Busy taxi driver turned incredible human nature photographer, Matt Weber, has finally released his urban life photography after 30 years. Inspired by the snapshots of life he encountered on the roads of New York City, he began capturing the soft, emotional and human element to the gritty city. And what he featured highly in his series was the romance between couples and lovers who litter the streets at every turn. And the result? A beautiful series of photographs that remind you that even the toughest New Yorker still keeps romance alive.
When you think about it, a taxi driver sees all aspects of everyday street life from his cab. He literally has a front row seat to witness all walks of life going about their everyday business, completely oblivious to anyone watching them. But instead of sounding creepy and like a photographic stalker, he’s focused on the beauty of spontaneous street photography.
He never stages his scenes as when he finds that glimmer of happiness amongst the hordes of miserable people in the city; it’s amazing to save that natural and special moment on film. Weber says, “You see a lot of people not looking very content. With happy people, I try not to worry why they’re happy.†He focuses on the overwhelming feeling that young couples feel when falling in love and their perfect kisses… but as he doesn’t sneakily shoot from the hip, he’s been caught in confrontations when his subjects become aware of his camera.
He has now released a book called “Urban Prisonersâ€. His aim is to allow you to explore his galleries of street photography without getting lost, and with Weber to guide you, you’re guaranteed to see a side to New York that you never noticed. Or even knew.
Image 1, 3 & 5 My Modern Met, image 2 Inspirations: cool art from planet earth, image 4, 7 & 8 Agonistica, Â
Sophie Saint was one of the original travelettes, from 2009 – 2017. After fleeing the UK with ink barely dry on her graduation certificate, she traversed the world with a backpack and spent a few years living in Melbourne – one of her favourite cities in the world.
She finally returned to the UK after a few years where she now whiles time away zipping off for European escapes, crocheting and daydreaming of owning her own hostel somewhere hot to live out eternal summers. See what she’s up to over on her blog saintsonaplane.com and instagram: @saintsonaplane
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