What goes into an image goes beyond clicking the shutter button. When I was thinking of how to create a unique event for our The Chinatown Project (TCP) community, I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied with contributing a few photo tips and snapping photos of the area. To really make this THE TCP event, we needed to round out the tour with important information about past and present-day Boston Chinatown for us to understand what exactly we were taking a photo of. Thanks to our friends at the Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC), we collaborated on an event that seamlessly blended photography and community knowledge together with their expert tour guides.

Before, during and after this event, I did a lot of internal reflection. I wanted to share some of my personal thoughts and processes in this piece. Here are five things I learned organizing my first ever photo walk and tour in the Boston Chinatown community:

One: Boston is chock full of creative individuals.

This might seem like an obvious one. But I was truly impressed by the talents, skills and perspectives that all our participants brought to our tour. I’d look over to the right and see someone crouched down – while simultaneously someone on my left was trying a funky angle through some leaves or around a corner. Not only that, I was heartened to see participants lending out gear to each other or sharing photos they'd taken.

Two: Boston Chinatown’s resilience is truly awe inspiring.

From enduring brutal police raids, to being looked down upon as the Red Light District, to suffering blatant racism and discrimination (the list goes on, seriously), Boston Chinatown has encountered many unfair prejudices and xenophobia. In spite of all these injustices, the community has stood strong together to help their neighbors and continue to show off its rich culture and traditions. I found myself staring a bit longer at the murals depicting exactly the resilience of the Boston Chinatown people.

Three: Photo tips go beyond just the camera settings.

For my first ever tour, I wasn’t sure if I would need to assist participants with the actual settings of their cameras but quickly found that I could lend my advice in terms of perspective. For example, we all know the iconic Boston Chinatown Gate. Now, how do you photograph it in a different viewpoint? Does it mean standing nose to nose with the structure and honing in on the details, photographing parts of it at a time? Does it mean photographing the gate from the back or the side instead of straight on? One thing we encouraged on the tour was challenging our participants to try and find a new way of observing through their cameras.

Four: We were contributing to history.

Throughout the tour, the ACDC guides had binders full of images to share of the past. It struck me that similarly, the present-day Boston Chinatown that our group was documenting may also not be the same in five, ten or tens of thousands of years from now. It humbled me to think that one of the only memories of our past would truly be in images. Although the camera technology definitely has changed over the past few decades, the message of capturing a moment in time still stays the same.

Five: More community events for creatives in Boston Chinatown are essential.

The group we had for our tour invigorated me to already start planning for our next Photo Walk and Tour in Boston Chinatown. Everyone was exchanging social media handles and more stories about themselves during our post-tour snack and hang. I was inspired and excited by all the photographers in our group who were excited to show-up, learn the history of the community and meet new people. I know this kind of event would be an invaluable staple in Boston Chinatown.

Special thanks to our past partners: @fujifilmx_us @potoprojects @bh.creators

Join us for our next Boston Chinatown Photo Walk and Tour on Saturday, August 23, 2025 from 3:30PM-5:30PM. Register by clicking the link down below.

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Have ideas for other events we should host? Send us a message here.