Looking through these 97 sets of photos on my hard drive, I genuinely feel I've learned so much in front of the lens this past year. When I first started, photography was merely about documenting outfits; only this year did I gradually begin to grasp the craft of telling stories through imagery.
The selected shots practically cover every style I explored this year. For instance, the purple mini skirt with metal chains shot in a bar: the ambient light was extremely dim, with only warm spotlights overhead above the counter. To capture skin texture under such conditions, we relied heavily on ice lights for facial fill, utilizing reflections from surrounding bottles to build visual depth. Because the outfit was form-fitting and the chains carried weight, even slightly larger movements would cause the garment to shift, requiring me to constantly find balance support points to keep my shoulders and collarbone gracefully relaxed.
The outdoor shots were a completely different experience. Sitting among green vines while holding lily blossoms, sunlight filtered through leaf gaps, creating high contrast. The photographer constantly reminded me to micro-adjust my facial angle, using leaf shadows to block direct sunlight and prevent blowouts. To achieve a natural drape for the skirt hem, sitting on the metal grating was quite uncomfortable, requiring sustained leg muscle tension to keep the instep extended. The shot with the long blue staff was taken in a studio featuring an ink-wash scroll backdrop over a floor pool; to convey an airy lightness, I balanced on one leg for extended periods, using the petticoat's curve to balance the composition while continually smoothing the flowers and ribbons on the staff to keep them from tangling.
The Cyberpunk and wasteland ruins sets were among my absolute favorites this year. The Cyberpunk outfit had complex fastenings for the tie and belts, and holding a bulky prop gun with front-heavy weight in one hand left my arm thoroughly sore. Yellow light strips and cool blue light bounced off the carbon fiber motorcycle; to accentuate the face, we used neon tube glow for rim lighting, keeping the overall grade at high contrast. For the ruins set, the ground was covered in moss, while vintage TVs and worn plush toys made it effortless to immerse into the setting. Due to the uneven terrain and needing to avoid damaging the set with heavy boots, I spent most takes crouching or kneeling, subduing my usual liveliness to channel a cold, detached presence.
Over the course of 97 photo sets this year—moving from stiff smiles to adapting gaze and posture to outfit characteristics, learning to coordinate lighting angles before the shutter clicks, and intuiting mood from ambient sounds—every character look, from sweet wedding lace to rugged tactical gear, let me live a completely different slice of life. Compiling this Girl photography portfolio serves as a submission celebrating my creative growth over the year.