Subway Sleepers began for me as other groups of images have in the past; with simple observation. I would ride the train to and from wherever it was I had to go, and I watched the others that did so as well. I became fascinated with those who allowed themselves to fall asleep in the subway system. The act of sleeping itself is an intimately peaceful act being committed against an insecure and turbulent backdrop. It is an act of comfort, an act of surrender, and an act of trust. It is an act most commonly practiced behind locked doors. I began to take a visual note of their similarities and their difference. I found that a person’s expression or posture could tell me the story of their day and perhaps even their life. Some of the photographs are highly intimate portraits citing expression and vibration, others are contextual in nature and give the viewer details of the venue. I fell into a love affair with the Subway Sleepers and photographed them extensively over the next two years. Indeed, I was fixated on this act, preformed for all to see on the subway’s stage and soon I had an ensemble of images that covered a greater cross section of the quiescently commuting New Yorker. Overall concepts began to formulate such as unity and equality. The act of sleep symbolizing a common thread we all share, linking us all as one body of people. Yet, I knew that there was a greater personal meaning to this exploration. I took a step back from the shooting process to study the images and seek out feedback. In time I came to realize that by photographing the somnolent, I am esentially comparing the myself to the sleeper and ultimately coming to identify and relate to my recessed subjects. The images become less about who they are, and more about who we are. We tour here and there, day to day and pay check to pay check, in order to maintain some meager level of existence in this city that ironically never sleeps. We are all New Yorkers in our sleep. We are all Americans in our sleep. We are all people, in our sleep. We toil and travel, taking what refuge we can during our commute through life. The activity of sleeping on the subway becomes synonymous with struggle. The working poor, making use of an unfit environment to gain a moments rest. Through these images, I am dealing with my own issues of financial security, how society defines success, and the role that money plays in that definition. I am coming to terms with my economic status and place in life. Suffice to say that I am afraid of never reaching that monetize dcomfort zone, afraid of never waking up from this pecuniary repose, afraid of never getting off of the subway.