Yi Torch Festival: Silhouette of a Yi Woman in a Silver Crown by a Bonfire

A god's-eye view of thousands of torches winding into a river of fire along a black ridge, with darkness covering seventy percent of the frame and an old man shielding a flame and a child looking up in the foreground. Tucks micro stories into a macro scene. Image 11 of Zhao Yifan's set.

Rembrandt split lighting, a silver-disk crown breaking the firelight into points of light and three graduated silver disks hanging diagonally across her chest. The most fully structured clothing description in the set, a study in how to write silver ornaments. Image 4 of Zhao Yifan's Yi Torch Festival set.

A medium close-up of a woman caught mid-spin facing the camera, half her face warm orange and half in shadow, her silver headdress trailing a white arc of light. A study in split lighting plus motion trails. Image 2 of Zhao Yifan's Yi Torch Festival set.