Chinatown

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On a recent photo wander through Chinatown, I challenged myself to take photos at different angles than my usual head-on, Wes Anderson-esque shots. And honestly? When I looked through my photos later, I was surprised to discover that many of my favourites from that day were the ones I had taken from a different angle.

A man walks with his bicycle down an otherwise empty street lined with closed businesses.
The word "FANG" appears in graffiti in a series of glass bricks, next to a locked iron-grated building entrance.
A yellow door next to the bright red entrance to a tattoo shop advertising "Walk-ins Welcome."
The bright red entrance to a tattoo shop advertising "Walk-ins Welcome."

Lately I’ve been struggling with old habits – letting familiar thoughts and patterns guide me while being fully aware that, even though they feel comfortable, they are not always helping me grow.

A dilapidated Edwardian bay window juts out from a brick wall with peeling red paint.
A dilapidated Edwardian bay window with a wrought iron fire escape juts out from a brick wall with peeling red paint.

And just like with these photos, I’ve been challenging myself to remember that sometimes it’s worth trying something new.

A yellow awning above a closed Chinese meat shop on an empty street.
Raw meat sits on display in a Chinese meat shop.
A man in an apron stands in the entrance of a Chinese meat shop.

Worth shifting my perspective.

An open glass door reveals the inside of a small cafe with green chairs sitting empty at a wood table.
The mint green entrance to a residential building in Vancouver's Chinatown.
Electric trolly bus lines criss cross the foreground of a photo of three buildings in Vancouver's Chinatown.

And I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the results.

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