[Ganyu Cosplay] Summer Lotus Pond, Natural Moments Shared with My Bow

For this summer outdoor shoot, I chose a lotus pond as the primary background. During the location scouting, I found that the vast emerald green lotus leaves and the cool-toned blue hair complemented each other beautifully.

To restore the character's cool and ethereal vibe, special care was taken when choosing the fabric textures; the black one-piece body tights and the white reflective material of the sleeve covers created a striking visual contrast. Regarding details, the metal bell around the neck serves as one of the visual centerpieces of the overall styling, creating a natural gravitational pull every time I moved or sat down, and this physical feedback added a layer of realism during the shoot.

The deep blue gloves feature a split design, which not only made it convenient to grip the prop bow but also prevented the hand color from looking too obtrusive when adjusting postures. The blue and white prop bow prepared for this shoot was incredibly photogenic, with its wing-like lines matching the overall costume elements perfectly. Pulling the bowstring required my lower-body core strength to maintain balance, especially when sitting cross-legged on the rocks—I had to both showcase the leg lines outlined by the black slim-fit tights and keep the upper body relaxed and extended. At this moment, the red and white decorations at the waist and the long red tassels functioned beautifully as pops of color, breaking the monotony of the large blue, white, and black areas.

During the shoot, the intervention of natural light was critical. The sunlight filtering through the lotus leaves around noon created dappled shadows, which would look cluttered if not properly managed. I chose to sit on a large stone that was slightly backlit, utilizing side-backlighting to outline the edges of the hair strands, making the layers of the blue hair look richer.

In terms of makeup, I focused on enhancing the texture of the eyeshadow, using red and pink tones for a gradient to add a touch of softness to the cool blue hair and white top. Although shooting outdoors on a hot summer day can easily ruin makeup, with the help of cooling oils and timely touch-ups, my condition remained quite good.

Regarding the pattern of this costume, the sleeveless halter-neck design places high demands on the neckline and shoulder silhouette, so I intentionally avoided stacking heavy hair accessories behind the neck before shooting. The wig utilized side braids and subtle curls, producing a natural fluffiness under the breeze by the lotus pond. When composing the shots, considering that the lotus pond was overly dense and could easily submerge the figure into the background, I specifically looked for boulders near the shore as landing spots. The shoes with white soles and red cords required extreme care when walking around normally to avoid mud and water stains, making the shooting process somewhat cautious.

Regarding the use of the prop bow, its size was a bit larger than I had anticipated, making it easy to block my face when drawing it. However, in the final images, those shots of drawing the bow with arms outstretched conveyed the character's dynamic charm quite directly. During shoot breaks, I noticed a few tender leaves growing from the rock crevices and allowed them into the blurred foreground on purpose. Combined with the soft blur effect of the aperture, it gave the background more depth. In terms of light handling, the highlights were concentrated on the shoulders, and the reflection from the lower lotus leaves was appropriately dimmed to ensure the character's skin tone wasn't affected by the green reflections around.

The golden geometric print borders on the thighs were applied properly without showing obvious wrinkles, which served as a points-adding detail in both sitting and standing postures. Although it was a daytime outdoor shoot, when the sun was high, it created harsh overhead lighting that could make the lower body look short. Therefore, I chose half-turned and leaning postures to elongate the visual proportions, which both revealed the lines of the thighs and left some compositional blank space. Paired with the drape of the red tassels, the lines of the tassels formed a sense of momentum during dynamic snapshots.

The sunlight, the wind, and this lotus pond all constituted an incredibly important part of this set of imagery.