Please tell us about Xiaopan Xue Photography. We need to start building more communities and not a competition as womxn. Who cares if they think I’m inexperienced? In the end, I”m gaining knowledge to better myself and the truth is that other people generally want to help and may have questions too.
Xiaopan xue how to#
It is easy to pretend like we know what we’re doing and be afraid to ask for help, but I find that I have been much more successful asking other photographers how to do things. Yes, treat yoself! But also treat yourself in the ways that matter. Invest in your mental health – I recently started therapy and this has started to change my life. Invest in a mentor – find your village and people that are willing to let you learn. Invest in courses (if they exist) that can sharpen and improve your skills. Not only does society groom us for a ton of self-doubt, but the sexism that is very apparent in the business world can also bog us down and make us devalue our own self-worth. Starting your own side hustle or full-time business is no small feat, especially as a womxn. Invest financially, emotionally, and physically.
My biggest piece of advice would be: invest in YOUrself.
Xiaopan xue upgrade#
Some of those were necessities, but looking back now, I should have saved my earnings to upgrade my equipment so that I could achieve the look I wanted in my work. The money went towards car maintenance, food, outings, etc. I didn’t save the photography earnings to purchase new equipment. I’ve been taking photographs for almost six or seven years now and to be honest, I made some mistakes down the road. It definitely has not been a smooth road. Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way? Photography is not my full-time hustle, but the fact that I get to do something I love on the weekends and meet dope people is something I never would have imagined for myself. I am so grateful to all of these people that took a chance on me and my crop sensor camera. The next year, I started charging clients for the first time and I got a lot of great momentum that way. As I did more and more sessions, word traveled and I got more and more “clients” who paid me in thank you cards and gift cards to my favorite fast food places or stores. I didn’t have much money but still wanted to gift them with something. It wasn’t until my second year in college when I started taking my friends’ graduation photos for free.
Xiaopan xue free#
I did one free photoshoot, didn’t get much traction from it and moved on to other things like starting college. I remember not believing his praise and thought that he was trying to pass on his hobby to me, something I wasn’t necessarily interested in. He is also the first person that recognized my talent and pushed me to take photos. My dad is the person who first put a camera in my hands. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Xiaopan. Today we’d like to introduce you to Xiaopan Xue.