Photo Series Proves That New Yorkers Will Read Books Absolutely Anywhere
While I have yet to master the art of reading while walking, I have read in many quirky places. So have these New Yorkers, as depicted in these photographs by Lawrence Schwartzwald. You can see people of all walks of life immersed in printed word. Be it magazines, newspapers or books, they’re all reading. Considering the intimate ties between reading and general enlightenment, as well as general fears that people are falling out of love with print, this series is a welcome sign for many.
Lawrence is an avid reader himself, and was one long before he picked up a camera. He started photography career in the 90’s, but didn’t start serious “reader photography” until early 2000’s. “Since then I have continued to seek out readers—despite (and sometimes because of) the shuttering of bookshops and the rapid growth of the web and impersonal electronic reading devices.” he wrote in a 2013 article. “I discretely photograph my subjects—mostly solitary and often eccentric, desperate, dignified or vulnerable—engaged in what seems to be a vanishing art—the art of reading.”
And while books as such have little danger of going extinct, it will be a lot harder to make photo series about people listening to audiobooks.
More info: Facebook | narrative.ly (ht/: Slate)
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