Subway Riders

The daily commute holds people captive. It necessitates some degree of patience in order to get from one place to another.

Public transportation in general and the subway in particular have their respective cadences. Looking through the window, I realize the sites and reflections that pass are truly fleeting, yet this underground form of public transportation lulls riders to turn inward. I wonder, at what speed do thoughts travel in this environment?

The digital photographs in this series concentrate on these internal, contemplative points of view that acknowledge and defy the individuality of the riders. Reflections, optical and motion blurs, and candid or inadvertent portraits comprise the visual language I use to explore intangible states of mind.

The riders are not fully present, and their figures and faces begin to dissolve into the subway car’s environment. Physically present in the subway, they desire to be somewhere else.  The vacancy in their eyes signifies reflection and anticipation, and the riders’ body language exaggeratedly protects their personal space, precluding unwanted interactions.

My seemingly voyeuristic approach to this underworld is sometimes confronted by riders who realize the dynamic of the reflections I use to make the photographs.  I maintain my photographic vigil and move on to the next car.