A place I’ve become so familiar with, I hadn’t even noticed all the changes in Chinatown until I started shooting there. I knew I wanted to the community but because there was so much to cover, I couldn’t seem to find a focus. It wasn’t until I decided to take a trip down there and started walking aimlessly that I discovered a trail or a route that showed me the changes in the different parts of Chinatown.
I started to notice how there was an older and rustier part as compared to the modern side. The buildings played a big role in taking me to this path. Chinatown still has a lot of old buildings but the new condominiums and newly constructed buildings definitely added a whole new mood. The types of people in the two parts were different as well. This modern aged Chinatown has attracted a lot more tourists (for fake LV and Coach bags) and people who would come down just for cheap bus rides to places like Boston, Connecticut, and Virginia. There were always tourists and other ethnic groups in Chinatown, but not for fake goods or the bus; these were things that never existed back then but now has become a vital part of the growing economy.
- Old and Rusty.
- Cheap Haircut.
- Rise and Shine
- Old but keeping it clean.
- McDonalds in China?
- Closing up. One Dollar! One Dollar!
- Way to cross state.
- Modern McDonalds in China.. town.
- Upscale Pastries.
- Late night hang out.
It’s really interesting that you point out that till you started photographing Chinatown, you weren’t aware of all the changes that have taken place. The power of photography, to open our eyes to what we’ve become inured to. Photography can take the dust off our vision.
You’ve documented the contrast betw. the new and the old very well and covered the topics discussed in your essay. But the important thing that’s missing is a sense of the actual life of those who reside in Chinatown, those who’ve been there for generations, along with new immigrants as opposed to the new inhabitants. Your focus is too much on storefronts and architectural facades, which of course can say a lot but let’s get behind the outer veneer, both literally and figuratively. We need contrast betw. the two kinds of faces.