Journey To Creation
Written by Yinsey Wang · Photography by Bella Kotak
Yinsey Wang poses for Bella Kotak in their latest collaboration, Memories of a Distant Land.
Close-up of florals on shoot.
Even as I “matured”, however, my inner Peter Pan never really left me. Fast forward years later, I am a financial services lawyer working in-house. Although during the weekdays, I am attending back-to-back conference calls, drafting lengthy memos, refining meticulous emails and perusing hefty legislation, in my spare time, I love to create with others, telling tales through photoshoots and making like-minded friends.
Behind the Scenes, Memories of a Distant Land.
How did it all start? I was interested in photography while pursuing my undergraduate degree in Canada, and then found myself on the other side of the camera when I returned to England. As I said “yes” to one opportunity after another, I found myself tumbling into a Wonderland of newfound collaborators and a taste for opulent gowns and gravity-defying headpieces as a model. However, something was missing. Few people could really connect with the other elements of my upbringing, filled with books gifted to me from family friends and relatives on Hua Mulan, the Journey to the West and so on. There is more to storytelling than European princesses, magic spells and castles, although I absolutely adore them too.
Shop at Fête Chinoise.
I wanted to pursue more of these rich and colourful themes in Chinese culture, albeit often unexplored in the West. I had sourced an airy red hanfu and all I needed was the perfect team. In this post, I am delighted to share some of the images and a bit more about the fantastic individuals involved.
To date, this shoot is one of my most precious, and it is a testament to the brilliant cast of humans on which I heavily relied and trusted. My kind husband (as ever, supportive but perplexed by my overwhelming enthusiasm for such projects) drove me to the charming countryside of Oxfordshire, the home of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and of course, the brilliant Bella Kotak. She is a fine art photographer with various unlimited talents, including the ability to “lift the veil of the overlooked and reminds us that there's magic in the most ordinary of spaces and beauty in every face”. I had approached Bella for this shoot concept because of her ability and also because her real love of East Asian aesthetics and her empowering personality. When you are around her, you truly feel like anything is possible.
Yinsey Wang poses for Memories of a Distant Land.
“I wanted to pursue more of these rich and colourful themes in Chinese culture, albeit often unexplored in the West. ”
When I arrived at her doorstep, I was welcomed by Bella’s warm and kind family, as well as an excited Bella just flourishing with ideas, having the vision of a flower-layered parasol and long, slender gold-painted nails covered in flora. My friend and masterful makeup artist Minaz Mawjee came to join us, and I was honoured to introduce everyone to Anette Gray, who I refer to as a “hair architect” given her magical powers over any style of hair. Sammy of Mr Mortimer’s Wife, a tiara-maker known for her intricate designs, made a one-of-a-kind headpiece especially for this shoot, golden and littered with twinkling gems, dazzling to any magpie like me and perfect for any empress. Although Sammy could not attend the shoot personally, her presence through her incredible design was certainly felt. It was my first time meeting the innovative genius Safia, who had worked with Bella before on stunning portraits with all sorts of floral masterpieces as backdrops.
Behind the Scenes, Memories of a Distant Land.
Crafting the flowers for the parasol under Safia’s diligent direction, exploring bushes as potential scene setters for our images, snacking on pizza, blueberries and chocolate, and talking of purpose, creativity and our paths so far, friendships were forged, and beautiful images were created to remember the day by. When it was my time to model, I tried to assume the character of an empress, regal, poised and confident in her abilities, wisdom and experience, but also measured and tested by the challenges faced in power. I would hope that if a young girl saw images of this collaboration, she would feel that she one day could also be a leader, a ruler of her very own kingdom.
Sponsored by Ferris Wheel Press.
Bella’s genius in colour toning is evident in the interaction between reds and golds and light and dark. Radiating opulence and luxury, red and gold are also symbolic in Chinese culture; red for happiness, good luck, success and gold for prosperity. The results exceeded my expectations, Bella managed to capture so many of the diminutive details but, at the same time, without distracting from the storytelling and drama. Like Bella, I long to hear others’ interpretations, so would be delighted to know how different people see the story that is portrayed in the images.
Ideas bounced off of each other and unravelled into a magnificent series of work we were all proud of. It is truly addictive, the chance to join with others and combined, create something no one has ever seen before. It’s a journey within a journey and I hope this is truly only the beginning.
To read more about the shoot from Bella Kotak’s eyes and watch behind the scenes video content, click here.
Photography: Bella Kotak
Retouching: Bella Kotak and Solstice Retouch (Pratik Naik)
Model: Yinsey Wang
Makeup: Minaz Mawjee
Hair: Anette Gray
Floral Parasol: Safia Design Studio
Tiara: Mr Mortimer’s Wife
Tassels: Monica De Silva
A big thank you to everyone involved, including Bella’s family and my amazing husband Han as well!
Memories of a Distant Land.
About the writer, Yinsey Wang
Sponsored by PALETTERA.
