Today, I'm sharing the photoshoot record of Chang'e (Thoughts on Resisting Frost) from Honor of Kings. The detail design of this costume is remarkably exquisite, especially the golden wing-shaped arm armor at the back. It carries substantial physical weight, requiring meticulous adjustment of the straps during dressing to ensure it spreads naturally before the lens. The main garment features a white mandarin collar with traditional frog buttons, paired with pink sheer tulle and flowing water sleeves; the fluttering arc of this light tulle when moving is gorgeous. To enhance layered dimension, a plush cape is worn over it—this material easily catches lint and stray fibers during shooting, requiring continuous cleaning with a lint roller.
Styling the wig also took considerable effort. The short pink hair is adorned with golden branch hair ornaments and two pink blossoms; to contour closely to the head shape, trimming and styling required plenty of hairspray. Makeup focused primarily on the eyes, featuring reddish blending paired with light-colored contacts, which delivers a translucent yet slightly aloof aura under intense lighting.
The indoor set design followed a Chinese-style fantasy aesthetic. The background utilized latticed wooden screens paired with wooden lanterns, while the floor was completely covered with a silver reflective surface. This reflective floor posed quite a challenge during shooting, because even a slight deviation in lighting angles would create massive overexposure or bizarre glares across the frame. The photographer and I adjusted the light placement for quite some time, ultimately deciding to position a softbox overhead pointing downward, complementing the warm pink light of the lotus prop in my hands to infuse the overall atmosphere with a gentle pink-gold glow.
In terms of props, I held an illuminated lotus lamp fitted with internal LED light strips. In moody, low-key lighting setups, this lamp provides great fill light for the face, though color temperature control is vital to keep it from clashing with the key light. To create a visual interplay of clarity and blur, I placed abundant cherry blossom branches in front of the lens as a foreground. Shooting with a telephoto lens ensured the subject stayed razor-sharp while using a wide aperture completely blurred the foreground cherry blossoms, forging a natural floral frame that deepened the composition's depth of field.
Regarding posing, to convey the costume's ethereal lightness and leg contours, I experimented with both seated and standing postures. When seated sideways, I spread the skirt hem wide to use its sweeping extension for framing while extending my legs naturally, nicely displaying the sheer tulle wrap and Stockings styling on my legs. When standing, focus shifted toward highlighting the overall silhouette of the outfit, turning slightly to let light trace the contours of my shoulders and waist.
Speaking of the garments, the top is a modernized mandarin collar design with frog buttons; the cold-shoulder cut cleanly accentuates the collarbone lines while preventing the visual weight of the arm armor from feeling overwhelming. The pink satin ribbons and golden tassel ornaments at the waist clink softly against each other when walking, serving as a charming natural metronome when recording video clips. Although the golden arm armor is a prop, its sculpt is remarkably dimensional with smoothly polished edges that won't scrape the skin. The lower skirt stacks multiple tiers of tulle with varying stiffness, with the outermost layer crafted from water-ripple lustrous silk that looks richly layered against the reflective floor. The high-slit cut not only facilitates movement, but also naturally reveals leg lines during seated poses, pairing with the sheer fabric and Stockings accents on the calves to visually elongate leg proportions. While the white plush cape is gorgeous, wearing it too low can widen the shoulders on camera, so I draped it across the crook of my arms to preserve an airy lightness.
Lighting the reflective floor was genuinely a major trial. The silver reflective material mirrors the surrounding environment like glass: if the light is set too high, the floor washes out into a blinding sheet of white; set too low, the face easily falls into shadow. Ultimately, we placed a key light at a 45-degree angle obliquely above the subject, filled from the other side with a bounce reflector, and used floor reflections to illuminate the chin and neck, achieving luminous facial lighting. The brightness of the lotus lamp prop was tuned to medium-low, acting solely as a warm decorative accent without overpowering the key light.
Between shots, I was constantly smoothing the plush cape, as even slight movement attracts stray hairs or loose lint—a minor trial of portraying plush-trimmed characters. The fine, soft fibers of the pink wig easily ruffled in drafts, so after each angle we spritzed setting spray to re-align the curves of the bangs and sideburns. Visually, this look aligns impeccably with Chinese-style fantasy aesthetics, marrying the dignified elegance of classical elements with ethereal fantasy lightness. Through this shoot, I gained a deeper appreciation of enhancing fabric textures through lighting and set design. Thank you all for reading my sharing for this Chang'e cosplay.