[Qingyi cosplay] The tracker in Zenless Zone Zero, the chained warrior before the lens

This shoot features Qingyi from Zenless Zone Zero. The combination of New Eridu's street style and functional techwear is the highlight of this look. Upon getting the costume, I was first drawn to its unique overall cut: the midriff-baring design of the top and dark-toned armor, along with the substantial yet snug arm guards, completely brought out the character's capable aura. The bottom consists of dark shorts paired with below-the-knee tall boots, whose detailed textures presented a tough and tactical feel in front of the lens in this Techwear outfit.

In terms of props, the Dual-wielding weapons are the soul of the entire look. The two long blades connected by a central crossbar look like they pack the punch of melee combat while carrying a flavor of tech equipment. The prop team was very thoughtful; though slender in appearance, the weapon carries noticeable weight in hand, requiring special attention to balance when posing, otherwise movements during shooting easily distort. Because of the crossbar structure, when swinging or adopting a defensive posture, the arm's exertion points must be found accurately, otherwise the photo will capture a strained effort rather than the character's effortless composure.

The style chosen for this shoot was rather unique: instead of high-definition, delicate, skin-smoothed textures, we deliberately went for a gritty High noise photography style. The first photo is one of my personal favorites, where a large white background is left almost completely blank, focusing all visual attention onto the subject. The entire image carries a strong film grain feel, akin to a data screen captured from some vintage monitor. This low resolution paired with high-contrast noise actually enhances the storytelling around the character's silhouette and combat readiness. In the standing pose, the center of gravity was slightly widened, with the Dual-wielding weapons hanging naturally downward, creating an alertness ready to face enemies at any second alongside the reflection beneath my feet.

The second photo features a more immersive design, simulating the perspective of video recording equipment or surveillance cameras. The UI elements on screen are very striking, including the red REC recording dot in the upper right corner, the battery level in the upper left, and most eye-catchingly, the red tracking box. That red square locks precisely onto the character's head, which, along with the red rays and Pinyin markings extending beside it, directly maxes out the sense of hunting and targeting. The green bar elements appear as information blocks or system prompts, giving the entire image an everyday feel of a cyber world filled with glitches and data streams. This composition inherently fits the resident background of characters in Zenless Zone Zero, as if they naturally reside in a world of flowing data.

Choreographing movements in this gear actually required an adaptation process. To recreate Qingyi's agile and tense physique, I repeatedly adjusted the stance between my legs, because while tall boots look great, they also restrict ankle mobility to some extent. When striking poses preparing to sprint or parrying with weapons, relying on core strength to drive the whole body's center of gravity is necessary to ensure a combat posture that is both swift and stable. In post-processing, special care was given to the reflections and shadows across the legs and boots area, allowing the shadow details in the noise to still outline 3D curves.

Shooting this Qingyi cosplay gave me a stronger grasp of characters that combine mecha style with modern techwear. It's not just about wearing the outfit to match the appearance, but pondering her stance, breathing rhythm, and that sense of relaxation blending into the background environment. This post-production experiment with intense High noise photography was also a great accumulation of experience. In dim environments or specific lighting, denoising isn't always the first choice; preserving this grain can form a visual noise aesthetic. Looking over the finished photos after shooting, that visual impression of being surveilled and locked onto yet fully in control of one's own rhythm is what I find most charming about this character.