Meet Kimberly Xiong | Photographer and Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kimberly Xiong and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimberly, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
When I was growing up, I feel that I’ve always been surrounded by art. I would make drawings for my friends a lot and ask my dad or uncle to help me improve my skills. I was even writing at a young age, constantly coming up with these kid stories which then progressed into more teen fiction stories as I reached high school. I believe it was only during my senior year of high school that I took photography more seriously. Before that, I was taking those “aesthetic” pictures and using VSCO to edit them. During the last year of high school, my friends had asked me to take their senior photos which was the start of getting into portrait photography and expanding my knowledge beyond landscape photography. I didn’t feel as passionate about drawing or writing, but the photography passion was strong. I always loved the idea of being able to capture moments in time forever. It’s a cheesy saying, but if those moments aren’t captured then how else would they be remembered in years to come? As of now, I still write when I can and do photoshoots when I can get the clientele.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Honestly, I still label myself as a mediocre photographer since I think that there is still more I need to learn and improve on. I will say I have come a long way from how my first photos were in high school up to now. I mostly use Lightroom Classic to edit my photos, but I still have yet to learn how to use Photoshop effectively. The photography field is challenging area to set yourselves apart from others because almost anyone can do it if they wanted to. I know that there are a lot of amazing and talented photographers out there, even some that I can look up to and be inspired by. The only qualities that set us apart are our editing styles, the genre that you shoot, and how you capture photos. My biggest challenge was always figuring out how to set myself apart from other photographers. Although over time, I felt that challenge was too much strain on me and that I shouldn’t think about my photography that way. Instead, I should find some common ground in my style, genre, and how I think photos should be captured. Now my biggest challenge is getting the clientele to keep myself busy with shoots. Although I don’t have as many clients booking as I would like, I don’t let it discourage me. I have stuck with Sun Akari Photography as my business name, but it’s also the name I use as a pen name for the books I write. Sun is a rough translation of my middle name, so figuring out something to flow in with that was very important. Akari means light so ideally it would be “Sunlight”. I enjoy taking photos near sunset, additionally, editing my pictures in a warmer tone with modern and film mixed edits. It’s also nice for me to capture photos candidly instead of having my clients pose. Again, referring back to that saying of capturing moments in time. I think there’s this mindset of “taking pictures is easy”, but I don’t think there’s this other perspective placed in where it’s actually not that easy haha. Anyone can take a picture, it’s a given. The work that goes into it though, is quite time consuming. Even with taking pictures there are qualities to understand such as the photography rules of composition, the way the lighting is, or how to pose your model if needed. I strive to always learn more but it’s all up to me to gain that knowledge. I don’t call my business “work”, in my head it’s simply a hobby I can be passionate about so that I don’t lose interest in it. As I like to say, “You are more than just a client but a new connection in my social circle, I would hope that I am someone you can always come back to for more pictures!”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting town, I know that we would definitely go to our pool place called Zoosters. This is a neighborhood bar in Broomfield that we frequent and all the vibes are there for a close community and enjoyable pool. Since they are staying a week long, we would also have to hit up Round 1 at some point too. Who would we be if we didn’t go blow our money on the plushies and coin games? As for food, if it was in the budget I would head to Kawa Ni for dinner. It’s a favorite restaurant of mine right now, top of the list. It’s a Izakaya inspired Japanese pub and I’m recommending The Big Three. If we wanted a quick bite downtown, we’re headed to Not A Damn Chance Burger. I feel that In-N-Out is pretty overrated, but this place? Underrated. As for drinking, I try to not go to the bars these days, plus the best friend doesn’t really enjoy the downtown bar vibes. The Old Man Bar though, is a nice place to bring people. There’s a nice outdoor area with lots of seating, games to play, and sometimes have live music. If somehow things miraculously fell in line with certain events taking place; like the Denver Card Show or a concert going on at Mission Ballroom or Red Rocks. We’ll be there. There’s a lot of things to do in Colorado, but at the same time, spending quality time at home is the best.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have had big support from a lot of friends throughout my photography journey. Such friends such as Dhaisy Vue, who gave me a chance to be in this Shoutout series. Dhaisy tells me all the time that she tells anyone she can about me which is such a huge appreciation for me. I believe that it’s tiny efforts like that which bring up our successes. So, shoutout to my inner circle of friends for always being my biggest supporters.

Website: https://sunakariphotography.mypixieset.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sun.akari/?igsh=MTA3NzVtYTd6dDJqYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr#

Image Credits
My own work.