I organized the behind-the-scenes process of this Lynette special effects photoshoot from the Xiamen Ziyu Anime Convention to share with everyone. On the day of the convention, the lighting inside the venue was quite complex; harsh overhead lights and a sleek, reflective floor presented quite a few challenges for Convention photography. To avoid the messy crowds, we found a corner on the edge of the exhibition hall with a high barstool as our primary shooting spot. Preparing this costume was quite a physical task. While the leather corset vest fit the character design perfectly, wearing it was stiflingly hot. Especially when holding the pose with one foot stepped up on the stool, the leather tightened firmly around my torso; maintaining an upright posture required engaging my core the entire time. Securing the animal ears was delicate work—they had to be concealed within the wig at just the right angle to ensure the ears wouldn't slip when turning my head, requiring extreme caution throughout. To emphasize the character's texture, I deliberately chose Black stockings paired with tall boots; under low-angle upward shots, the leg lines were lengthened flawlessly, instantly boosting my presence. Holding a pose during the shoot often meant holding my breath, adjusting my center of gravity whenever the photographer directed me. After dozens of takes back and forth, my thighs were completely sore. The sheen of the Black stockings stood out brilliantly under cool tones, which was a key detail preserved during post-processing.
Regarding props, the star pouch in hand and that glowing cyan kitten Cosplay visual effects were the highlights of this shoot. In the raw photos, the light effect wasn't very distinct, so during retouching, we specifically adjusted the halo's size, brightness, and opacity to make it look like energy naturally radiating from this Kemonomimi girl character. To prevent this cyan glow from feeling jarring, a touch of motion blur was added in post-production to blend it naturally into the atmosphere. For overall color grading, we intentionally selected a cooler cyan-blue tone, which suppressed distracting background colors while highlighting the character's aloof and mysterious presence. Passersby in the background were blurred into soft bokeh circles using a wide-aperture lens, naturally focusing visual attention on the subject. Because the prop boots and Black stockings were worn for a long time that day, slight creases formed along the instep, which actually added a touch of realism to this cool, alluring pose. A stance like stepping one foot onto a stool requires leaning the upper body slightly forward to maintain balance, requiring great chemistry between the photographer and cosplayer. It took us over half an hour to complete all the movements for this composition, touching up makeup several times in between. Every cosplay photoshoot is the crystallization of everyone's dedicated effort. I love the atmosphere and light/shadow of this set very much, and I have summarized the shooting experiences and post-processing techniques gathered here. I hope everyone can feel our sincere dedication when viewing these photos.