The retoucher's assistant is making steady progress, and today I only received these two draft edits of Ruan Mei. In fact, we shot many sets of different poses and emotions during the shoot, but these two definitely represent angles I really love at this stage.
The first picture shows me holding the instrument while looking down at the strings. To match the character's temperament, we made many fine adjustments to the pose. This blue outfit is truly light and airy; the white outer blouse actually has multiple layers, creating a very natural airy flow when turning and walking. The instrument prop is quite heavy, with gold outlines and pink floral ornaments applied by hand, giving it a solid feel in hand. Fortunately, the studio lighting captured the texture of the costume very well.
The second picture features a reclining composition on a wooden couch. Reclining poses actually place higher demands on controlling the flow of the garment. The painting on the round fan is elegant and subtle, offering a pleasant visual cushion when held in hand. Since this character is inherently barefoot, we specifically chose a clean transparent floor with reflective materials to simulate a lakeside setting. Naturally extending leg lines while reclining on the wooden couch requires a stable core while ensuring costume folds don't get messy, which really tested core strength.
For this look, we spent quite a lot of prep time studying the wig styling and eye makeup palette. The black hair bun was styled quite high, wrapped with small flowers, which, paired with a cool yet slightly gentle eye makeup, managed to capture the character's true charm. The combination of blue and gold on the costume is classic in Chinese-style cosplay; we specifically chose fabric with subtle reflectivity, which can easily look too bright under studio lights, but the assistant toned down highlights during post-processing, making the current color saturation very pleasing to look at.
A lot of effort went into the studio setup—the calligraphy scroll backdrop and lotus flowers on the floor were designed to create a scholarly ambiance and aquatic fairy aesthetic. Every time I shoot characters with an Ancient style photography or Chinese-style cosplay vibe, the biggest feeling is 'painstaking effort'—the wig is heavy, the props are heavy, and after shooting we still have to check if the lotus placement is correct. But seeing the mood delivered in the final edits makes all the trouble completely worthwhile.
In the first photo, I chose to lower my eyelids slightly; capturing this expression took four or five adjustments, as the jawline angle needed to look appealing while bowing my head, all while maintaining balanced tension in both hands holding the guqin. The outfit has many subtle details: the blue ribbons at the collar and waist feature custom metal hardware, paired with a white cropped jacket to keep the overall silhouette gentle yet empowered.
During the reclining pose in the second picture, my left hand actually had to prop up on the wooden couch to maintain balance while my right hand gently held the handle of the round fan. The water reflections on the floor were a wonderful bonus; lightly stepping my bare foot onto the transparent platform, the sensation of toes touching ground combined with reflections created immense depth in the image. Coupled with vintage lanterns and scattered ancient books in the background, it truly conveys a leisurely, serene boudoir ambiance.
Regarding accuracy for this Anime cosplay costume, we communicated extensively on materials. Because the character's outfit material in the original work is unique, requiring drape without being overly heavy. We selected fabric with a subtle silky luster that glows with a delicate blue-green tint under light, matching the character's cool and noble design. Patterns on the skirt and blue gradient on the ribbons were crafted piece by piece by hand, edged with fine gold thread, which posed a real test for the tailor. During shooting, I was worried large movements might make the skirt look messy, but both shots captured by the assistant remained very steady.
As for lighting application, the height of the studio main and key lights was adjusted multiple times to balance the white calligraphy text on the background curtain. The light falling on my skin avoided overexposure while generating a beautiful rim light along the edges of the costume. That's the biggest difference between studio shoots and outdoor natural light—once studio lights are arranged properly, post-processing becomes much easier.
Looking back on this experience, every step in the cosplay process—from design planning, making props, makeup trials, to shooting day, photo selection, and editing—is the result of team collaboration. I'm deeply grateful to the assistant for producing drafts quickly so I could see stage results. With these satisfying photos complete, tonight's plan is to compare with raw shots to see what details can be optimized further. Well, that wraps up this initial sharing for this set.