[Lucia cosplay] Magical girl convention photos from Zenless Zone Zero at the Dreamland ACG Expo

The convention photos from the May Day Dreamland ACG Expo are finally out, and this time I'm sharing this set of Lucia from Zenless Zone Zero. The lighting environment at an anime convention is completely different from a studio; the high ceilings and overhead lights at the hall really test a photographer's light control skills. Fortunately, the friend I worked with this time was very experienced and blended the industrial-style background of the venue with the subject perfectly, without letting the cluttered surroundings overpower the character.

As for costume and prop sharing for this outfit, there are actually many details I'd like to talk about. First, the wig was styled and trimmed several days in advance, especially the sideburns and bangs, which required repeated adjustments to achieve curves close to the original character. The elf ear accessories don't look heavy, but wearing them for a long time causes some pressure behind the ears, so I even took them off several times to rest in order to maintain the best shooting condition. The black and bright blue color-blocking on the main dress is very skin-flattering, and the criss-cross straps on the chest along with the leg straps on the lower half are the visual highlights of the whole look, offering the crispness of a battle outfit without feeling overly cumbersome.

The props carried for this shoot were also quite heavy. That long-handled metal staff, combined with the metal pieces at the top, made my arms really sore after holding it all day. Although it looks effortless in the pictures, I actually had to set it down immediately to rest after taking a few shots. The magic book was also custom-made and much heavier than expected. This photo set actually features many different states; the first picture shows my favorite standing pose, holding both the staff and the book in hand, which makes it easier to get into character. The second picture, where I'm sitting on the floor, was a temporary adjustment to avoid the crowd in the background, but it unexpectedly highlighted the lines of my legs and looked quite casual.

Picture three, showing me sitting on the hall floor intently drawing or writing, is actually the one I feel has the most relaxed vibe. Attending conventions is exhausting, so I often find a slightly emptier corner to sit on the floor and rest. A friend snapped that moment of me looking down at the notebook; although I didn't realize I was being photographed at the time, the final photo captured an authentic sense of documenting daily convention life. The magic book special effect in the last picture was added by a friend in post-processing. Due to lighting constraints at the venue, it was difficult to directly shoot that glowing effect, but adding the purple-blue magical light and shadow instantly boosted the alignment with the original character's magical girl setting.

Compared to my previous works, Lucia's overall look this time is leaning towards a techwear style with a touch of magic elements. With the elf ears and light blue short hair, it has a pretty high recognition factor walking around the convention. There was a big crowd on the day of the convention, and many passersby came up to ask for photo ops. Although time could be tight at times, receiving such enthusiastic, direct feedback from fellow fans really gives a cosplayer a huge boost of mental energy. The entire shoot took a few hours, with most of the time spent finding suitable shooting angles and avoiding cluttered crowd backgrounds. I personally feel the final photo set achieved the expected effect. The costume texture, prop details, and overall atmosphere all tried their best to restore the character's feel. Although shooting anime cosplay at conventions is indeed physically draining, being able to bring a favorite character into reality and capture it is probably why I always love doing cosplay. I've looked at every single photo in this set carefully, and I hope it preserves the convention atmosphere of that day.