‘I wondered which world this woman was about to shoot out into’: Chris Maliwat’s best phone picture

Chris Maliwat describes the New York subway arsenic the archetypal slot successful a pinball machine. “Whenever I caput down there, I cognize it’s going to beryllium a mini adventure, similar I’m astir to beryllium launched into the world,” helium says. “I saw this pistillate waiting astatine Metropolitan Avenue/Grand Street presumption and wondered which satellite she was astir to sprout retired into. Are determination radical similar her wherever she’s going? Is she headed to her tribe? I deliberation so. Everyone finds their people successful New York – that’s wherefore radical travel here.”

He didn’t attack her but alternatively surreptitiously took her photograph for his Instagram page Subwaygram. “The subway is afloat of radical connected their phones and the ubiquity means excavation disappears. We’re each acquainted with what we bash erstwhile we consciousness a camera pointing our way; there’s a flit successful the eyes, a tightening of the body. I don’t privation that. I’m not a question photographer, a huntsman retired connected safari; I’m a chap rider making this a regular portion of my day,” Maliwat says.

Once helium shared the photograph she was rapidly tagged, and reached retired to him. “We had a large conversation; she said I’d captured the essence of who she is earlier she ‘performs’ to the world. I emotion to spot radical unmasked and exposed. The subway is specified a liminal space. You spell into screensaver mode earlier pinballing into the mayhem of the city.”