[Ellen Joe cosplay] Zenless Zone Zero black leather maid shark girl, the visual tension of a giant scythe and red light

This time, as part of the Zenless Zone Zero Creator Incentive Program, I did Ellen Joe cosplay, the shark girl from Zenless Zone Zero. The essence of this character lies in that cold yet casual combat posture.

In terms of costume, a large area of black glossy leather fabric was used, which generates highly sharp highlights under flash or red light. Paired with the white ruffles on the shoulders and skirt hem, the black-and-white color contrast instantly enriches the layers of the clothing. I had someone custom-make that tactical giant scythe, primarily using PVC pipes and EVA with a counterweight rod inside; otherwise, my wrists really couldn't take it after holding it for a long time. The red and white paint and stickers on the long handle took me most of the day to align the details.

To get closer to the setting, I wore pure red colored contacts for the makeup, and the eyeshadow was specially blended using a reddish-brown color palette. The highlighted teardrop mole on the lower eyelid is the soul, and paired with the glossy red lip glaze, it makes the overall face look in line with the characteristics of such cold and sharp characters. The hairstyle features a black base with pink gradient highlights on the edges of the bangs. The jagged headband on top of the head and the metallic sharp-toothed choker around the neck were all hand-polished.

The biggest issue with cosplaying this type of character is that the props and decorations restrict head movement. That thick choker happens to catch right at the jawbone, causing me to feel pinched whenever my head turns even slightly. However, to maintain the overall silhouette upon entering the frame, one must completely ignore these discomforts.

When shooting those full-body photos on the stairs, it was actually much harder than imagined. Because the shark-fin-shaped prop decoration behind that leg is quite large, while striking a high leg lift pose, you also have to ensure that the weapon and the torso do not suffer from severe clipping. To find the optimal angle, the photographer had me stand on one leg repeatedly over a dozen times, each time maintaining the pose frozen to wait for focus.

The ambient light selected a large area of red light source, which fits perfectly with the overall cyberpunk and dark urban art style of Zenless Zone Zero. The red light shining on the black leather outfit lowered the base lighting, instead highlighting the contours of the white edges, making the lines focus much clearer in the image composition. This photo has a slightly high-angle perspective, combining the stretching sensation of the legs beautifully with the forward guiding line of the weapon.

The photo of the camera screen in Photo 5 was actually snapped from the monitor after I finished a set of dynamic movements, mainly because I wanted to see how the fin decoration on the outer side of the leg performed at the wide-angle end, confirming that no stiff positioning occurred.

Regarding the fabric choice this time, although the leather outfit is stiff and easy to shape, wearing it for a long time in sweaty indoor or outdoor environments is actually very stuffy. I once wanted to take it off to dissipate heat during a break midway. However, to maintain the completeness of the styling, the hard work was well worth it. Also, for that jagged headband, I padded it with a lot of hairnets and bobby pins inside to secure it, ensuring it wouldn't tilt forward and block my vision when making movements.

Every time I present this kind of tactical-style posture, I have to adjust my breathing rhythm to find a balance between tension and relaxation in the body. When shooting that set of puzzle movements on the steps, placing the left leg on the edge of the steps utilized the height difference to increase the tension of the pose, which is a little trick for outdoor Cosplay photography of this type of character. Coordinated with the forward center of gravity of the black high heels, the lines of the lower body also appear more slender. As the last few photos were shot, the entire session wrapped up smoothly.