This Ganyu Lantern Rite outfit shot during May Day last year had been sitting on my hard drive unorganized, so riding the wave of the current Lantern Rite event, I finally finished retouching all the photos and posted them.
This look actually features very rich details. The blue-toned modified costume had quite a few tailoring adjustments made to highlight the character's body proportions. The headpiece was particularly crucial: white flowers paired with horn-shaped decorations served as key elements for replicating the character's hair design faithfully. The black semi-sheer mesh paneling on the upper body, combined with the metal buckle at the collarbone and asymmetric waist cutouts, added great structural depth to the overall outfit.
The leg decorations served as one of the visual highlights of the entire look. The asymmetric leg ring design accented with red tassels not only elongated visual proportions in static standing poses, but also greatly enhanced the dynamic beauty of the frame when walking or lifting one leg. The shoes chosen were black chunky heels with blue bow ribbons; the heel height stayed true to character design while remaining crisp for walking, making it comfortable enough without being too tiring.
To make photo sessions easier, I used a layered light-blue wig, trimming the bangs twice to properly frame my facial structure. For makeup, to complement the character's demeanor, I chose a clean, translucent base makeup. The eye makeup wasn't overly dramatic, with just a touch of reddish blush at the outer corners to create a cool yet gentle ambiance.
The shooting location was an outdoor venue featuring a traditional Chinese garden style. Since it was during May Day holiday, Night outdoor photography placed extremely high demands on lighting setup. The original plan was to bring two continuous lights for fill, but due to complex ambient lighting—including streetlights and eaves lights with conflicting color temperatures—we had to adapt on the fly, using existing warm yellow streetlights complemented by a handheld spot fill light from the photographer. Uncontrollable outdoor lighting and nighttime mosquitoes made the process take quite a bit of effort. The first few photos featured a red scroll prop, while later shots swapped to a black folding fan, trying poses with one leg slightly raised, which posed another test for body balance and coordination.
The last few images in the set were cropped out from photos taken with friends. Although slightly losing some overall environmental background in composition, this allowed my facial expressions and body posture details to be zoomed in so everyone can see them clearly. During editing, I tried my best to preserve natural skin texture and fabric folds without over-smoothing, as I believe high-quality cosplay is about showcasing the premium texture of the outfit through fine details rather than just wearing a costume. Organizing everything after editing made me realize that even after half a year, this look remains timeless. Perfect timing with the current Lantern Rite theme, so I submitted this photo set to the creator incentive program as an archive, fitting right into the hot topic of \"time to go back to Genshin Impact for Lantern Rite.\"