If you have traveled for 20 years using different taxis then you must have met hundreds of different taxi drivers each year. Some must be polite and cooperative while others must be rude. you must have experienced different behaviors from them.
Have you ever thought of how many passengers a taxi driver meets per day?
Let me introduce you to Ryan Weideman who went to New York City in the 80s to establish himself as a photographer.
But very soon he realized that his dream is not an easy one to fulfill. He had his share of financial issues as basic as to how to pay his rent and bills.
He got inspired by his neighbor who was a taxi driver. Ryan embraced the idea of becoming one and uniting his work with a passion for photography.
He soon attached his camera in the mirror with rubber bands sand started clicking pictures of his passengers.
He is one of the few people who has seen many things happen in the back seat of a taxi. From people falling asleep after a long day at work to making out after a date.
In My Taxi: New York After Hours
He soon discovered that the best time to drive is around from 5 pm to 5 am on weekends because of the easy traffic.
He started by taking pictures of each passenger that got into his taxi, but soon he started to understand what he’s looking for exactly –
“something bizarre awkward. idiosyncratic, or powerful” that inspires his vision.”
“I encounter people from all over the world, the ones battered by life in New York, others who exude the City’s aura,” –
said the photographer in the book “In My Taxi: New York After Hours” which he released after the first 10 years of photographing his passengers.
Apparently it also benefited him to take pictures of the most colorful New York crowd of the ’80s and ’90s.
