This red and black Gothic outfit, paired with skulls, candlesticks, and red-and-black drapes in the setting, truly captured the Dark Gothic style atmosphere I wanted to convey most in this shoot.
When choosing the costume, I placed great importance on the texture of the fabric. This black off-the-shoulder dress features a velour fabric with subtle woven patterns; under the studio lighting, it presents a very soft matte finish that doesn't look overly shiny or cheap. The white lace cuffs and collar decorations, combined with two red ribbon accents, add a touch of sweetness and splendor to the deep black foundation. Paired with black bat-wing bat ears on top of the wig and pointed elf ears, the setting of the Vampire Queen immediately takes concrete shape.
For makeup, to echo the hair color and red elements on the costume, I selected red-brown contact lenses and blended the eye makeup with subtle reddish hues. Rather than aiming for overly heavy makeup, this look emphasized the elongated lines of the eyes, creating a calmer, more composed facial expression by extending the outer corners and raising the arch of the eyebrows.
The set design felt very ceremonial. Hanging from above behind me were red and black light drapes that, together with the dark curtains around, made it feel like being in a corner of a Gothic castle. The most alluring feature of the set was the black-and-white checkered floor tiles—a classic visual element. We intentionally scattered red flower petals across the tiles, giving the cold geometric pattern a touch of fragile romance.
During the shoot, I really enjoyed interacting with the props, especially the glass candlestick with fake candle flames. Its light refracted through the glass and echoed beautifully with the red background light, creating a nice sense of dimension when hitting facial contours. I selected a series of photos holding a wine glass filled with water and a drop of red food coloring; it looked very realistic on camera and was perfect for showcasing the character's effortlessly relaxed posture.
To fully display the off-the-shoulder design of the dress and the long boots on the lower body in the frame, we experimented with various standing angles. For the cover shot, I stood with one leg slightly forward, my weight placed on the other leg in a crossed stance. This not only let the black over-the-knee leather boots become the visual focus and elongate my leg lines, but also allowed the red bows and long red streamers to fall naturally.
Honestly, wearing this outfit—especially stepping into those thigh-high black high-heeled boots—didn't allow for nimble movement. Climbing onto the white circular platform required extra care to keep my balance, but this actually fit right into the character's unhurried composure. The seated and prone photos were more relaxed; I needed to maintain a serene sense of pressure by controlling my gaze and chin angle rather than easily cracking a smile.
In post-processing, I didn't over-saturate the colors, maintaining the three classic primary tones: red, black, and white. The red background and red ribbons formed great visual leading lines in the shot, and interspersed with props like skulls and skeleton hands, created a rich Gothic atmosphere. Although this look has many elements, combining the makeup, wig, fabric textures, and lighting yields a very clean and crisp photo set. After constantly discussing angles with the photographer in the studio and trying multiple movement paths, this selected set perfectly recreated my imagination of the Vampire Queen.