New York City Metro, Proxemics
“The guard is down, and the mask is off.”
— Walker Evans
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The famous photographer Walker Evans very surreptitiously photographed passengers in the NYC metro between1938 and 1941. He concealed his camera under his coat and used a cable shutter release that he had hidden up his sleeve to photograph unsuspecting fellow travelers.
It’s easier today. When in the metro, I fiddle with my cell phone, pretend to be reading or watching something and when the moment is right, quietly take a photo. Sometimes I’ll use a Bluetooth-connected shutter release concealed in my pocket.
Proxemics is the study of the space that people need around them in to feel comfortable. I find this, and the knowledge of interpersonal boundaries, invaluable in helping me make meaning of human behavior.
In this picture, are a man and a woman sharing a seat. Their postures and body language are strikingly different. Because of his size and his manspreading, he fully occupies two thirds of the seat. He leans to the right looking away from her. His bag is at his feet in front of him. She in turn, sits with her legs and arms crossed protectively, bag on her lap, guarding her personal space as best she can. Together with staring at her phone, listening with her earbuds, she has created an effective bubble in an uncomfortable situation where she is forced to sit too close to a stranger.
Each of us lives in an invisible bubble which we reflexly and mostly unconsciously guard. An unwelcome stare, or photograph, or touch, even comment, from a stranger, can penetrate the boundary of this bubble and cause discomfort. This presents the greatest challenge for the street photographer.
Ironically, the Unabomber obtained his doctorate in the field of proxemics, then proceeded to bomb his way into the intimate space of his victims. His personal space was then restricted 23 hours a day to a 7 by 12 foot cell.