This Inaba Kaguya cosplay photoshoot was truly my favorite studio photography experience last year, especially that lunar phases fantasy set. When I saw the finished product, only one sentence was in my mind: whoever could think of making the lunar phases like this must be a genius! Many friends saw the pictures and asked how the special effects were made. Here I really want to shout out: making the post-processing edit special effects is something I simply cannot do!
Actually, when I first took on this character, the pressure was quite high. Inaba Kaguya is a very layered character in Onmyoji, and that cold yet compassionate temperament cannot be recreated simply by striking a few poses. To shoot her well, a lot of preparation was done in advance. The hair was specially made as long straight white hair, and the feathers and crescent moon styling on the headpiece went through several revisions. The stitching of blue and orange on the clothes, as well as those golden patterns, had to stand out under the lighting.
Special thanks to the makeup artist Zuilan. Since the character's eyes are a very translucent blue, the makeup needed to maintain the exquisite feel of 2D while fitting my bone structure; the eyeshadow and the facial markings between the eyebrows were handled very delicately. Arriving at the studio and seeing this set built by Luoying Visual, I was truly blown away. The bamboo forest, blue gauze in the background, and that circle of glowing spherical halos behind me, coupled with a slight smoke machine effect and falling snow effects, meant I didn't need to imagine the environment out of thin air; standing there gave me the feeling instantly.
The photographer Luoluo understands the feeling I want very well. Whether it's the shot holding the transparent sphere or the full-body photo spreading the wings, the layering of light and shadow is captured tightly. The dry leaves and branches inside that transparent sphere refract a texture under the lighting that feels exceptionally real. This is the charm brought by real-world props, and also why I say post-processing special effects can't achieve it. Real physical reflections and scene atmosphere are hard to replicate purely with a computer. The post-processor A'nan was also amazing, mainly helping to adjust the color tone and atmosphere, pushing the overall cool blue dreamy feeling to the extreme rather than crudely cutting out images and adding effects.
When shooting this set of pictures, the wings were really heavy, and maintaining that lightweight feeling while posing required core strength to hold up. But the moment I saw the final photos, I felt it was all worth it. The real set, the carefully prepared props, and everyone's joint efforts brought the character of Inaba Kaguya to life completely. Every time I do a cosplay, what I enjoy most is this process of turning a flat character into a three-dimensional one in the 3D world.
Let's talk about some details of these pictures. Many people might think that cosplay is just wearing clothes, putting on makeup, and taking pictures, but in reality, from early character study, preparation of clothing and props, physical exertion on the shooting day, to communication in post-processing, every step has a lot of details. Just like the character Inaba Kaguya, her wing design is massive. To present that fluffy yet sharp feeling of feathers in front of the lens, we spent a lot of time organizing the wing styling. The contrast between the black gradient at the edge of the wings and the white feathers had to be precisely captured during lighting to achieve that sacred yet oppressive effect.
And then there's that transparent sphere. I initially thought it was just a simple prop, but making the golden withered plants inside look vibrant under the light is actually very difficult. On site, we constantly adjusted the angle of the light source so that light passed through the sphere to produce refraction, and the resulting effect became crystal clear. This is far more realistic than drawing a sphere directly in post-processing software. This is also why I am particularly persistent about real-set shooting.
When shooting the full-body photo, the light ring behind me happened to form a perfect geometry. Set designer Chuzi helped adjust the position of the spherical lights for a long time so that those light spots were distributed evenly behind the top of the head—truly amazing. On the clothing side, this outfit looks ethereal, but wearing it is actually quite complex. The blue printed fabric is quite stiff to ensure the form, while the outer transparent gauze sleeves are very lightweight, giving a flowing feel when walking. To match this outfit, I kept practicing how to make my movements look non-rigid, especially the hand-lifting actions, which need to form a subtle contrast with the tension of the wings. The eye color and makeup also underwent multiple adjustments before achieving this ethereal feeling. The birth of this photoshoot couldn't happen without the efforts of every team member. From the detailed control of the makeup, the photographer's sharp capture of light and shadow, to the precise tuning of the overall color tone in post-processing, everyone shared the same aesthetic and communication was very smooth. I really love this atmosphere of polishing a work together—no flashy special effects overlay, relying entirely on early scene construction and light/shadow layout. This is also the sense of reality I want to pursue most as a coser.