The Identity V Priestess cosplay shown at this convention took a long time to prepare, from costumes and props to hair and makeup, and today I can finally organize and share this set of Cosplay convention photos. The first convention photo was edited by myself, while the remaining three were color-graded and lighting-adjusted with help from a coser friend. Since it was my first time trying this SS-tier series style, preparing took quite a bit of effort, but fortunately the final output was satisfying.
The entire costume design features a blue-and-white color palette, utilizing large off-the-shoulder and sleeveless cuts paired with subtle dark-pattern prints on the sleeves and light blue ribbons with strong drape, creating a very light, flowing feeling when walking around the convention site. The headpiece is a major highlight—a golden crescent-shaped ornament paired with upward-curving white horn-or-wing-like structures that echo the light golden hair. To match the character's traits as a priestess and mysterious prophetess, I chose blue contact lenses and accented the center of my forehead, chest, and eye corners with delicate glitter, so that when convention lights hit, the makeup showed shimmering, glistening details.
As for props, this golden concentric-circle astrolabe in my hand was super photogenic. It consists of multiple hollow rings and supporting structures with a white sphere in the center. Under the hall's overhead lights at the convention, the golden reflective texture looked fantastic, and the light-and-dark contrast inside the rings was clearly displayed. Truth be told, although this prop didn't look heavy, holding it for half a day at the convention to maintain a specific hand angle left my wrist a bit sore.
The shooting environment on site was a classic convention ceiling setup—dark ceiling with rows of circular spotlights plus highly reflective concrete-colored flooring, so even a bit of light cast down created beautiful highlight reflections on the ground. Among the poses I used, the first shot was lying sideways on the ground; to add contrast back then, I wore silver strappy open-toe high heels. For the latter three shots, I went barefoot, which better highlighted the clean leg lines brought by the dress's high-slit design. In Photo 2 and Photo 4, I adopted a pose with one knee on the ground and the other leg bent upward and crossed; combined with holding the astrolabe, it gave the character a ready-to-act tension in the frame. Photo 3 sitting on a black metal folding ladder offered a more relaxed, mysterious vibe; with legs crossed, the skirt and ribbons naturally fell on both sides of the ladder, filling the empty space below.
Regarding post-processing, my friend and I actually discussed our styles. When editing the first shot myself, I subjectively wanted to preserve the lively, raw atmosphere of the convention site, slightly toning down the overhead highlights while emphasizing character skin texture and the prop's golden halo, making the overall environment relatively darker. For the latter three shots edited by my friend, she excelled at handling transparency and softness, shifting my original slightly yellowish raw tones toward cooler, fairer tones. She emphasized facial dimensionality while keeping real skin texture without over-smoothing into a plastic look. She used masks to meticulously handle dress fold shadows and highlights, making fabric volume under overhead light look more natural. Looking at all four photos together, despite subtle differences in editing techniques, the visual presentation perfectly fit the Priestess character's mysterious, aloof temperament.
There were also a few small accidents during the shoot, such as heavy foot traffic at the convention, where passersby, photographers' reflectors, or light stands frequently entered the background. However, blurring the background with a large aperture lens actually created a documentary feel of an on-site record. Posing on the floor, floor reflections cast leg shadows—this real-scene lighting feedback is hard to simulate in a studio. I feel this blend of live scenery and post-editing in Cosplay convention photos is the most interesting part of Convention photos.
That's all for this Priestess cosplay photo share! Future plans are already in the works, and I hope to continue bringing higher quality cosplay and Anime-style photography work.