[Cartethyia Cosplay] Tree Shadows and Cool Moments in the White Studio

In March, I completed this shoot of Cartethyia from Wuthering Waves in a white studio. Choosing this pure white venue, I wanted to capture her temperament filled with a serene distance into a clean frame. Although the background has large areas of negative space, once the tree shadow projection light was turned on, the structural depth of the entire space instantly became three-dimensional, as if standing at the edge of some fantastical forest. This laid a wonderful baseline for our journey of cosplay photography.

The most complex part of this look was actually those blue-and-white gradient translucent tulle wings. To pursue a lightweight dynamic feel, multiple layers of hard tulle patchwork were used. To make the closing blue gradient look even, just calibrating the spray dyeing took quite a lot of energy. Combined with the short outfit revealing the leg lines, and a specially customized thin anklet to pair with the feeling of stepping barefoot on the base, the overall style both preserves the character's agility and fits the texture pursued in white studio photography.

On the day of the shoot, to cooperate with this curled-up sitting posture, I searched for the body's center of gravity for a long time. Tucking the knees slightly inward, lightly resting the tiptoes on the round platform, and wrapping the arms around the knees—this way, the profile lines and shoulders shot out will stretch naturally. The photographer also experimented with lenses of different focal lengths. The close-up set could beautifully outline the focus in the gaze and eyelash details, while the full shot with fully open wings precisely answered the character's setting.

The advantage of a white studio session lies in controllable light. Adopting a softbox plus side-backlighting method, the shadows on the face and bone structure were handled very softly, while simultaneously letting the hair strands and tulle ribbon edges generate a light-transmitting feel. In fact, I've always believed that cosplay is not just about putting on clothes, but a brief experience of the character's state of mind. What I want to convey in this work is that sense of balance between external lightweight agility and inner quiet melancholy. Every time a studio shoot ends and I see the precisely restored setting details in the final photos, there is a strong sense of satisfaction.

This set of images records a March afternoon, which is also the result of hard work with the collaborative teacher in the white studio. The relatively challenging part during the process was maintaining concentration because with a long sitting posture added to complex wings, grasping the center of gravity was highly critical. After the photos came out, the opening span of the wings and the texture of the anklet around the ankle were both nicely presented.

For the makeup choice, I tried to avoid thick or heavy colors as much as possible, using earth tones to blend the eye sockets, cooperating with fine shimmers to brighten the inner corners of the eyes, which fits the character's cool and worldly-innocent demeanor. The silver-white headpiece and golden hair strands complement each other, and that pair of slender elf ears is also a detail with extremely high accuracy, perfectly executing a flawless elf ear style. Exquisite details stacked up form a beauty that can most move the viewers.

Therefore, a detailed plan was made this time from props to light and shadow in the set design. The white pillar base specifically selected a Roman column with carvings to add some classical elements visually, creating a cross-era collision with the futuristic gradient wings. Every perspective underwent repeated tuning, ultimately settling on this composition ratio with a great sense of extension. Looking back now, that shoot was highly efficient, with many ideas improvising on set and landing perfectly. This is also the unique charm belonging to white studio photography.