For Chinese New Year, I found myself in Sunset Park. This neighborhood in Brooklyn is where I work and is notable for the large communities of both Mexican and Chinese immigrants. It is vibrant and hearty and diverse. I arrived at 8th Avenue, the main artery of the Chinese community, for the Lunar New Year parade to an explosion of visual stimulation. People, color, movement, and celebration was happening everywhere. There were bubbles floating, canisters of silly string being sprayed at a ferocious clip, and in good order, children creating giant multi-colored wands out of leftover canister lids. There were children in traditional clothing, plastic dolls and fans, firecrackers and even baby pet turtles. In between pork buns, I snapped away. Photographing random people is not in my comfort zone. I took many shots but none of them spoke to me like the photos I am sharing above. I was most drawn to the edges of the celebration- sun reflecting on balloons or nearby doorways, a bubble lifting into the sky, what is discarded. That is what I celebrate.
the brooklyn combine 