Jeff Mermelstein, a renowned, New York-based photographer took up a special project before the global coronavirus pandemic to capture textual conversations, a practice that is strangely too familiar to us.

© New York Post/ Jeff Mermelstein

With over three decades worth of experience, Mermelstein started working on the new pet project since October, 2017. The goal was to document the strange text messages that people send to each other while out on the streets. Honestly, this sounds like our neighbors who ask us questions on the regular that they have no business knowing.

© New York Post/ Jeff Mermelstein

Mermelstein, in an interview with New York Post, explained, "In the midst of making pictures with my iPhone for [my series] “Streetwork,” I saw a woman, ...she was typing on her phone. I went and made a picture of her screen, and after looking at my picture, I saw what was on the screen: It was a Google search about wills, and it had something to do with $6,000 in the attic. It was fascinating, and that kind of opened up a door of awareness.

© New York Post/ Jeff Mermelstein

That was just the beginning for Mermelstein, he would often be successful in taking shots of phone screens on the streets of New York. However, amid the pandemic, his work has slightly shifted focus. Mermelstein says that "more often than not," people wouldn't even notice the fact that their screens were being captured. This also reminds us of prying relatives who always want to stay updated with the ongoings of our lives. 

However, for aspiring photographers who wish to engage in 'prying photography, Mermelstein suggests that one needs to be quick in taking the shot. However, Mermelstein made sure that all the names were left anonymous in the final shots that were made available later.

© New York Post/ Jeff Mermelstein

Mermelstein attempted to capture the element of "surprise and the absurd" in these textual conversations. 

© New York Post/ Jeff Mermelstein

While these texts are definitely insightful, we can't dismiss the fact that they hit too close to home. Occasions like family gatherings, board exam result day, or even casually running into neighbors are filled with prying, absurd questions that are just too similar to these texts.

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