We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Xiaopan Xue. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Xiaopan below.
Xiaopan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
It is very hard to pick the most meaningful project I’ve worked on because each project holds great significance for me. I know it sounds cheesy, but it is the damn truth! Each client’s photo session holds some kind of special meaning for them and my job is to capture it so that they can look back and remember the stage of life they were in, the moment, and the emotions associated with the photo. I also built my brand off of working with BIPOC folks and queer folks–people who identify in these categories often don’t get the chance to treat themselves or experience a professional photoshoot until way later on in life. I know this because not only have I lived it, but because so many of my client have expressed this to me. This is why no matter how many photo sessions I do, I treat each one with care and like it’s the most important job in the world to me, because to my client, it is the first time or one of the only times they may splurge on something like this.
The most meaningful project I’ll pick is a graduation session I did during quarantine and work from home during the pandemic. A client reached out to do a session celebrating her and her sister’s respective graduations and they wanted to also feature their parents in the photos. This touched my heart because as the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child or to support someone. I come from a culture where family and group support is a core value; my clients also came from a background that held similar beliefs. I immediately knew that this was going to be a special moment for the entire family. I worked with my client to coordinate and make sure that I could meet their needs, whether it be making sure her father had access to the restroom or planning the session out so that everyone was comfortable with the pacing and groupings. I’ll never forget the smiles and excitement when we got started. Seeing my client’s parents smile proudly at their children brought me back to my own parents, who sacrificed everything to bring me to this country so I could build myself up and experience a life that was better than my parent’s. My absolute FAVORITE part of the session was when my clients (the graduates) put their graduation stoles (sashes) and caps on their parents. The photos I captured here could not be replicated anywhere else at any other time. I saw that mom and dad became a bit shy and hesitant because they were used to focusing all eyes on their children. I saw the giant smiles the graduates had as they silently thanked their parents for all that they did for them. It was very clearly meant to be because at that very moment, the sun started to make its descent and hit the trees in the most beautiful way, creating a warm golden light that made a halo around their heads. It is moments like these that remind me why I do what I do and most importantly, why I treat every single photoshoot as if it’s the last one I might do in my career. I also know that I did a good job because my clients texted me later telling me how much fun her parents had and upon receipt of the photos, she mentioned that her mom could not stop looking at them.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Hi folks! My name is Xiaopan and my pronouns are she/her/她. I am the CEO and founder of Xiaopan Xue Photography. I am a wedding, lifestyle, and branding photographer based in Southern California. I am a proud queer, Chinese-American child of immigrants.
My dad loves cameras and photography so that’s where I got my start in photography. I randomly took an overhead shot of some umbrellas at a hotel and that was the photo that convinced my dad that I had a future in photography. He has always been my biggest and supporter. However, college was the vehicle that allowed me to take photography seriously. I proudly identify as a first-gen college student and carried my ancestors’ dreams and stories with me on campus. I grew up in a low-income household where both parents worked blue collar jobs in Chinese restaurants. Because of this, I became creative with gift giving. In undergrad, I decided to gift my graduating friends with graduation photoshoots. I figured that if I couldn’t buy them something nice, then I could capture an achievement that meant a lot to them.
I never dreamt that I would end up booking dozens of graduation sessions. I would later go on to create this business and a photography experience for my clients that is entirely and uniquely Me. Best of all, I’ve built so many deeply rewarding and authentic relationships with my clients so that I could tell their stories and show them that they matter. Today, I use my business to empower clients to be their authentic selves in front of the camera so that they can tell their own stories. My dream is to one day own a million dollar business that brings photography to every single person of color, woman, and LGBTQ-identified human.
I like to call myself a true Jill of all trades when it comes to photography. I do weddings, lifestyle (family, graduation) sessions, and branding (headshots and lifestyle branding for your business). This is reflective of my personality and who I am. I love getting to know different people and then adjusting my working style to work best with them. I believe that as long as I hold true to my editing and composition style, other components can be adjusted based on my clients’ needs.
I pride myself on being a safe space for those with marginalized identities. Being a safe space is more than just saying “you are welcome here”, because a lot of people just leave it at that. The thought of “if I just tell people I’m accepting, that should do it” is something that I am the very opposite of. For me, holding any set of marginalized identities will affect the way that you interact with the world and it can very often affect your interpretation of the camera. For instance, for many of my queer clients, I will always check beforehand on what type of posing and affection they are comfortable with in front of the camera. We are often taking photos in public places and I will never assume what someone is comfortable with, especially considering my clients’ personal life experiences. This is just one small example of what I do–I attune myself to my clients’ identities because you cannot separate them from who they are. This will absolutely reflect in front of the camera. I may not know everything, but you can bet that I will ask respectfully or seek online resources so that I am actually informed properly on how to make this session a safe space specific to my clients.
I am also incredibly real. I tell people that if you want someone who is real, cracks jokes, and down to earth, I’m your person! Any time I hope on a client consult call, I open with “this is not a pressure sales call… I will not be asking you repeatedly if you’d like to invest with me” because it’s just now who I am. I am not here to shove my business down your throat. It is a two-way interview to see if we’d both like to work with each other. I like to give open space for questions, but I also give a lot of information and guidance. I always tell people that they’re paying me to give them expertise and guidance, especially in posing and relaxing in front of the camera. I will never tell you to “just do your thing” because honestly y’all… what does that even mean?!
The last thing I’ll mention is my actual work. I am a vibrant true-to-c0lor photographer that captures images that reflect the authentic emotions of the moment. I do a combination of posed and candid work.
