Zhang Jingna facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zhang Jingna
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| Born | 4 May 1988 |
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| Nationality | Singapore | |||||||||||||||||
| Education | LASALLE College of the Arts (dropped out) | |||||||||||||||||
| Style | Photography | |||||||||||||||||
| Awards | 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2015 7th Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers Recipient 2011 Photographer of the Year, Elle Awards, Singapore |
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Zhang Jingna (simplified Chinese: 张晶娜; traditional Chinese: 張晶娜; pinyin: Zhāng Jīngnà) is a talented photographer from Singapore, born on May 4, 1988, in Beijing, China. She is also known by her online name, "zemotion." Her amazing photos have been featured in famous magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Harper's Bazaar. In 2018, she was recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list, which highlights young leaders and innovators. Zhang Jingna also started an art platform called Cara in 2023.
Contents
About Zhang Jingna
Her Early Life
Zhang Jingna grew up in Beijing, China, in a family that loved sports. When she was 8 years old, she moved to Singapore and went to Haig Girls' School.
Becoming a Champion in Air Rifle
At 14, Zhang Jingna started training in air rifle at Raffles Girls' School. She quickly became very good, breaking a national record after only nine months! She then joined Singapore's national air rifle team and was an active member for six years.
She achieved great things in shooting. In 2005, she broke a record in the 10m Air Rifle event at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in Melbourne. The next year, in 2006, she won a bronze medal in the same event at the Commonwealth Games. For her excellent performance, she was named Sports Girl of the Year in 2006 by the Singapore National Olympic Council.
Discovering Photography
Instead of going to junior college, Zhang Jingna decided to study fashion design at LASALLE College of the Arts. When she was 18, she started photography as a fun hobby. She loved it so much and was so good at it that in 2008, she left art school and the national shooting team to become a full-time photographer.
Since then, Zhang Jingna has worked with big companies like Mercedes-Benz, Canon, and Wacom. She also created fashion photos for magazines such as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Elle.
Art Shows and Projects
In 2008, Zhang Jingna had her very first art show, called "Something Beautiful," in Singapore. In 2010, 50 of her photos were displayed along Orchard Road during Singapore's fashion festival. This was the first time fashion photography was shown on such a large scale in the streets of Singapore.
Later in 2010, she held another exhibition called "Angel Dreams" with support from the Embassy of Japan. This show featured her photos of the famous Japanese musician Sugizo from bands like Luna Sea and X Japan.
In 2013, her work was chosen for the "A Glimpse at Photo Vogue" exhibition in Milan, Italy.
Zhang Jingna gets ideas from many artists, including Peter Lindbergh, John William Waterhouse, Yoshitaka Amano, and Zdzisław Beksiński. She also credits her friend Kuang Hong, who is also an artist, for helping her develop her early art style.
In 2013, Zhang Jingna started a special project called "Motherland Chronicles." With this project, she wanted to explore themes she loved as a child, like those from anime, manga, and Japanese fantasy art. She planned to turn this project into an art book.
Fun Collaborations and Interests
Zhang Jingna has worked with musician Sugizo several times, taking photos of him and his band Luna Sea during their concert in Tokyo in 2010. Her photos of Sugizo are even in his book, Ongaku ni ai sareta otoko: Sono haran no hansei.
In 2011, she photographed the Korean celebrity Rain for an advertising campaign in Seoul.
She also teamed up with famous cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao to create a special artwork inspired by the Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano.
From 2011 to 2013, Zhang Jingna even owned and managed a professional team for the video game Starcraft 2, called Infinity Seven.
Her Career Path
In 2021, Zhang Jingna decided to step away from fashion photography. She shared that she had faced difficult experiences in the Western market, which led her to change her focus.
In 2022, her portraits of actress Michelle Yeoh were featured in Time magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential People. Her photos also appeared on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter.
Protecting Artists' Work
In May 2022, Zhang Jingna learned that one of her photos might have been used without her permission by an oil painter in Luxembourg. She spoke out about it, and her posts became very popular online. After a legal process, in May 2024, a court in Luxembourg decided that her rights were indeed violated. This was an important win for artists protecting their work.
On January 2, 2023, Zhang Jingna launched Cara, an art platform designed to help artists protect their work from being used by AI without permission. The platform quickly became popular, growing from about 40,000 users to 650,000 in just one week in June 2024. Many artists joined Cara to make sure their art was respected.
Awards and Recognition
- 2006 Sportsgirl of the Year, Singapore Sports Award, Singapore
- 2007 Master Photographer of the Year, Singapore Master Photographer Print Competition, Singapore
- 2008 Overseas Fashion & Press Photographer of the Year, British Professional Photography Awards, Newcastle, UK
- 2009 3rd Place Advertising: Catalogue, International Photography Awards
- 2011 Photographer of the Year, Elle Awards, Singapore
- 2013 Best Beauty/Glamor Photographer, FRAMED Awards, Las Vegas, USA
- 2013 Young Photographer of the Year, Mobius Awards
- 2015 Recipient, 7th Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers
- 2017 Gold, Portraiture, Px3 Prix de la Photographie, Paris
- 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, Arts
Art Exhibitions
Solo Shows
- 2008 Something Beautiful, The Arts House, Singapore
- 2010 Fashion Season @ Orchard Street Exhibition, Orchard Road, Singapore
- 2010 Angel Dreams, Japan Creative Center, Singapore
- 2017 PURE, Hjo Culture Center, Sweden
Group Shows
- 2013 Vogue Italia: "A Glimpse at Photo Vogue", Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan
Books by Zhang Jingna
