[Shu cosplay] Arknights Lunar New Year Limited: Photoshoot Reflections on the Spring Banquet Outfit

Preparing for this Arknights Shu cosplay with the Spring Banquet outfit required tremendous care, from costume prep to hair and makeup details. The layering of this outfit is exceptionally rich: the outermost layer features patched purple-pink and white fabric trimmed with abundant white plush tassels, worn over a yellow off-the-shoulder inner top. The brown leather waist buckle needed repeated adjustments to cinch an optimal waistline, and because the metal buckle was rather heavy, I had to mind where the weight fell while standing still.

The wig was quite a challenging part: the blonde hair featured blue-purple streak highlights that had to be styled lock by lock. In particular, the pair of blue-gold gradient dragon horns on top required hot melt glue to lock in the angle and prevent loosening during the shoot. The pearl hairpins and long braid at the back also took substantial time and energy to arrange. Regarding makeup, heterochromatic contact lenses were worn to match the character's eye features; focusing with them was tricky, and whenever I tilted my head slightly, I had to rely on intuition to find the lens. The silicone long pointed ears required foundation to blend the edges seamlessly, followed by touch-ups.

The shoot was set in a traditional Chinese classical interior with wooden bookshelves, tables, and a red fruit basket in the background, where warm yellow lighting gently illuminated my face. To complement the festive New Year atmosphere, we prepared two banner scrolls. The first was a red banner with black calligraphy reading 'Happy New Year', adorned with gold coin decorations; it photographed wonderfully in both wide shots and frontal close-ups, with the red backing flattering pale skin tones and highlighting the texture of the golden gloves. The other banner had red calligraphy on white reading 'Abundance of Wealth and Treasures', perfect for subtle head tilts or profile angles.

The props were crafted from sturdy cardboard and were surprisingly heavy to hold; maintaining the banner's smoothness required constant arm exertion to avoid unsightly bends or creases. Posing demanded continual adjustments throughout the shoot—using the tilt of the banner to obscure the waist belt, or utilizing wide sleeves to hide arm tension from holding the weight. In post-processing for this Cosplay photography, we mainly applied basic skin tone corrections, preserving the eyeshadow texture without excessive skin smoothing to retain the authentic luster of the fabrics. I also brought several strings of white plush pom-poms, minding movement range during posing to keep them from tangling. The overall photoshoot atmosphere was delightful; despite headpieces and wigs getting rather stuffy, the final images were deeply satisfying, making for a fantastic experience.