[Ji Ru Qianlong cosplay] Her in The Legend of Qin: Convention Record Between Shadows and Candlelight

For this shoot at the Wuhan Comic Convention, I chose the character Ji Ru Qianlong (Ji Ru Qianlong cosplay). The all-black reflective flooring at the venue served as the core element of this set, using mirror reflections to create a sense of symmetry that made the long-skirted styling look complete. Before shooting, I spent considerable effort arranging the skirt train to ensure it spread out smoothly across the floor, which required close angle coordination with the photographer to showcase the reflections flawlessly. The large bouquet flower prop behind me was extremely heavy, requiring two staff members to help hold it up so the setup wouldn't collapse.

The entire shooting process was far from easy. The surrounding environment was dim, with the main light sources being on-set backlighting strobes and small candles on the floor. Backlighting sharply outlined the contours of the costume and hair, while the ground candles served as point light sources in the foreground; however, because they were short, I had to tread carefully to avoid kicking them. Although the semi-transparent veil looked gorgeous, wearing it noticeably impaired my vision—especially in complex lighting—so to see the camera lens clearly and keep my gaze focused, I had to micro-adjust my head angle during close-ups. The fabric of the dress featured prints and sheer tulle with great translucency under bright light, but this also risked accidental overexposure, necessitating careful control over the range of my movements.

The main difficulty of wearing this costume lay in securing the headpiece and hairstyle. With heavy convention foot traffic, I remained mostly in static poses to avoid ruining the look. Shooting these Convention photos at Wuhan Comic Convention—from venue selection and lighting setup to real-time pose adjustments during the shoot—gave me valuable Cosplay photography experience in utilizing light, shadow, and props. For instance, while the expansive reflective floor added great visual appeal, it demanded tight synergy between model and photographer to avoid capturing cluttered shadow reflections. In the final photos, blending my movements naturally with the flower props achieved the desired artistic vision.