Xiang Sun | From Paris Runways to the Depths of the Darkroom | Onsite by SmallRig

What happens when a photographer steps away from the world of fashion to rediscover why he makes images in the first place? In this episode of SmallRig Onsite Conversation, artist, photographer, and filmmaker Xiang Sun reflects on a creative journey spanning fashion, portraiture, experimental film, and traditional darkroom photography. After moving to Paris in 2004, Sun taught himself photography and went on to work alongside Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel as a backstage photographer. His career later brought him from the fashion world back to Shanghai, where his practice expanded into portraiture, moving image, and increasingly personal photographic work. Today, he has returned to the darkroom. Working with an 8×10 large-format camera and hand-printing silver gelatin photographs, Sun explores a slower and more deliberate relationship with image-making. In conversation, he reflects on photographing people he admires, finding his place within the fashion industry, the changing forms of his muse, photographing original works by Rodin, and the childhood experiences that first drew him toward photography. Selected works include Muse and Camera Obscura and Strangedays. This conversation was created with the special support of Three Shadows Photography Art Centre. Special thanks to UCCA Center for Contemporary Art and +3 Gallery. Subscribe for more conversations with filmmakers, photographers, and creators from around the world. #SmallRigOnsite #XiangSun #Photography #PortraitPhotography #FashionPhotography #FilmPhotography #DarkroomPhotography #FineArtPhotography #ThreeShadowsPhotographyArtCentre #SmallRig