Recreating Director Nian's splash art pose was indeed no small challenge. The languid yet slightly cocky demeanor in the original character design, combined with that tricky crossed-leg pose and how she holds the folding fan, places extremely high demands on body posture. During the shoot, I specially tracked down a traditional Chinese armchair, paired with warm-toned lighting and a calligraphy backdrop, hoping to capture that classical aesthetic as much as possible. With white hair, red horns, and that thick white tail, getting dressed was quite exhausting—especially the tail, which carries noticeable weight, requiring finding just the right spot when sitting so it could drape down naturally.
Initially, I wanted to recreate the exact pose from the illustration, but once I crossed my leg, my entire center of gravity shifted and I couldn't maintain balance at all. The photographer couldn't stop laughing beside me while I struggled to adjust. Holding it for three minutes left my leg completely numb, forcing me to abandon that ideal angle. In the end, I settled for the next best thing: a relatively comfortable variation of the pose, which is the shot you see here.
The white modified cheongsam complements my skin tone nicely, and the red gloves paired with the red folding fan are sufficiently eye-catching. However, mastering the seated posture and leg extension was really tough; legs can easily look shorter on camera, requiring specific perspective angles matched with the right gaze and expression. Reviewing the RAW previews after taking several shots, I realized my trapezius muscles were tense, making me look stiff and uneasy rather than exuding Director Nian's effortlessly commanding, big-boss presence.
Friends who know me well know that my posture is pretty terrible—I rarely exercise, and my shoulders and back tend to slouch slightly. So going into this shoot, I was quite nervous. The unedited shots exposed this completely: my legs weren't extended straight enough, my back and waist tilted at the wrong angle, and even my toes looked somewhat stiff and awkward.
Still, this serves as an authentic record of the photoshoot process. After all, the original illustration's pose was stylized and exaggerated by the artist for composition and visual tension, making it tough for a real person without flexibility training to replicate flawlessly. I haven't retouched that awkward photo yet; it will take considerable effort in post-processing using liquify tools to flatten shoulder lines and sculpt leg contours evenly to bring it closer to the character's original vibe.
Taking a break between retouching sessions, I wanted to share this preliminary processed photo. While it may not capture 100% of the original illustration's presence, I poured my heart into the costume styling and prop details. Snapping open the red folding fan amidst the warm yellow mist created quite an evocative atmosphere. As for the unretouched blooper shot, consider it a little easter egg from this shoot!
I was actually busy shooting this set on the day of the Lantern Festival, missing out on sweet tangyuan dumplings, but the shooting process was full of laughter and the joy of figuring out poses. Since Director Nian is busy filming movies and can't take time to do promo, I had to step in and impersonate her myself! Though the photos still have many imperfections, wrapping up the tail end of Spring Festival and the Lantern Festival like this felt very fulfilling. I hope everyone overlooks the minor flaws and stays happy every day!