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Every week, seven-year-old Yumi Li Tsz-yan spends a few hours roaming Hong Kong’s streets with a camera in hand, looking for subjects to capture through her lens.
From stylish tourists to elderly people playing games outside and dance groups performing on the street, Yumi approaches each stranger with the same polite request: “Excuse me, can I take a photo for you?”
Since Yumi’s mother started her Instagram page, @yumi211211, a year ago, the account has gained more than 560,000 followers.
The young photographer’s charm lies not only in the subjects she photographs but also in the emotional connection she builds with them. The Primary Two pupil believes that taking photos of those around her can help them feel seen.
“For the older ladies I photograph, they might be alone. Having these pictures can make them feel less lonely,” she noted.
Nurturing a gift
Yumi’s journey as a photographer began last summer during a visit to Che Kung Temple.
“I helped my mum take a photo, and she said it looked good,” Yumi recalled.
“Originally, I was asking her to pose for me, but she told me, ‘Mummy, you stand here. I’ll help you,’” Yumi’s mother, surnamed Ng, added.
Encouraged by her mother’s praise, Yumi began asking more friends to model for photos, even suggesting different poses for them to try.
“For me, taking pictures is meaningful,” Yumi said.
Her interest in photography was nurtured by a gift from her mother, who also enjoys taking photos.
“In the beginning, I bought her a children’s camera, so when I went hiking with friends to shoot scenery, she could take photos as well,” Ng said. But after Ng noticed the quality of Yumi’s photos, she gave her a nicer camera.
Building courage
Before Yumi started photographing strangers, she was quite shy and afraid of talking to people.
Her mother saw her interest in photography as an opportunity to help her practise building her bravery.
The first photos she took of a stranger were at the Dafen Oil Painting Village in Shenzhen.
“[Yumi] found an interesting person inside a store she wanted to take a photo of, but she was too afraid to ask,” Ng said.
“We followed [her] through a few alleys for almost 30 minutes. Eventually, the person was gone.”
“But later, we saw a British artist in the village who was looking for paintings to buy in a store. We waited outside the store for almost 40 minutes just to ask if she could photograph him.”
Yumi’s perseverance paid off when he agreed. Her confidence and comfort have grown with each subsequent interaction.
The youngster has since photographed a variety of people in spots all around Hong Kong, infusing her beautiful portraits with a touch of whimsy.
Just a few months after her first encounter, Yumi had become much more outgoing, even working with other popular Hong Kong photography Instagram pages.
“Now, sometimes when she sees interesting people online that she wants to collaborate with, she’ll ask me to help her connect with them,” Ng said.
Future aspirations
The budding photographer has become mindful of what makes a photo visually look good: “I like to take pictures of people and animals, especially dogs,” she shared. “It can look more lively in a photo.”
Through her short journey, Yumi has taken photos with a wide variety of people. One specific person has given her the courage to continue.
Yumi once met an ink painting artist who told her, “Once you hold that camera, don’t put that down,” encouraging her to never stop taking photos.
Still, when asked if she wanted to be a professional photographer when she grew up, Yumi hesitated.
“I don’t know now, because photography is just one of my interests,” she explained. “I also have other interests, such as playing the cello, swimming and dancing to K-pop.”
If given the chance to shoot anywhere in Hong Kong, Yumi would choose a place with animals.
“For example, Tai Po. There are pink dolphins I would love to photograph from a boat,” she shared.
