Well yesterday was Sunday it was the Superbowl, Chinese New Year, and the 1 year anniversary of the Boston Photo Mob. So the Mob got together and went to photograph the Chinese New Year Parade in Boston’s Chinatown. I must say this year was a disappointment compared to years past. It is getting harder and harder to actually go out and be a photographer. All these families are getting this sub $600 dSLR’s and posing their kids in front of everything you are trying to document. They are constantly getting in your shots with complete disregard for what you are trying to do. Some of them even see what you are trying to set up for a shot then decide ‘OH I’ll try that’ even before you are done. Last year and the year before the only people that were out photographing Chinese New Year, were pro’s and photography/art students, now its full of soccer mom’s and hockey dad’s that have no respect for the art or the story and only want to take snap shots. Am I sounding elitist? YOU BET! But not in a snob way, its these circumstances that are changing the rules for the real journalists and photographers out there, making it more difficult to gain access to places and events that were once just a phone call away are now, becoming, permits, red tape, and pompous security guards that think they are the law telling you, you can’t photograph here.
Now that that’s off my chest. I think I did get a couple of interesting shots, but we didn’t stick around that long. The BPM group kinda split up during the shoot, and Brian, John and I found ourselves just roaming downtown crossing and the Common looking for some stuff to shoot before rejoining some of the group at Parish Cafe for food and beer.
Photos to follow this week
JT
