Having finished shooting these Cosplay convention photos in this Hu Tao cosplay outfit at Wuhan Dreamland Comic Con, I finally have time to sit down and organize them.
The lighting conditions on shooting day were actually quite complex; natural light filtering from the hall ceiling combined with various booth spotlights made it hard to capture skin tones and shadow details. So for this shoot, we specially brought two continuous lights with softboxes for key lighting, which, paired with a large-aperture camera lens, blurred out the cluttered crowd and Hall A2 signage in the background, keeping the focal point entirely on me. The final results are indeed much clearer and more translucent than raw shots. Even though the venue was packed shoulder-to-shoulder, everyone can only see the most eye-catching Hu Tao in the finished photos.
Regarding hair, makeup, and styling, the overall palette features a dark brown and black-gold mandarin button top paired with black shorts, topped with an iconic black porkpie hat whose red flower decoration on the side serves as a finishing touch. The lower body opts for white long socks paired with thick-soled loafers, which, together with the high-slit hemline design, effectively elongates visual proportions while walking or posing around the convention. This is one of the reasons why I love Hu Tao's outfit in Genshin Impact so much—it allows easy movement while remaining highly recognizable.
I brought two props during the shoot. The first was the red-and-black flame-styled staff (polearm); the red area and eye-like totem at the top looked very realistic in texture, though perhaps due to reinforced internal structuring, it felt quite heavy in hand. Raising it for extended periods indeed made my wrist a bit sore—this must be the true weight of a polearm weapon! The other prop was that white big-headed plushie; holding it brought out her quirky, playful persona from official lore instantly, making my overall vibe appear more relaxed while creating a delightful contrast against the weapon prop to enrich visual elements.
The poses in this set mainly focused on dynamic candid captures. I personally favor the posture in Photo 2, lifting one leg with body twisting, as it lets the skirt hem and tassels flutter naturally for stronger visual motion. Furthermore, single-leg standing balance in Photo 1 and the moment jumping mid-air in Photo 4 tested center of gravity control significantly. Thankfully, I wore shoes with non-slip soles beforehand, otherwise slipping on the convention hall's smooth floor would be easy! Viewers might think it looks easy in photos, but executing these large-amplitude movements demands substantial core strength and expression management—keeping postures graceful without stiffness while keeping eyes tracking the camera lens.
As the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao's personality is inherently eccentric and free-spirited—she will never be confined by rigid frameworks. Therefore, when shooting this photo set, I intentionally avoided standard, static standing poses, encouraging the photographer instead to snap moments of turning around, jumping, or reaching out. This energetic form of Anime-style photography expression aligns much better with my understanding of the character.
The advantage of anime convention venues lies in their authentic, down-to-earth atmosphere; although blurred, background elements still convey the vibrant energy of a gathering spot for fellow fans. This experience at Wuhan Dreamland Comic Con was truly delightful—aside from being exhausted from walking around the massive venue, everything went smoothly, making these Cosplay convention photos a satisfying conclusion to this trip.