We came across the work of San Diego photographer Xing She in Mascular Magazine, a photographic publication dedicated to the male form, where his work perfectly captured the splendour of the California coast, including some of the city’s hottest inhabitants. He’s got an eye for beauty, so Wander+Lust had to find out more about what Xing loves about his hometown—and how he goes about making his models look so delectable.
I haven’t been to San Diego, but it’s my fantasy that it has beautiful weather all the time.
If you’re coming to visit, remember that we always talk about May Grey and June Gloom. Those are the two months that always have marine layers [low hanging clouds or fog] covering the city. July and August always have hot weather, and the beach is just amazing.
What brought you to San Diego?
I moved to San Diego 15 years ago, in 2009. I was born and raised in mainland China, and I went to graduate school on the east coast of the United States, in a very cold and snowy city. After I graduated, I decided I was going to find a place where it never snows. I applied for several jobs and found a position in San Diego.
How did you get into photography?
I’ve only been doing photography for about four years. Before that I tried modelling here and there. Growing up, my dad was always interested in photography. As a kid, I always saw him fidgeting with a camera. In my mind, I thought photography was this incredible, complex system that I could never understand. During COVID, just like a lot of people, I took up baking. I started making sourdough bread, then cakes and cookies. I have a knack for decorating my cakes and cookies in a pretty way, so I started taking pictures with my phone. Very soon I realized my phone was just not doing justice to how pretty my baked goods were. So I picked up a professional digital camera, and I used that to take photos of the food. Very soon I found that it’s not that complicated to take pictures. I started taking photos of people and discovered that I have a passion for it.
Was there a moment that you remember when you switched from baked goods to people?
Yes. My now-husband and I were just starting to see each other at the beginning of COVID. Because of the quarantine, we soon became each other’s only social connection. Besides his day job, he’s a fire spinner. He asked me to use my phone to record some videos of him spinning fire. I started to use my digital camera to record him spinning fire, and that was the moment I realized I could do a pretty good job of photographing people.
Models usually move around more than cookies. How do you get people to look their best when you capture them?
My experience as a model really helped, because even though my quote-unquote modelling career didn’t go anywhere—I just wanted to record myself in a beautiful state—I did work with quite a few people who were really good at directing their models. I learned a lot from being in front of the lens and being directed by others. There are certain things experienced photographers say to you: point your hips this way, turn your shoulders that way, puff up your chest, suck in your gut. That kind of thing. Modelling also helped me to understand what models go through. Every photoshoot, the first half hour doesn’t matter unless you’re working with a really professional model. That’s when you are building trust between the two of you. The best photos get taken after the first 30 minutes.
How do you find your models?
I’ve used a modelling website. I’ve asked every single one of my friends, anyone who walks into my view, if they’d model for me. Now that I’ve posted a lot of my photos on Instagram and other social media sites, I’m starting to build a reputation. I have models approaching me now—things are getting a little easier.
Are there particular types of models you like in terms of your aesthetic?
Yes and no. First of all, I don’t want to only photograph a certain body type, a certain race, skin colour—things like that. But when you look at my Instagram, it tends to be a certain body type because, unfortunately, that’s what the crowd on Instagram wants to see. If I post anything other than that, the photos don’t get much attention. I would love to work with more Asian models, so I try my best to find those. Asian men, especially in the United States, have a stigma. We are often seen as being weaker and submissive and maybe booksmart but not socially adept. One of my goals is to photograph Asian men as strong, sexy, beautiful and in control.
Is your husband ever jealous of you being around hot guys?
No. My husband is always the first person I share my photos with. He always gives me criticism, and for that, I’m really thankful. I do have very strict rules, because I think there are a few bad examples in the business. Whether it’s in the gay photography world or the straight fashion photography world, you often hear of models being taken advantage of by photographers—because it is already a situation in which you are telling models what to do. They tend to follow your directions, and it’s easy for photographers to take advantage of that trust and abuse it. I do not want that to happen. I’ve never made any moves, no matter how sexy or attractive a model is. I’ve expressed this to my husband, and he understands that very well.
