Yizhen Zhang

Yizhen Zhang章逸桢

Documentary Photographer

Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society

A personal website — documentary & fine art

Commercial · editorial · portraits — Y Foto Studio ↗

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Featured Project

01

Win or Lose

2023–2025 · New York City

A multimedia documentary — photography, film and photo-book — chronicling Win Tang, a Chinese immigrant confronting legal and cultural challenges in the United States. A story of vulnerability and resilience, told with nuance and empathy.

Win or Lose — New York

A bedroom washed in magenta light; a tattooed man lies on the bed with his legs up against the wall, sunlight bursting through the window — Win or Lose — Win or Lose — New York

Awards — IPA 2025, 2nd Prize, Professional (People) · Budapest & Tokyo International Foto Awards, Bronze · London Photography Awards, Gold (Documentary) · Gomma Grant 2024, Finalist

Also a photobook — First Edition 2023 · Hardcover · 110 pages · 55 images · Selected, Photometria Photobooks 2025

Featured Project

02

The Liminal Innocence

2025 · Mexico · Seven Cities

Everyday life in Mexico — and childhood lived inside displacement and economic precarity. Its children are resilient and unguarded, held between aspiration and confinement.

The Liminal Innocence — Mexico

Inside a shelter dormitory, bunk beds line a long tiled corridor, an American flag hanging at the left — The Liminal Innocence — The Liminal Innocence — Mexico

Solo exhibition — Suspended Existence, Sasse Museum of Art

Bio

Yizhen Zhang is a documentary photographer whose long-term, immersive projects follow people living at the margins — immigrants, displaced children, and communities the wider world seldom looks at closely. Working across photography, film and the photobook, he stays with his subjects for years; his pictures are marked by patience and intimacy, and by attention to resilience as much as hardship.

Project · 2023–2025 · New York City

Win or Lose

Win or Lose is a biographical documentary project about Win Tang, a Chinese barber who came to New York alone at fifteen, after his family sold their house in Guangdong to fund their American Dream. Confined largely to Flushing's Chinatown — home, barbershop, and the hour-long commute between them — his world sits just across the river from a Manhattan he can barely reach. In 2021 he was drawn into a money-laundering scheme by an old friend; awaiting trial, he wears an electronic ankle monitor that limits him to twelve hours of freedom a day. Photographed with empathy and without judgement, the project follows a life suspended between the poker table and the barber's chair — a decade of gaining and losing that asks, in the end: is it a win, or a lose?

Home01 / 25Win:What does home feel like to you? A full belly, warm clothes, or a good night’s rest? I certainly have no clues, never really experienced it much.Anyway, last 5 minutes before I can go out.

A crowded room of stacked storage bins and belongings, a doorway opening to shelves beyond — Win or Lose — Home01 / 25Win:What does home feel like to you? A full belly, warm clothes, or a good night’s rest? I certainly have no clues, never really experienced it much.Anyway, last 5 minutes before I can go out.

Untitled02 / 25

A small bedroom with wooden bunk beds, a figure resting on the lower bed in window light — Win or Lose — Untitled02 / 25

Race Incarceration03 / 25Yizhen:Because of his ethnicity, Win’s public defender showed little interest in thoroughly explaining his case to him, or providing a robust defense. Instead, the defender pressured Win to plead guilty, viewing this as the quickest route to close the case and receive his payment.

Close view of a man's bare feet on a tiled bathroom floor, an electronic monitoring anklet on one ankle — Win or Lose — Race Incarceration03 / 25Yizhen:Because of his ethnicity, Win’s public defender showed little interest in thoroughly explaining his case to him, or providing a robust defense. Instead, the defender pressured Win to plead guilty, viewing this as the quickest route to close the case and receive his payment.

Win or Lose04 / 25Win:My name is Win, and no doubt, I love gambling. But it’s not the betting that hooks me. I have also used it as an excuse to spend time with my friends in my home, the only place I can stay after work.

A man leaning over a poker table, chips and cards spread before him — Win or Lose — Win or Lose04 / 25Win:My name is Win, and no doubt, I love gambling. But it’s not the betting that hooks me. I have also used it as an excuse to spend time with my friends in my home, the only place I can stay after work.

Night Cage05 / 25Win:Apart from staying in my small room, I have nowhere else to go after 8 PM.

A bedroom washed in magenta light, unmade beds and clothes piled beneath a dark window — Win or Lose — Night Cage05 / 25Win:Apart from staying in my small room, I have nowhere else to go after 8 PM.

