Ziqian Liu is a freelance photographer from China. She caught our attention with her gentle, feminine self-portraits, where she plays with flowers, food, and everyday objects.
Ziqian studied in London and Sydney and graduated with a major in communication management.
In the beginning photography was simply a way for her to record her life. As time passed and she started taking more and more pictures, the depth and potential of the medium opened up before her. This is the main reason she’s going to continue shooting in the future.
A great photograph should leave an impression in people’s mind, a memory they won’t forget.
Five Questions to Ziqian Liu
How would you describe your photography to someone who has never seen it?
Photography is a hobby of mine, but to be honest I’m not a professional. All of my work is self portrait, I always shoot by intuition and prefer to use natural light. Most of my work is minimalistic and with low saturation. I’m using body parts and simple objects to form a picture, because in my eyes that seems to be the most real way to show beauty.
What makes a great photograph?
I think a great photograph should have a mind of its own, it should encourage the audience to think together with the picture, not just imitate other work. Moreover, a great photograph should leave an impression in people’s mind, a memory they won’t forget.
What’s your main source of inspiration when you’re behind the camera?
This answer is very common, but my main source of inspiration is life. I enjoy listening and observing everything in life. Sometimes I see random movements of passengers, or interesting patterns, and then I apply them to my work. The other important inspiration for me is also my most important prop – flowers. I love flowers a lot, I always observe their gestures and try to combine myself and them in my work.
If you had to pick a song or album to soundtrack your work, what would it be?
There is no specific song or album in my mind actually, because I think different work matches different music. However, I like to pick music without lyrics, so that there will be more space for the audience to enjoy their imagination and my pictures.
Who are you top three photographers at the moment?
Monty Kaplan, Brooke DiDonato and Anastasia Lisitsyna.