What’s been your favourite photo shoot? Not necessarily the results, but the experience?
I’ve worked with a local performer, a dominatrix named Scarlett Santamaria. I enjoyed shooting with her and her crew because she has a very creative spirit, and I just love everything she does. She blurs the lines that society draws for us—you know, gender, sex, orientation, dom, submissive, all of that. Her crew is always the most quirky mixture of people: fire spinners, drag queens, cross-dressers, nonbinary people. I’m in love with everything she brings to the table.
What are some of your favourite San Diego locations to shoot in?
San Diego offers so much in terms of natural beauty. Of course, it has one of the most famous gay nude beaches in the world, called Black’s Beach (most easily accessed by a trail starting at the Torrey Pines Gliderport, 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Dr., La Jolla). I’ve done a lot of nude photography there. It’s the perfect backdrop. I’ve been there so many times, I’ve worried I might be repeating myself, but it offers a lot in terms of variation. There’s the ocean, the cliffside. There are some very interesting rock formations. There is vegetation in the spring—wildflowers bloom on the beach. Just last week I went there to do a shoot with a drone. I had the model lying in between some rocks, and then I shot from above. I was just obsessed with that completely new perspective.
Where else do you like to shoot?
Balboa Park has a long history, beautiful architecture, amazing vegetation. On any given day, you will see many groups of people doing their engagement photos there, graduation photos, bands photos, anything.
What’s your perfect Saturday in San Diego?
I’d probably start with brunch in Hillcrest, which is San Diego’s LGBTQ2S+ neighbourhood. If I’m not doing brunch, then I’ll go for dim sum in an area called Kearny Mesa, which has quite a few Asian restaurants, including authentic Chinese dim sum, especially around the Convoy District. There’s one restaurant, Jasmine Seafood (Suite A 1/2, 4609 Convoy St., San Diego), which is very popular and authentic, although the parking is a little difficult. There’s also a new place, Diamond Palace (3993 54th St., San Diego), in the San Diego State University area, which is also very good.
In the afternoon, I’d head to Hillcrest. There are two local bars I like. There’s Urban MO’s (308 University Ave., San Diego), which has been around for more than 30 years. It’s probably the busiest gay bar in San Diego. Then there’s Gossip Grill (1220 University Ave., San Diego). Both places have drag performances on weekends, and I love to sit down and watch the local drag queens. Urban MO’s is also good for grabbing a drink in the evenings, but if you want a fancier experience, there’s insideOUT (1642 University Ave., #100, San Diego). They have a quirky interior design.
I also have a few dive bars that I like to go to. On Sunday afternoon, The Hole in the Wall (2820 Lytton St., San Diego) is very popular. Then there’s Pecs (2046 University Ave., San Diego), which has a back patio that’s often open on Sunday afternoons. It’s a great place to get outside, enjoy the food and have a drink. Of course, if I want a more laid back weekend, I’d go to Black’s Beach, which is my favourite spot, and also my husband’s favourite spot. We usually stay until sunset. My husband will use his fire toy, called the Dragon Staff, to do his fire-spinning routine.
We’re not late-night guys, but if we were to go to a dance club, we’d go to Rich’s (1051 University Ave., San Diego), which is probably the most famous dance club in San Diego, and one of the biggest. The dominatrix I work with, Scarlett Santamaria, is a performer at Rich’s.
When you have out-of-town guests, where do you take them?
San Diego Zoo Safari Park (15500 San Pasqual Valley Rd., Escondido) is considered a must-do. I would take them to Black’s Beach for the nude experience. I am a good cook and a good baker, so I’d probably make a lot of home-cooked meals, so we wouldn’t be eating out much. But I’d tell anybody visiting San Diego to sample the Mexican food, because it probably has the best Mexican food outside of Mexico.
When you moved to San Diego 15 years ago, what surprised you the most?
The existence of Hillcrest, the LGBTQ2S+ district and San Diego Pride (which takes place in late July). Talking about gay anything is taboo in China, so we didn’t have any of that. Seeing so many LGBTQ2S+-friendly businesses in such high concentration, all gathered close together, was quite eye opening for me.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
