Patrick Xiong: How to Be Private with Yourself and Revealing With Your Photography

Patrick Xiong's images are beautiful, but it's a boring term. He lives and works in New York City, a place rife with beauty/editorial photographers. Whether it was calculated or just a reflection of his professional style, he's gone the anti-perfection route: His images don't appear photoshopped or retouched to fit a makeup campaign's demands. In many ways, he's the antithesis of a beauty photographer. His images capture something else – an echoing pain in a model's eyes, the moment of joy that can't be manufactured on cue. Most of his images also capture reality: If the model looks a little worn, he keeps that in the image and somehow that imperfection holds us more deeply.

He's a very private person: His profile on his professional website simply states he's an editorial photographer in New York City. He declines to give personal information about himself and a headshot. Xiong, however, graciously agreed to answer the following question, save one that he prefers to keep in his personal chambers.

Q: How did you get into photography? What sparked your interest?

Xiong: “I’ve always had a interest in the arts.  Originally the game plan was fashion design, but through life and times my path wavered greatly, and I ended up going into photography just a few years ago.”

Q: What were some of the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?

Xiong: “I’d say one of the biggest challenges is financial survival in NYC and still creating your art. Overcoming that is a constant (effort), and many working photographers still face it throughout their careers. Its the balance and dance of art and commerce.”

Q: What inspires you? How do you keep your images fresh and relevant?

Xiong: “I look at everything around me throughout the city - the people, the buildings, the landscape, just the overall energy of the city.  I suppose I’m not one to make fresh and relevant images so much as I try to keep everything classic and timeless.  I prefer my images to look like they could be from 1994 or 2034.”

Q: Is there a reason you prefer black and white?

Xiong: “It eliminates the emotions that color can sometimes give.”

Q: How do you infuse feeling into your images? Many I see (by other photographers) look technically perfect, but they appear sterile and forgettable

Xiong: “Honestly and I’m asked this often, it's through conversation. I build a relationship and get to know someone's life in 10 minutes.  Get to understand who they are and why they are. It's the reason for every image that makes you feel something. A pretty picture to me is worthless if it doesn’t make you feel something.”

Q: What is your advice for anyone trying to break into photography or any creative career?

Xiong: “Your talent is not your craft. It’s your hustle.”

Some of Xiong's work is featured below (Images used with his permission):