Sidewalk Phantasms

Sometimes you come across a strange space in the bustle of your everyday life, a brief departure from your usual path. This picture was taken as I was rushing through the streets of Montreal, trying to catch my family who were now about a full city block ahead of me. This strange arrangement of figures caught me by the collar as I passed by, a frozen idol of the queer in the middle of a stream of purposeful bustle.

In this picture, I try to capture the seldom noticed oddities that take refuge in the most accessible and frequently passed places. I make note of these places wherever I go. I make an effort to find the phantasms hiding in the mundane; what gives a place its character, its soul.

I took this picture as I was running along a city street. Rushing from place to place, I took the picture a tad askew, relating to the busyness of society. To add to the feeling of a frozen moment, and to make the “shadow” of the man more distinguishable, I made the photo black and white.

I hope that people take away the feeling that there are strange sanctuaries they can find anywhere, all they have to do is look.