In my second year of doing anime-style photography, looking back to organize all the works I shot this year makes me feel quite emotional. When I first started shooting, I just wanted to record the moments of doing cosplay, and I never expected to invest so much energy into the craft of photography. This year, I truly attempted various completely different shooting styles, from suburban flower fields and urban streets at night, to meticulously set-up Japanese washitsu rooms and rustic Chinese decors. I can feel a distinct change in my aesthetics and crowd control ability.
Many friends might look at the final photos and think the lighting is beautiful, but in reality, lighting is often full of challenges during on-location shoots. This year, I put a lot of thought into understanding the characteristics of different ambient lights. For example, that silhouette set shot in front of the port's glass windows looked simple in composition, but we stood in the cold wind for quite a while just to wait for that overcast weather and the right frame proportion. There was also that shoot on the reefs; to simulate a specific combat atmosphere, we brought portable spotlights to suppress the ambient light, combining it with smoke and gaze guidance to give the image a sense of tension. Of course, those natural backlights on bright sunny days are indispensable; as long as you grasp the lighting ratio well, or even add a few streaks of lens flare in front of the camera, the image texture can change from realistic to slightly dreamlike.
The biggest difference between anime-style photography and ordinary portrait photography actually lies in the replication of character details and the sharpness of the snapshot timing. Before every shoot, I would repeatedly confirm with my partners the direction of the wig, whether the costume accessories are secure, and the texture of the props. Many times the scene is full of sudden emergencies, such as a sudden strong wind blowing the skirt into a mess, rain wetting the wig, or the light suddenly disappearing, but it is exactly these little episodes that give us unexpected surprise snapshots during post-selection.
I don't really like excessively pursuing the ultimate "cinematic blockbuster look"; instead, I care more about the integration between the person and the environment in each photo. In a crowded and cluttered environment like a comic con, a few photos shot using a telephoto lens to compress the background instead bring out a realistic touch of daily life, presenting a vitality completely different from studio lighting. I feel that whether as a photographer or the model, maintaining respect and understanding for the character itself is far more important than purely pursuing magnificent composition.
Taking this opportunity, I want to sincerely thank all the friends who accompanied me on shoots, stayed up late to edit photos, and helped with logistics. Thanks to everyone's investment and tolerance this year, I was able to accumulate these works of diverse styles. The magic of anime-style photography is breaking down the barrier between paper illustrations and real space, taking those costumes, stylings, and props that originally existed on flat surfaces of anime and games, and keeping them three-dimensionally and realistically in photo albums through colors, light and shadow, and the moments of our mutual collaboration. In the new year, I hope to continue exploring more different and interesting themes, continuing to interpret this love for roleplay through the lens.