The 9-year-old Chinese photographer capturing candid portraits of the stars

Fourth-grade photographer Zou Shengyu has lit up social media by shooting portraits for celebrities including Jason Momoa and Tony Leung.

In a behind-the-scenes video posted to social media, 9-year-old Zou Shengyu can be seen pointing her analog camera at “Aquaman” star Jason Momoa for a series of portraits. Seemingly unfazed by his bulky six-foot-four-inch physique, the young Chinese photographer gives clear instructions to the actor, asking him to pose in various positions. “I was so nervous because I had to speak in English,” recalled Zou, who goes by her nickname and professional alias Shengsheng, in a phone interview. “He was quite big, so I asked him to make bigger movements and gestures.” Across her four-year photography career, the Shanghai-based fourth-grader has captured shots of more than a dozen high-profile figures, including some of Asia’s biggest and most influential celebrities. Her portraits of actor Tony Leung, tennis legend Li Na and rapper Lay Zhang, among others, have helped her amass more than 10 million likes and around 500,000 followers on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. Her father, the photographer Zou Yupeng, also frequently posts about her work to his millions of followers. It all started when she was given a point-and-shoot camera aged 4. Speaking to CNN alongside his daughter, Shengsheng’s father said he encouraged her to pursue street photography after noticing how she could strike up conversations wherever she went. She began by walking up to strangers to ask if she could take their picture. Then one day, when she was 5 years old, Shengsheng said she noticed a beautiful young woman in a Shanghai clothing shop. Unbeknownst to the young photographer, she was about to capture a portrait of famed Taiwanese cellist-turned-actress, Ouyang Nana.