Wind and snow fall over Jiangnan. The shooting process for this set of photos was actually much tougher than expected. Choosing an outdoor location in a Jiangnan water town on a snowy night for a Genshin Impact character shoot was mainly to capture the red lanterns of ancient architecture and the tranquil reflections on the water—this contrast between warm and cold perfectly fits the character's visual tone.
The temperature dropped sharply on the day of the shoot, with snow falling intermittently and making the ground slick. Especially near the water's edge, the slushy mix of ice and snow made standing firm a real challenge. Regarding the costume, to better present the character's main palette of silver-white and blue-gray, we specifically chose fabrics with a soft sheen. The collar and cuffs retained the original metallic gold and silver patterns from the design, and paired with the iconic blue-and-white wig and bell accessories, the overall restoration met our expectations well. Black stockings in such a cold outdoor environment really test one's patience during the shoot, but once you find the right angle, paired with the cold white snow and the warm yellow lantern light behind, it creates a visual effect rich in depth. As for props, the blue bow model served as a great compositional element in the snow scene cosplay. The drawing-the-bow action in the first picture and the static seated pose holding a snowball in the third picture were satisfying moments captured after trying different camera angles.
Before this shoot, I actually consulted Doubao AI to discuss some composition ideas and textual inspiration. However, putting it into practice mostly depended on the weather at the moment and the photographer's mastery over light and shadow. Snow-day light is diffuse without harsh direct sunlight, making facial contours softer, though it can easily make the image look somewhat flat. Fortunately, night string lights and warm illumination from distant buildings compensated for the missing color tension in the environment. To pursue clarity and transparency in the original shots, we did many test shots controlling aperture and exposure during the shoot, minimizing traces of post-processing and letting the shape of snowflakes and details resting on hair strands remain natural. Although walking back and forth and holding stiff poses for a long time left my hands and feet somewhat numb, seeing a snowy night in Jiangnan, the ancient town, water surface, and character styling melt together made all the effort feel worthwhile. Such an authentic snowy night atmosphere is truly difficult to replicate in an indoor studio shoot.