Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Add Good to your Google News feed.
Google News Button

Photographer Creates Haunting Photo Series By Removing Phones From Every Image

There’s a good chance you’re reading this on your phone right now.

Craig Carilli
By Craig CarilliJul 15, 2021
Craig Carilli
See Full Bio

This article originally appeared on 09.21.17



There's a good chance you're reading this on your phone or tablet right now. Most of us can't imagine going very long without looking at a screen these days. With this thought in mind, photographer Eric Pickersgill created a brilliant photo series, “Removed" that captures our addiction to these devices. To create the haunting images, Pickersgill had his subjects perform activities we see every day and then he removed the tablet or phone from their hands but had them hold their stance and stare as he took the pictures.

Pickersgill was inspired to do this project after watching a family interact at a Cafe in Troy, NY. He shared the experience on the project's website.


“Family sitting next to me at Illium café in Troy, NY is so disconnected from one another. Not much talking. Father and two daughters have their own phones out. Mom doesn't have one or chooses to leave it put away. She stares out the window, sad and alone in the company of her closest family. Dad looks up every so often to announce some obscure piece of info he found online. Twice he goes on about a large fish that was caught. No one replies. I am saddened by the use of technology for interaction in exchange for not interacting. This has never happened before and I doubt we have scratched the surface of the social impact of this new experience. Mom has her phone out now."

You can check out the fascinating photos in the gallery above.

Share this on Facebook?

artcellphonescreative serieseric pickersgillfamilyhaunting imagesinspirational projectmodern artnew yorkphonesphoto seriespicturesprojectremoving phonestabletsphotography

The Latest

admin night, productivity hack, life hack, psychology, social life
Ideas

Therapist explains 'Admin Nights' hack for turning tedious 'to do' lists into a brilliant game night

octopus, Secrets of the Octopus, National Geographic, Alex Schnell, marine biology, animal communication, interspecies communication, Great Barrier Reef, Scarlett the octopus, animal intelligence
Past Events

Copy of 'Magical' clip showing octopus communicating with scientist is just incredible

DNA test, switched at birth, family secret, parenting, marriage problems, paternity test, medical mistake, hospital mix-up, Vietnam, viral story
Past Events

A father thought his daughter was 'too pretty' to be his. A DNA test revealed a shocking secret.

feel good story, lost and found, wedding rings, x-ray machine, hospital
Good People

Hospital staff breaks out X-ray machine in Hail Mary to save woman's missing wedding rings

More For You

Reddit viral story, adult children moving out, toxic parents, family boundaries, smart home upgrades, paying rent to parents, bad parenting moments, tenant rights

[L] A woman argues with her mom; [R] A woman argues with her father

Canva

Parents told rent-paying daughter to move out. But then they realized everything actually belonged to her.

When a tenant moves out, they generally take their property with them. Apparently, one set of parents didn't get that memo.

A 25-year-old woman recently took to Reddit (u/TAMovingout) to share a satisfying story of malicious compliance. After her parents asked her to move out so they could have "alone time," they were shocked to discover that the luxury features of their home were leaving with her.

Keep ReadingShow less
average age virginity loss, NSFG data, sexual debut statistics, Nathan Yau FlowingData, sex recession, delayed adulthood, virginity statistics by age

A couple holds hands in bed

Canva

When do Americans actually lose their virginity? This chart might surprise you.

The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) has long provided the gold standard for data on when Americans first have sex. While the numbers themselves, typically averaging around age 17, might not seem shocking, seeing them visualized reveals a distinct "sexual timeline" of American life.

Nathan Yau of FlowingData took the massive datasets from the CDC-overseen survey (specifically the 2013–2015 files) and visualized the age of "sexual debut." The result is a chart that changes how we view this major life milestone.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, The Judy Garland Show, movies, Hollywood Legends, filmmaking, Instagram

(LEFT) Judy Garland and (Right) Ray Bolger

MGM/Wikimedia Commons and Marcus Blechman/ Wikimedia Commons

In 1964, Wizard of Oz co-stars Judy Garland and Ray Bolger reunited for a profound interview

The Wizard of Oz is one of those iconic, all-time cinema classics that you probably feel like you've seen 100 times even if you've never actually watched the movie. With iconic characters like the Wicked Witch, Toto, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Glinda, Auntie Em, The Wizard, and Dorothy etched into our collective memory, there's a reason it is considered one of the most influential moves ever made nearly 100 years after it premiered.