I am most proud of all the relationships and connections I have made because of my small business. I have heard so many stories and journeys… it is an extreme privilege to hold space for someone who has never been allowed to speak candidly before. I take my job VERY seriously because being in front of the camera is such a vulnerable thing. I myself still need hype people when I get in front of the camera. If you’re thinking about treating yourself or your loved ones to a photo shoot, I say GO FOR IT! You can check out my blog for a guide on how to pick a photographer so that hopefully your experience is an amazing one!
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Social media has always fascinated me. I got Instagram fresh out of high school and at first I didn’t really see the point in it. It’s ironic… I know… because Instagram is literally an app for photos (and now videos). In college, I discovered the fun in seeing others’ live their lives and of course, I loved the adrenaline rush from seeing how many likes I could rack up on my photos. (I was impressionable and wanted to be cool, ok?)
However, when I tried to market my photography talents, it fell flat. I wouldn’t get as many likes and later on, when I started a separate account for Xiaopan Xue Photography, I had maybe 100 followers and was averaging 15 likes per photo on a good day. I just didn’t get it… I experienced success when I posted personal photos on my personal Instagram, but the moment I got professional and tried to showcase my work, engagement plummeted.
I wracked my brain to try to think of why this was happening and decided on 2 things:
#1 My posts on my business IG needed to be more personal. I noticed that on my personal account, I had no problem getting like and comments. I figured the only different between personal and business is that I wasn’t writing personal or relatable captions. My captions centered just on the photo and then a ton of hashtags in hopes of showing up on people’s feeds. Maybe people weren’t liking the photo because it felt impersonal and they couldn’t get the vibe of who I am as a photographer. I started selecting photos that resonated with me and then crafting captions that talked about my day or how I met the client in the photo. I slowly started to see more likes. I also started referencing my photo account more and more on my personal account. I added it to my bio and started sharing the posts to my personal story. Eventually, I moved to just using my professional account. You see, I started just using it as my personal account. I’d post personal moments to my stories and just crack the same jokes I did on my personal IG account. I made a post that I was no longer going to be using my personal IG and if people wanted to find me, they could find me on @xxuephoto.
Today, that is my sole Instagram account. I use it for everything. Not only has it consolidated the number of accounts I have to manage, it gives potential clients a full picture of who I am as a human being first, and a photographer second. What sells first is YOU and YOUR VALUES, not necessarily the product. (I mean, still create a kickass product… but it’s not the product itself that sells… it’s the person or entity selling it.)
#2 Consistency and frequency of posts matters. I used to just post whenever I felt like it… which wasn’t very often because I was focused on my personal IG. I started to set a small, flexible schedule for myself to post maybe twice a week. I told myself to not waste the opportunity and to make sure that the caption was something I resonated with because people were going to read quality stuff if it was coming from Xiaopan Xue Photography. I learned that potential clients want to see your work and a lot of it so they can make a decision on you as a vendor. My website wasn’t in the best shape, so my Instagram was really the only place you could see up to date photos. Every gig hinged on my IG profile (or at least, that’s what I told myself).
My advice would be to try to work on the two things above in a way that works for you. Don’t try to be the next influencer. I made that mistake when I first started. I was trying to have 100,000 followers and hundreds of likes. I realized that I don’t need 100,000 followers to make a profit and do meaningful work. In fact, I found that a lot of clients liked that I was truly a small business and down-to-earth. Oftentimes people who are really big are impersonal and it can feel really cookie cutter. And most of all, BE YOU! Don’t compromise who you are and what you value just to book that next client because chances are you won’t like working with them and will dread every single moment you spend doing it.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
I truly do have a small business. I do not have any other employees so it is just me, myself, and I. This works for me beautifully because I have a full time job and photography helps me make that extra cap of disposable income so I can treat myself and also take care of my family. I don’t have a desire to make it a full-time gig, so keep that in mind when you read my answer to this question.
Please note that I am not a financial advisor by any means. Take this advice with a grain of salt and anything you choose to do is of your own accord. I am not licensed to give serious financial advice.
I started doing photoshoots for free, so I didn’t have any capital to use on equipment. I literally took my dad’s camera and 50mm lens and used that. It worked for a long time, until it didn’t. About 5 years into taking photos, I realized I was sorely lacking capital to upgrade my equipment and to upgrade my skill set. I had really just been learning on the fly and truly did not have a solid technical foundation. I was determined to remedy that.
The first thing I did was apply for a credit card that offered 0% APR for the first year and a half. I knew that I needed new equipment and more training I needed but I also did not have the funds to do this. All of my photography earnings before this were put towards supporting myself through college and other family expenses. I used my little financial knowledge that I had learned from others to apply for the credit card, buy the expensive stuff, and pay it back with the money I earned periodically from photoshoots. This is one of the best financial decisions I could have made. I still had clients and as I upgraded my equipment and learned how to use it, my work improved and I then booked more clients. This allowed me to pay off my credit card sooner. My business took off (as much as a part-time job can) and after that, I started showing up as a real professional photographer. This gave me the confidence to start raising my prices so that I could save more disposable income from the business. I eventually started using some funds to invest in my business by buying more equipment, getting business insurance, and then hiring a bookkeeper.
This taught me how to develop a customer experience that was true to me and also aligned with the type of client that I want to attract. Charging my worth was also a huge shift for me but it automatically raised the quality and professional vibe of my work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.xiaopanxuephoto.com
- Instagram: @xxuephoto
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xiaopanxue/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/xiaopan-xue-photography-fullerton
Image Credits
Headshot taken by Danielle Dong Photography Rest of photos taken by me! Xiaopan Xue Photography