Inspired by life itself, Celia Tang captures precious moments related to emotions and uncertainty. Celia searches for new opportunities in her travels from Taiwan to London.

Wherever I am, life is always one of my strongest inspirations – usually related to emotions, uncertainty, and doubts. I just want to keep the beautiful, interesting moments. I have many photos I see as treasures from the archive. Life is just unpredictable and that’s why it is so important to collect these precious moments.

I believe everyone has their own special life story. I usually take mine and turn it into photos. Sometimes it’s just an idea, sometimes it is a whole experience. Love is similar to photography, we catch the moment at the right time, and create memories to build connection. Photography is like a language, I communicate, tell my stories to the world, and pick out the issues that I see and care about.

One of my close friends describes my style as minimal, mysterious, and poetic. In many cases, my work deals with the uncertainty of the future and being lost, which come from my own personal experience. Also, I really like to take close-ups, particularly of the human body. I am fascinated by the texture of skin and the structures underneath. I appreciate the different forms of body shapes, for all genders.

In terms of the process, I start from an idea or a strong feeling. And then I think. I can think of one topic for a very long time, sometimes it takes me months. Only when I have a clear image of what I’m going to do, I start to take action, get collaborators, props, and search for locations and models. I also decide what camera and format I use for the shoot at this stage. I started documenting my life and what I see more frequently with a film camera a year ago. My favorite film so far is Kodak Portra.

It takes longer for me to plan a shoot and realize it when I am in Taiwan. My feelings are more complex in this place. I was born and grew up in Taiwan and the culture we have is very different from my western counterparts, and there are many issues that are still waiting to be solved.

The photos I take in Taiwan are minimal and conceptual, and the resources are limited. I tend to use unconventional materials and props from daily life which people wouldn’t think of using in other ways. In London, the photos I take seem to be based more around fashion photography and provide me more possibilities to make a complete unrealistic world. I can translate the story and my feelings using more materials.