Figure standing at the shoreline facing a moody, cloud-heavy dusk sky over the ocean
JIAQIU
CHIA
Photography — Screen Production & Design Sydney, Australia
PG. 01

About

Silhouette walking along the shoreline at dusk, boats moored on the water behind

I'm JiaQiu Chia — originally from Malaysia, now based in Sydney, where I use a camera to pay close attention to the everyday.

Growing up across different cities gave me an early curiosity about new places and the people in them. That curiosity is still what drives the work: coastlines, community events, film sets, and quiet street corners, all treated with the same attention.

I'm currently completing a double degree in Screen Production and Integrated Design at UNSW, which lets me carry a project from concept through to final frame — and gives my photography a slightly cross-disciplinary, design-literate eye.

Photography, film, and design are, to me, just different ways of telling the same real human stories.

Based in
Sydney, Australia
Studying
Screen Production & Integrated Design, UNSW
Instagram
@jiaqiuchia2005
Contact
+61 421 252 114
PG. 02

Selected Work

01

Liu Bai (留白) — Leaving Space

Jewellery — silver, designed and handmade by JiaQiu Chia · Maroubra, Sydney

Three silver rings inspired by the movement of waves — soft and calming one moment, unpredictable the next. Some curves are exaggerated, others restrained, and the rough, hand-worked texture carries the time and emotion behind each piece. I left the title open on purpose: the blank space is for the parts of myself I still don't fully understand.

Hand wearing three silver rings, held near the face
Silver wave-form ring resting on sand at dusk, ocean behind
Single silver ring with a curled horn-like form, on sand
Silver ring balanced on a rock, ocean in soft focus behind
Silver wave-form ring on sand, warm dusk light
02

Soft Control

Wearable design — Nina Luo · Photography — JiaQiu Chia · Maroubra, Sydney · Monochrome

A collaboration with designer Nina Luo exploring the quiet pressure of socialisation — how we learn to hide parts of ourselves without quite noticing. The mask, made from a soft, skin-friendly bioplastic, covers only part of the face: gentle to the touch, but slowly shaping and restricting all the same. Shot in monochrome, stripping out colour to bring the gesture, texture, and discomfort closer to the surface.

Woman sitting on a rock against a plain sky, applying a pale bioplastic mask to her face
Close-up of hands wrapped in bioplastic covering half of a face
Hands covered in bioplastic pressed against a lowered face
Woman with hair over her face, bioplastic wrapped around her raised hand
03

Gilded Hour

Show reel · Talent — Riley · Make-up — Nicky · Videographer — Hank · Kurnell, Sydney

A show reel shoot with Riley at Kurnell, chasing the last gold light before dusk. Sequins against raw sandstone, a diamanté chain held dripping just above the waterline — a small tension between glamour and the rougher textures of the coast that I keep coming back to in my work.

Model in a gold sequin top lying on rocks at dusk, looking at the camera
Model sitting cross-legged on a rock ledge, cliff behind
Model standing in breaking waves, water splashing
04

Reverie

Talent — Riley · Make-up & Props — Nicky · Kurnell, Sydney · White-mist filter

The same day's second look, in white instead of gold. I shot this one through a soft mist filter to push it further into a dream state — softer edges, a quieter kind of glamour, like a memory instead of a moment.

Model in a flowing white dress leaning on a round mirrored table, blue sky and beach behind
Hand holding a diamanté chain necklace dripping above a rock pool
Model seated on a chair in the surf, calmer water
05

Show Reel — with Ming

Talent — Ming · La Perouse, Sydney

Shot at La Perouse in Sydney's eastern suburbs, this series plays with the contrast between soft natural light and the strength of the coastline. I was really drawn to how the waves, rocks, and light shaped the mood, creating a sense of quiet energy while keeping the images grounded and natural.

Model seated on a chair in breaking waves at dusk, fist raised, island silhouette behind
Model leaning against sandstone rock formation
Model seated in the surf on a metal chair, waves breaking around him
Model standing on wet rocks, reflection in tidal pool
Model standing in profile, reflected in shallow water
06

Don't Be Afraid — BTS

BTS Photography · 2nd AC & BTS Photographer · Sydney, NSW

This was a recent BTS photography project where I worked both as a 2nd AC and the BTS photographer. It was also my first feature film experience, which gave me great exposure to a more industrialised film production workflow. I was able to bring my event photography experience into the BTS role as well, especially in capturing candid moments while staying responsive to the fast-paced set environment.

An actor mid-scene, gesturing dramatically toward the camera monitor on set
A bearded actor in costume wiping his brow inside a corrugated-iron shed
A young actor lying on a checkerboard-tiled bathroom floor, smiling between takes, camera rig in foreground
Black and white portrait of an actor in a hat, reflected in a mirror on set
Black and white silhouette of a figure in a hat standing in a lit doorway at night
PG. 03

Experience

2026 First AD — Documentary for Venerable Master Hsing Yun Nan Tien Temple, Wollongong
2026 Second AC / BTS Photographer — Don't Be Afraid Sydney, NSW
2024–25 Casual Event Photographer — Nan Tien Temple Wollongong, NSW
2025 Producer — Thanks for Not Loving Me (school project) UNSW
2025 Cinematographer — I'm Not Good Enough (school project) UNSW
2025 Assistant — The Creator Project, with Mark Wang C-LAB, Taipei
2025 Exhibition Assistant — The Limit is the Turbulent Skies MoNTUE Museum, Taipei
2024 Intern — Group MRMS Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia