For this shoot at the Guangzhou Firefly ACG Expo, I went straight with the classic Marisa cosplay look from Touhou Project. Compared to studio shoots, shooting on-site at anime conventions is much more challenging, especially when capturing mid-air jump shots. The messy overhead lights and crowded venue can easily lead to ruined shots. To separate the subject from the background, we used a multi-light setup with Godox AD100Pro, AD400PRO, AD200PRO, and AD300pro strobes. The key light illuminated my wig and face from the side, while a diffused soft fill opened up the shadows in the skirt, giving the lace details of the black-and-white dress rich depth. Darkening the background also cleaned up the background bokeh significantly. We used a Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 lens—a wide aperture is truly a sharp tool for Portrait photography at conventions, effortlessly blurring out cluttered booths and passersby.
Capturing the jump shot took quite some effort: the broom isn't light, and maintaining a graceful mid-air posture is difficult. To capture a shot with well-extended leg lines, we used continuous burst shooting and repeatedly adjusted my jump height, trying over a dozen times, which was physically demanding. The great advantage of wearing a black dress with white ruffles is that the skirt flares out gorgeously in motion. The photos sitting on the stool were mainly to showcase costume details—raising one leg accentuated leg length, while holding props in hand added visual interaction to the frame. There were many passersby, so we often had to wait for gaps to avoid crowds. Fortunately, the camera parameters were pre-calibrated with a fast shutter speed and wide aperture, allowing us to capture great shots without overly complicated adjustments.
In post-processing, I didn't add overly flashy edits, focusing primarily on unifying color tones to preserve the authentic on-site texture. After all, the charm of cosplay convention photos lies in that genuine live atmosphere. The greatest joy of doing cosplay is bringing a beloved character look to life with the exact mood you envisioned. Thanks to the well-placed lighting, none of the costume, makeup, or prop details were lost, resulting in a cohesive presentation. Although the shoot was tiring, communication with the photographer was smooth and efficient, making the process highly productive and giving me a set of Convention photos that I am thoroughly satisfied with.