Boston Subway Worker Black and White Documentary Photography
A Sideways Glance Beside the Station Fare Machines
I raised the camera quickly. Walking through the Boston subway in 2010, I noticed a transit employee seated beside the fare machines, looking toward a passenger in front of him. His expression seemed likely to change almost immediately, and this black and white photograph depends on that brief arrangement of people and place.
The passenger's back fills much of the left foreground. Beyond him, the employee sits with his hands loosely together, pale shirt sleeves rolled up and an identification badge hanging from his neck. I kept both figures in the frame because their relationship gives the portrait its structure. The employee's sideways gaze is the point my eye returns to.
The surrounding machines, posted fare information and metal surfaces retain the setting of a working station. They introduce straight edges and small blocks of text around the seated figure. Monochrome makes his face and shirt clearer within the darker machinery and foreground clothing, while preserving the texture of the subway interior.
Henri Cartier-Bresson's idea of the decisive moment has stayed with me throughout my work; he is one of my favourite photographers among the old masters. This encounter is a reminder of why I carry a camera when exploring a city. There was little time to reconsider the scene or wait for a different arrangement. The glance, hands and foreground figure belonged to one passing moment, and the photograph keeps that moment within its everyday surroundings.
© Dan Kosmayer, 2010
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About My Fine Art Photography
Every photograph in my collection comes from my own travels, explorations, and years behind the camera.
I create my work as photographic art rather than mass-produced decoration. From street portraits and abandoned places to landscapes, architecture, and the unusual subjects I discover along the way, each image begins with something that made me stop and look.
My photographs are available in multiple sizes so the same image can work in anything from an intimate wall space to a large statement installation.
