Every portrait session is a chance to explore emotion and identity. My recent collaboration with Lei was a personal project as much as a shoot, touching on mental health and gender identity.
More than just a shoot
There was a real energy on the day, and it showed in the images. Lei was not just a subject in front of the lens but part of the creative process, shaping the work as we went.
The importance of pronouns
Using someone’s pronouns is a basic part of respecting who they are. With Lei, that was not an afterthought. It set the tone for a respectful, inclusive session and let us focus on the artistic and emotional side of the work.
Sexuality and mental health
Sexuality is often treated as separate from everything else, but it is part of a person’s mental health. This shoot set out to explore that connection and the emotions that come with it.
Androgyny as an artistic goal
The aim was to portray Lei in a very androgynous way. That choice was symbolic as well as aesthetic, challenging traditional gender norms and adding to the wider conversation about genderqueer and nonbinary identities. Androgyny here was not about a masculine appearance. It was about the fluidity of gender within fashion, and breaking down the boundaries that limit self-expression.
Lei’s perspective: drag and self-discovery
For Lei, drag is a form of expression and a route to self-acceptance. “So for me as a trans man, drag is very important. I find that it allows me to embrace and explore the femininity in me that I wish to keep, that I used to hate so much when I was a teenager,” Lei shares.
Drag lets him fall back in love with sides of himself that are “traditionally feminine”. “As a trans man, I think it’s important to still be able to love and accept those areas of yourself, as it’s so frequent that people question my Trans-ness as well as my masculinity,” he adds.
His experience is a reminder that gender identity is not tied to old ideas of femininity and masculinity. “They basically say, ‘well, how can you identify as a man and still be this feminine,’ and I have to remind people that my trans-ness has nothing to do with femininity and masculinity; it’s so far from that,” Lei emphasises.
Mental health, in focus
Being transgender is not a mental illness, and neither is gender dysphoria. Even so, many people in the trans and LGBTQ+ communities live with anxiety, depression and isolation. That was the focus of the shoot, a chance to look at mental health within these communities with a bit of nuance.
Collaboration and what comes next
I had a vision for the final image, but the shoot was a genuine collaboration. We spent a long time talking it through so Lei’s voice shaped the result, and that honesty is what gives the images their depth. It was a rewarding session, and I would happily work with Lei again. You can see more of my portrait work.
