Subway Wallah NYC Photo

Photographer’s Note

I already said this is one of the things that struck me in NYC : while many would claim most of the important economical decisions impacting the whole wide world are taken around here, the city infrastructure is not up to its global influence. NYC simply doesn't have the transportation system it deserves...

I've been amazed with this guy in the middle of the train standing in a cabin and peering out to see whether everybody has gone in or out of the wagons... I have no name for his work but it looks thirdworldish : I guess he could be called a Subway wallah.

Some people in TrekEarth have been questioning whether it was possible to shoot pictures in the NYC subway without immediately having the CIA on one's back and being offered orange clothes to be eventually sent to Guantanamo.

Well firstly, I haven't seen any post forbidding it, but that's the french reaction : many americans procedures seem to be commonly known rather than written -except by the foreign tourists of course-.
However, I think the best proof is in this photo, this rickshaw controller... sorry, I meant subway wallah.. seemed very happy and proud I'd shoot him, I'd waive him thanks and he kept thanking me back... Therefore, I'd rather think photography is a politically correct activity, even in NYC sub. I heard George W. was bought an Ipod (his playlist was the big business lately : Pup, have you sent him your TE olden hits?), someday he might take serious digital photography too (hopefully not...)

One of the things I would like to point about NY is that it is quite easy to shoot people, few people seem bothered or worried by someone taking their picture. Moreover NYC officials, policemen or subway workers like this pleasant folk are more than happy to pose for anyone... I think the happiest poser prize will go to Broadway mounted police, I have come to wonder whether they're here for their stint or just for the show.

Anyway, my kudos to N-Yorkers, I would like see similar minded people in my own town, as for photographic regards.

Isabelle, Fixfocus, khmelins, bnallama, sigh, maciekda, ndb1958, Katharina, AmiBe, mlopes, Darren, jinju, eleparc, RGatward, quillerpl, Riz, Prisley, Brian, kenmac has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Isabelle (9014) 2005-05-14 11:06

I am still smiling at him and at you, Luko!
so unexpected and delightfully rendered.
light is fantastic, in the right spot.
tfs

(as a cinic remark, i could say he would loose his job if people at the administration of the subway thought about installing mirrors at the end of the platform...)

djnik2004 (1696) 2005-05-14 11:07

Good note, very interesting view into the way NYC works! the picture is great also, you are right you dont see many pictures like this from America or UK, mainly due to peoples views on photography, the rare ones are a great pleasure to view, thanks for sharing!

Zepi (22848) 2005-05-14 11:13

Hello Luko !
Quel chanceux !
NYC………..j’adore cette ville !
Excellente image, ça reflète parfaitement l’ambiance des sous-sols New-yorkais !
J’adore
Bien joué
Amicalement
Sébastien

clodreno (0) 2005-05-14 12:04

Great image..Lovely smile, and well framed..Le stars and stripes en ptrime.. Une image intéressante, bien présenté qui rejoint mes favorites.

wangp (362) 2005-05-14 12:10

Nice capture, good composition. Bravo.

naxius (16679) 2005-05-14 12:13

Salut Luko,
Il est sympa ce controleur! Très content que tu le prenne en photo ;o
J'aime bien la lumière ambiante du métro. Ca reste quand même glauque mais avec ce sourire, ca contre-balance.
Alex

Porteplume (3257) 2005-05-14 12:40

What a very strong and appealing picture!

I got a big smile as soon as I saw his... :o))) - And honestly, HE makes the picture - even if your well achieved technique is a certain contribution of course - like the sharpness, the wellthought composition, and the very attractive light on the glittering metallic wagon, which makes a good frame around his face. I definitely like it!

ndb1958 (9249) 2005-05-14 13:55

Hi Luko,
this is really lovely. Great smile and a wonderful photo of New York.
Nino

Paker (2636) 2005-05-14 14:11 [Comment]

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Katharina (401) 2005-05-14 14:52

Nice photo. I love that compo. That is quite different photo very interesting...

