Ziqian Liu is a very popular photographer on Instagram because of her beautiful self-portraits. Her style is well defined: the shapes are elegant, minimalist, strongly recognizable. Her palette is neutral, very often muffled by strong colors, which outline the strong personality of the author.

We at Collater.al asked Ziqian to tell us her story through an interview, which you can find below:

What does it mean for you to take pictures? How did you start?

Photography can be a very quiet and profound companion for me. It helps me to record different moments, and it helps me to convey my inner voice. In the process of photography, it will help me find answers to many questions.

In fact, after graduation back also faced with the problem of finding a job, has been struggling to choose a stable job, but also eager to live the time yearning for a stable life. I traveled a lot with my friends during this period of struggle. At the same time, I experienced some people, some events, and a lot of different scenery. It was also the experience that made me sink into a lot, although I got rid of my previous sense of urgency but really want to find a gate to let precipitate in the bottom of my heart emotions slowly released, so I chose to pick up the camera.

Why did you decide to focus your attention on the self-portrait?

Self-portrait was chosen because they were the best way for me to communicate with myself, but also to make being alone less lonely and to get to know myself better And can inadvertently record the different moments of appearance, in fact, it also belongs to a kind of keeping diary, but in the form of pictures.

Is there a particular reason why you selected these photographs?

I think the reason is the two main themes in my work. The first theme is symbiosis. between human beings and nature. To some extent, it can be said that human beings and the rest of the natural world is equal, we live in the same world, breathing the same air, mutual tolerance. In my works, I try to find a state of harmony between human and nature, and full of peace and emotion, because in this state of symbiosis, beauty will be most embodied. 

The second theme is about perspective. Things we are familiar with often remain in a fixed image, but I am trying to convey through my work, to look at the same thing from different angles, there will be different findings. This is not only for objects, but also for understanding others and our hearts.

Which artists influenced you the most?

There are so many great artists who influenced me a lot, but I always admire Brooke DiDonato whose works are full of imagination the colors of pictures are also very beautiful. The other one is Anastasia Lisitsyna, she always shooting women, in her work, I could feel the softness of women I can also feel the strength of them at the same time.

Would you try other photographic genres in the future?

I guess I will in the future. But at the moment I want to consolidate my skills and style, and then slowly breakthrough myself.

Follow Ziqian’s take over on @Collater.al Instagram profile!