Today, I'm reviewing this finished Honor of Kings Xishi cosplay shoot taken at Jing'an Joy City. The lighting environment inside the mall is quite complex, which, coupled with pedestrian traffic in open public areas, placed significant demands on live framing and coordination. To faithfully recreate the character, I prepared a long, straight purple wig in advance, trimming the blunt bangs and that signature cowlick atop the head, while applying setting spray to keep the wig from collapsing midway through the shoot. For makeup, the focus was placed on a translucent base and pale blue contact lenses, with pinkish blending for the eyeshadow to match the character's aloof, ethereal aura. The costume features a white-and-purple palette accented with silver metallic piping and sci-fi standing collar elements, paired with detached white sleeve cuffs and over-the-knee Stockings. The glowing purple lotus prop held in my hand was specially prepared, fitted with internal LED strip lighting, requiring continuous hand gesture adjustments during shooting to ensure fingers didn't block the light source while keeping the lotus facing the optimal angle.
During the shoot, because the outfit incorporates a large amount of silver reflective fabric, it easily blew out under the direct overhead mall lighting. As a result, we spent most of the time seeking out corners shielded from harsh direct lights, relying on diffused ambient reflections to bring out the texture of the garments. Capturing full-body shots was particularly demanding: to flatter the clean silhouette of the over-the-knee Stockings and shoes, I maintained a strict chest-out, stomach-in posture throughout while ensuring the handheld lotus prop cast steady illumination. The composition was primarily intended to highlight slender proportions, so many frames utilized pulled-back wide angles to create a more harmonious spatial relationship between the subject and the background.
For post-processing, utilizing Xiaohongshu's built-in AI background removal function made the workflow remarkably seamless. Although the mall background was vibrant, it could at times become cluttered and distract visual focus. After one-click AI cutouts, replacing the background with solid colors or an atmospheric blue backdrop preserved the subject's edges and transparent prop details remarkably well without noticeable fringing. Slightly tuning the color temperature and highlights allowed the purple wig and glowing lotus to stand out even more. The entire process avoided complex composites, preserving the organic visual tension of individual frames. This photo set documents an attempt at Anime-style photography within a commercial space—from costume and prop preparation to managing live environments and streamlined post-production, every stage offered valuable experience, leaving a meaningful archive for my 2D cosplay life.