What does it mean to hold a camera for BIPOC?
+Updates, re-discovering my love for reading
A few weeks ago I posted some experiences I’ve had working as a photographer who is also a Chinese American woman (see below).
Every now and then I’ll remember a not-so-sly comment about how I look, or rather how others perceive me (which indicates more about them than me). But then it leads to another memory, another uncomfortable experience. Then another one. Then I’m spiraling down a rabbit hole of microaggressions and “what-if-comebacks”. This time I decided to share these experiences on Instagram after seeing a post from photographer Dominick Williams. He writes about how he is perceived as a Black photographer and the reactions when he walks into a room: “I’m never scared nor shook by looks, the same looks I’ve gotten since I was a little boy. I can’t read minds (as much as I’d like to think I can) so I don’t try. Being able to maintain a professional demeanor in the uncomfortable situations is a skill.”
Precisely. So when I received over 30 people’s replies in shock, horror and frustration, it made me realize how many people don’t know half of what goes into this job, or just existing as a BIPOC in the world. I also unfortunately received many messages from people saying they have similar experiences.
All this to say and re-emphasize why it’s so important to hire photographers who are BIPOC. So that when we walk into a room with a camera, it’s not the first time people see someone who looks like us working as photographers. So that maybe for once we won’t be singled out or questioned, but seen as people just doing their jobs.
I recently finished reading Nicole Chung’s memoir “A Living Remedy” (also the author of “All You Can Ever Know” which is next on my list) and it ignited what used to be a flame that carried me through pages of books frequently. After decades of required books for school, I no longer enjoyed reading. But Chung’s memoir reminded me of what it feels like to hang onto every word of an author. And it was extremely relatable. To connect with a stranger’s story and discover parallel realities is magical. During a period of career success Chung is simultaneously living through unimaginable grief. The comfort that we are all living through purely human experiences is often a relief as much as it is isolating.
These past months were a blur of assignments and admittedly, at many times, I had to double check the time, date and location I was in (for my own sake and also for camera metadata purposes). I feel like I lived six months in one. Here's what I’ve been up to:
