[Shu Cosplay] Cultivation and Watching over the Paddy Field

Wearing this complex blue and white traditional Chinese style outfit and standing by the edge of the damp paddy field, the emerald green rice fields in front of me and the distant ripples formed an environment that perfectly matched the character setting. I half-squatted down, letting the wide sleeves and skirt hem naturally scatter on the grass beside the ridge, my fingers gripping the prop adorned with white beads. The sound of the shutter pressed by the photographer, accompanied by a gentle breeze, recorded this moment of serenity. Although I joked in the post that "working in the fields gives you strength," indeed, stepping on the muddy ground, maintaining the cleanliness of the skirt hem was almost an impossible task. But putting aside these physical concerns, the natural sense of power from the paddy field became a great help for this shoot instead. The wig had slight messiness when blown by the wind, the elf-ear patches showed a warm luster under the reflection of sunlight, and the horn ornaments on the head and wooden beads around the neck were all set off with a rare texture in this raw natural light.

When I first got the design illustrations for this costume, I was once very worried that the skirt hem and streamers would become heavy drags in the paddy field. However, after actually putting them on and walking into this rice field, I found that this clumsiness instead transformed into the steadiness needed in the work. The tailoring of this costume is very intricate; the intertwining of blue and white tones utilizes fabric patchworks of varying depths, and the wide waistband and chest decorations add a sense of layering to the overall styling. To restore the character's temperament, I also specially and repeatedly adjusted the positions of those few prominent bright blue hair strands on the wig, letting them form a visual echo with the pointed ear accessories by the side. During the shoot, I tried various poses, not only to showcase the character's external appearance but also hoping to echo that gentle yet unyielding core temperament in the game setting through the details of holding the prop and the expression of gazing forward. To achieve this effect, I repeatedly adjusted my center of gravity on the wet soil, and it wasn't until my legs felt slightly sore that the photographer managed to capture those most natural states.

Many friends might be curious about why, out of so many indoor studio shoots or meticulously designed modern scenes, I chose such a seemingly "muddy" paddy field. Because for this character, her power comes from the earth, from cultivation and watching over. Compared to exquisite backdrops and studio lights, this authentic earthy aroma and the sense of passing seasons presented by the field crops are the real-world extension of the character's spiritual core. In cooperation with the photographer, we did not use exaggerated external flash units to destroy the ambient light, but instead used natural light and the scheduling of lens focal lengths to let the surrounding green plants and distant ditches constitute the natural frame of the image. This low-profile outdoor photography method brought unexpected surprises to both of us. The photographer chose a large aperture during shooting to highlight the character as the main subject, causing the background green leaves to produce a soft and beautiful blur effect, while retaining the coarse texture of the foreground paddy field. This deep perspective of space made the entire photo look more narrative.

Of course, it must be admitted that after taking this set of photos, the entire outer garment and trouser legs were inevitably stained with mud and water stains, and the subsequent cleaning work would be somewhat heavy. But this is exactly the precious price brought by immersive shooting. Bringing a 2D character into a 3D real-life scene sometimes does not require complete magnificence, but a sense of "everyday realism" that makes viewers believe she truly lives here. In this outdoor photography experience, my skin was cut by plants, and I stepped into muddy pits that submerged my ankles, but every time I saw that snapshot with the right expression on the camera screen, I felt that all the hardships were transformed into the satisfaction of creation.

Sitting by the roadside after the shoot to check the playback in the camera, looking at the clearly visible costume details hidden under the green foliage and the threads naturally draping due to squatting, I felt that all the previous hardships were worthwhile. Although this restoration of the work and the character did not achieve flawless perfection, I have poured my utmost patience under the current conditions. I hope the images in the lens can convey that unique atmosphere where power and gentleness coexist. May this brief stay in the paddy field preserve the solid core traits of the character in the current air.