Back in 1964, Judy Garland and Ray Bolger, who plays an unforgettable Scarecrow, found time to reconnect on The Judy Garland Show. Captured 25 years after the release of the movie, the two Hollywood Legends remembered that movie through a strikingly meaningful conversation that echoes with depth 60 years later.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mikayala Starks, racism, car dealership, Kunes Buick GMC, Family Nissan, Nissan Leaf, good news, community, kindness, Oak Creek

(L) Mikayala Starks speaks out after facing racism. (R) A sticker was put on Starks' car with a racial slur.

Cover Image Source: YouTube| News 12

A racist slur on an oil change sticker led to an unbelievable act of kindness

When 33-year-old Mikayala Starks took her vehicle for a routine oil change at Kunes Buick GMC in Oak Creek, she was left devastated by an employee's hateful act.

As she recalled to PEOPLE, it wasn't until later that day that she looked at the service sticker and made a shocking discovery. “While they were supposed to be servicing my car, an employee typed up a racial slur [the n-word] and put it in the comment section of my oil change sticker,” Starks said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jezabel TikTok, bad first date, coffee date disaster, dating red flags, who pays on first date, viral dating story, Jezacat, dating horror stories

(L) A coupke on a coffee date; (R) a man in a hoodie

Canva

She thought expecting her to pay was the red flag until she saw what was under his hoodie

First dates are always a gamble, but rarely do they spiral from "wholesome" to "blocking their number" in under 30 minutes.

For TikTok user Jezabel (@jezacat), a recent coffee date became a viral cautionary tale about ignoring early warning signs. In a video that has captured the internet's attention, she detailed an encounter that began with mild confusion over a bill and ended with her fleeing the coffee shop.

Keep ReadingShow less
height difference relationships, tall woman short man, Jovana Instagram, dating preferences, short king, relationship advice, viral love story, confidence in dating

A tall woman high-fives with a shorter man on a ledge

Canva

She rejected him because he was 5'8". Now they've been married for 13 years.

Height is often treated as the "final frontier" of dating preferences. While society has evolved on many standards, the trope that women only date tall men, and men only date shorter women, persists.

But for Jovana, a 6'4" content creator known as @hola_jovana, those rules were made to be broken.

Keep ReadingShow less
Brandon Dahl, toddler saves family, house fire, COVID symptoms, loss of smell, hero toddler, Alvord Texas fire, fire safety, Momma hot

A man sleeping in bed; a young toddler

Canva

A toddler walked into his parents' bedroom at 4:30 a.m. and saved their lives with two words

For parents of toddlers, a wake-up call at 4:30 a.m. is usually a nuisance. For Kayla and Nathan Dahl, it was a miracle.

In January 2022, the Texas couple was recovering from COVID-19. Like many who contracted the virus, they had lost their senses of taste and smell. So, when a fire broke out in their living room in the middle of the night, the acrid scent of smoke failed to wake them.

Keep ReadingShow less
mental health, relationships, partners, attraction, core values, psychiatric disorders, diagnosis, indicators

A couple poses on vacation.

Photo credit: Canva

New study shows that like attracts like, especially when it comes to mental health

Many books and studies have focused on how we choose partners and fall in love. A new line of research centers on people forming relationships around shared mental health challenges.

A 2025 study revealed that people choose partners based on more factors than just common religious beliefs, political affiliation, core values, and hobbies. There is one factor that has a large-scale effect on relationship satisfaction: navigating a similar mental health diagnosis. Looking at several studies exploring reasons why people choose romantic partners, a psychiatric diagnosis was a strong indicator of a successful match.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2026