Turning in my Hangzhou anime convention photos and Chinese Anime Independent Tour assignment right on time! This shoot features the Martial Arts Infinite Baji skin for Zai Ji from NARAKA: BLADEPOINT. Because time was tight, everything from makeup and styling to the on-site testing was pushed forward all at once.
Let's first talk about the details of this costume. The deep purple and rose red gradient modified qipao perfectly fits the night-hidden assassin vibe of the Martial Arts Infinite Baji skin. The mandarin collar combined with the irregular cutout design on the chest heavily tests the body lines, and with the dull gold patterns on the fabric, it requires a lot from the material's drape. The shiny black high heels and tights on the lower body are indispensable elements in the coordination, just right to balance the heavy feel of the dark tones on the upper body, making the overall body proportions look cleaner.
Next is the main highlight of this shoot—the props. Two curved blades with eerie blue glowing patterns, plus long black chains. I imagined wielding them would look extremely dashing, but during the actual shoot, the weight of the chains was a major burden. Ensuring that the chains stretched into an arc in mid-air to form a loop in the composition while managing the wrist strength definitely required some skills. The single-leg balance pose in the picture was meant to showcase the dynamic feel of the chains; standing on one foot with arms raised requires controlling the center of gravity while keeping my eyes open. I synced up with the photographer many times during the shoot.
As for a little behind-the-scenes mishap, I only realized after the shoot that I forgot to bring the black gloves, even though the character's hands are fully armed in the official setting. To make up for it, I relied entirely on post-production. I spent a lot of time painting the textures, light, and shadow to Photoshop the originally exposed arms into a glove texture, while avoiding unnatural edges. Many people are asking if you can tell it was photoshopped. Honestly, under the harsh light environment of a photo studio, adding gloves in post-production is most afraid of the disharmony caused by bent finger joints, so I deliberately avoided some angles with strong reflections when adjusting my poses beforehand.
The studio environment for this entire set of photos was actually quite dark. The photographer used top spotlights to create a very stark and cold contrast, and this kind of light and shadow is highly helpful for outlining the figure's silhouette. The deep purple clothing looks more layered under this lighting; highlights form where the hair is backlit, while the front remains soft enough. However, shooting this kind of highly dynamic styling is also a test of the coser's physical stamina. Because there are many chains, if the range of motion is slightly too small, it will look rigid, so I extended my movements as much as possible to fill the frame with my limbs' extension.
This set of photos was prepared rather hurriedly; I had to personally oversee everything from costumes and props to post-production. Plus, it has been a while since my last official outdoor shoot doing battle-damaged and dark-themed looks. Although the overall quality is worthy of the "Chinese Anime Independent Tour" theme, it also exposed some shortcomings. For instance, the posture sitting on the stool in the second picture was actually a bit too loose. If I have the chance to cosplay the Martial Arts Infinite Baji skin again in the future, I will pay more attention to the sharpness of the movements and control the chains better.
Finally, I still need to thank photographer @一只杨. Within such a short shooting time, he accurately captured the moments I wanted, especially the two shots of standing on one foot and crouching on the ground; the composition and catchlights were caught very steadily. This intertwined light-and-dark, cold, and deadly shooting style has a very high compatibility with the character Zai Ji. I hope to continue polishing my skills for this character in the future and bring everyone more beautiful finished photos.