Wong Li Lin, 35, actress and host
Uses: Digital camera, digital camcorder, portable DVD player, laptop
Tech moment: Getting behind the camera instead of being in front of it

LI LIN is always in front of the camera.

As actress-host-Canon spokesperson, she is always either filming or at photo shoots.

But in her free time, the mother of two is the one behind the lens instead, capturing all the special, and even not so special, moments, in her children's lives.

'I've always wondered about what I used to do as a kid, but my family didn't have the habit of taking pictures when I was young, so I don't have many pictures of myself,' said Li Lin. 'When I do interviews and people ask for my childhood pictures, I have to dig really hard to find one.'

That's why she's now a trigger-happy Mummy.

'I decided that I will take every opportunity to shoot pictures and videos of my own kids,' she added.

Even when daughter Sage Cadence, four, and son Jonas Leif, two, are just playing in the backyard, Mum busies herself making home videos.

'It doesn't have to be any special occasion, I try to document everything,' she said.

That's why Li Lin is never without her camera and camcorder.

Other than aiming them on her kids, she sometimes shoots short clips of herself or her husband, Allan Wu, for casting purposes.

It was her clip that landed her Chinese-American actor-husband the role of a contestant on Fear Factor.

'For these short casting clips, I just do them myself,' said the petite and effervescent woman.

But when it comes to family vidoes, only close friends and family get to see them.

To share the photos and videos with Allan's family in Los Angeles, she prints the photos, burns the home videos onto DVDs and mails them over.

Li Lin does not post her children's photos on blogs or video-sharing sites, preferring to keep them out of the limelight to protect their privacy.

Which is why she asked to do the photo shoot with a child model instead of bringing her own children.

Besides, they might be too active with Mum around.

During family trips and 16-hour flights to Los Angeles, she brings along a portable DVD player and laptop to keep the kids entertained.

'They come in handy when you need to drive and keep your kids entertained at the same time,' she said.

After all, she is someone who likes silence.

'When I travel, I don't need to bring any music player. My husband needs them but not me,' she said. 'I prefer quiet.'

Li Lin sees her mobile phone as both a necessity and liability.

Her cellphone rang at least five times during the morning photo shoot.

'Sometimes, I prefer not to have a phone,' she said emphatically. 'Like when I go for holiday and people can't get me. I like that.'

This article was first published in Digital Life, The Straits Times on Apr 29, 2008.