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Seen through a doorway, a man sits in a cluttered room lit in purple and red — Win or Lose — Untitled06 / 25

Garbage Truck, Garbage Me07 / 25Win:Even this garbage truck — which hauls trash every day — has more freedom than I do. While I am stuck with nowhere to go, it can travel anywhere. I am probably worse than a machine.

Apartment blocks at dusk, a garbage truck on the street below — Win or Lose — Garbage Truck, Garbage Me07 / 25Win:Even this garbage truck — which hauls trash every day — has more freedom than I do. While I am stuck with nowhere to go, it can travel anywhere. I am probably worse than a machine.

Untitled08 / 25

A lawn and apartment building at night, under a streetlight — Win or Lose — Untitled08 / 25

Night Wonderland09 / 25Win:I love the quiet of the night when it feels like the room is just filled with three sounds: the clock ticking, mouse clicking, and my heart beating.

A dim room, a figure at a desk beneath a glowing screen, clothes hanging above — Win or Lose — Night Wonderland09 / 25Win:I love the quiet of the night when it feels like the room is just filled with three sounds: the clock ticking, mouse clicking, and my heart beating.

Spin Cycle10 / 25Win:Sometimes I really wish I could climb into the washing machine, wash myself clean, and come out as a new me.

A man seated among washing machines in a laundromat — Win or Lose — Spin Cycle10 / 25Win:Sometimes I really wish I could climb into the washing machine, wash myself clean, and come out as a new me.

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Inside a barbershop, chairs and mirrors along the wall — Win or Lose — Untitled11 / 25

After 30 Haircuts A Day12 / 25Win:The barbershop is another kind of prison, not because I’m trapped, but because there’s nowhere else I can go...

A man seated in a barber’s chair, mirrors and tools along the wall — Win or Lose — After 30 Haircuts A Day12 / 25Win:The barbershop is another kind of prison, not because I’m trapped, but because there’s nowhere else I can go...

Bliss13 / 25Win:The place called “St.–Bliss St.” is where I take the subway every day back home. But it feels like no happiness to me at all.

Close portrait of a man in a hooded jacket and glasses — Win or Lose — Bliss13 / 25Win:The place called “St.–Bliss St.” is where I take the subway every day back home. But it feels like no happiness to me at all.

Untitled14 / 25

An elevated subway station at night — Win or Lose — Untitled14 / 25

BACK-and-FORTH15 / 25Win:I take Q88 to Q17 bus, and then the 7 train to get to work everyday, about more than an hour.

Passengers seated inside a bus — Win or Lose — BACK-and-FORTH15 / 25Win:I take Q88 to Q17 bus, and then the 7 train to get to work everyday, about more than an hour.

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A man’s reflection in a bathroom mirror, a tattooed arm in the foreground — Win or Lose — Untitled16 / 25

Inked Neon17 / 25Win:This guy is more real with me than anyone else. We don’t talk much, tho, and I still don’t know his name. Cali?

A barbershop doorway lit by a pink neon sign, a man seated inside — Win or Lose — Inked Neon17 / 25Win:This guy is more real with me than anyone else. We don’t talk much, tho, and I still don’t know his name. Cali?

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A cluttered room washed in neon green and purple light — Win or Lose — Untitled18 / 25

A Moment of Passing Blues19 / 25Yizhen:A decade ago, upon his arrival in America, Win realized that he lacked any familial or social connections in this foreign land. As a result of experiencing a sense of being alone and without assistance in the United States, he sought solace, comfort, and acceptance in Christianity. Additionally, as a Chinese national who arrived in America, it was relatively easy to secure a green card through religious immigration for someone seeking political asylum.

A man playing piano in a dark interior — Win or Lose — A Moment of Passing Blues19 / 25Yizhen:A decade ago, upon his arrival in America, Win realized that he lacked any familial or social connections in this foreign land. As a result of experiencing a sense of being alone and without assistance in the United States, he sought solace, comfort, and acceptance in Christianity. Additionally, as a Chinese national who arrived in America, it was relatively easy to secure a green card through religious immigration for someone seeking political asylum.

