Abandoning the security of his spot behind the lens, Sean Lee stepped in front of the camera and stepped into the life of a ladyboy for the sake of his art.

The photographer felt a sense of power and freedom after he decided to become both the director and actor in his own work. To understand and capture the world of ladyboys, Lee crossed boundaries and taboos by becoming one of them and taking on a different persona: Shauna.

Lee had come across a group of ladyboys after attending a photography workshop in Siem Reap, Cambodia in 2007.

Curious, he decided to embark on a project – calling it Method – about them. But he decided not “to hide behind his camera”, immersing himself into the ladyboys’ world by trying to become a part of them instead.

“It was a very strange but liberating experience,” said the photographer who recently held a solo exhibition in Barcelona, Spain showcasing his latest work, Homework, with support from the Singapore International Foundation’s Singapore Internationale arts grant.

“I’ve been Sean for 20 over years but all of a sudden on this particular night I am doing this as someone else,” the 26-year-old said.

“This work is so insular that I can be both the photographer and the subject without exploiting anybody. That’s why I felt powerful,” he said about Method.

By taking on this dual role, Lee felt a strong sense of control.

“When some people take pictures of me when I’m dressed up, I feel like they are powerless because without me they wouldn’t be able to take these photos.”

Initially, Lee’s parents were sceptical about the project, which took him three years to complete.

“My parents thought I was crazy and I had to convince them that I’m still sane,” explained Lee with a wry smile.

It wasn’t until Lee held his Method show in France in 2009 that his parents “felt a little more okay” perhaps because they thought there were now “people who appreciated my work and gave me a show”.

And it was his parents’ gradual acceptance and curiosity about his work that sparked his latest project, Homework, which features portraits of his family.

‘You have families spanning three generations coming to see the exhibition,’ said Lee of the reception he got for his Homework exhibition in Barcelona

Aware that his family members were uncomfortable with outward displays of affection, Lee tried to put them at ease by “starting small”, photographing their hands or feet for example, before moving on to capture portrait shots.

It also helped that his “studio” was home.

“The pictures were all shot at home so that’s why it’s called Homework. Because they were already at home anyways, so it was not really a big jump for them,” he said.

Lee’s interest in photography was piqued when a teacher convinced him to take up a course after seeing some of his drawings.

Before enrolling in the two-month course while waiting to enlist for National Service in the army, Lee had never touched a camera before.

But by the time the course ended, he was convinced he had found his calling, saying he “simply fell in love” with photography.

“At that time, I didn’t imagine it was a legitimate art form. So when I saw all these images [during the course] I was blown away. You could do so much with a camera. I really got hooked on it in a very big way,” he said.

Lee continued his education by working at a camera shop and then becoming an assistant to other photographers.

But the pay was a pittance, so he supplemented his income by working at a bar in the evenings. “Assisting is just very bad money,” he admitted.

But he continued so he could learn, and hoped for a break.

It came when he secured his first real job – that paid almost S$10,000.

“I think this was the turning point because it gave me the confidence that I can do this,” he said.

It also helped to allay his parents’ worries that he would not be able to support himself financially through photography.

“They were quite happy with that,” he said.

And while he feels pursuing photography as a profession has meant forgoing the security that being a banker or a doctor might afford, claiming a string of awards, including the Special Jury Prize in the Angkor Photo Festival in 2007 and more recently the second ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu 2011 in Singapore, has certainly helped.

He even managed to sell some of his work during his recent Barcelona exhibition.

Lee used his home as his 'studio' for Homework

But Lee is not one who will rest on his laurels.

“My main motivation is never to sell,” he said. “I want to be shown and to be collected by institutions and most of all for things to continue, that is, from one show to lead to another one. This way, my work remains relevant.”

* Photos courtesy of Sean Lee

- To find out more about Sean Lee click here

- To find out more about SIF’s Singapore Internationale arts grant, click here

- Download the pdf version of 'DiverseCity - an annual Singapore Internationale Showcase' here