[Hu Tao Cosplay] Under the Warm Glow of Lantern Rite: Recreating the Joy of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor

The shoot for this Lantern Rite set focused entirely on capturing Hu Tao's daily playful side. Before the camera even started rolling, the photographer, logistics assistant, and I meticulously arranged the studio's mahogany furniture and soft rug. Gold ingots and red New Year couplets scattered across the floor significantly elevated the festive atmosphere. To align with the lively yet cozy tone of Genshin Impact's Lantern Rite, the lighting relied primarily on warm yellow tones, which yielded wonderful texture when hitting the dark wooden frames.

This time, I cosplayed Hu Tao's default outfit, featuring a red-and-white visual palette. The wig included dark red highlights, keeping her iconic twin tails and long sideburns, while subtle decorative touches were added to her sailor hat to better fit her lively, clever personality. The outfit itself is a modified sailor suit design, where the wide collar and short skirt made moving for studio poses very manageable. The skirt length paired with dark stockings created a seamless color transition in the composition, and the photographer caught several leg-stretching and side-seated lines, striking a balance between 2D character tension and a natural body silhouette for this New Year outfit.

We prepared a lot of props for the shoot, including gold ingots in hand, a colorful koi toy, as well as New Year ornaments and golden trinkets on a low table nearby. While piling these elements together could easily look cluttered, the mahogany bed couch and rug anchored the scene nicely. I tried several poses in sequence: the stretching seated pose in the first photo elongated leg lines, and combined with a subtle low angle, brought out the character's carefree joy; the kneeling posture holding a gold ingot felt quieter and more focused, where her restrained gaze harmonized with the golden curtain and peony backdrop.

My personal favorite was the single-hand chin-resting composition in the last photo. This shot blurred the wooden doorframe in the foreground as a frame to enhance depth, while resting against the bed couch with eyes gazing slightly downward, preserving Hu Tao's mischievous yet subtly reserved demeanor. The photographer fine-tuned the colors in post-production to retain the golden ambient contrast, keeping the red-and-gold color scheme vibrant without over-saturation while preserving image clarity.

The retoucher intentionally retained the highlights on the dark stockings, allowing the set to convey gentle softness alongside its festive anime-style photography energy. The advantage of studio photography lies in precise lighting control, with my assistant constantly helping rearrange my skirt and props to ensure flawless edges in every frame. We shot for several hours, switching through angles—including dynamic moments holding the koi toy—and maintained an amazing vibe throughout.

The overall atmosphere and results were truly satisfying; conveying that warm Lantern Rite festive air in front of the lens was success enough. It was a joyful shooting experience with seamless teamwork, and thanks to thorough prep work in set design, the character received a richer, more grounded interpretation in this special setting.