Continuing my 2024 mission to pick up my camera for the sheer fun of it, I headed up to the West End for London’s Chinese New Year Parade, the largest of its kind outside China. It was my first time there and amidst the vibrant chaos where dragons danced and lanterns swayed in the breeze, everyone was jostling for a good vantage point and not being particularly tall, my attempts to capture the spectacle were often thwarted by a sea of smartphones being held aloft.
Determined not to let the moment slip away, I found myself inadvertently becoming an observer of observers, capturing a myriad of candid moments as fellow parade-goers stretched their arms high, angling for the perfect shot. Each glowing screen became a testament to the collective excitement and cultural celebration taking over the streets. In a serendipitous turn, my lens turned towards those who, like me, sought to immortalise the festivities from unique perspectives, transforming my photographic pursuit into a whimsical look at the event not just through my eyes and my lens, but someone else’s.
Before I decided to direct my camera at the smartphones, I did manage to take a few shots of the action. It's not my best work but I see my trip to this year’s parade as a recce for the 2025 one.
I shoot a lot of events where I’m the only official photographer, or occasionally in a small team, so I’m not accustomed to the chaos of the photographers’ scrums that accompany these large-scale events. It’s all good though and whilst I may not be hugely satisfied with my final shots, it was still a great place to shoot and it was really rewarding to find another angle to document events like this.