An Interview with Billy Dinh

How did you get into photography initially? And what drew you to street photography?

I think part of it started all the way back from when I used to illustrate. I grew up wanting to be an illustrator and so in a way I’ve always been interested in visual arts. Then in my 20s I really caught the travel bug. I had never left the country prior to that so I found myself backpacking through countries and discovering the world at that time. Like everyone else, I started taking photos on my phone to preserve my experiences and the beautiful and interesting things I saw on these trips. Over time, I started to get more and more creative and passionate about what and how I wanted to capture and eventually realized a mobile phone (at the time) wasn’t going to give me the quality and flexibility I wanted to further explore the medium of photography. That was the moment I decided to pick up a camera.

I initially took photos of whatever interested me on these trips without really limiting my curiosity behind the lens. I favored landscape photos but gradually became more interested in people and how different yet similar we all are. Seeing people in their natural life reminded me of the a lot of what I saw and read in the Nat Geo magazines as a kid, which I always found interesting. It wasn’t long before I switched my focus to telling stories that centered on people and places. Living in one of the more diverse cities in the world helped me fuel that interest too.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in street photography and how have you overcome them?

There’s too many challenges in street photography but to be honest that’s partly why I enjoy it. I think if it were easy I’d get bored. But if I had to choose a challenge I had to work through, I would have to say being patient. Since so much of street photography is a partnership with what the world offers you combined with your ability to see, compose, and present the image, there’s a combination of things outside of your control. The part that you don’t have much control over are the flows of life, the magic that falls into place just at the right moment harmoniously as if it were conjured right off of a canvas or the silver screen. Street photographers put in long days, weeks, or months, spending numerous hours, and staying as vigilant as possible in search of this and more than often walk away empty handed. This can certainly be daunting.

The best way I’ve learned to overcome this is I remind myself the act of street photography is all about patience and the act in itself is enjoyable and rewarding. To be able observe differently, make connections with the world that you probably normally wouldn’t, and simply staying physically active are just a few of the things that make this fun. The end goal is the photographs but like anything else if you’re not enjoying the process, it’s hard to put in the work and be patient enough to do it over and over again—to allow yourself to be there when magic unfolds right in front of you. Because when it happens and you’re ready for it, it makes up for hundreds of empty handed days.

Tell me about your project “Under the Tracks.” It seems like a good one. Would you say that you discovered the communities near you through this project? It’s interesting since it sounds like they were right outside your window the whole time.

Under the Tracks is a series of photographs I’ve been working on since 2020. During peak Covid-19 in 2020, I found myself limited in terms of how far I was able to commute and wanted to find a way to continue to take photos. It was during that time that I decided to explore my local neighborhood in Bushwick. Due to the lack of people out due to quarantine restrictions, I explored the way lights and shadows would seep through the overhead tracks during different times of day and how it would illuminate people and the streets. I did this often during that time as it was a different way of seeing for me, and the convenience of having it right outside my window was a real benefit as well. As things slowly started to improve in the city in regards to the restrictions, I started to venture a little further out. I made my way to South Williamsburg next, which shares the same above ground subway tracks as where I live in Bushwick.

Throughout the next few years I revisited these neighborhoods often, and expanded my stomping grounds, discovering other areas with above ground subway tracks all in various boroughs of New York City. I continued to frequent them and as life started to get back to normalcy after COVID-19, I found myself not only still fascinated by lights and shadows, but by the people who lived in these neighborhoods below these train rails. Each area seems to have groups of people from a part of the world who have come to the USA to make this place their home. These areas look and feel like extensions of where they’ve come from with store signs in different languages, food stalls serving exotic dishes, cultural events, holidays, and religion heavily celebrated throughout the year, and everything else that ensures where they’ve come from is not forgotten in this new place they call home.

This series has taught me to follow my curiosity, interests, and my own life experiences as a photographer. When I started photographing these areas under the tracks in the first few years I didn’t know this was a project to be embarked on. But over time, I got more and more interested in it and it grew into something I felt was worth sharing. Being first generation American, I felt that the people and places I was photographing in these neighborhoods and communities and how they live felt familiar to me. My parents immigrated here from Vietnam in 1987, the year I was born. While they gave birth to me in Erie, PA, we moved to Philadelphia very shortly after. There, we settled in with a small community of Vietnamese immigrants trying to find something familiar within this different place. During that time, the city was still pretty segregated with different ethnic groups living in different areas. The city was already diverse by the time my parents arrived there so I grew up with with a melting pot of friends.

Another thing is, when I photograph these neighborhoods, it reminds me of what I love most about traveling: learning more about a different culture and capturing the way we are all different but similar. The only difference is, I don’t have to go far to see more of the world.

I really love the India and France series on your website. One thing that stood out to me is the strong emotion you capture in several photos. How do you notice and capture those moments without interrupting them? Also, what do you think those shots say about you as a person?

I think emotion is one of the most important and interesting parts about being human.

To me, a photograph of something interesting happening only strikes a personal chord when there’s something we can relate to within it. Emotions are good ways to relate to something. I don’t think it’s always necessary of course but it’s one of the things I look for when I am out photographing for sure. Emotions are typically easy to spot as there are signs of it happening. But it is difficult as you typically don’t want to disrupt the scene. Depending on what I want the photographs to look like, I typically either try to get as close as possible without them noticing, hover around until they forget I’m there, or use a telephoto lens. I do find that when people are having an emotional moment, especially if the emotions are strong, they tend to not care what is happening around them, which makes it a bit less difficult. I definitely can be an emotional person and I have been told I have somewhat of an emotional intelligence towards others so these two things help as well.

Any big lessons you’ve learned from a fellow street photographer?

There are so many useful lessons and advice I’ve picked up throughout the years from many talented people. Without being cliche, I’ll provide the ones I’ve learned from others that I don’t think get enough emphasis these days. The first lesson is to try to go out with a positive and open mind. I’m guilty of not always applying this but I do notice having a different mindset and even mood makes a difference in what you choose to see and when you choose to pull the trigger. Also you don’t want to scare people away with negative energy and body language (unless that’s what you’re going for).

The second is to invest in comfortable shows. I know it’s cool and fun to talk about new camera gear these days but people need to talk more about what they have on their feet. Street photography is a whole lot of walking, not as much shooting. Equip yourself with something comfortable so you’re not hurting at the end of each day.

What has street photography taught you?

If I think back about my entire experience since starting photography, one of the important things I’ve learned is how similar people are no matter where they’re from. Paying attention to interactions, emotions, behaviors, patterns, especially when I am out photographing, I’ve learned to appreciate the differences between people and places. But when I have time to reflect, I’m always reminded that despite the things we think set us apart, as individuals we have a lot more in common with one another than we like to admit. I think if more people saw and realized that, it would certainly help us put aside some of our differences.