[Castorice Cosplay] Honkai: Star Rail - A Shooting Record of Whirling Phantom Dream

This shoot features Castorice from Honkai: Star Rail in her Whirling Phantom Dream outfit, and a lot of heart was put into everything from the initial test makeup to the actual final photos. Speaking of the costume first, what amazed me the most about this blue-and-purple dress was the cutout on the back and the patchwork of butterfly elements. The fabric possesses a very delicate starry shimmer; especially under the studio lighting, the alternation of shadows and highlights instantly brought out the texture. The white multi-layered lace lining of the lower half combined with the petal-shaped skirt hem on the outer layer unfolds naturally when walking around, but one has to be careful not to step on the edges, so the range of motion had to be controlled during every turn.

Regarding props, that giant scythe is truly heavy, and I only felt its real weight when holding it in hand. The scythe's black framework and purple-red gemstone decorations are rich in detail, but because the prop itself is quite long, swinging it heavily tests one's sense of balance. Those high-lifting or horizontal-slashing postures in the photos actually required posing repeatedly several times each to both steady the prop and keep the facial expression natural. Especially for those few shots of swinging the scythe while leaning backward, the center of gravity had to be pressed exceptionally low, otherwise, the entire body would tip forward. I truly have to thank the photographer for their patience, fine-tuning the lights while capturing snapshots; many moments were nailed in a single take, but the ones not caught well had to be redone.

The set arrangement was full of atmosphere: a white archway and Roman pillars combined with a purple flower sea, cooperating with the candle-shaped bulbs in the crystal chandelier. The overall lighting of the environment leaned toward a cool tone, which happened to echo the blue and purple colors of the costume. The photographer utilized a very soft side-backlighting to hit bright rims onto the hair and skirt edges, making the separation between the figure and the background more three-dimensional. I particularly love the final two sitting-pose close-ups because that state was relatively relaxed, freeing me from holding the heavy prop and allowing me to focus more on expressing the character's cool elegance through my gaze. The butterfly hair accessories were fixed individually; changing a few angles during the shoot, we found that when coordinating with the side light, a tiny shadow would drop next to the cheek, adding a bit of storytelling to the frame with that little detail. It beautifully captures a Dreamy style.

The entire shoot lasted for about four hours. Besides changing outfits and touching up makeup, most of the time was spent discussing the motion directions with the photography team—for instance, which direction the blade face of the scythe should face to look sharper, or how the skirt hem should float to create an echo with the flowers. Although the process was a bit tiring, seeing the light and shadow effects of the final photos, that exhaustion completely vanished. There was also a minor adjustment in how the costume was worn: to reveal that wing-like metallic decoration on the back, we did some hidden treatments to the shoulder straps. We also avoided over-refining skin textures in post-processing to retain a bit of authentic texture, making it look more natural.

Overall, this look has strong moldability, allowing for both a cool, detached combat feel and a gentle, quiet aura like in the final few shots. Personally, I lean toward delivering that mysterious yet not overly ostentatious temperament to the audience. The fabric of the costume and the paint job on the prop can withstand close-up inspections with very few flaws, which is a huge plus. The position of focusing during shooting was also crucial, such as keeping the eyes and the scythe's gemstone equally sharp, so the aperture couldn't be opened too wide. These details were agreed upon with the photographer during early communications, and everyone was satisfied with the resulting photos from this piece of Cosplay photography and Anime-style photography.