This outdoor photography session took place at a military equipment display area. The weather was incredibly good, with a crystal-clear blue sky that perfectly echoed the character's white and blue color scheme. I originally wanted to capture a somewhat cold and hard mechanical feel, but the sunlight was so warm that it added a touch of gentleness instead. There are quite a few details on this gear. The long white hair was smoothed out a week in advance, and the blue halo on top of my head and the small spheres by my ears needed to be carefully secured, otherwise they would easily tilt when the wind blew. The big hammer prop in my hand is actually very light with a hollow internal structure, but for the sake of photo texture, it was specially given a weathered finish. The combination of the skirt hem and knee pads looks very sharp when squatting or sitting, and the blue rings on the black gloves coordinate perfectly with the overall futuristic feel.
The surface rivets and metal seams of the military-green vehicle have a great texture. When sitting on it, I had to be mindful of my posture to look relaxed without wrinkling the skirt. We tried several different angles during the shoot, and finally chose this composition of looking back sideways, with eyes gazing into the distance, which feels quite in line with the character's calm yet somewhat curious personality. This time, I also specially tried adding a bit of smoke special effects in post-processing, just like mentioned in the post, to add a bit of a mysterious atmosphere to the cold and hard mechanical background. However, I prefer the clean transparency of the original photo, so this one is straight out of the camera.
Every time I bring a 2D character with mechanical elements to life, the biggest headache is actually the footwear—although the black high-top boots look good, they slip easily when stepping on metal. Fortunately, I was very stable during the shoot. The prop hammer and halo would reflect some light under strong sunshine, requiring adjustments to the positioning to avoid overexposure. The whole shooting process took about two hours, and my partner and I had a great mutual understanding, mostly getting it right in one take. Even though sweat made the wig stick to me, seeing the final photos made it all worth it. This time, I didn't intentionally strike too many exaggerated poses; sitting quietly instead brought out the lines and textures of the costume itself. I hope everyone can feel this daily atmosphere with a touch of sci-fi.