[Frieren Cosplay] Rainforest Limited Edition Elf in a Sudden Chongqing Rainstorm

The original plan was to shoot a bright, sunny forest style, but although it was sunny when we left in the morning, it started raining heavily shortly after arriving at the shooting location in Chongqing. Since we were already here and didn't want to make a wasted trip, we braved the weather during a brief lull in the rain, put on the cloak, held an umbrella, and shot under the trees for a while.

This rain brought a very special aura to my version of Frieren. The original transparent green of the forest was instantly washed into a richer tone, the air smelled of damp soil, and the light became extremely soft. Without the harsh, piercing highlights, it perfectly brought out the natural, cool aloofness of a forest style portrait. Many actions were actually captured quickly during a ten-minute break when the rain stopped, such as squatting in the grass to touch small yellow flowers, walking briskly through the forest path holding a flower basket, and posing as if quietly reading a book on a rock—all had to be done on slightly dry rock surfaces and under tree shadows. Although my fingers were a bit numb from the cold at the time, seeing the post-rain misty feeling in the raw photos made me feel that this persistence was worth it.

I really put a lot of hard work into the post-processing. Because the sky tends to turn white on rainy days, a gloomy dead white makes the photo look too "flat" and lack dimensionality. I lowered the highlights a bit and used a local tool to create some light-and-shadow contrast on the surrounding tree canopies and the moss on the ground, making the foreground wild grass more layered, trying my best to restore the forest's vitality after being drenched by rain. At the same time, the lens got some fog spots because it was wet from the rain; I used the healing brush to slowly remove those dull stains, making the portrait's face and eyes clearer. This originally white cloak actually had a slightly warm tone in the rainy weather, so during color grading, I specifically kept this faint cream color. Pairing it with the natural green environment makes it visually more harmonious, without being suppressed by the visual fatigue of being soaked by rain.

Compromises were also made regarding the camera angle. A lot of open wide-angle scenes were prepared beforehand, but after the rain started, to prevent shooting the deathly white sky covered by clouds and mist, the shooting angle could only be drawn down to a low camera position beneath the trees. Another benefit of shooting from a low camera position is that it brings in more blurred foreground bushes and leaves, increasing the sense of framing envelopment, making the resulting depth of field look more dreamlike, and the compositional layers richer.

This time, the trio of props—the flower wreath, staff, and flower basket—braved a lot of rain with me. The faux flowers on the wreath actually got a better texture after catching raindrops; as long as they weren't literally soaked in water, there would be no plastic feel. That long red staff also unexpectedly created a contrast against the dim light after the rain, playing a role in brightening the frame, making it very eye-catching against the pure green background.

The model's expressiveness was also top-notch. With the humidity of a rainy day on top of wearing a wig, the wig could easily become frizzy, but she didn't complain the whole time and kept actively asking me if I caught the feeling I wanted. This kind of photo completed together with the wind and rain is completely different from a studio shoot. Although it was a bit messy and soaking wet, the realism is also the best. Every time the final result of this kind of extreme weather shoot is quite surprising, which counts as a successful record of a limited edition memory belonging to a rainforest elf under unfavorable weather conditions, capturing a set of rainy day portraits completely different from the sunny style through Anime-style photography.