Untitled20 / 25

Figures in hard light beneath an elevated railway — Win or Lose — Untitled20 / 25

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A man seen through a shop window — Win or Lose — Untitled21 / 25

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Seen from above, a man with bags between parked cars — Win or Lose — Untitled22 / 25

Gaze in Flushing23 / 25Win:Those 24/7 massage places — they’re all about the extra services. You know, I once believed America was the best, but now my green card has been revoked, and I’m shackled with an electronic monitor. Does being the best even matter to me anymore?

A man seated on a stairway lined with colourful signs — Win or Lose — Gaze in Flushing23 / 25Win:Those 24/7 massage places — they’re all about the extra services. You know, I once believed America was the best, but now my green card has been revoked, and I’m shackled with an electronic monitor. Does being the best even matter to me anymore?

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A shopfront with red signage — Win or Lose — Untitled24 / 25

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An elevated subway platform under a clear sky — Win or Lose — Untitled25 / 25

To Win,

No matter where you are in the future, I wish you all the best.

Thank you.

— Yizhen Zhang

Awards — IPA 2025, 2nd Prize, Professional (People) · Budapest & Tokyo International Foto Awards, Bronze · London Photography Awards, Gold (Documentary) · Gomma Grant 2024, Finalist

Also a photobook — First Edition 2023 · Hardcover · 110 pages · 55 images · Selected, Photometria Photobooks 2025

Exhibited — Photometria Festival 2025, Greece · Chania International Photo Festival · A Smith Gallery

The Book

Photobook

Cover of the Win or Lose photobook — Win leaning over a poker table covered with chips and cards, the title Win or Lose handwritten on the wall above him

Win or Lose — the photobook. First edition · 110 pages · 55 photographs. Book design by Yizhen Zhang. In six parts: Home · Back-and-Forth · Barbershop · Tattoo · Belief · Street.

Interior spread from the Win or Lose photobook — a photograph of Win lying on his bed fills the right-hand page

Interior spread from the Win or Lose photobook

Interior spread from the Win or Lose photobook

Interior spread from the Win or Lose photobook

Interior spread from the Win or Lose photobook — a single photograph centred on a deep-blue page

Project · 2025 · Mexico · Seven Cities

The Liminal Innocence

The U.S.–Mexico border is usually told as politics — statistics and iron. For the children of Tijuana, the wall is simply a permanent neighbour. The Liminal Innocence turns away from the iconography of the wall itself to the human ecosystem beside it: families, intimacy, and the quiet resilience of childhood on this side of the divide. These children are a liminal generation, suspended between a heritage behind them and a future that has not arrived. By concentrating on their dignity rather than the architecture of their confinement, the project insists their humanity is never deported from our collective consciousness.

Stars and Strife01 / 12In a dimly lit US-funded shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, the American flag hangs over a corridor as a mother and child move through the shadows. This image juxtaposes the symbolism of the American Dream with the precarious reality of those in limbo. The banner acts as both a distant promise and an intrusive weight, framing the daily struggle of refugees in a confined space.

Inside a shelter dormitory, bunk beds line a long tiled corridor, an American flag hanging at the left, a woman and small child at the far end — The Liminal Innocence — Stars and Strife01 / 12In a dimly lit US-funded shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, the American flag hangs over a corridor as a mother and child move through the shadows. This image juxtaposes the symbolism of the American Dream with the precarious reality of those in limbo. The banner acts as both a distant promise and an intrusive weight, framing the daily struggle of refugees in a confined space.

The Dual Prayer02 / 12A migrant mother cradles her infant on cathedral steps, soliciting alms in the shadow of institutional faith. As the faithful hurry past toward spiritual peace, her prayer is a plea for survival. This portrait captures a poignant juxtaposition between sacred sanctuary and raw struggle, revealing the invisible barriers within a fractured social landscape.

A woman sits on stone steps holding a baby, a purple bowl in her hand, a patterned bag beside her — The Liminal Innocence — The Dual Prayer02 / 12A migrant mother cradles her infant on cathedral steps, soliciting alms in the shadow of institutional faith. As the faithful hurry past toward spiritual peace, her prayer is a plea for survival. This portrait captures a poignant juxtaposition between sacred sanctuary and raw struggle, revealing the invisible barriers within a fractured social landscape.

Turning Away03 / 12Sex workers turn their backs and lower their heads immediately upon noticing the photographer’s camera in Tijuana’s Zona Norte district. In this notorious red-light zone, which operates on a relentless 24/7 cycle, girls line the streets at all hours to solicit clients. The subjects’ deliberate refusal to face the lens highlights the intense vulnerability of their profession; while their physical presence is required for survival in the visible public street, retaining their anonymity remains a crucial, final line of defense against the outside world.

