[March 7th Cosplay] Honkai: Star Rail — Photo with Dual Blades and Tanghulu

This setup features March 7th from Honkai: Star Rail. To make it photogenic for the studio shoot, I specifically chose this casual outfit in a red, black, and white color scheme. Pink double buns, paired with custom yellow accessories and red hair ribbons, were combined with light blue contact lenses in the makeup to restore the character's playful vibe. As for makeup and hair, big thanks to Tiantian for the meticulous handling; the wig styling and base makeup worked so well together, elevating the overall 2D texture significantly. The costume features red, white, and black block splicing, with gold patterns and cherry blossom decorations accenting the hem and shoulders. What gave me the most trouble with this outfit was positioning the belt and cuffs, as even a slight tilt on camera looks very unbalanced. The White stockings paired on the lower half tested the lighting and outfit layering; luckily, the cut combined with the black mini-skirt perfectly presented the character's crisp, neat feel.

The most memorable parts were the two prop blades. The spiral patterns on the hilt and the hollowed-out cherry blossoms on the guard were crafted very delicately, though they were quite heavy. Finding balance holding them required a bit of experience—especially when doing poses like crossing dual blades or raising swords, where slight force shifts the blades' direction. To capture those natural yet powerful moments in the photos, I constantly had to adjust hand placements and eye focus.

For the set design, we chose an indoor studio featuring warm light/shadows and copper-coin wind chimes. The bamboo, folding screens, and oil-paper umbrellas in the background complemented the character's Japanese-style elements exceptionally well. Photographer Tudou used a wide-angle lens paired with warm-toned spot lighting to create a warm, narrative-rich visual ambiance.

During shooting breaks, we also added candied hawthorns (tanghulu) as a fun surprise prop. The close-up compositions holding the tanghulu were quite a test of eye contact, needing to convey both the character's focus and the presentation of the prop.

I handled the post-processing myself. The biggest challenge was preserving the texture of the warm lighting while faithfully rendering skin tone and clothing 3D depth, and I am quite satisfied with the final output. Throughout the shoot, I tried various postures—whether a defensive stance holding blades with both hands, a static pose with arms crossed, or the final frame holding dual blades high—striving to maintain the character's spirited energy. It was also a delight that the double buns didn't get messy after so many movements. Having packed up the gear, the completion level of this photo set reached my prior expectations.