The way Walker Evans secretly snapped pictures of unsuspecting passengers is surely interesting, since he is able to capture candid photographs. But it probably caused some suspicion among the riders, which is seen in some of their uncomfortable looks.
It feels as if Evans’ camera lens are my eyes, occasionally glancing at the surroundings. Nowadays, most people are fixated on their electronics, with just the shine of blue light from their phones lighting up their faces. But there are some people who like to look around and that is where Evans photography comes in. Pretty often when I take a quick glance around on the subway, I find someone looking back at me (and it gets awkward so one or both of us looks away). Sometimes, they won’t even notice me looking at them! There is almost no difference between the subway riders’ expressions during the Great Depression era and that of today!
