As my creative practice developed, I gradually realised that photography was not simply a way of documenting styling, but something that directly shaped the emotional atmosphere, spatial relationships and narrative quality of an image. Through collaborating with different photographers, I became increasingly interested in light, composition and atmospheric control, which led me to undertake a placement within a photography studio during my second year and begin studying photography and post-production more systematically.

During this period, I independently created several image-based projects in which I was responsible for the styling, concept development, photography and post-production, gradually developing my own visual language and approach to narrative image-making.

Tie & Tone

A person with medium-length dark hair, wearing glasses, a gray blazer, a white shirt, and a lavender tie. They have a flower pinned to their blazer and are standing against a plain background.

Photography / Styling:

Haijia Gao

Makeup:

Terry Zhang

A young man with black hair, glasses, and wearing a gray suit over a white shirt and purple tie. He is sitting on the floor with a pile of colorful clothes and bags next to him, against a purple background.
Person wearing glasses, a suit, and a tie, standing in front of a dark, gradient background.
A young man with black hair and glasses dressed in a gray suit and loose tie, standing in a photo studio, holding a large camera boom arm with a light stand and equipment nearby.

This was a fashion styling shoot created during my placement within a photography studio. As part of developing my lighting control, compositional rhythm and multi-perspective image-making, I experimented with different lighting setups and camera angles throughout the shoot. I also incorporated styling experiments, including a handmade tie constructed from layered silk scarves, to explore the relationship between colour, texture and styling language. The project became part of my transition from technical practice towards developing a more personal visual style.

Person with black hair and glasses wearing a gray suit and tie, standing in a studio with a dark background, next to a large photography light stand.

Unsheathed

Photography / Styling:

Haijia Gao

Makeup:

Terry Zhang

This shoot was inspired by the samurai aesthetics found in Akira Kurosawa’s jidaigeki films, using deconstructed umbrella frames as the central visual element and transforming them into sharp, blade-like structures reminiscent of weapons and armor. Through cool-toned lighting, heavy shadows, and minimalist black styling, the images create an atmosphere that feels restrained yet quietly charged with danger. The series explores oppressive spatial tension and the distinctive stillness often found in samurai cinema, translating the austere, threatening mood of jidaigeki films into a more contemporary and minimal visual language within fashion imagery.

A woman with dark hair and dark lipstick posing against a dark background, sitting on the floor with her arm resting on her knee, surrounded by black umbrellas.
A woman with black hair and dark makeup, dressed in black, leaning forward on the ground with her hand on a white surface. An open umbrella lies on the ground beside her, surrounded by thin, black rods. The lighting creates a dramatic effect, illuminating her face and arm against a dark background.

ShadowOracle

Photography / Styling:

Haijia Gao

Makeup:

Terry Zhang

A woman with dark hair and a black dress poses against a plain background, with her head turned to the side and one arm bent.
A black and white photo of a woman in a long, dark dress, standing against a plain wall, with her hair styled in a voluminous updo, wearing large earrings, and striking a contemplative pose.
Profile of a young woman with long black hair, looking down, wearing a black sleeveless top against a plain white background.
Black and white photo of a woman with styled hair wearing dark clothing, holding an object in her hand, standing against a textured wall. Her shadow is cast on the wall behind her.
A woman with long dark hair, wearing a black sleeveless top, sitting with her eyes closed and head tilted back, against a yellow and dark brown background, with a somber or contemplative expression.
A woman sitting cross-legged on the ground with a sunset background, wearing a black dress and accessorized with earrings and bracelets.

Inspired by the sense of natural spirituality and prayer-like atmosphere explored during my collaborative project with Mulberry, this project centred around raw instinct, spiritual freedom and body gestures reminiscent of ritual and prayer.

Rather than following a literal narrative, I focused on the emotional state of the figure through light, shadow and physical movement, using styling and image-making to create a visual language that exists somewhere between mysticism, primal energy and inner perception.

Black and white photo of a woman posing against a wall, with her shadow cast on the wall behind her.

Lines of Quiet

Photography / Styling:

Haijia Gao

Makeup:

Terry Zhang

A person with black hair measuring fabric with a tape measure, sitting at a table with scissors and fabric pieces.
A person in dark clothing working on a white garment on a mannequin, with various clothes hanging in the background.

This was a themed shoot created for a menswear design student’s collection, for which I independently developed the concept, styling and photography. Inspired by the idea of “humanity within mechanisation” explored in the garments, I was drawn to the precision and discipline found in craftsmanship and began building the project around the working environment of a young tailor. Through garment lines, fabric folds and the details of studio tools, the images focused on states of concentration, patience and continuous refinement throughout the making process.

Using a restrained palette of blacks, whites and greys alongside quiet, controlled lighting, the project avoided dramatic tension in favour of a more subtle visual language — one that pays attention to the people who give warmth and emotion to their work through repetition, dedication and the use of their hands.

A woman with shoulder-length dark hair in a black blazer, with a measuring tape draped around her neck, in a room with hanging clothes in the background.
A person with dark hair sitting on a table with sewing materials, including fabric, scissors, and spools of thread. There are clothes hanging above and a cream-colored tablecloth.