ABOUT

THE FOUNDER, LI-CHI PAN

South African-born, Australian-based Li-Chi has an acute appreciation for composition, colour and minimalism, and creates beautiful and inspiring content on her Instagram account. With over 550 000 Instagram followers, the Masters of Architecture graduate showcases her photography and styling prowess across all social platforms. She cites legendary architects Frank Gehry and Tadao Ando as some of prime inspiration for her work.

Li-Chi's unique eye for detail and high-quality content is highly sought after and she has worked with luxury brands Audi, Country Road, Dior, Ladurée, Nespresso and Tiffany & Co amongst her list of clients. A recent campaign saw Li-Chi travelling through the united Arab Emirates creating breathtaking photography for Dubai Tourism. Li-Chi’s creative content has caught the eye of several style publications, with Li-Chi recently named ELLE S.A’s “Insta-crush." www.lichipan.com is currently ranked 6th under the “Top 50 Bloggers in Australia” 2017 list for being one of the most influential bloggers in Australia and was awarded the title of: "Leading Fashion and Lifestyle Blogger" for the 2018 APAC Excellence Awards in Australia.

Li-Chi is highly regarded in the fields of digital and social media content, collaborating with brands as a creative director, social media and brand consultant, digital strategist and influencer.

For all project & general enquiries:
hello@lichipan.com

– Top 50 Influencers Awards - 2017

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do you usually shoot your pics on a camera or phone?
Canon Mark iiiD and my Samsung Galaxy Note 9

How much time do you then spend editing a pic?
Anywhere from 5 minutes to two hours.

Do you have a favourite filter?
Yes! A6 on VSCO at the moment!

Do you spend a lot of time each day dedicated to Instagram?
I try to upload once daily. But if I’m feeling tired or run down, I take a day off. I try not to spend too much time on it. Offline time is really important to me.

How do you concept for a shoot?
Before a shoot I will look at magazines as a big source of inspiration. Depending on the client, I always head online and have a flick through some of my favourite magazines to collate a collage. I like to gather a whole bunch of ideas and then draw and edit whatever I like or don’t like.

Because I studied architecture, I like to visualise and draw my own concepts. I usually sketch out an image of how I want it to look like beforehand. If it’s a food or lifestyle shot, I’ll write down a list of what I need to buy and then I go hunting for props. I’l then execute the whole concept and spend a day shooting.

What methods did you originally undertake to help build a following?
Upload daily, keep a consistent style in editing and have a theme.

You studied architecture, but are now doing something completely different. Do you ever want to get back into architecture? Do you miss it?
I do miss it, but I’ve always had a big passion for photography and design. I think a huge part of architecture is quite evident in my images – everything is quite composed and I pay attention to symmetry, tonal colours and negative space. There’s just little things that I’ve developed over the years from studying architecture that has led me to be quite a perfectionist in my photography. I think eventually once I, hopefully, have a family one day, I would definitely want to return to architecture.

Have you made great friends with other successful Instagrammers?
Yes! Some of my best friends I’ve met through Instagram. It’s really great to have a supportive group of creatives who understand and accept your work.

What are your five top tips for budding Instagrammers?
Be patient (good things take time), upload daily, engage with other people’s content, develop a consistent editing style, and have a theme!