The motivation for this shoot was very direct—I wanted to materialize critical, marginal labels like "heretical" or "evil path" into visual imagery. During the planning stage, I set the tone around absolute contrast and extreme character design. In terms of clothing choice, a Black sailor uniform cosplay was the best vessel. Combined with striped collar edges and a red necktie, it presents a very standardized uniform form. However, when placed inside a lifeless white space alongside straight long black hair and slightly sickly under-eye blush makeup, that strange Aesthetic vibe girl charm emerges instantly. Looking at the details, the red neckerchief resembles a streak of oozing blood, forming an extremely cold contrast with the main tone of black.
In prop preparation, the red string prop was definitely the soul. While red string is common in daily life, under this atmosphere, it represents the shackles of order or a manifestation of fate. We deliberately wrapped it around fingers, let it hang down from above the frame, or laid it on the floor in shapes like glasses or mystical symbols. This is a very concrete expression of the "grotesque." Additionally, the black handgun resting near the feet or held tightly in hand instantly shifted "malice from the world" from an abstract concept into physical oppression. Stacked together, these elements formed the narrative core of this work.
Regarding the scene, we gave up many conventional outdoor real-life locations and chose a pure white, empty indoor space with a few discarded school desks and chairs to complete the shoot. A few chairs were overturned with tilted desktops—this disorder and chaos precisely embodied the "flesh and concrete" concept I wished to express, cold, hard, and stripped of warmth by modern industrial society. Combined with photographer Mi Sanhua's handling of ambient light using a Zhiyun X200, the resulting photos showed that this cold lighting carried no redundant emotional interference. It simply made the red redder and the black blacker, perfectly preserving the pure evil or purity beneath, offering a distinct contrast to typical Ruins style photography.
Across the entire visual sequence—whether struggling on one knee, sitting lost on the floor, or scrutinizing under close-up shots—we attempted to draw out a state of remaining awake while facing the abyss. Phrases like "witch" and "light falling into darkness" explain this state well. We didn't need to force joy; quite the contrary, we used these bizarre, dangerous, and seemingly rebellious shells to explore an extreme form of inner self-preservation. Featuring a Black tights outfit, this shoot severely tested facial expression control and physical tension—it couldn't be purely "cool," but needed a sense of story-driven brokenness. I'm thrilled the final photos achieved the intended absurd effect. It's not just a few photos, but a short film about a girl, darkness, and self-redemption.