[Gongsun Li Cosplay] The Summer Refreshment of Dance Among Flowers, Honor of Kings Convention Photos

When this photo of the Dance Among Flowers outfit was taken at the convention, the intention was actually more about presenting that lightweight and natural feeling in the character's temperament. The blue-and-white dress looks exceptionally fresh under the cool-toned venue lighting, which was also the original intention behind choosing this costume for the shoot. The heavy craftsmanship of the clothing itself is mainly concentrated on the deep blue rose decorations on the skirt hem and waist, as well as the layered ruffles. The outer streamers add a visual sense of airiness, allowing for a wonderful change in layers with just a slight movement.

The green plant prop in my hand is the focus of this look. Although it is long enough, holding it while maintaining a relaxed posture requires some arm strength. During the shooting process, the photographer specifically emphasized that the prop shouldn't be held too tightly, otherwise the arm lines would look very stiff, which would disrupt the leisurely atmosphere of Dance Among Flowers. To complement this lightweight feel, I chose a barefoot look this time, with thin blue rings around the ankles to stay consistent with the overall color tone and avoid a visually cluttered lower body. The light blue long hair, combined with animal ears and white hair accessories, requires great attention to the stability of the wig and accessories. Because anime conventions are very crowded and collisions can easily happen, we repeatedly checked the fixation of the headpieces before the shoot.

The ceiling of the convention venue features complex metal trusses and dense overhead lighting. For cosplay photography, this strong diffused light is actually quite a test; if the distribution of highlights and shadows is inappropriate, it can easily cause colorful outfits to lose their original color layers. Thank you very much to photographer @Hongmao (Second Shot Version) for his precise control of the light on-site. To achieve the unique composition of this photo, the photographer intentionally chose a slightly upward angle. Combined with a squatting pose and a slightly levitating posture, it allows the skirt hem and streamers to spread out naturally in all directions. Coupled with the diagonally extending green leaf prop, the entire frame has excellent visual extension and balance.

During the entire convention, walking around the venue in this outfit garnered many curious glances from passersby. In fact, bringing an outfit with such long props and a wide skirt hem to a convention requires extra care when moving around, especially in brightly lit areas where ground reflections are strong; standing barefoot tests one's control over their center of gravity even more. To catch a natural state as much as possible, we chose to focus our shooting near a background pillar where the foot traffic was relatively light. Although there weren't too many complex movements, every time I turned around or lowered my head, I needed to manage the various angles of the hair, animal ears, streamers, and props to ensure nothing was exposed or out of place.

When shooting this kind of cool-toned character, I personally feel that the most important thing is not to strike complex poses, but rather to express the character's inherent fresh and agile state. Maintaining an internal sense of relaxation in a complex light and shadow environment, paired with the natural drape and movement of the costume, often yields more vivid results than deliberate posing. The material of the skirt hem is quite slick and easily reflects light under indoor illumination, so during both shooting and post-processing, we tried our best to suppress the background highlights to restore the costume's texture and colors more purely.

Looking back at this photo, the blue-themed Dance Among Flowers is indeed perfect for this season. For this character from Honor of Kings, the vitality and agility she inherently possesses found a real-world projection in this live convention environment. Doing cosplay itself is a process of continuously searching for the connection point between the character and oneself; from preparing costumes and props to adjusting states during the on-site shoot, every step is worth recording. Because the focus of this look lies in its overall transparency, no excessive post-processing special effects were added—merely a basic restoration of colors, light, and shadow, hoping to present the most authentic side of the character to everyone.