This set of photos was completed in a pure black studio without any redundant background distractions, relying solely on two spotlights to shape high-contrast silhouettes. There are actually quite a few details in Si Xiaonan's look—double buns paired with red and green bows, the round-frame glasses being the soul of the look, a black inner shirt with white stripes combined with a loose red-and-white patchwork jacket, making the overall vibe full of energy. During the shoot, a slightly wide-angle low-angle perspective was intentionally used to maximize the perspective of the forward-extended firearm, giving the images a stronger sense of immersion.
The facepalm gesture in the second picture was a spontaneous idea of mine. Having posed in a sitting position for a long time, I wanted to switch to a more relaxed state and adjust the position of the wig's bangs along the way. The third photo, where I am sitting on a chair with a gun-holding pose, was actually intended to capture the lines of the upper body and legs; the platform leather shoes paired with white slouch socks create a nice sense of visual layering. However, the first image was ultimately chosen for the cover because the pressure of the muzzle pointing directly at the camera best fits my intuition for this character.
A black background actually demands higher lighting precision than a bright one; even a slight misalignment can make the facial shadows too heavy. Therefore, the position of the top light was adjusted several times back then, eventually mapping out the contours without the reflection of the glasses blocking the gaze. The prop gun needs its angle controlled well when held in hand, otherwise it easily looks stiff; I habitually bend my wrist slightly inward to create a more combat-ready posture.
The fabric of this outfit is quite thick, and shooting in a studio during summer was indeed a bit stuffy, but it couldn't be taken off in order to maintain the puffy look of the jacket. As the post title mentions "Summer of Slay the Gods(Anime)", I find this contrast rather interesting—a character setting that is cold on the outside but passionate on the inside, combined with a focused shoot under high temperatures, counts as a unique experience. Post-processing mostly involved basic exposure balancing and minor skin tone adjustments without over-smoothing, as the original light-and-shadow texture and coarse grain in the black studio are parts of the style itself.