Li Chi-ling [Photo by Wing Shya/Provided to China Daily]

To be a photographer in Hong Kong, you have to adjust and adapt. Budgets are so low. You have to be creative, versatile. That's also part of our Hong Kong education. From childhood, we are taught to be resourceful.

Yes, I do all sorts of projects – different clients, different assignments, coffee commercials, movies, album covers for singers. I can't say I particularly enjoy doing commercials, but having a name in the industry doesn't exempt you from having to pay the bills.

You have to fall in love with the subject you shoot – whether it's a person, a building or a flower. When you click, you must fall in love. I don't even need to know a location before I shoot. It's just about that moment when shooting.

When I shoot for magazines, every photoshoot is related to special music that I select. When I listen to the music, I can already see the photo in my head. Photography and film are completely different approaches. When I first think about a film project, I think about the story – the story is key. When it's photography, it's about the moment.