Taking advantage of the lovely weekend weather, Xingxing-zi and I met up in a classical garden to shoot a set of Ancient style photoshoot frames. We set the theme as "Flourishing World," without binding ourselves to any specific lore, purely wanting to utilize the waterside pavilions and gazebos in this Garden exterior to capture a touch of lifestyle aesthetics.
For my styling this time, I opted for a gentle, demure look for Traditional Chinese style makeup and styling. My straight long black hair incorporated subtle basic braids, accented with golden butterfly hair ornaments and long red tassels that swayed gently with each step. For the outfit, I selected a light-yellow semi-sheer blouse over an embroidered bandeau featuring red and green stitching, paired below with a deep blue long skirt. Xingxing-zi's outfit leaned playful—a sleeveless black dress printed with cats and stars, layered with a wide-sleeved outer coat, and red ribbons tied around her twin tails. To harmonize with the overall mood, we specially brought along wooden bowls and a Go chessboard as props.
When shooting began, the sunlight was quite harsh, hitting our faces directly from the side. The camera's raw shots had extreme contrast—highlights were slightly blown out while shadows crushed into pure black, honestly giving a discarded-shot vibe. But that is precisely where the charm of Film style Hanfu photography lies. We constantly shifted our positions on-set, using the pavilion pillars and bamboo blinds to diffuse direct sunlight and create soft ambient bounce. In the chess-playing shots, while interacting with her holding Go stones, she suddenly covered her face and laughed; that candid moment was so natural that the shutter was pressed immediately. Another pose where she hoisted a green bamboo pole behind her back was also an impromptu joke during test shots that turned out surprisingly cinematic.
The lotus leaves in the garden pond and distant trees provided a wonderful natural backdrop, giving the entire frame a luminous, airy clarity. Regarding posing, there's really no need to force awkward poses. Sitting before the wooden table, we casually rested our chins on our hands, held chess pieces, or pointed at the board while chatting, letting our gazes turn naturally toward the camera or each other. Here's a little tip for shooting an Ancient style photoshoot: if you want storytelling in your frame, leverage on-set props to create interaction—like offering a teacup, playing a game of Go, or utilizing bamboo blinds for a peek-a-boo effect; this makes the results far more lively.
In post-processing, I mainly redistributed the light and shadow by slightly lifting shadows and pulling down highlights to preserve delicate details. To achieve that authentic Film style texture, I warmed up the color temperature slightly and introduced subtle cyan-green tones into the shadows, harmonizing the garden greenery with our wardrobe colors. The entire Hanfu photography session felt like a laid-back gathering of friends—sitting in the gazebo for hours, savoring the gentle breeze, chatting away, and capturing a collection of beautiful, timeless moments.