Richard Sandler’s street photography conveys the intricacies of city life

In Richard Sandler’s book The Eyes of the City, the photographer showcases his ability to be in the right place at the right time with his camera. His black and white street photography captures his subjects just at the moment they realise Richard is taking a photograph, meaning the eyes of these strangers stare unblinkingly into the lens.

Published by powerHouse Books in Brooklyn, this is the first published compilation of these photographs which were taken from 1977 up until 2001. For the decade-spanning series, Richard roamed the streets of Boston and New York City, reliving his years in New York as a teenager in the 1960s.

The beauty of Richard’s photography is that it’s not just about people, there’s also a real focus on the environment around his subject with clear identifiers of city life. For instance in one image a smiley billboard ad becomes another character in an image of two women walking past it nonchalantly and in another, a graffiti-scribbled subway train acts as the backdrop for a woman staring directly at the camera.