The Convention photos from the Aw Comic-Con at Beijing Shougang Park are finally back, and I selected a few of my favorites to share. To faithfully recreate Pingping (Pingping cosplay) from Black Myth: Wukong, considerable thought went into the hair, makeup, and styling preparations. First was fabric selection: the red patterned fabric contrasted vividly against the blue printed top. To capture the authentic texture of the original design, I had it custom-made with thicker materials—even though these were live Convention photos, details could not be compromised. The animal ears and gold ornaments on my head were hand-adjusted bit by bit to achieve the best curve in front of the lens. The fluffy tail also did a great job accentuating body proportions during crouching poses, though dragging it around the venue was admittedly heavy.
On the day of the shoot, the Shougang Park venue was huge; the cool-toned industrial background paired with my red-and-blue outfit created a strong color contrast. Luck was on our side: although there was convention traffic, it was well-distributed without much interference, and the lighting conditions turned out great photos. Regarding posing, the seated posture in Photo 1 looked quite languid—to elongate the leg lines, I propped one foot up and leaned my center of gravity back. The crouching pose in Photo 2 tested leg strength; large areas of fur and shawl covered the legs, which, paired with the round silk fan in hand, aimed to capture the character's clever, cute, and slightly foxy enchantress aura—along with that "Come quick, Brother Monkey!" vibe—with intentionally softened eye expressions.
The third photo was specifically chosen as the cover: using the silk fan as blurred foreground while turning sideways to the camera better showcased the character's profile and body curves. The slight backward glance added interactive engagement, and the overall composition and perspective maximized the charm of this outfit. The fourth photo was a close-up reaching toward the camera to create interactive intimacy, requiring tight coordination with the photographer to ensure the focal plane rested squarely on the eyes. Because these were on-site Convention photos without studio-level precision lighting, we relied heavily on ambient light and post-processing color grading. To preserve crispness and texture, we avoided excessive skin smoothing in post-production, retaining authentic skin texture.
However, standing barefoot on the venue's concrete floor was truly chilly, and crouching put immense pressure on the soles of my feet, but to maintain balance and embody the character design, I pushed through to the end. Despite the exhausting process, seeing the final photos made every second worthwhile, which was the most satisfying part of this shoot.