SHE was just 14 when she responded to an advertisement that offered up to $500 per photoshoot for "fresh faces".
It promised professional makeovers, and grooming and deportment courses.
Filled with dreams of being a glamorous model, Kim responded to the ad and was told to go to a shophouse in Tanjong Pagar.
"A woman handed me a bag of clothes - the type with holes all over - and asked me to change into them. I freaked out when I saw another teenage girl wearing only a bikini and a see-through scarf.
"She looked so awkward and pitiful as she tried to pose sexily for three male photographers in that dark studio," said Ms Tan,who is now 37.
For being hesitant to change into skimpy clothes, Ms Tan was scolded by the middle-aged female coordinator of the shoot.
"I didn't know what to do because I was so young." Luckily, she met her "saviour" in the toilet.
Uncomfortable
"Another young girl (model candidate) was there with her mother," recalled Ms Tan.
" They were also uncomfortable with what they saw. But even the mother was afraid of offending those men.
"She took off her heels and we tiptoed down the stairs. It was very dark and my heart jumped every time the wooden floor creaked.
"When we reached the main road, she asked me to follow them. We got into a taxi and escaped."
Since then, this slim, fair-skinned graphic designer has had a strong aversion to any kind of photoshoots, save for those taken at her wedding when she was 29.
She was recounting her experience to warn other women of photographers who take advantage of young girls at photoshoots, after a 30 year-old man was recently arrested for allegedly taking lewd pictures of a 12-year-old girl.
Five professional photographers told The New Paper that sexual exploitation of young female models has become more rampant recently.
They claimed that the recent arrest is just the "tip of the iceberg" and that a few nude photoshoots involving women below the age of 25, some in their teens, are arranged nearly every month.
Freelance photographer Isiah Su, 37, said: "You think these are real artists who specialise in nude photography? Some of them even take the pictures with their handphones. Enough said."
Fondling young models at such photoshoots is common, and some sessions even lead to sex, two male photographers told us on condition of anonymity.
Mr Su said that such photographers turn to Internet forums to "hunt" for victims and some of them approach girls directly by befriending them on Facebook.
Although he has never witnessed such photo sessions, such incidents are "common knowledge" within the photography community.
Dodgy
Some dodgy arrangements even involve "exclusive photoshoots".
"One hot babe for one 'chikopek' (Hokkien for pervert)," he said.
He is upset that these sleazebags are tarnishing the name of the industry.
Said Mr Su: "They have turned art into kiddy porn. This problem became worse in the last 10 years or so when digital cameras got popular. Anyone can call himself a photographer now."
Print photographer Lee Peiyang, 26, said: "I think it is revolting when a few old men gather around a naked woman young enough to be their daughter."
Sadly, some girls are willing victims, said Mr Su.
"Some are even willing to pose nude for free because they want to get a portfolio.
Others are paid a few hundred dollars for a two-hour job."
Dr Carol Balhetchet, the Singapore Children's Society director of youth services, said: "Many young people fall prey to such advertisements easily because they want fast cash."
She added that cyberspace is a double- edged sword.
"Many teenagers learn more about the world through the Internet. But they are also exposed to more risks.
"Take Facebook for example. You may place your account in a 'private' setting, but a friend's friend's friend, whom you may add to your account, is likely to be a stranger."
She advised aspiring teen models to check the credentials of the photographer - by checking his website, at the least.
"That would give you an idea what kind of photographer he is," she said.
She said that a girl should go with an adult to her modelling assignments, especially if it is her first.
Under the Children and Young Persons Act, anyone found guilty of committing an obscene or indecent act with any child or young person shall be fined up to $5,000 and jailed up to two years.
Repeat offenders face up to $10,000 fine and a jail term of up to four years.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
