These are such beautiful touching portraits. I agree there is some special magic about trains. One of the things I miss about NYC is the opportunity to study strangers in the subway. I still have some of my photographs from studying at Pratt in Brooklyn. One I treasure is a young black man holding his sleeping son, very relaxed, not even bothering to glance at me as I photographed them. Now I wonder at daring to be intrusive. When photographing people on the street, in the park or in a cafe and felt I needed to ask permission , in the Subway I felt invisible.
Thanks, Georgia. Yes, people watching on trains is one of the highlights of being in the city. Permission is a tricky subject and I have no consistency. Sometimes, I "sneak" a photo, but often I exchange a smile and nods. Sometimes people ask why, and I usually tell the truth--you have a great face, fabulous outfit, etc. But i guess the stolen ones, where people are not self-consciously posing almost always turn out best.
Growing up for the first one-sixth of my life in NYC I rode countless subways, enjoyed the illusory solitude, and felt utterly safe. I remember once being on the train from Albany to NYC with my mother (of blessed memory -- she died last year at the age of 100). On this trip, one lady with a gigantic big mouth told loud boring stories for 2 1/2 hours straight. No one could get her to shut up. On a honeymoon train trip from Nogales to Mazatlan in 1974, the train ran breathtakingly fast on curves as well as straightaways, tossing us from wall to wall in the tiny sleeper car. and scaring the living hell out of me.
Not me. I love the solitude, but I have rarely been in trains in my life. As a small child, I traveled from Socorro, NM, where I lived, up to Albuquerque, to stay with my grandmother for a week. Once in a sleeper down to NYC 30 years ago for a conference. Once, recently, to NYC where hip pain didn't allow a car trip but the train had few passengers and I could spread out. Subways, though, aplenty, in Istambul, Vienna, Paris, Rome, London, and, of course, NYC. I wish there were more train possibilities in the US
Oh, yeah. Best sleep ever - on a sleeper car in a train, rocking lightly thru the night. And on the deck of a ship, when Escher happens so that the boat seems still and the stars roll like waves.
While one may ride a train in the solitude you describe, I have sometimes entered into stimulating and informative conversations with fellow passengers next to whom chance has placed me. This is especially likely on longer trips than one would encounter on an urban subway. .
These are such beautiful touching portraits. I agree there is some special magic about trains. One of the things I miss about NYC is the opportunity to study strangers in the subway. I still have some of my photographs from studying at Pratt in Brooklyn. One I treasure is a young black man holding his sleeping son, very relaxed, not even bothering to glance at me as I photographed them. Now I wonder at daring to be intrusive. When photographing people on the street, in the park or in a cafe and felt I needed to ask permission , in the Subway I felt invisible.
Thanks, Georgia. Yes, people watching on trains is one of the highlights of being in the city. Permission is a tricky subject and I have no consistency. Sometimes, I "sneak" a photo, but often I exchange a smile and nods. Sometimes people ask why, and I usually tell the truth--you have a great face, fabulous outfit, etc. But i guess the stolen ones, where people are not self-consciously posing almost always turn out best.
Growing up for the first one-sixth of my life in NYC I rode countless subways, enjoyed the illusory solitude, and felt utterly safe. I remember once being on the train from Albany to NYC with my mother (of blessed memory -- she died last year at the age of 100). On this trip, one lady with a gigantic big mouth told loud boring stories for 2 1/2 hours straight. No one could get her to shut up. On a honeymoon train trip from Nogales to Mazatlan in 1974, the train ran breathtakingly fast on curves as well as straightaways, tossing us from wall to wall in the tiny sleeper car. and scaring the living hell out of me.
Oh, yes, there are those trip, too. Loved the comment. Thanks.
I and my camera thank you.
soul piercing portraiture
Not me. I love the solitude, but I have rarely been in trains in my life. As a small child, I traveled from Socorro, NM, where I lived, up to Albuquerque, to stay with my grandmother for a week. Once in a sleeper down to NYC 30 years ago for a conference. Once, recently, to NYC where hip pain didn't allow a car trip but the train had few passengers and I could spread out. Subways, though, aplenty, in Istambul, Vienna, Paris, Rome, London, and, of course, NYC. I wish there were more train possibilities in the US
Oh, yeah. Best sleep ever - on a sleeper car in a train, rocking lightly thru the night. And on the deck of a ship, when Escher happens so that the boat seems still and the stars roll like waves.
Nice image!
While one may ride a train in the solitude you describe, I have sometimes entered into stimulating and informative conversations with fellow passengers next to whom chance has placed me. This is especially likely on longer trips than one would encounter on an urban subway. .
I have, too. That's a good point.