AmiBe (6042) 2005-05-14 14:56

Génial, j'admire le travail.
Je ne pensais pas qu'on pouvait trouver un si beau sourire dans le sous-sol New-Yorkais, je pensais qu'on ne pouvait en voir qu'en Asie ! ;-)
J'aime les teintes froides et cette ambiance métallique !

avigur_11 (21307) 2005-05-14 15:09

This is a great shot, Luko. I like the guy's smile and the graphic way you handled the train's wall and the car's no.
A very NY kind of a picture, I like it very much.

kinginexile (2440) 2005-05-14 15:27

Sympa, cette photo, et un superbe sujet. Ca me fait penser que beaucoup de gens pensent que c'est dur de prendre des portraits dans nos pays occidentaux, que les gens n'apprecient pas, se gardent. A mon avis, c'est une question de metier. Un vrai photographe doit avoir opiniatrete et psychologie dans son approche du sujet. et ne cherche pas d'excuses. Sinon, c'est juste un touriste/passant muni d'une camera.
Ici, la photo part d'une idee candide, mais ta naturelle opiniatrete fait que tu as arme ou d'autres auraient laisse passe ou pisse ;-).
Bravo!

mlopes (492) 2005-05-14 17:21

Hi Luko, your notes are always fun to read and I really like this compo. the rickshaw controller... sorry... the subway wallah.. is really amusing himself will being photographed.

I also like the steal textures and the American Flag adds the colours to the compo.

Just an extra info: In Portugal we don't need the subway wallah's anymore, now it's fully automatic.

Mario

Darren (6819) 2005-05-14 21:18

I really like this Luko, and I am not certain totally why. First off, the color are attractive to me. They don't seem accurate, but they are very pleasing to me in an almost Martin Parrish sort of way. For some reason, the colors seem like 60s/70s television to (which has always been my impression of Parr as well). The composition is good here, nothing super complex or anything, but I like how the Wallah is balanced against the signs and the flag. Only slight change is that I wonder how it might look if you cropped some from the left. or left more room. I keep finding myself reading the diagonal ad in black. I know the word is become, but I wish it wasn't cropped, or that I couldn't see the diagonal at all. Mostly though, this is just appealing.

tongapup (1574) 2005-05-15 0:38

I really love this shot. Good call on Darren's part, the colours remind me of 70s TV too. There is just a simple urban beauty to this shot, and it's so very American. It seems so easy to catch the essence of India in pictures (at least, that seems to be a popular notion and I can't say I don't agree) but America is harder to us Westerners, and I would say especially hard for Americans. But this is IT, baby. The flag, the guy, and yes, When DID health insurance become a luxury?

Also love this for its graphicism. Yay! Nice work.

jinju (14265) 2005-05-15 5:35

Brilliant. The connection between us and the train driver give so many extra dimensions to this picture. What a great human shot.

gringofil (0) 2005-05-15 7:03

Luko, this is one interesting and well made environmental portrait. I really like how the guy is beaming in front of the camera and the sign places the shot in context very nicely indeed. And the colors...how did you get these colors, mate? They're just amazing and fit the subject matter like a glove.

I have to agree with you as well...there is something very much third world about your image...it's got this flavor...quite a nice contrast since this was shot in the US of A. Cool stuff, Luko.

sohrab (7423) 2005-05-15 9:06 [Comment]

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eleparc (24059) 2005-05-15 11:06

a great note and a very impactful shot Luko! i like this simple, yet elaborate compo and of course this big smile. well done!
Eric

RandomCameraGuy (3063) 2005-05-15 22:01

This is the shot I tried for on more than one occasion on Toronto's subway system (which, btw, also employs these doorwatcher guys). And NEVER has one of these guys smiled for the camera! I've gotten:
- a quickly turned head
- a quickly turned head after slamming the window shut; and
- "do you have a permit?"

So good on ya Luko! This is very nice: the expression and the framing. Great lighting too. Cheers!

flydragon (0) 2005-05-16 17:49

j'ai fait un reve Luko faisait des photos
a NYC
j'aime bien cette photo Luko
je repasse plus tard
••simon••

khmelins (960) 2005-05-16 18:02

amazing that you managed to get a smile in the subway..
really nice colour rendering
anton

dolin (15647) 2005-05-18 3:30

Bonjour Luko.
Photo très originale et très bien composée.
Le cadrage serré est bien vu et cet homme si sourriant, c'est presque irréel ;)
J'aime bien cette lumière qui se reflète sur ce métal et ces multiples détails pour un sujet pourtant si simple au premier abord.
Belle compo, joli coup d'oeil.
Fred

(Je repasse, je suis à sec)

Midnight_sun (1939) 2005-05-18 6:17

The Big Apple huh? You're gonna have to give me the low down on some cool bars bars to check out before I go in September...

