Alone Together

The great photographer, Walker Evans, shot photographs of people on the New York City subway system between 1938 and 1941 using a camera painted black and hidden in his coat. Thanks to the iPhone, I am attempting to follow in Evans footsteps by photographing people on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) buses and subway trains since 2013.

Alone Together is an examination of people while confined to the crowded spaces of the T. I strive to capture people when their guard is down and the mask is off showing a vulnerability in the faces of those weary from work after longs days and tiresome commutes.

Like a good novelist I attempt to show that person and place are inextricably intertwined by including more than just the face of the commuter. The too-small personal space and the structure of the bus or train all contribute to the commuter’s state of being and are a participant in the photograph.

It is in the moment when space, expression, and opportunity come together that I make my image.