A covered walkway in hard sunlight, a woman in pink standing at the left, figures gathered in the distance — The Liminal Innocence — Turning Away03 / 12Sex workers turn their backs and lower their heads immediately upon noticing the photographer’s camera in Tijuana’s Zona Norte district. In this notorious red-light zone, which operates on a relentless 24/7 cycle, girls line the streets at all hours to solicit clients. The subjects’ deliberate refusal to face the lens highlights the intense vulnerability of their profession; while their physical presence is required for survival in the visible public street, retaining their anonymity remains a crucial, final line of defense against the outside world.

The Border Cradle04 / 12A young migrant child sits in a plastic crate at an open-air market near downtown Tijuana. Surrounded by bags of imported rice and daily necessities, the child remains a quiet observer of the bustling trade that sustains displaced communities. As border restrictions intensify, thousands of migrants from Central America and Haiti find themselves in a state of prolonged limbo in Mexican border towns, where they navigate a precarious existence while striving to maintain a sense of normalcy.

A crowded market, a girl in a red top seated among stalls and shoppers — The Liminal Innocence — The Border Cradle04 / 12A young migrant child sits in a plastic crate at an open-air market near downtown Tijuana. Surrounded by bags of imported rice and daily necessities, the child remains a quiet observer of the bustling trade that sustains displaced communities. As border restrictions intensify, thousands of migrants from Central America and Haiti find themselves in a state of prolonged limbo in Mexican border towns, where they navigate a precarious existence while striving to maintain a sense of normalcy.

Premature Responsibilities05 / 12An older girl moves among laundry lines, collecting clothes for younger peers. Her confident stride across rugged terrain reflects a premature maturity forced upon migrant youth during a prolonged stay in limbo. This portrait captures the quiet resilience found in daily chores, where a child transforms into a caregiver on the edge of two worlds.

A child in a red jacket walks past makeshift shelters of tarps and blankets — The Liminal Innocence — Premature Responsibilities05 / 12An older girl moves among laundry lines, collecting clothes for younger peers. Her confident stride across rugged terrain reflects a premature maturity forced upon migrant youth during a prolonged stay in limbo. This portrait captures the quiet resilience found in daily chores, where a child transforms into a caregiver on the edge of two worlds.

Untitled06 / 12

A sprawling pile of discarded clothes and belongings at an encampment — The Liminal Innocence — Untitled06 / 12

The Scavenged Childhood07 / 12On Tijuana’s outskirts, families inhabit a massive landfill without utilities, surviving amidst systemic neglect and the shadow of narcotics. Here, children are forced to scavenge with their elder families for survival. This image captures the ultimate erosion of innocence: the youngest migrants confronting a landscape of waste and a precarious life on the edge.

A barren dusty hillside under a clear sky — The Liminal Innocence — The Scavenged Childhood07 / 12On Tijuana’s outskirts, families inhabit a massive landfill without utilities, surviving amidst systemic neglect and the shadow of narcotics. Here, children are forced to scavenge with their elder families for survival. This image captures the ultimate erosion of innocence: the youngest migrants confronting a landscape of waste and a precarious life on the edge.

The Wall Is My Playroom08 / 12At Playas de Tijuana, the Pacific offers a deceptive infinity while the border wall bars the horizon. This portrait captures boys running along the surf, their laughter defying the heavy silence of the boundary. In this policed landscape, the act of running is a brief, kinetic escape — a moment of pure innocence against the rigid iron that divides their world.

Two boys walking along a dusty path, palm trees and a lighthouse behind them — The Liminal Innocence — The Wall Is My Playroom08 / 12At Playas de Tijuana, the Pacific offers a deceptive infinity while the border wall bars the horizon. This portrait captures boys running along the surf, their laughter defying the heavy silence of the boundary. In this policed landscape, the act of running is a brief, kinetic escape — a moment of pure innocence against the rigid iron that divides their world.

Carrying Green09 / 12Just another working day.

Looking down on a street corner, a small child walks below an orange wall — The Liminal Innocence — Carrying Green09 / 12Just another working day.

The Passing Rainbow10 / 12On a bustling street, a young girl in red carries a rainbow bag, her bright innocence moving past a migrant man soliciting alms in the shadows. This candid moment captures the stark divergence of fate within the borderland’s economy. The vibrant colors of childhood contrast with the muted tones of survival, highlighting the social stratification of a life in transit.

