Dressed in my Ruan Mei styling, I went for a stroll around Yuyuan Garden. I had always wanted to take a set of effortless, candid tourist-style photos, and the Yuyuan Lantern Festival provided the perfect opportunity. This year's lantern installations at Yuyuan were truly breathtaking, especially the massive fish lanterns suspended mid-air with interwoven hues of amber, vibrant red, and icy blue, creating a striking visual contrast against the ancient nighttime architecture. Since Ruan Mei's costume is predominantly cool-toned with blues and whites, I was initially worried it might clash with the highly saturated warm tones of the lantern festival. In reality, the cool-toned garments stood out even more against the warm lighting, creating a unique aesthetic where serene coolness collided with radiant warmth.
For this shoot, I wore Ruan Mei's standard outfit, which features intricate tailoring. The lake-blue fabric of the top paired with an off-the-shoulder sheer white outer layer subtly reveals the collarbones and shoulders, exuding refined elegance before the camera. The blue cord knot on the cuffs adds just the right touch, keeping the white sleeves from looking plain. I deliberately chose a traditional round fan adorned with plum blossom branches; the tassel on the handle has a graceful drape, and holding it against the surrounding upturned eaves and ancient brackets instantly evoked a classical Chinese atmosphere. The tough texture of the black leather gloves contrasted nicely with the soft fabric of the dress, beautifully flattering the lines of my hands. As for hair and makeup, to capture her cool yet gentle demeanor, the wig was styled into a half-up high updo with a long ponytail, highlighted by delicate gold hairpins. Considering the complex night lighting, I accentuated the eye contours and deepened the lip saturation to ensure facial dimensions remained defined under the wide-aperture night shoot.
The shoot was quite demanding on the photographer's skills. Due to the massive crowds during the Yuyuan Lantern Festival, finding angles that completely avoided passersby while creating lovely foreground and background bokeh from the fish lanterns took considerable effort. The photographer, Asuka, demonstrated exceptional professionalism in composition and candid capture, balancing the depth between the subject and the backdrop rather than prioritizing the lanterns over character expression. Although the overhead lighting was chaotic, careful adjustment of angles and apertures transformed the glowing fish lanterns into dreamy light orbs, casting a gentle glow across the costume and face that gave the entire composition an effortless ease.
As a novice cosplayer, every outdoor shoot brings unexpected challenges, but this experience at Yuyuan was genuinely wonderful. Beyond getting satisfying photos, it was an immersive journey through an ancient street festival. There was no need for stiff or overly complicated poses; simply holding the round fan while gazing at the night sky or glancing into the distance like an ordinary stroll brought out a natural state that resonated even better with my vision of the character. Amidst the bustling sea of people, looking through the lens made all surrounding clamor fade into stillness. The red walls and dark tiles of the lantern festival architecture blended seamlessly with Ruan Mei's classical, celestial outfit, making this a truly unique Ancient style photography experience.
Stepping out of the studio on a day off to do an on-location shoot in a venue brimming with everyday life and traditional festive atmosphere truly injects vitality into cosplay works. While these casual tourist-style photos might lack the pristine polish of a studio setting, they offer a vivid sense of authentic presence—a style I have always wanted to explore. Huge thanks to Asuka for the hard work on shooting and post-processing; capturing these well-composed frames amid such thick crowds was no easy feat. The lighting, attire, architecture, and environment resonated harmoniously at that moment, leaving a cherished visual memory of this Yuyuan journey.