Taking advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival, I'd like to share a few recently shot photo sets in different styles, and by the way, chat about what mooncake fillings you've all eaten today. As someone who struggles every year between savory and sweet mooncakes, this year I went straight for some Cantonese-style salted egg yolk with lotus seed paste, along with snow-skin mooncakes strongly recommended by a friend. I also dared to try durian mooncakes before—that flavor is truly indescribable, though those who love it are probably hooked.
Coming to the shoot itself, I prepared three completely different looks this time. The first is a dark fantasy style featuring black veil and silver ornaments, which is also my absolute favorite. To highlight an aloof and cold beauty, the makeup featured a subtle lower eyelid enhancement and dark lip gloss, while the upper body specifically opted for a halterneck design adorned with intricate metal chains and bead strings. The lower half featured a black high-slit long skirt with a slight shimmer, making the hem look stunning when moving. Set in a classical garden landscape, wooden doors and green foliage were used as foreground elements, paired with direct hard light to make the reflections on the metal accessories pop, giving the overall composition strong visual tension.
The second set is a white lace long dress leaning toward a Western Vintage photography style. The focus of this styling was gentleness and refinement; I wore white lace hair accessories and gloves while holding a musical instrument in my arms. The background was arranged with a piano, a gramophone, and a vintage table lamp. To match the texture of old-fashioned pictorials, we tried to use warm yellow side-backlighting during the shoot. To enrich the composition, I also purposely placed a pearl necklace and a teacup on the table. When shooting, posture is crucial—you need to stay relaxed yet keep your back straight to hold up the silhouette of this vintage long dress.
As for the subsequent sets, they are costumes leaning toward classical Eastern elements. One set features light translucent gauze material, styled with double buns and butterfly hair accessories; the other is a vibrant tangerine-red adorned with delicate embroidery. Nighttime outdoor shooting is truly a test of lighting; the lantern bokeh in the background is a natural bonus, but to ensure the facial lighting is sufficient and clean, the fill light must be soft enough. Both looks used a cute little white rabbit as an interactive prop; its fluffy texture fits Ancient style portraits exceptionally well, and keeping your movements gentle while holding it results in exceptionally natural candid shots.
In fact, the core of switching between different styles lies in understanding light, shadow, and scenes. Dark styles require sharp lines and high contrast, Vintage photography requires a warm atmospheric vibe, while ancient-style night scenes rely on balancing ambient light and artificial light sources. Before every shoot, I communicate in advance with the photographer about makeup intensity and prop coordination, which greatly boosts on-site efficiency.
Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Whether you stand firmly with the savory camp or the sweet camp, or are an explorer of niche flavors like durian mooncakes, I hope everyone gets to taste the flavors they love. On this night of the full moon, may you be reunited and well.