[Xishi cosplay] Honor of Kings ancient style outdoor feature photos

Today's feature photos are finally meeting everyone. This time I'm shooting Xishi (Shi Yiguang) from Honor of Kings. For this ancient style outdoor shoot, a lot of preparation went into the costumes and styling beforehand. Let's start with the costume details: for this blue-and-white dress, I specially chose a fabric with a satin reflective texture, so under outdoor natural light, it creates a flowing glossy look when moving. The neckline design of the upper body paired with a white bow tie looks refreshing. The waist features a cut-out design, which not only increases the layering of the outfit but also better accentuates the waistline during shooting. The skirt hem of the lower body is irregularly cut, shorter in the front and longer in the back, combined with a high-slit design, making it flow gracefully when walking or posing. On the side, I also matched long tassels and blue sheer ribbons, wearing white long gloves on my hands, hoping to recreate that agile yet somewhat ethereal visual effect. The shoes chosen were a pair of white strapped platform high-heeled boots; although walking on the stone slabs during the shoot was a bit tiring, the effect of lengthening the leg lines in front of the lens was truly great.

The location for this outdoor shoot was chosen in a garden-style place. The sunlight today is fantastic, leaking mottled light and shadow through the gaps in the leaves. My favorite is the vase-shaped white door opening; using it as a foreground frame for composition and placing the subject right in the center of the frame not only gives the image depth, but also sets off the green trees behind very well. During the shoot, I would gently tug at the skirt hem or stroke my hair with my hand, letting the wind naturally blow my extremely long black hair, so that the captured candid photos have a strong sense of breath. In terms of the character's demeanor, I tried to maintain an aloof yet slightly inquiring look. For the hand gestures, as shown in the pictures, one hand is loosely placed in front of the chest while the other is slightly opened outward, with the fingers maintaining a soft curve. This not only makes the figure look slender, but also echoes the deportment of an ancient-style character.

Let me share some practical tips for ancient style outdoor shooting. This kind of trailing long dress is very easy to get dusty or caught on tree branches outdoors, so be sure to have an assistant help lift it when walking. Outdoor lighting changes very rapidly; try to choose the golden hours of morning or evening for shooting, when the light is soft and won't cast harsh shadows on the face. If you encounter strong overhead light, remember to use a reflector or softbox for fill lighting. In terms of makeup, since you're walking outdoors, sweating and oiliness are inevitable, so setting your makeup well is a must—both loose powder and setting spray should be used together. In addition, when shooting in the woods during summer, mosquito repellent is indispensable. Xishi's look is relatively light overall, so the movements don't need to be too large; subtle adjustments of the hands and the flow of the gaze are more than enough to convey emotion. I personally love this set of photos very much. Every time I complete the portrayal of a character and see the final photos, I feel that all the previous hard work was totally worth it.