I photographed these payphones with an eye toward the forgotten but still necessary. Over the years, I have watched some of the most interesting booths and hoods disappear—some overgrown by trees yet still working, others hidden behind a store’s outdoor display, or simply gone. They are among the last of their kind.
Payphones are the neighbour you wave to occasionally but rarely stop to talk to, and sometimes forget altogether. Yet when you’re locked out of your house in the middle of a snowstorm, they can still provide refuge. They are still valuable to someone.
As I photograph them, I find myself anthropomorphizing them. They feel neglected, overlooked, and quietly waiting as the world moves around them. They are hidden in plain sight, lingering at the edge of our consciousness. Yet for some people, they remain an essential means of connection.
Who gets to decide what is still useful or relevant?