We recently connected with Xinyuan Xu and have shared our conversation below.

Xinyuan, appreciate you joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

It all started with this epiphany. Living in New York City, basically everything is an inspiration-there’s always something going on that tends to spark your creativity. Film, especially, has always enticed me because it can make reality feel extraordinary. Once the concept has been born, I immerse myself in collecting images that align with my vision because I believe that clarity comes through this process. I never let my mind rest; keeping the wheel of creativity functional is the key. Even during the production process, I will embrace an idea if it flashes into my mind and see how it could further the project. Any moment may influence my work, and I never let those moments run away from me without turning those inspirations into reality.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I like photos with cinematography attributes and films with photography attributes. I was attracted to movie visual effects and motivated by cinematography when I decided to major in Art Photography at college. This basis inspired me to closely work with friends of the film department, starting as a camera assistant often being a gaffer and DP, till later I was directing my first short film.

Fashion photographer Bochun Cheng discovered me after moving to New York last year. Since then, I have had the opportunity to work on major projects such as Super Elle China Fashion Week and with Sicky Magazine and fast fashion brand Shein. Concurrently, I have been working on personal works for some of the smaller magazines, such as Selin Magazine and MOB Magazine. While my work is now more focused on fashion photography, I don’t stop seeking opportunities as a filmmaker. The interaction between these two professions gives a rare inspiration and flexibility in creative explorations.

What separates me is a film-like quality that my photography possesses, instilled by my experience as a director and a DP of short film projects. I never take pictures; I tell a story in every frame. This approach is fueled by my deep love for film. Being a director of short films, I understand the building blocks of narration, evoking emotions, and creating atmosphere. I think of every photograph that I take as each frame of a movie-a scene, using light, composition, color to tell a story extending outside the frame. This diverse background gives me the ability to create images that are not only visually compelling but rich in narrative.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I always try to put a part of my vision into each project, knowing that clients pick me because of a personal style and artistic point of view. In this way, working alongside them to meet their expectations without compromising on the personal creative touch allows me to make their vision a reality while reflecting my identity as an artist. This in turn improves the building of good relationships and ensures brand loyalty, whereby clients appreciate my genuineness in delivering work on their projects. I follow up with my clients through personalized follow-through for each project to ensure satisfaction of results and to ask for feedback regarding the same. This it does, too, via social media: I share behind-the-scenes content, updates on upcoming projects, and showcase my latest work to keep them engaged.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I started with a vision of having an audience on social media through constant work. Photographs, short films were the first steps towards sharing my work along with the behind-the-scenes content that offers an insight into my creative process. Interaction with my audience was very important; thus, commenting and participating in conversations with others and showing connections to other creatives in the field helped me big time.

I have also utilized social media, showing not only the end projects but also how ideas evolved. That gave followers a more personal feeling of being connected through my journey. Expanding my reach by collaborating with other artists and taking an active part in relevant online communities also helped a lot.

To people just starting out who want to build their social media presence, my advice would be to put up high-quality consistent content which reflects one’s unique style. Be very authentic with engagement with your audience, make use of proper hashtags, and collaborate with others within the same field-this develops a network. Lastly, the major key is being patient and persistent because building an audience takes some time and effort.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://xxy.photos
• Instagram: byxylia

Image Credits

Photographer: Xinyuan Xu
Model: Siqi Luo, Sofi Shuliak, Sebastian Chang, Christopher Paul