[Ruan Mei cosplay] Honkai: Star Rail Chinese-Style Photography Share

"The sound of the ruan accompanies falling petals on the dress, as plum blossoms dot the face like makeup." As a character with a great deal of Eastern classical charm in Honkai: Star Rail, I hoped to present a refined and serene atmosphere in this Ruan Mei cosplay photoshoot.

We replicated a waterside pavilion and lotus pond scene in the studio, complete with wooden railings, cascading gauze curtains, and that full moon in the background. The ground was covered with artificial lotus flowers and leaves, paired with paper lanterns in the corners, making the entire scenery exceptionally poetic. The costume is a lightweight gauze dress mainly in a blue-and-white gradient, designed with a high slit and delicate laces, paired with a thigh ring, making it easy to showcase a flowing look in different poses. The round fan and ruan (lute) in my hands are also custom-made props, with the round fan painted with flowers and butterflies.

During the shoot, the photographer and I put a lot of thought into the lighting. Pairing the warm ambient light from the lanterns with cool white facial key lights, and releasing some cold mist, made the character look as if she were truly standing in the night fog under the moon. A lot of candid shots were used throughout the session just to capture the moments when the hair and gauze drapes were lifted by the moving air. The post-processing did not use excessive skin smoothing or filters, focusing more on preserving the natural gradient of light and shadow, hoping to maximize the beauty of this classical Chinese-style photography.