This set of photos is a share of convention photos completed with a large express cardboard box at the Chengdu Worldline Animation and Comic Exhibition. The long-standing anime meme of 'a cat growing in a box if left for a long time' was finally brought into reality at the comic con by me. So this time, I sourced materials locally, using a real cardboard box as a prop to match this Kinako cat girl cosplay look.
First, let's talk about the overall styling. To echo the cat girl setting, a golden-yellow wig was chosen, with the bangs specially trimmed to a fluffy and natural length. The beast ears on my head were manually adjusted and fixed by myself; to ensure stability when taking photos from different angles, they were stuffed with supports inside. The most eye-catching accessory is the large bell on the collar. The red neck collar paired with gold creates a very comfortable color contrast for the upper body. The upper body features a basic white T-shirt so as not to take away from the cuteness of the cat ears, while the lower body is in white tights, which is a classic signature element in cat girl styling that nicely extends the leg proportions in the frame.
The photographer helped record four different states on-site. The first one is me sitting in the box with fists clenched near my ears, leaning forward with eyes looking down, giving off a submissive and reserved feeling. The second one is a candid interactive snapshot looking directly at the camera, with fingers gently gesturing next to my cheek and a slight smile on my face. This one was chosen as the cover because the composition is highly centered, and the facial features and gaze are well-highlighted within the frame of the cardboard box. The third one has the box stood upright, with me hiding behind it, showing only the beast ears on top of my head and fingers clawing the edge of the box. This 'observing from the shadows' pose required good arm strength to support, recreating the playful vibe of a kitten peeking its head out. The last one shows my arms stretched upward, a very relaxed posture in the cardboard box like taking a big stretch, showcasing a more lively and casual side.
This shoot took place at the venue of the Chengdu Worldline Animation and Comic Exhibition, and the environment heavily tested the photographer's snapshot ability. The exhibition floor was polished marble or tiles with strong reflections, which served as both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage was that the floor reflections acted as a natural floor mirror; in the first and last photos, you can see the white reflection of the legs on the floor, adding a sense of space and translucency. The disadvantage was the many passing pedestrians in the background. If the aperture wasn't large enough, it would easily steal the focus from the character. Therefore, when shooting these photos, we used a large aperture to blur the background, framing the subject within the cardboard box area and turning the pedestrians into a blurred background of light and shadow.
Posing in a cardboard box isn't as easy as it looks. Due to the limited space inside the box, I had to adjust my leg posture to stretch out after sitting in, especially for the pose in Figure 2 where my legs curl up and extend outside the box, which took some time to find the balance point to prevent the box from tipping over due to an unstable center of gravity. Fortunately, the final results turned out very natural. In particular, the texture of the white tights under the strong indoor lights of the convention looked very clean without strange shadows or smudges, which is something to watch out for when shooting this white thigh-highs outfit theme; the direction and uniformity of the light directly determine whether the final print will have color variance. Moreover, the dark shadows formed by the cardboard box under the light created a great contrast with the white clothes and stockings, making the character appear more three-dimensional in the frame.
Utilizing a highly common everyday object like a cardboard box at this comic con, we played out four different anime atmospheres through variations in placement and postures. This method of using existing on-site props for creative shooting is exactly where the fun of convention photos lies. Without relying on complex backgrounds, on any open ground in the exhibition hall, you can shoot interesting images as long as you have a small box. As a coser, being able to leave such a set of photos with a lighthearted atmosphere and personal characteristics at the comic con is truly a happy convention experience, making one look forward even more to what interesting creative posing ideas can be brought to the next exhibition.