[Jingliu cosplay] Fairy Dance of Floral Rhythm Amidst the Shadows of the Bamboo Sea

This set of bamboo sea and sword shadow photoshoots created for Jingliu had specific planning from prop preparation to on-location scouting. When I first settled on this plan, I focused on the visual impact of the red tassels and white hair. To fit the temperament of Jingliu in Honkai: Star Rail, the costume features a traditional style cosplay look with multi-layered white clothes and a blue skirt, with black piping at the cuffs and neckline to enhance the sharpness of the silhouette. When pairing it with those black leather gloves, I specially chose a glossy material so that it could outline the sense of force and weight when holding the sword under the faint light of the bamboo forest. The fluffiness of the wig and the simple structure of the hair bun on top also underwent multiple trials, so that it could remain flowing in the wind without becoming too messy.

We got up very early on the day of the shoot to rush to the bamboo forest. The withered yellow fallen leaves in this scene were actually very critical, forming a great color separation on the ground from the emerald green bamboo. The light was the natural diffuse reflection light of the morning, leaning towards cool tones, perfectly matching the character's detached yet chilling rhythm. However, because the bamboo was too dense, the light would often dim, so we intentionally reduced flashy fill lights and only used a simple reflector to brighten the shadows on the face, trying our best to preserve the environment's own cold and crisp texture.

A small episode during the shoot was that the wind blew quite a few stray hairs onto my face, so in order to snapshot the dynamic beauty of those floating hair strands, we pressed the shutter countless times consecutively. In the end, we chose a sitting posture, because this could beautifully showcase the form of the wide coat hem spread across the ground while keeping the upper body upright, adding a sense of majesty to the character. This sword held in hand was actually heavier than expected, as the combination of the sword body and the red sword tassel required a stable center of gravity, and the texture of holding it in the black gloves felt very real, naturally exuding a chilling, murderous aura without needing to act intentionally.

Huge thanks to the photographer Weiyan for his on-site guidance; he could always capture the moments of fluttering sleeves from some very tricky angles. For post-processing, although the owner of Shunshi Studio is currently banned from posting on their account, they had already helped us lock down the direction of color temperature correction in the early stages. The entire set of photos wasn't overly softened in post-processing, but rather preserved the edge details of the hair strands and bamboo leaves, giving the overall frame a film-like micro-sharpness, stretching out the deep sense of the bamboo forest even further. For the light and shadow, we specially pulled up the brightness of the white to highlight the subjecthood of the character, while lowering the saturation of the blue tones, making the clothes present a water-and-ink blended texture.

The temperature in the forest was quite low during the shoot, and when the wind blew, it would cut right through the single layer of fabric. But precisely because of this, wrapped in that coldness, one's gaze would become more focused instead, and emotions would naturally cool down, making it easier to immerse into the character's aloof state. In terms of props, besides the long sword in hand, although we prepared some auxiliary staging items, to maintain visual purity, only the sword and that finishing touch of the red sword tassel were ultimately preserved in the final photos. The blue and white color scheme of the costume produced a soft transition under natural light, while the shadow areas presented deep dark tones. Combined with the black gloves, it made the character's arm lines appear more sleek and refined.

Some emotions can be conveyed without words, just like in such a quiet place with swaying bamboo shadows, holding a long sword and slightly restraining the gaze naturally brings out the story behind the character. I didn't want to capture Jingliu as too fragile; her sense of power is hidden within the silence of holding her sword. To match the character's traits, the post-processing color tones specially weighted the contrast between the deep green of the bamboo leaves and the cool blue of the skirt hem, making the red sword tassel the visual finishing touch. The repeated polishing of these details was all to ensure the entire set of works could present the most fitting cold aura of the character's setting. Immersing both body and mind into this bamboo forest Wuxia style setup to feel the character's own aloofness and chilling nature is the greatest reward of creating this work.