Hong Kong ( CNN ) Xyza Cruz Bacani has lived in Hong Kong for nine years and still does n't feel like she belongs . But that changes every time she reaches for her camera . Bacani , 27 , is a migrant domestic worker or `` helper '' who moonlights as a photographer . She spends six days a week cooking , cleaning and babysitting for an affluent Chinese family . On her day off , Bacani wanders around the city capturing black and white scenes . `` When I 'm wearing my camera I 'm not a helper anymore , I 'm an ordinary girl . '' Bacani says . `` It 's a way of protection because when you 're a helper here , there is a kind of stereotyping that they do , '' referring to Hong Kongers . Lately , Bacani has been documenting a group of women at Bethune House Migrant Women 's Refuge , a shelter for abused migrant workers . `` When I see the girls , I talk to them , I absorb all their emotions and I ca n't really believe that some people can do that to other human beings , '' Bacani says . `` We 're the same . We 're migrant workers . But I have a boss that treats me with respect and like a human being but these people — they were treated badly . '' Bacani dropped out of college in the Philippines to work as a maid when she was only 19 so her younger brother and sister could stay at school . She began shooting street scenes four years ago , after asking her boss for a loan to buy a Nikon DSLR camera . Bacani 's outsider status helps her to capture the city differently . She often peers at her subjects through a glass window or mirror and plays with lighting to create dramatic , melancholic contrasts . She posts new images on Facebook or her blog almost daily . That 's how she caught the attention of Filipino documentary photographer Rick Rocamora who introduced her to a community of mentors . Soon after , doors began to open -- first , a profile in The New York Times ' Lens blog , then a Fuji Film sponsorship and an exhibition at the Philippines Consulate General in Hong Kong . In December , Bacani walked into the Foreign Correspondents ' Club in Hong Kong where her prints were hanging in 20 x 29 inch frames against a yellow , brick wall . It 's easy to see why Bacani gets mistaken for a tourist or just another 20-something visitor on the streets of Hong Kong . She sports a blue hoodie , braces and side-swept bangs . It 's Bacani 's second solo exhibit in a year but the first time she had seen her images enlarged . As she approached the back wall , Bacani could n't quite hide the thrill of seeing her photos displayed . She pulled out her smartphone and snapped a picture of the gallery to send to her mom and dad.READ MORE : Taking a different look at photography .
Filipino domestic worker captures Hong Kong 's street scenes with black and white photographs . Xyza Cruz Bacani 's work was recognized by a well - known Filipino photographer . Bacani recently hosted her second solo photography exhibition .