Pictures of People Taking Pictures of Other Things

An Art Project I’ve Been Doing for Years

For the last few years, I’ve been working on a very simple art project just for fun: taking pictures of people taking pictures of other things.

That’s really the whole idea.

I started noticing people photographing places, food, buildings, landscapes, and each other, and I began photographing them in the act. Over time, it became a habit. Now I have more than 350 photos in the collection from all kinds of places.

There was never a big plan behind it. I wasn’t trying to make a product or build a business. I just liked the idea and kept doing it. It has followed me through trips, ordinary days, and random moments when I happen to notice someone lining up a shot. I expect I’ll keep adding to it for years.

Erin, Zines, and Chicago Zine Fest

Last summer, my friend Erin introduced me to zines at Chicago Zine Fest. Erin makes her own zine, and seeing all of these small, personal, handmade publications immediately made something click for me.

This photo project felt perfect for that format.

Zines can be simple, weird, personal, specific, and made because somebody feels like making them. That’s exactly the spirit of this project. I loved that they didn’t need to be overly polished or precious. They could just exist because someone wanted to make and share something.

Making Them the Low-Tech Way

I decided to keep the actual production process low-tech too.

I print out photos on a small Kodak printer, tape them to a piece of white paper and photocopy the pages. Then I fold, cut, and assemble each physical copy by hand. Nothing fancy. No giant production run. No highly polished manufacturing process.

That handmade part is one of my favorite things about it. Each zine feels connected to the project itself: casual, imperfect, and made because it’s fun to make.

The first five volumes are small collections pulled from the larger archive, and I plan to keep making more as the photo collection grows.

Sharing the Project

I created the NRDLIFE zine store because I wanted a simple way to share this project with other people.

The zines are available in both physical and digital formats. If somebody else gets a laugh out of these pictures, likes the idea, or just wants a strange little piece of NRDLIFE, that makes me happy.

I also want to eventually turn the project into a longer, higher-quality book — something that can hold a much larger selection from the 350-plus photos I’ve collected over the years.

For now, though, I like the zines exactly as they are: small, handmade, and fun — and that feels like enough of a reason.