravity buoyancy underwater, the body must fully relax, toes pointing naturally downward without any limb rigidity. Though physically taxing, the resulting deep-sea blue dreamscape fulfilled our original vision down to the finest detail. I hope this visual journey offers a touch of gentle healing, and I will continue to explore diverse visual storytelling aesthetics moving forward in cosplay.