[Xishi Cosplay] Honor of Kings: Mermaid's Song and Continued Longing — A Summer Traditional Style Outdoor Photo Shoot in the Garden

The Traditional style outdoor photo shoot conducted on June 5 at Xishi Jinxiu Garden is a project I've been looking forward to for quite some time. Partnering with Lingyu, we took charge of the Mermaid's Song and Continued Longing skin looks respectively. The soft lighting on the shooting day gave us plenty of room to express ourselves.

Let's talk about the character styling first. The blue-and-white outfit of Mermaid's Song actually demands high attention to detail; although the inner garment is slim-fitting, the outer sheer layers and skirt have many tiers. Keeping the skirt flowing during walking and sitting poses required constant focus on camera angles. The blue-and-white dragon horn headpiece was lightweight but took some effort to secure firmly. Combined with heavy bangs and hair accessories, dealing with the sultry outdoor heat was inevitable. Lingyu's Continued Longing look had a completely different art style—dominated by pink and white paired with an intricate gold-and-red crown and large hair buns, creating an exceptionally gorgeous visual with a fresh pink-and-white palette. Standing side by side, our cool-and-warm visual contrast perfectly matched the complementary relationship defined between Mermaid's Song and Continued Longing.

The shooting location was set in the traditional Chinese garden of Xishi Jinxiu Garden, where red pillars, wooden lattices, rockeries, and the lake naturally formed a deeply layered backdrop. We switched between several spots. The first set in the pavilion corridor—featuring hand-in-hand glances back and walking away in opposite directions—perfectly resonated with the iconic line \"The most valuable thing to the most precious person,\" showcasing details of both skirt trains and lotus props effectively. In reality, though, we were both wearing open-toed clear block-heeled sandals, walking and posing on slate and cobblestone pathways. By the end of the day, our feet were definitely aching, but to preserve the character's aesthetic before the camera, maintaining posture was a must.

My absolute favorite shots are the two seated sets taken on the red wooden bench by the lake. The vibrant red of the solid wood bench served as a striking color pop in the frame, making our white and pink garments appear even clearer and more luminous. Sitting allowed our leg lines and sandals to extend naturally, pushing atmospheric depth to the maximum along with the different colored lotus props in our hands. In the fifth photo, we both reached out our hands to create an inviting, interactive sense that pulls viewers into the story—a composition we deliberately planned beforehand.

Between takes, Lingyu interacted with me spontaneously, playfully grabbing a strand of my white hair. Capturing this improvised little gesture ended up feeling far more natural and lively than posed shots. For post-processing, we tried to preserve the natural feeling of light and shadow without excessive color overlay, simply enhancing the pink-and-blue contrast so the moist, airy atmosphere matched the summer garden vibe. Looking at those moments in the final photos where the gentle breeze rustles our skirts, I feel every drop of sweat that day was worth it. We were both thrilled with the texture of the final Cosplay photoshoot, making it a deeply rewarding collaboration.