For this photo project, completed in 2023 with the assistance of Professor Paula Nelson, I opted for an editorial approach rather than a journalistic one, as the project centered on my own experiences with adoption, which are inherently subjective and biased.

I used a Canon RP Mirrorless camera with a 24-105mm lens, a speedlight, and an umbrella. My favourite photo of the picture collage with handwritten notes by my mum, Mary, telling the story behind each image, was taken at night with only the refracted light of the flash against the umbrella. Every image is from one of our photo albums, the images progressing in time from left to right.

I had the opportunity to speak with Ms. Tangel, an employee at Spence-Chapin—the agency through which my parents adopted me—as part of my research for this project. I also spoke to a few other adoptees, including Mei, Millenna, and Maya, about our experiences as transracial adoptees. I was fortunate to speak with four girls who were adopted the same day from the same orphanage as I was.

Another part of my research involved looking at the history of my birthplace, Beihai, Guangxi. I looked at what other adoptees had said about their experiences, particularly those from Southeast Asia, which is more than I have looked into my past than I have ever wanted to. But after learning all this, I only wanted to know more.