Photographers are usually the ones behind the camera.
Well, unless they’re as hot as Taiwanese photog Yang Zi, then they might end up in front of the camera.
In a recent interview with Hong Kong media hk01, Yang Zi, who has been called ‘Taiwan’s Hottest Photographer’, shared that she only models for fun.
“I don’t get paid for modelling because I only get photographed for things I like. I’m not interested in taking pictures for things I don’t like, even if they pay me,” she revealed.
Yang Zi developed an interest in photography after she started taking selfies in high school.
Before going to university, her mum gave her her first vlogging camera after her phone crashed.
“[My mum] told me to use it for selfies, but it was too heavy. I studied fashion design, and since I had a camera, my friends started asking me to take photos of their projects,” she said.
Yang Zi, whose parents are both doctors, wanted to be a plastic surgeon.
“I ended up as a photographer, but that in some ways fulfilled my dreams too. I take photographs and edit them, so I’m a ‘painless’ plastic surgeon,” she said
For her, being a model can help her become a better photographer.
“Now that I do both, I know how to let my subject relax better and appear less stiff. I can empathise with the model,” she said.
“Many photographers will tell models to go to dangerous or filthy spots for shoots, but I think the photographer needs to go there and ensure their safety first,” added Yang Zi.
Yang Zi has had her fair share of encounters with unprofessional photographers.
“There was one time, the photog started groping my breasts from the back. He squeezed them like oranges… I immediately jumped up and knelt on the floor,” she recalled.
Yang Zi then told him she wanted to go home.
She texted the photographer after that to scold and question him about his actions. He only apologised after being called out.
“When I was younger, I was scared that things would become awkward and that I would burn bridges so I would put others before myself. But looking back, I am thankful that I called him out, and that message [I sent him] is proof that I protected myself,” said Yang Zi.