I wore this Ruan Mei outfit and shot a few sets of convention photos at the Chengdu Worldline Animation and Comic Exhibition, and photographer A Bei's snapshots were incredibly on point. The biggest highlights of this costume are the high-slit skirt hem and the flowing long streamers. In an environment with the exhibition hall's massive floor-to-ceiling glass windows and reflective floor, the refraction of light made the color layers of the entire outfit look even richer.
Ruan Mei's character setting inherently carries a touch of aloofness and elegance. Therefore, during my facial expression management, I didn't deliberately cater to the lively convention atmosphere, but maintained a sense of relaxation and cold elegance in my micro-expressions. Photographer A Bei used a lot of wide-angle low-angle perspectives this time. The fluttering skirt and leg-lifting movements in the first and third photos were actually natural moments captured as I adjusted my poses. The low-angle perspective works wonders for visually elongating the legs, which, paired with these black-and-yellow color-blocked high heels, makes my overall body proportions look more slender and aligns my temperament closer to the character's elegant yet elusive vibe.
Regarding the popularity issue mentioned at the beginning of the post, I personally don't think Ruan Mei has low popularity; rather, her target audience is relatively refined. Compared to characters with highly extroverted personalities and lively lines, Ruan Mei's introspective nature requires players to invest time to appreciate. This classical, cold, and ethereal trait is actually not easy to express in cosplay, because even a slight exaggeration can easily turn that 'ethereal' vibe into something awkward. I intentionally kept my makeup simple, focusing mainly on defining the eye contour, with a pale lip color to match the overall cool-toned blue, white, and pink color scheme of the outfit.
Let's talk about the props. The pipa in my hand has a highly textured feel; the small flower decorations on the pegbox and soundboard are extremely exquisite, echoing the tassels on the costume. Holding it during the shoot, it felt like more than just a prop—it felt like an extension of the character's body that could be seamlessly integrated into my posture. The round fan I held in the second photo, paired with the blue gloves on my hands, retained its artistic charm even though the ink-wash painting on the fan face was slightly blurred. When I first got these two props, I was actually a bit apprehensive, fearing my hands would get tired after holding them for too long and make my movements stiff. Fortunately, the shooting pace was very fast, and the captured snapshots turned out highly natural.
The crowd at the Chengdu Worldline Animation and Comic Exhibition was actually quite large that day, with many different cosplay groups around. We chose a relatively open area near the glass curtain wall and used natural light as the main light source. This kind of light is the most natural and beautifully restores the original colors of the costume. The background was blurred into a hazy color wash, which didn't distract at all but highlighted the subject's cold elegance. The cut of the costume is quite form-fitting for me, but my movements were not restricted at all. Especially those streamers, with the help of the slight draft in the hall, created a visual effect of waving gracefully even without wind.
For Cosplay photography, whether you can express the character's texture depends partly on the costume, and partly on photography and posture control. A Bei's control over the shutter and angle selection was highly professional, and he gave me a lot of posing guidance on-site; I personally love these convention photos. I feel they captured Ruan Mei's gentle grace akin to the Jiangnan water towns, yet with a touch of distant beauty. If I can capture a similar feeling at future conventions, I might try switching to a slightly darker background to challenge some more atmospheric light and shadow, seeing what kind of texture this outfit can present under different color temperatures.