For Li Haiyan, the difference between celebrities and ordinary people is that the former know better about how to present themselves in front of the camera, while it may take the latter much more time to learn how to do so.

Her favourite job is helping the common people discover their sparkling personalities and present it to her camera.

This 27-year-old woman is in a male-dominated profession -- fashion photography. Her name, along with those of movie stars, models and brand names, has appeared in various fashion magazines, sometimes even on the cover, including those of Cosmopolitan's Chinese edition, Fashion, the Shanghai Tatler and ME.

Asked how she felt about taking photos for celebrities, she thought for a while and said: "Nothing special. I guess I'm kind of numb to stars after working with too many of them."

Anecdotes

So does she have any interesting stories? Again she fell into silence for a few seconds and said with a snap: "Yes, I have got one!"

A plain looking girl in her 20s came to her studio last month. As most of her ordinary clients requested, she wanted to have "some different photos" taken.

She had a nightmare experience with another studio when she went there with her mother. When the photos came out, her mother looked perfect while she appeared to be not at all like herself, in fact, very ugly.

Since then, the girl had believed she was not photogenic and gradually developed an inferiority complex.

Hearing about Li from a friend, she decided to try her out.

Also a professional cosmetician herself, Li chatted with the client while she made her up.

"I always do this before taking photos. This way, I get to know them better and get to understand their personality, something which even they don't realize they have," she explained.

After the make-up, Li can tell a lot from the way the girl looks at herself in the mirror. "Sixty per cent of her confidence had returned."

Then Li inserted a CD into the stereo, took up the camera and tried to make the girl feel more relaxed.

The art of seduction

She called it "the art of seduction."

"Because of the pressure of work and life, most urban people are equipped with masks and forget who they really are."

"My job is to uncover their hidden but unique personalities and leave it on my films."

Soon the girl didn't feel nervous any more. Instead, she opened herself totally to the photographer and her camera. The timid girl burst out into wild laughter in a way she had not done for a long time. In the end, she got so high that she took all her clothes off and asked Li to take photos of her nude.

The result? The girl had an exciting photo-taking experience as well as a set of photos that made her look and feel "different."

Li has seen a lot of girls like this.

Even in a city like Shanghai, China's fashion capital, there are still a lot of Cinderellas.

"They over-protect themselves and often suppress their true feeling and colors. Even worse, they don't know how to present their charm and personality in a clever manner," she said.

After taking numerous photos for celebrities as well as common people, she realized that the major difference between them is the former are more confident in their image and know how to show their best side. Moreover, there are usually a team behind celebrities to help them build up their images.

"Without this support, some stars would hardly be noticed or even recognized on the streets," she said.

"Some entertainers may not as pretty as some of my ordinary clients. But as soon as they stand before the camera, they know how to make it work."

Li Haiyan's favorite job is helping ordinary people discover their sparkling personalities and better present it to her camera.

The common people

That's why she prefers to work with common people -- to find out what she can about them and record it. "Photos which fail to show personality are bourgeois. But something unique can make them stand out," she said.

"A lot of inspiration is involved in the whole process."

She said her work for common people should not be overlooked.

"They are more than photos," she said. "An impressive photo-taking process and pictures with soul can help them re-understand themselves, make them more confident."

Although most of her work is fashionable, she is reluctant to be called a "fashion photographer."

She hoped that when people talk about her, they would say: "Oh, that girl takes different photos."

Having majored in finance in vocational school, she was supposed to help her parents with their food business. But after two months work, she quit, saying she couldn't bear the nine-to-five routine life.

With an enthusiasm for photography, she started her own studio when she was studying cosmetics at the Shanghai Theater Academy.

Addicted to 'the click'

Her initial idea was simple: "Record beautiful things with my camera."

However, after six years of ups-and-downs, she gained a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of photography.

"Good photos are not only beautiful, they are vivid and have character."

On second thought, she added: "Maybe I'm just addicted to the click sound made by the shutter!"

Looking forward, she wants to have her own project, in addition to taking the photos that others request.

She recently established Mirror Studio with three partners from Shanghai, the Philippines and the US, who are all involved in design and marketing.

She has two main projects this year, a picture book about Shanghai and a fine-art male nudes photography exhibition.

"I'm yet to be called a successful photographer. What I can do at present is learn and practice photography so that when the big opportunity arrives, I will be capable of grasping it," she said.

(Shanghai Star April 9, 2004)