The Urban Lens: Chaz Langley captures the people and places that make Chinatown tick

6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Chaz Langley explores the people and establishments breathe life into Chinatown. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected].

Nashville native Chaz Langley moved to New York to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter/actor/model, but along the way began snapping iPhone photos of his adopted city as another creative outlet, finding the process therapeutic. Through his Instagram account, he tells the stories of the people, places, and things that inspire him, using his other skill set of graphic design as a way to curate his collections. In “A Stroll in Chinatown” he captures the unique cultural establishments of Chinatown and the everyday comings and goings of the neighborhood’s residents.

How long have you been a New Yorker?

I’ve been a New Yorker 9 years, 6 months and 7 hours (but who’s counting).

How would you say the city compare to Nashville?

This could take a while, but I’ll keep it brief! First of all, I LOVE both. The Nashville I knew when I lived there was a lot different from the one I know now. The one I knew was growing, innocent and full of potential, but small enough for me to make my mark. Now, it’s becoming much like New York by way of expensive living, booming real estate, great restaurant industry, hipster neighborhoods and world-class music–kind of like a New York of the south.

What do you feel is unique about sharing your work on Instagram?

I post in stories, meaning a group of 6 to 12 images are used to tell a story capped by a custom banner representing (titling) each series. I’ve found it to be engaging for my followers and offers a carefully curated page to scroll down.

Tell us about the series you chose.

“A Stroll in Chinatown” is a series I was inspired to shoot one recent beautiful fall morning. I’ve always wanted to immerse myself in that neighborhood given the culture and the way the rest of the city filters in and out of it. It was like being teleported to China and being a fly on the wall experiencing the inner workings of it.

What else are you working on right now?

I’m working on my first class on Skillshare teaching my technique of how I create my Instagram feed. I just got asked to photograph the latest collection of the Timbuk2 bag company based out of San Francisco. This was a opportunity that came about after meeting the creative director for the company while shooting street photography in Chinatown!

Instagram: @langleyseye
Website: shotbymrlangley.com

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RELATED:

• The Urban Lens: Photographer Bob Estremera captures vestiges of the Lower East Side’s early days
• The Urban Lens: Meryl Meisler chronicles today’s artists and creatives of Bushwick
• The Urban Lens: A walk through the 90th annual Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy

All images © Chaz Langley