FieldTrip:Chinatown
An evening walk through historic SF Chinatown — bring a camera, or just bring yourself.
Documentary
Point the camera at each other
Everyone comes back with pictures of the lanterns. Almost nobody comes back with pictures or video of the people they walked with — so send us those too.
- Video over stills, when you canTen seconds of someone haggling over a pineapple bun is worth more than a perfect photo of a doorway. Let it run a beat longer than feels natural.
- We're cutting it togetherEverything sent here goes into a mini-documentary of the night. Thirty people's fragments add up to something none of us could film alone.
- You get the creditEvery clip and photo is filed under the Instagram handle you gave us, and every photographer whose footage makes the cut gets named and tagged.
House rules still apply: each other, not the people who live and work here. And if someone would rather not be on camera, that's fine — point it somewhere else.
Upload photos and videoThe details
How the night runs
Nothing is mandatory. Show up, walk, take pictures.
- 6:30ArriveSt. Mary's Square, California St at Quincy.
- 6:35Check inGrab a sticker and add your name.
- 6:45Warm upPick up a tiny toy at check-in and use it as your photo subject.
- 6:50Pick a routeThree routes through the night market, or free-roam.
- 7:00Head outShort intro, then groups leave a few minutes apart.
- All nightScan the signsoptionalEach stop has a QR sign. Scan it for the prompt and to send photos.
- 9:00Final regroupBack at St. Mary's Square. The event ends at 9:00 PM.
How we walk
Five things, all night
- Photograph the place, not the people. No residents, no private interiors, no shots through a doorway.
- Ask before photographing inside a shop, and take no for an answer.
- Stay out of storefront entrances. Gather in plazas and wide spots.
- Keep it quiet after dark. People live above every one of these shops.
- Buying something is always optional.
Stay in the loop
We post the best shots from each walk and announce the next one.
Your organizers
Message either of us before or during the walk.
