Click, snap, flash...Click, snap, flash....

It seemed like an endless loop, punctuated occasionally by The New Paper executive photographer Jonathan Choo's directions.

Welcome to behind the scenes at the Top 24 The New Paper New Face 2012 photoshoot held last month.

Now in its 20th year, the modelling contest is sponsored by Subaru MotorImage and co-sponsored by Levi's and Clinique.

Twenty-five turned into 24 because one semi-finalist pulled out. They had to ace this shoot to get selected as one of the 20 finalists.

The grand finale will take place on Oct 4.

The studio's air-conditioning took a while to kick in, but it wasn't the temperature that was causing discomfort for most of the girls.

Especially for student Kylie Yuen, 18, who said she was "nervous" and "slightly self-conscious".

She told The New Paper: "I used to be overweight. I used to weigh about 100kg and now I'm 55kg."

She started working on losing the pounds two years ago. The weight is gone, but not the self-doubt about her body image.

She said: "I haven't got over (that) and I felt overwhelmed. I don't think the photoshoot went as well as I had hoped."

Kylie admitted it was a boy who motivated her to get slimmer.

"He is around my height and has a skinny frame. And I realised that if I wanted a boyfriend, I had to lose some weight. "

She added cheekily: "I also wanted to wear pretty dresses."

Kylie didn't get the guy in the end, but she kept on losing weight.

She focuses on eating healthily and maintaining a balanced diet, taking more vegetables and fruits and abstaining from rice, noodles and bread.

In addition, she opts for a more physically active lifestyle, like taking the stairs instead of the lift and jogging when she's free.

Read the full article here.