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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.

art, cellphones, creative series

Angie and Me, 2014

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."

Eric Pickersgill, family, haunting images

William and Christina, 2014

inspirational project, modern art, New York

Wendy, Brian, Hunter, Harper, 2014

ice cream truck, phones, photo series

Vicky’s Ice Cream, 2014

family, pictures, project

Tanya and Addison, 2014

removing phones, tablets, modern life

Snoopys, 2014

social norms, phones in cars, dangerous habits

Phyllis, 2014

erie series, nostalgic photos, memorable project

Phyllis Photographing, 2014

memorable photo, marriage, modern relationships

Jimmy and Michelle, 2014

Removed, artist, internet

Melissa, 2014

relationships, commitment, Facebook

Lindsay and Louis, 2014

picnic, barbecue, households

Jamie, Jody, Aiden, 2014

driving, people, tribes

Head On, 2014

restaurant, groups, generations

Michael and the man who minds, 2014

technology, modern technology, social problems

Angie Snappin’ Pics

mental health, escapism, avoidance

Mom and Dad, 2014

restraint, circumvention, non participation

Cody and Erica, 2014

cloaking, masking, depression

Jeff and Ty, 2014

suppression, covering, hiding away

Grant, 2014

family trips, despondency, dispiritedness

Debbie and Kevin, 2014

gloominess, melancholia, disconsolation

Courtlyn and Sara, 2014

desolation, farming, bleakness

Chris’ Grass Business, 2014

social commentary, stigmas, social pressure

Cameron, 2014

communication, rapport, social exchange

Mike and Laurna, 2014

bonding, trolling, therapy

Ashley’s Neighbors, 2014

mental illness, social illness, evolution

Angie and Me, 2014

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

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