This Christmas-themed set of photos was actually taken back in December last year, and I only opened the photo editing software now—I guess I'm in the ultimate stage of procrastination! Back then, Archer and I agreed to do a Christmas-vibe studio portrait together. Thinking that the red and white color scheme was too common, we simply went with a red and black color scheme as the main palette. Paired with the character design's silver hair setting, along with my long straight black hair wig and blue colored contacts, the visual contrast was quite striking. The studio scene that day was decorated with a strong festive feel: the Christmas tree, pinecones, large red ribbons in the background, the backdrop board reading "MERRY CHRISTMAS," and the "AI CAFE" standee in the corner were all perfect for taking great shots. We brought two themed props: one was a gift box, and the other was a silver vintage picture frame. When shooting the gift box set, Archer held out a stack of gifts wrapped in blue paper with snowflake patterns. I stood with hands on my hips, deliberately making a tsundere yet expectant expression, while secretly wondering what was inside. The picture frame set was even more fun; both of us held up that large empty frame, adjusting angles relative to each other, while photographer Shiwang kept calling out from the side, "Tilt your head a bit more," "Lower your hands a bit," causing us to burst out laughing multiple times. What touched me most were the chin-holding shots where the atmosphere was at its peak—Archer leaned in with eyes lowered, fingers gently supporting my chin. In that moment, I really felt cared for, even though off-camera we were both trying hard not to laugh.
Speaking of styling, the mini Christmas hat I wore featured a black bow tie, which looked quite playful paired with my black hair. The orange scarf was added at the last minute because red clothes plus a red hat was too monochromatic; adding a bright color helped break the dullness. Archer's costume leaned more toward techwear style, featuring black leather stitched with silver thread, and the knot pendant on the chest showed a great sense of design. The wig and eyebrows were specially done—drawing white eyebrows is actually quite tricky, requiring precise control over shade intensity, otherwise it looks jarring. This shoot took about three-plus hours, during which we retouched makeup, swapped props, and adjusted lights. Photographer Shiwang was very meticulous with light and shadow; we spent most of our time waiting for his lighting setup, but the resulting quality definitely made the wait worthwhile. Post-editing mainly focused on adjusting color temperature and contrast. Because there were many red elements in the studio, skin tones easily turned overly red, requiring separate facial brightening and hot-cold balance. While editing up to now, I actually hesitated over whether to procrastinate a bit longer, but thinking that dragging it further would reach next Christmas, I decided to hurry up and post this set. Although these are belated Christmas photos, Christmas wishes are never too late. Doing cosplay over the years, I feel more and more that a good partner and a professional photographer are both indispensable. Archer's degree of cooperation was high; we've collaborated several times before, so our synergy goes without saying. Reviewing the photos this time, some micro-expressions were captured very naturally without forced stiffness, which is what I'm most satisfied with. Though it took a long time to publish, every photo was carefully edited without slacking off, which makes all that freezing in the cold studio feel well worth it.