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Observing those who observe: Alternative street photography from NYC and LA

Observation is a series of photographs taken in New York and Los Angeles over the course of a year by London-based fine art photographer Larry Gorman. Each image shows the photographer observing those who observe, sharing intimate yet unaware moments with his subjects.

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Black and white photograph of two people viewing something through a chain-link fence, with a bridge and cloudy sky visible behind them

Gorman explains: "I was originally influenced to document New York in the same aesthetic style as the Magnum photographers of the mid 1900s, which had shaped my visual preconception of the city. This practice as a nostalgic aesthetic soon gave way to a study of observation, anonymous connection and space. My aim in taking these photographs became more about creating a sense of my own presence in observation, not behind the lens but in the middle of a space created by a shared act of observation.

"In these images I invite the audience not only to consider the undeniable, yet often intangible connection we all have to each other, but to realise that they are participating with both myself, the subject and in essence, the photograph. In the shared environment of the photographs, people come and go, stay and leave and 6th Avenue ceaselessly trundles along behind us."

Via direct submission to Creative Boom

Young people standing at a chain-link fence in black and white street photography by Larry Gorman
Two figures in dark winter coats with hands raised against a chain-link fence, with a brick building visible beyond in this black and white photograph
Black and white photograph of a person with their hands pressed against a chain-link fence, viewed from behind, with blurred figures visible through the fence behind them
Person with dark hair viewed from behind standing against a chain-link fence with blurred figures visible through it in black and white
Person in white shirt grips chain-link fence, gazing through at urban building beyond in black and white photograph
Figure in backpack viewed from behind looking through chain-link fence towards a city skyline in black and white photograph
Black and white photograph of people standing against a chain-link fence, viewed from behind, with someone's hand raised on the right side
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