To begin, where are you based? How long has photography been a hobby and career of yours? What motivated you to get started?
I have been based in Shanghai working as a photographer for 4 years since I dropped out in London. I was initially motivated by the enormous quantity of innovative Chinese youngsters who are very creative yet not experienced in fashion market. I want to document their excellent work while collaborating editorials.
This project Simple Info Snails, was done in my shooting studio collabrating with one young fashion designer&stylist Shiyi Wang who did all the garments and styling. Her original inspiration was the Grandfather Paradox in sci-fi works. She created one fictional situation that she watched grandfather growing up gradually while he watched her getting older on the time train when time was rewritten. The use of transparent pipes on garments represents time's flow and interaction, while the passing years are embodied by the flow of silica gel fabrics on the pipes.
What is your dream in terms of your career?
I now own a fashion studio working as a young designer & brand broadcaster by collaborating editorial shootings and increasing both ready-to-wear and show-piece sales. I will continue doing this as the need is still growing in Shanghai.
What has been your most successful moment to date in your career so far?
Haha I don’t tend to look at what’s been defined as successful. Also I do think every new project is more successful than the previous one. This answer is quite boring I guess haha.
Has your vision and style evolved or changed over time?
It hasn’t changed much. Even the shade&content of an image is completely different as working with different team. I still consider my “timing” of the camera hasn’t change much. I can still say my vision is “poetic” haha. Hope I can still confidently say this 50 yeas later.
What type of models do you prefer to shoot with? Why?
I tend to capture different timings of every model. I don’t usually have a type for models haha. I don’t think I get to decide the models in most cases as shooting is always a team work. But my camera timing of every model has to be poetic by my standard.
Can you please explain some of the feelings you are trying to achieve in your photographs?
Calm contrasts, neutrally and poetically.
Fashion can be a somewhat unforgiving industry with a lot of egos, how do you deal with it on set or behind the scenes?
Haha this question so interesting. My personality is more of a combined role of photographer & executive producer. I value my shootings with visual outcomes and efficiency at the same time. There can’t be too much ego when efficiency is taking place. I grew up in authentic engineering background. I did science experiments to prove my declaration is right. So, haha, I do think fashion works should introduce more of scientific methodology to reduce too much ego.
How has photography influenced you as a person and what do you love most about being a photographer?
Doing photography helped with some accurate yet perceptual presentation of mine. Team work magnifies every member. And I feel accomplished when this team work is led by me.
From your point of view, what makes the shoot successful?
The outcomes and efficiency of this team work.
What projects are you working on next, and what are your goals for the future?
I have a lot of excellent projects in stock haha. Will do after-effect and post them. I also want to connect every young collaborator with the market. Our studio recently is doing a pop-up at TX Huaihai, a shopping mall featuring youth culture in the center of Shanghai. Our pop-up consists of young designer brand boutiques. In the future we will expand the designer boutiques to other fields.
Where can we see more of your works and get connected with you?
I don’t do many social medias haha, my instagram is yihan_shao but I rarely post haha. I’d still love to posting my works via online magazines. Right now our studio is still accumulating in Shanghai. Any possible work contact please via my instagram messages.
Photographer: Yihan Shao @yihan_shao
Makeup Artist: Levin Kam @mungeum_a
Model: Lana Lv
Model: Jiayuan Mu @eseemodel_official @ eseemodel_official
Wardrobe Stylist/Fashion Designer/Retoucher: Shiyi Wang @11_wwwo