May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and each week we’re highlighting the work of some of the community’s amazing photographers on Flickr. This week, we invite you to explore an album curated by the talented photographer, Jen, as she shares how photography serves as a means of connection for her.

View the album here.

"My name is Jennifer Elise Wang, or just Jen. I'm a lab tech by day and primarily a writer, but since I was a kid, I knew that photography was another way to tell stories. I began with disposables cameras, capturing school and vacation memories and action sports competitions. In college, I took my dad's digital camera to take photos of cosplays at conventions, as well as my own costumes.

Being a shy loner with many unique interests (as evident with this collection), I found photography to be a way to connect with people and participate in the scenes I love: action sports, anime, theatre, burlesque, to name a few. I did Project 365 during a turning point in my life: when I graduated college and moved to Japan. Although I wound up discarding many shots, I got hooked on photo challenges and themes as ways to view my life differently. I started creating my own and even hybridizing my writing skills with photography (and sometimes cosplay) to make albums that were stories.

I mostly shoot events since I really started taking photography seriously during the period I wrote from websites covering Japanese music and pop culture. I was thrust into photographing concerts and fashion shows to accompany my reports so I practiced by shooting other events. However, I do love capturing nature too.

This gallery shows not only how I've grown but also how photography has evolved, as these shots are from all types of cameras and I was taking selfies with a timer or a mirror before camera phones made them the norm. There are a couple of repetitive subjects to show how both my view of the world and the world itself change with time. Photography for me is making a unique connection with the world for a split second and capturing it in perpetuity while time marches on."

-Jen

See more of Jen's work and give a follow here

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We had the honor of interviewing Alexis Brown, a member of Flickr and Black Women Photographers in our new series, "Behind the Lens". Read more about her journey with photography on the Flickr Blog!

Photo ©: Alexis Brown

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Check out this week's installment of Weekly Snapshot with Flickr Social. Each week, we highlight some of our favorite photos from Flickr Social. Head on over to the Flickr Social group and start sharing your own photos for a chance to be featured!

Photo ©: Hari K Patibanda

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National Train Day is celebrated in the United States on the Saturday closest to May 10th every year since its inception in 2008, but on Flickr, our train photography community is global and Flickr members share their love of trains every day.

Check out this Flickr gallery featuring train photography from our Flickr Social community and read about some of their stories on the Flickr blog.

photo credit: Jason Cameron

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For 20 years, Flickr has been the go-to destination for photography enthusiasts, offering a platform to showcase and explore every kind of photography. From new beginnings to moments of inspiration, history, and even complete weirdness, our amazing community has captured it all. So come on board, join the celebration, and explore some of the incredible photos on Flickr!

Want to give the photos a closer look? Check them out here!

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