“In New York, you are constantly faced with this very urgent, quick decision that you have to make about every 20 minutes," David Cross once explained. "About every 20 minutes, immediately, you have to go, [gasp] 'Oh my God. Do I look at the most beautiful woman in the world or the craziest guy in the world?'" That constant parade of diversions and fascinations, the little show that makes walking the streets of New York City such a treat, is also at the center of Coincidences, a series from street photographer Jonathan Higbee, collected in a new book of the same name (out this week from Anthology Editions).
Higbee's images captures surprising, witty, and unexpected juxtapositions on the streets and subways - moments when two divergent figures or objects intersect, creating a fleeting story in the frame. "When I moved to New York, I was completely overwhelmed, overstimulated, and anxious," Higbee says. "I used the camera to distill the chaos and overwhelming nature of New York into something that I could understand and process."
Here are a few of our favorites:
All photos © Jonathan Higbee from the book Coincidences published by Anthology Editions.
To see more, and pick up a copy, New Yorkers can come to the Coincidences book release and reception at the Aperture Bookstore (547 W. 27th Street, 4th Floor) on Tuesday, November 5 at 6:30pm.