I'm not really liking this shot very much, that cheesy grin is annoying me, the shot feels to much like a tourist snap in a non parr sense, even though its well composed etc.

"One of the things I would like to point about NY is that it is quite easy to shoot people" psycho!

RGatward (19751) 2005-05-20 14:35

Very amusing title, what a great name for him, and what a pose you've caught, he's obviously very amused by you.

langaloo (489) 2005-05-21 15:40

Hello Luko, wonderfull picture, in two ways, great portrait of a Man, and great portrait of a City. Really, you captured here so well the essence of NYC, with the wonderfull New Yorkers, I miss them, they are the most good-natured civilians in the World. In my days in NYC (late 70's, early 80's), we had a "milicia" called the "Gardian Angels", with only a red beret as uniform, they patrolled the subway, doing the same job this friendly man is doing. It was a real milicia, with men and women working for free day and night, by groups of two on each wagon, sticking their head out before it closed to make sure everything was okay. Then the police had to stop them because it did not look too good for the authorities. What was funny is that we, New Yorkers, got used to them, but when someone was visiting from out of town, when the "Gardian Angels" appeared on a train or even on the Staten Island ferry, they would panic, thinking : "Here comes trouble!"

markoci (3917) 2005-06-05 9:46

i'd submit this to nyc transport authorities for a recruiting campaign (not sure if they'd need one in the big apple these days). the smiling (african american) guy clearly enjoying his obviously patriotic job at the new york city subway. (the ad on the left would of course have to go)

emanuela (1257) 2005-06-07 11:45

great shot.......looks set up !
everything is perfetct.......the man, numbers, pov, composition......
good
emanuel

maciekda (19599) 2005-06-28 5:47

it took me some time to comment this photo. great portrait - the guy's expression is so cheerful, he is nicely framed with all this American stuff - NYC Subway, the flag, lots of nice shapes everywhere. fun shot

Prisley (1249) 2005-07-08 7:51

Hi Luko,
I have to be honest, this photo inspired me a lot. Actually, once I got there, I tried to get a similar one but I never was at the right place when the train came in. And as they don't stay long, I could'nt run and then ask the controller to say "cheese"...hahahaha...crazy tourists! Though I'm sure the result would have been cool ;o) Most of the controller's voice I heard were feminine. Then we could have chosen the perfect bride for your Subway Wallah!

See You,
Prisley

Steft (5962) 2005-07-29 19:45

Haha, very funny. What a wonderful smile. Probably everybody is hurrying in NYC, but it is good that people also have time to smile. You captured this at the right moment.

scalerman (25787) 2005-09-01 1:39

Luko, it would appear you just got back from Burma. But anyway, you don't have to be somewhere 'exotic' as long as you have the eye. This one has all the great elements of a splendid "Americana" shot. Really nice.

bjoern (0) 2007-06-19 8:18

Hi Luko,
Nice photo however I do not agree with your comment. The transit system of NYC is one of the world's most sophisticated by far! Of course it's old but has transformed into a clean, safe and efficient one in the last years. Over 50% of NY citizens don't have a car which makes NY one of the ecologically greenest cities in the US. You can get anywhere, 24/7 and it's cheap. By comparison, transit in Sydney Australia is a real mess! Trains run only until 1am and very infrequent. Riding three (!!!) stations which relates to five minutes costs about US$2. And lastly there are about seven stations in the CBD, a COMPLETE JOKE. So, please do not jerk with MTA New York City!

kenmac (529) 2007-06-19 9:11

I always like reading your notes Luko...and viewing your images.... and this is a good one. He just seems sohappy tobe chugging around from station to station. A modern trogladyte. Here in Bangkok...you can take a shot hand held...but not allowed to take the same shot with a tripod !! Don't ask me why.
KMc

hayley2530 (32) 2007-11-08 18:15

Love this photo. Lived in NYC for 4 years and this is what I remember about the people...kindness. It would have had a completely different feel had it been an L or 456 train (seeing that they are new). Great moment indeed!