Alex Blackwelder

I felt myself getting into a rut, so I gave myself a little mini personal assignment to get my creative juices flowing. Big city China is crazy busy/crowded so I wanted to explore a very simple theme without people that still had human elements to it. I told myself that I would publish five photos [...]

Busploration: a fresh, exciting way to explore foreign cities where you can’t read maps or signs by getting on random buses and seeing where you end up. That is what I have been doing the past few days and it has been magnificent. I thoroughly enjoy people watching, so it is perfect. For 1 yuan [...]

Changsha is separated into two parts by Xiang River. Today I spent some time and explored the banks. I find myself observing more than photographing lately. Here I am, in a foreign world, and all I want to do is watch and soak it all in. I’m searching for a project, perhaps Xian River might [...]

I’ve officially arrived in Changsha after a very strange train ride. There were many communication problems, but I finally started classes today, 4 days after school apparently began. But the adviser here says it is no big deal, so I’ve just got to reject that American part of my brain that is completely freaking out. [...]

It’s great here how the little things feel like such an accomplishment. My first day in Beijing I conquered the bus system. Second day, subway, and yesterday, I got lost about 30 minutes away from the hostel and successfully made it back asking for directions…. in MANDARIN! How awesome. I can’t believe that people can [...]

(This is not a picture of “Beijing boy”) This post is dedicated to an incredibly nice unnamed Beijing schoolboy. I did not have small change for the automatic teller at the subway. Frustrated, I left the line in search of something to buy until a boy, no more than 15, came up behind me and [...]