The core of this work was closely tied to the theme of tolling the death knell in the river valley, establishing a cool, gray-white visual tone early in production. Heading to this ancient ruin with Annan Qi and Mint, the most intuitive feeling was the pure power of natural light. Outdoor shooting is heavily impacted by weather; wind speeds were strong that day, but this wind gave hair and skirt hems vibrant dynamic motion. In terms of lighting, we avoided over-interfering with ambient light, using shadow lines cast by stone pillars to outline character faces, highlighting their cold, stern aura.
I did quite a bit of research on costume materials, focusing on staggered pairings of black-and-white color-blocking textures as well as metal chains and accessories. Thin gauze capes behaved entirely differently in strong winds compared to static poses, posing a massive test for photographers capturing flying moments. We prepared accessories like the dangling ruby pendant seen in photos, which flickered under intense outdoor sunlight to become a visual highlight. The black-and-gray haired character's outfit featured diamond geometric patterns paired with feather hair ornaments; this mysterious, fateful styling felt solemn yet tiny against massive stone pillars.
My partner and I had great synergy during shooting. In the hugging shot, she closed her eyes leaning against my side; in that moment no forced acting was needed, as emotional bonds and trust between characters felt exceptionally real against wind, sand, and giant rocks. The ruin scale had immense impact—people look tiny before giant Roman pillars, creating a macro-micro contrast that endowed final photos with an extraordinary epic feel.
We invested much effort into securing props, managing wigs, and positioning during wind shifts, all repeatedly simulated before shooting for ideal capture efficiency. Post-processing was kept restrained to preserve rough stone surfaces and slightly overexposed highlights, avoiding over-retouching that distorts scene reality. Restoring characters with a medieval religious vibe relies heavily on capturing expressions and matching ambient light. Mint even climbed high rubble piles for perfect perspectives, and such professional dedication contributed immensely to this shoot's success.
This Ruins style photography attempt is one of my favorite recent works, presenting character aura through real locations and costume traits without fancy filters. Though outdoor photography has uncontrollable variables, natural dynamic lines created by wind and light are far more natural than artificially generated movement in studios. Looking at fluttering hems and scattered light spots in photos makes the outdoor trip completely worth it. Smooth collaboration with Annan Qi and Mint boosted the shooting experience significantly.