Such great power, all born of the divine; beneath the seven leaves, I alone endure.
Choosing to shoot convention photos of Scaramouche (the Wanderer) on-site, the biggest challenge was how to combine the heavy texture of the outfit with the distinctive lightness of an Electro character.
Let's start with the costume—it has immense detail, featuring a huge wide-brimmed hat, red tassels, intricate braided cords across the chest, and metal accessories. Due to the hat's center of gravity, looking up frequently or turning around suddenly could easily make it slip off. During the shoot, I constantly had to adjust it by hand, which inadvertently became an inspiration for many poses, such as holding the brim with one hand. The makeup artist was in top form today, applying the eye makeup with great care. The purple gradient and deep eyeshadow captured the character's spirit wonderfully, and paired with the dark blue wig, the overall styling felt very striking.
Next is the shooting process. Shooting convention photos is truly a test of stamina: not only do you need to find clean backgrounds amidst crowds, but you also have to keep your movements sharp and clean at all times. The photographer was extremely professional, teaching me how to utilize body language to convey the character's cold detachment. To express the sheer power of Electro, I tried gathering my fingertips or holding my palm up toward the void. Combined with the purple energy spheres and lightning effects added later in post-production, it perfectly recreated that oppressive combat stance. The editor was exceptionally meticulous with this series of action shots, not only adding lightning VFX, but also removing cluttered crowds and pillars in the background, while integrating that colossal mechanical apparatus behind me. This instantly pushed the atmosphere of the final piece to the max, fitting Genshin Impact's character lore and background even better.
As for Scaramouche, an autonomous puppet whose possession of a "heart" has sparked much controversy, the cold indifference in his eyes and the occasional flicker of persistence were what I wanted to capture most in this shoot. Before shooting, I repeatedly studied the official character designs. Rather than intentionally acting overly arrogant, I chose a slightly aloof, detached observer's perspective to face the camera. For poses, I also coordinated with the photographer to use dynamic, expansive physical tension to offset any stiffness in static facial expressions. From the first full-body standing pose, to the second half-body shot holding the energy sphere, and finally to the third low-crouching pose, we attempted to tell the story of his multifaceted personality through three different perspectives.
Finally, I want to express my special gratitude to the team. The makeup artist's work was incredibly long-lasting—even with all the sweating at the venue, the makeup did not smudge and remained flawless. The photographer went all out finding the best angles, continuously experimenting with different exposures and communicating back and forth to capture the right timing for the purple lightning effects and my gaze. The post-production artist deserves the highest praise as well, constantly checking in on details, blending the visual effects seamlessly, and delivering an exceptionally high-quality finish, which truly elevated my vision for this photo set.
Getting so many high-quality finished photos from a single convention shoot is entirely thanks to everyone's hard work. Although walking around in this full outfit on a hot day while maintaining an aloof demeanor was exhausting, being able to capture such expressive images in front of the camera made all that effort completely worthwhile. Furthermore, I really love Scaramouche's lore and story arc in Genshin Impact. This shoot greatly fulfilled my desire to explore the character's soul. I poured all my understanding of him into the performance, and I hope everyone enjoys these photos. I also look forward to continuing to refine my craft in the future.