There are no living legends in Night City. Driven by my love for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, I completed this set of Lucy cosplay convention photos on-site at the IJOY anime convention.
As for makeup and hair, I chose her iconic blue-and-pink gradient blunt-cut bob wig, paired with cool red eyeshadow and contact lenses, attempting to recreate that figure weaving through neon lights and data streams in front of the lens. It's a makeup look with a slight sense of detachment, helping maintain a focused gaze amidst the complex convention environment.
Regarding the costume, I specifically picked a shiny black high-cut bodysuit as the main core. This reflective material refracts different lusters under varied hall lighting; paired with white separate arm sleeves, it captures both typical Cyberpunk style techwear aesthetics and a strong black-and-white color block contrast visually. On the bottom half, light purple tight leggings paired with black shiny high-heeled long boots featuring red stripes—this boot-and-cover separated design not only flatters leg lines, but walking in them truly imparts that sleek future-street vibe. The black tactical waist pouch attached to one side of the belt also serves as a great accent, making the overall styling much richer in detail.
The temperature at the IJOY anime convention was quite humid that day. Wearing a high-cut shiny bodysuit along with these high-heeled long boots while walking around the hall all day was definitely a test of physical stamina. Every time I paused to pose, I needed to control my breathing to maintain composure, which tested a cosplayer's poise even more in exhibition halls with cluttered lighting. Fortunately, communication with my partner photographer was very smooth, and capturing several backward glances and dynamic poses went seamlessly.
This photoshoot mainly attempted three distinct moods. The first half-body close-up focused on showing eye expressions and hand gestures, aiming to create a sense of alertness ready for emergencies at any moment. The second shot, sitting on a folding chair organizing data cables, aimed to capture a casual slice-of-life moment outside of fierce combat. The third dynamic snapshot—raising one leg with arms spread wide—intentionally chose a backlit position to highlight leg contours and the silhouette of high-heeled boots more prominently.
Although ambient hall lighting was chaotic, post-processing intentionally preserved the subject's original colors while desaturating the background into black, white, and grey tones. The convention's natural bokeh effects nicely complemented the subject—the glossy high-cut bodysuit reflected surrounding light spots like a mirror inside the frame, unexpectedly yielding a dreamy, high-tech vibe.
Every time I go out to shoot Cosplay convention photos, standing in crowded halls surrounded by rising noise and flashing lights feels intensely \"cyberpunk\" in itself. Transforming a flat 2D image into a three-dimensional, warm reality through costumes, makeup, and camera lenses is both a physical challenge and a spiritual connection. Seeing frozen shots in the viewfinder gradually match expectations makes all the fatigue of walking all day in heavy boots vanish.
This look stems from classic Cyberpunk style elements, retaining the core design language of the original work while experimenting with material pairings better suited for location convention shots. During shooting, we tried to avoid cliché wide-aperture blur compositions, attempting instead to tell the character's story through dynamic posture, light, and shadow. I look forward to more opportunities in Anime-style photography to deeply explore futuristic tech themes in the future.