For this Cartethyia photoshoot, we moved the scene directly into an outdoor shallow pool. Expressing the character's unique blend of knightly resilience and elven agility while submerged in water proved to be a dual test of physical stamina and technical precision.
Starting with hair and makeup: Cartethyia's blonde hair and signature pointed Elf ears served as the essential foundation, paired with a sharply defined blue diamond sigil positioned dead center on the forehead. To match the blue-and-white dress, I selected a design detailed with ruffled trims and translucent lantern sleeves. The prominent blue bow across the chest and the long ribbons trailing from behind formed the soul of the silhouette. The ribbons are exceptionally long—prone to being stepped on even on flat ground, let alone underwater. To tame these billowing fabrics, we used invisible clips so they would float outward during movement rather than clinging flatly to the body.
Sunlight was blazing on the day of the shoot, which was precisely why we targeted this time slot. The pool surface sparkled brilliantly under the sun; leveraging Backlit photography effectively allowed us to capture suspended water droplets glistening like starbursts mid-air. While the vision was idyllic, reality meant standing barefoot on the pool bottom, fighting the slippery insecurity underfoot while keeping facial expressions composed and limb lines fluid. Every leap or rise onto tiptoes stirred up Water play ripples and splashes. Droplets spraying across my face and garments actually injected an authentic, glistening realism into the frame.
To capture the instant when the skirt hem and ribbons fanned out to their widest reach, the photographer constantly adjusted camera angles and shutter speeds. I had to spin, stride, and sweep my arms through the water repeatedly. Due to intense specular reflections off the water, shifting the lighting angle even slightly dramatically altered facial illumination. We spent countless takes capturing shots from varied vantage points, sometimes treading water dozens of times just to wait for one perfect, pristine splash.
Many assume shooting in water is cooling and breezy, but as the saturated garments grew heavy under direct sun, the perceived temperature stayed quite high. Yet seeing the final frames—the airy, buoyant dance across the water's surface, the translucent glow under backlighting, and the uninhibited freedom of hair and ribbons sweeping through wind and water—made every bit of hardship worthwhile. Cartethyia carries both the valor of combat and the gentle poise of resting by the lakeside, and this shoot allowed me to interpret her from a fresh angle. I hope these frozen moments among the ripples convey a vivid vitality that studio shoots simply cannot replicate.