A girl in a red dress walks through a busy market street — The Liminal Innocence — The Passing Rainbow10 / 12On a bustling street, a young girl in red carries a rainbow bag, her bright innocence moving past a migrant man soliciting alms in the shadows. This candid moment captures the stark divergence of fate within the borderland’s economy. The vibrant colors of childhood contrast with the muted tones of survival, highlighting the social stratification of a life in transit.

Hats11 / 12

People resting on a bench in a town plaza — The Liminal Innocence — Hats11 / 12

Flag12 / 12Workers on an unfinished elevated highway.

A border wall silhouetted against a clear blue sky — The Liminal Innocence — Flag12 / 12Workers on an unfinished elevated highway.

Solo exhibition — Suspended Existence, Sasse Museum of Art

Yizhen Zhang 章逸桢

Bio

Yizhen Zhang is a documentary photographer whose long-term, immersive projects follow people living at the margins — immigrants, displaced children, and communities the wider world seldom looks at closely. Working across photography, film and the photobook, he stays with his subjects for years; his pictures are marked by patience and intimacy, and by attention to resilience as much as hardship.

His photobook Win or Lose, a multi-year portrait of a Chinese immigrant’s life in New York, received Second Prize at the International Photography Awards 2025; his Mexico series The Liminal Innocence was presented in the solo exhibition Suspended Existence at the Sasse Museum of Art. In 2025 he was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society — its highest distinction, held by some 650 living photographers worldwide. Trained at the School of Visual Arts in New York, where he studied with Magnum photographer Alex Webb, his work has been featured by Vogue China, Harper’s Bazaar, USA Today and LA Weekly, among others.

Also credited as Aaron Zhang.

Honors

Awards

Distinctions

2025

Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society

FRPS, in Documentary; the Society’s highest distinction

Click Pro Elite

Awards

2025

International Photography Awards

2nd Prize, Professional (Photo · People) · Win or Lose

Top 5 Jury Selection (Photo · People) · Win or Lose

Top 5 Jury Selection (Book · People) · Win or Lose

Honorable Mention (Book · People) · Win or Lose

Berlin Photo Awards

Honorable Mention · Behind the Glory

Muse Photography Awards

Platinum, Documentary Narratives · Behind the Glory

Platinum, People · Behind the Glory

Platinum, Conflict · Behind the Glory

Platinum, Travel Series · Behind the Glory

Gold, People · Win or Lose

Gold, Black & White · Behind the Glory

Gold, People Series · Behind the Glory

Gold, Street Series · Behind the Glory

London Photography Awards

Gold, Documentary · Win or Lose

Gold, Travel · Behind the Glory

Gold, Black & White · Behind the Glory

Gold, Street Series · Behind the Glory

2024

Gomma Grant

Finalist · Win or Lose

Budapest International Foto Awards

Bronze, People–Lifestyle · Win or Lose

Tokyo International Foto Awards

Bronze, People–Lifestyle · Win or Lose

Global Photography Awards

Silver, People–Culture · Win or Lose

Silver, People–Lifestyle · Win or Lose

New York Photography Awards

Silver, People · Win or Lose

Silver, Lifestyle · Win or Lose

Silver, Cultural · Win or Lose

Silver, Portrait · Win or Lose

Siena International Photo Awards

Finalist · Win or Lose

Wild Photo Awards

Runner-Up · Behind the Glory

Earth Photography Contest

Honorable Mention (National Photography Society) · Behind the Glory

Press

Vogue China · Harper’s Bazaar · USA Today · LA Weekly · The Globe and Mail

Exhibitions

Selected

2026

“Suspended Existence”

Solo exhibition, Sasse Museum of Art · The Liminal Innocence

2025

Photometria Festival

Greece · Win or Lose

Chania International Photo Festival

Greece · Win or Lose

FotoDoc Photo Contest Exhibition

Brazil · Win or Lose

Urban Landscape Exhibition

Independent & Image Art Space, Chongqing · Behind the Glory

2024

“Story”

A Smith Gallery · Win or Lose

“Home”

Praxis Photographic Arts Center · Win or Lose

“Inequality”

Roseberry Photo Studios, UK · Win or Lose

Black & White Exhibition

Praxis Photographic Arts Center · Behind the Glory

“Diversity”

PhotoSC · Behind the Glory

For commercial, editorial & portrait commissions — Y Foto Studio ↗