What makes for an Urban Prisoner? In Matt Weber’s case it was being a New York City Cab Driver. Each day, he went to work and while he was there? He took pictures.
The end result was the Urban Prisoner and in street photography circles, it’s something of an unheralded classic.
Why We Love The Urban Prisoner
This is not a pretty and comforting collection of images, in fact, Matt Weber seems to excel at one thing – conveying just how mean the streets of New York can be.
But it is a master work in street photography, it’s all there in quick cuts, short glances, and he brings the spectacular and the foreboding together to create a unique atmosphere.
We think it must have come from a huge library of images because it’s so coherent and each photo flows neatly into the next without jarring the reader at all.
It’s also the kind of book that is likely to deliver its best over a series of repeated encounters, there’s just so much intelligence here to absorb.
Final Thoughts On The Urban Prisoner
The Urban Prisoner is a testament to one man and his Leica and his ability to see the city he knows through a unique lens.
If you love street photography, you’re going to want to put a copy on your shelves as soon as possible.
This isn’t the only great book out there for photographers and you might also enjoy Magnum Contact Sheets, Studio Anywhere and Vivian Maier: Street Photography.
You can grab a copy online here.