What the subway looks like in 13 different countries around the world
"I began doing candid photography of people in public spaces in 2006, and I took my first metro photos in Paris as I traveled around the city in 2007," Raucher told Business Insider.
The main source of inspiration for Raucher is observing human interaction on the subways.
"I always look for human interactions — connections, disconnections, emotions of all sorts — that provide a glimpse into the human condition," he said.
While photographing this project, Raucher attempted to remain incognito.
"I tried to be a discrete observer and not influence the situation at hand," he said.
"I would always have my camera hanging around my neck in plain sight, but I seldom would raise it to my eye in order to take a photo," he said.
"People on the subway are often lost in thought as they go about their journeys," he said.
Together, the entire series reflects both human disconnection, and at times, "tender connections" between commuters.
Raucher also depicted a "sense of longing" in some of his images.
When asked what each subway says about a culture, Raucher said, "I prefer to let viewers draw their own conclusions."
"Although there are some differences in the behavior and demeanor of passengers in various cities, it seems that the similarities generally outweigh the differences. Without the captions or external clues such as printed signs, most people might have a difficult time determining where a particular photo was taken," he said.
Marlaine Glicksman, who wrote an essay to accompany the book, describes Raucher's work: "He’s drawn towards moments internal and intimate...interactions startling only in how universally commonplace – how human – they are, in how the very publicness of riding a subway can give way to moments of intimacy at all."
Glicksman goes on, "Raucher’s focus is not the dramatic actions that usually capture our consciousness and newspaper headlines."
One of Raucher's favorite images graces the cover of the book. "The subway is a wonderful location to observe human behavior. It truly is an Urban Stage with a constantly changing cast of characters, each with their own roles to play," he says.
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